Whit Bands, Greenfield

You'll know about these if you live near Saddleworth or like brass bands. Friday was another wonderful evening in Greenfield. Two moments made my day.

1) Just before a band was about to start its parade up the main street a trendy Vauxhall Astra drove towards them. Normally the pedestrians would disperse sheepishly and the car would sweep through the gap but the drummer hit the beat and the band struck up and with two hundred years of tradition behind them the band started marching. The two young men in the car realised quite soon that they had to reverse back into a side street and wait their turn.

2) Black Dyke turned up this year. They ostentatiously carried an enormous trophy up the street but when they got to the test piece on the field they were magnificent. But that's not the whole story. Waiting to play and watching the Black Dyke Mills were Dobcross Youth Band composed of children from 6 to 12. Only starting out in the world of music, they had to follow one of the best bands in the world. They did it. The applause for them was louder than for the Black Dyke.

Caesar Salad - No. However black peas were being sold at the Methodist Church but they were so popular they'd sold out by 9pm. Recipe to follow.