Solstice blessings.

I can't believe that the time has flown by so quickly and yet here we are at the Summer Solstice. Everything has been on the up and all of our seedlings are planted out now and enjoying a bit of Summer sun. It was definitely the right choice to turn the garden over to veg and we are already eating some of the first crops of carrots. In addition to the garden, I have been working hard to get ready for the 3 Villages Festival with only a few days to go. After this I will concentrate on the house and garden for a while before moving onto my next project to build a wind turbine.

Solstice Blessings!!!

Bye Bye Mikey the Hippy Van.

Today we received the notice from DVLA confirming the transfer of sale for the festie van. Goodbye dear friend, you served us well. From Hampshire to Devon, from Cornwall to Wales, you carried your weighty load and never broke down. From Blissfields to Beautiful Days, from Forest Fayre to The Green Man and from Clun to Nozstock, you saw them all. Blasting out Dub Reggae at 60 watts per channel, every trip became an adventure. Who could forget the numerous extras like the homemade shower at the back - priceless at a festie!!

You are gone but not forgotten, especially if you check Google Earth which still shows it outside our house - a ghost of it's former glory!!

WOMAD

We have just got back from a rather wet WOMAD and are enjoying the simple pleasures of a hot shower and flushable toilets. Overall we were quite disappointed with this years festival. Gone were the impromptu entertainers and general crazy people and in were the boring wellie brigade with their 4 X 4's and waxed coats. Tree and I feel that this festival has lost it's hippy vibe and become a haven for the pseudo middle classes.

Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves despite the rain, especially seeing Mad Professor, The Ghoad Gypsies of Rhajasthan and an amazing set by DJ M3. This year might be where we say goodbye to WOMAD and find another more chilled festie to replace it. We will see!

Stuff the recession !!

While everyone else is worrying about the recession (you know, the one were not supposed to be in, but are), Tree and I are feeling quite relaxed. After an interview or two I have got a job working at the Worcester Royal Hospital as a Ward clerk/Hospital auditor. Okay, put the cross down, auditors aren't that bad (unless you have something to hide). There is shed loads of training I can do as well, at the training centre on campus, thereby furthering my job prospects. It has been hard finding a job that wasn't going to give any money to "The Man" and we are both relieved how it has worked out. This of course means that we have a reasonable increase to our income so they can stick their credit crunch for all I care.

Job hunting has meant I haven't had much time to do anything else, including blogging, and any spare time has been eaten up by all the jobs I have neglected on the house. Frantic amounts of decorating, wallpapering and plastering have been a daily event, these past few weeks. Along with this, I have also managed to fit in converting a horrible old wall mounted gas fire into an open hearth with a beam for my mate Sarah. Nice !

Surprisingly, we have also found time to go and stay with Joy and Nige and are off again soon for another week before I start work. The advantage of my new job is that I will be able to transfer to Truro Hospital quite easily when we move to Cornwall, giving me and Tree some flexibility before we set up a business there. However, we won't be moving until the housing market has settled a bit.

As for the festivals, we are still going to work a select few like Nozstock, Bliss, Beautiful Days and Rock N Roots (if they honour their agreement re this years fiasco) and we will be able to enjoy them more knowing that we aren't depending on the income.

And now all that remains is to look ahead to the end of the month and Sahmain. Tree and I are off to stay in a cottage in Aberdovey to celebrate with a few friends. My mind is already turned to thinking about what we can get up to like Pumpkin carving, story telling in the dark and a big Sahmain fire to celebrate! Can't wait.

Not so Beautiful Days.

We have not long been back from Beautiful Days Festival in Devon and are just glad to be dry and warm again. The festival started out with sunshine and good prospects but descended into a mud nightmare within hours. We would have been well miserable but for the fact that we found ourselves pitched next to Log and Homa, who we met at The Workhouse Festival. They are both very friendly, entertaining, people and we had a laugh, or two, along the way. We were a bit miffed about where we were pitched as well as we are normally down in the main trading area and this time we seemed to be out on the outskirts. A good job in some respects as the main arena turned into a mudfest to end all mudfests! Not all was doom and gloom as lots of the weird and wonderful came by our stall and we got to catch up with friends.I also got a few comments regarding my hair which Tree had dyed with the Levellers logo from about 1984. Log and Homa have invited us to stay a few weeks at their house in Bali, in the New Year, and we will now concentrate on getting some dosh together for the airfare.

Meanwhile, I am finishing off the shop, ready to hand back, and job hunting for the winter season.

Pip and Murali are moved into their flat and I will be helping them get it sorted.

Alas poor shop ! I knew it well.

Today is the last day of the shop in Ledbury but, have no fear, I am more than ready to move on to the next project. What with the credit crunch, economic retail downturn, bad weather, rising fuel prices and food costs increasing, it is the right time to call it a day. The shop was an excellent means by which I could leave the bank and I have a few fingers in other pies already. My main focus will be on developing the festivals, markets and craft fairs with the winter months made up with casual work. Even though I am okay about the closure, I have had one or two tearful customers wanting me to stay. Quite heartwarming really!

