You too can enjoy the fun of the Nine Days Wonder. There has already been interest expressed in the event by TV, Radio and the Press, and Tim would like to maximise the positive impact by inviting all Morris Dancers to join him on the diffferent legs of the journey, either for a short stretch or a nice long stretch.

If you would like to be kept informed of what is going on, please send your email to either Tim or Woodside's Dave D, and we will strive to keep you up to date with where and when each leg of the journey will be taking place, and when any special events take place to celebrate or promote the event.

Tim FitzHigham's
Nine Days Wonder

28 June to 7 July 2008

Nine Days Wonder Home

The Fourth Wonder - Chelmsford(ish) to Halstead(ish)

Day five, the middle day of the adventure, and Tim's resolve to finish is fortified by a number of excellent experiences, by way of a musical guest appearance, a visit to a local school, and an evening of apres wonder Morris.

The addition of 'Abs', a talented perambulating flautist, to Tim's team was a very welcome event; providing much musical motivation with which to bring new life into Mr FitzHigham's much put-upon lower limbs. The days target of around 15 miles didn't exactly fly by, but they were certainly passed in an air of enhanced pleasantry.

When Kemp performed his wonder, he stopped off in Clare for a a while to spend time entertaining a local widow. Tim, in emulating Kemp's route, also took this rather lengthy diversion from the more direct route, but in this case it was to visit the school of young Henry, a sufferer from EB (Epidermolysis Bullosa), a condition in which a person's skin and mucous membrain can, in the most extreme cases, blister spontaneously. One of Tim's goals for the event is to raise money for the charity DebRA, who support people with this rare skin condition. For more information on EB, and to find out how you can give to the charity, visit the DebRA website. As part of his visit to the school, Tim was introduced to the students as the man who would be teaching them to Morris dance! With some slight trepidation at taking up the mantel of Morris expert, yet also dizzy and somewhat moist with this new found power, Tim brought the Wild Morris to the wider world.

Another highlight of a day well populated by highlights, was a meeting with the Mayor of Sudbury, whom Tim was also called upon to give a Morris dancing instructional. His plan to fill the world with the Wild Morris was now well and truly under way.

Despite the many distractions, Tim had made it to Poslingford, near Bury St Edmunds, by the end of the dancing day. But despite the aching limbs and two tone ankles, there was still much to do.

The day's finale took place at the Angel public house in Lavenham, where Tim met up with the Morris Men of Little Egypt and Bury Fair Women's Morris, for an evening of Morris, tune and song. So shattered was Tim that his feet were being kept in a bucket of ice, but so gripped by Morris fever was he that the bucket was thrown aside, and Old Woman was danced, and before he new it, so was the Vandals of Hammerwich - a dance that Tim had only danced previously in unhinged fantasies that fueled the worst nightmares leading up to the start of this fine adventure.

Tim had a fantastic ngiht, and would like to thank the members of the two sides for their encouragement and entertaining banter.

The end result was a tired but invigorated Tim, ready, but for a long contented sleep, for the next days challenge.

See Tim's thoughts on the Day on FitzHigham.com