Summer solstice

As is traditional, Andy was up Windmill Hill (Avebury) for the summer solstice sunrise, hanging out with various hedge-priests, philosophers and Dongas ('Waiting for the Dawn' was written about two previous solstices). Gawd bless the British weather - it was pissing with rain with no sun to be seen at all. In the photos, Donga Steph (of the Mordekkers - with the brolly), Matt Watkins, aka Dr Syntax, with the hat, and Graham Harvey.

Blowout

When we're not playing with the Bees, each us has a variety of other musical projects on the go. Josie plays with funk rockers, The Conscripts, while Colin and Jane play with just about everyone from Matt Sage to Lisa Fitzgibbon. But here's some video clips of Andy in hardcore bagpipe mode, playing with Becky Price at this year's Blowout festival.

Vashti Bunyan

Heard a great Radio 4 interview with Vashti Bunyan about her gorgeous album 'Just another diamond day'. You can listen again online for a week, but will need to download BBC iPlayer.

Yurt

We played a gorgeous gig in the Barracks Lane Community Yurt last night (I think it's a measure of quite how good a community is, whether it has a yurt or not). The line up was The World is Not Flat; Alan Buckley; Joshua Knight and our good selves. The audience were a delight, attentive, appreciative, and good hecklers too. Thanks to Annie for organising and to Kate Raworth for taking these extraordinary photos. More at her website.

Well Wishing

A good friend of ours, Stephen Hancock, set out on an adventure this Wednesday - three months hitching round the holy, and unholy, sites of Britain. He started with a farewell breakfast at Binsey Well, one of those delightful - dare I say, magical? - corners of Oxford. Binsey was once renowned as a pilgrimage site, Britain's Lourdes. Now it is a bit sad, down at heel. But breakfast in the sun was a lovely way to start the day and to bid Stephen good journeying. Catch up with his (guaranteed-to-be) crazy adventures at his blog.