Anyway, I haven't time at the moment to think of anything else apart from Beautiful Days Festival and The Rock N Roots Festival which are over the next two weeks. Busy, busy,busy!!

Viva La Nozstock!!!!

Its been a long time since I have been able to say that I have experienced a good festival and I am so happy to be able to say it at last. Nozstock is a small festival just outside of Bromyard. The atmosphere is like Glastonbury used to be, before the "corporates" got hold of it. The festival site was well planned and decorated with dragons, fantasy carvings and amusing little signs posted everywhere. Noz, the man behind the name, is a lovely bloke and everyone had a fantastic time. We were pitched in our own sort of mini field and had wonderful neighbours. Sarah, our nearest, fell down a hole on the first day. Her foot went blue and swelled up like a balloon so we took care of her and her stall with the help of our other neighbours, Carol and Gary. The band line up was pretty cool and even the dance tent blaring out was okay. I have already asked Noz to keep us the same pitch for next year and we are going to make it "our own" again with Sarah, Carol and Gary. Tree and I were quite sad to leave but were happy for the friends we made. A special big up goes to Christina for sorting us out, she's worth a gold star or two.

Good News!!!!!

Following up the blog concerning John, the cyclist run over on at Link Top, I can report that he is now home convalescing and is expected to make a full recovery. Taking into account his age (65), and the fact he was hit by no less than two cars, I think this is bloody amazing! Just goes to show how resilient and tough the human body can be, not forgetting self will and determination on his part. Well done John!!!
Otherwise, not much to report. The shop is going slow but sure, which is to be expected at this time of year, and both Tree and I are waiting on certain Festies to get back to us and confirm so I can get on with preparing for them.
We went to the Spring show last Sunday and bought loads of new stock and bought shed loads of crystal on Monday. Ooh I love inventories and price listing.......Not! Oh well, it keeps me busy.

Blissed out at Blissfields.

What a brilliant weekend! Tree and I took a long needed break for a few days and went down to Hampshire for the annual sojourn that is Blissfields festival. Before we went, Tree did another hair design for me. This time we did "Bliss" as that is both the name of the festie and the surname of the people who own the farm and created the festie. We usually trade there but, because we opened the shop this year, decided to go as punters for a change. Paul and Mel, who run the whole thing, invited us down early on Thursday so we could chill and catch up. Sadly, as they got short of stewards and helpers, tree and I ended up fixing the marquee and doing a bit of traffic directing. We had a laugh doing it though. The weather stayed dry and we couldn't complain. I met up with a couple of Hedge carpenters and was shown how to make a geodesic dome, my next project. We packed up on Sunday and headed home via Avebury and stopped to have lunch. Whilst there we paid our respects to Mike, whose ashes are cast in the circle somewhere. We then headed out to Tewkesbury to catch the end of the Medieval Fayre and found a couple of new wholesalers in the process. Monday was chilling time and we did absolutely nothing, which was great! Anyway, the photos tell it all...enjoy.

Rain stopped play !!

As it was, Tree and I were going to have a nice day out, working the Green Fair at Gheluvelt Park, but then realised that the Ragged Hedge Fair was back on, after ten years. We contacted Will, who owns the wood we were handfasted in, and asked if we could trade there. Unfortunately, we were too late. So we decided to just go and check it out anyway. However, we hadn't allowed for the weather and after sitting, looking out of the window at the rain for ages, we decided to just forget the whole thing and chill at home instead !! The day is not lost though, as we have just booked our holiday in India. We got an excellent deal on a 5 ***** hotel and we upgraded to deluxe as well !! Our room has a sunken bath and looks out over it's own lagoon ! Plus, the hotel has the biggest pool in India. Fantastic !!!We will just dream of golden sands and sun from now on.

Westonbirt Tree Festival

As part of Tree and I having a relaxing weekend, we went to Westonbirt Arboretum for the annual tree festival. Amongst the usual wood sculptures and crafts we found some particularly inspiring work by artists such as Malcolm David Smith. His chairs are described as, "seating that just might be alive" and you would well believe it ! Tree and I have promised ourselves one each when we move to Wales. We bought some wood and had a good lunch in the restaurant. I do find it interesting how people pay to visit the show, yet miss some brilliant sculpture in the shape of the roof of the restaurant itself. During our meal I didn't see one person look up. When I build my workshop I intend to incorporate this style of roofing with a reciprocal roof centre window to maximise on the natural light whilst I work. We stopped at Ragged Hedge Wood on the way home and visited the circle where we were handfasted. I still love the calm within the wood when nobody is there. A perfect end to a chilled weekend !!

B Days III

Festie Eve

The shower was worth dancing about !

Amy & friends

The Fairygarden


Listening to the Deep Sea Jivers..Tequila!!

Worm & Diane

Gonen & Keren

At the risk of being quite boring, I shall post the final selection of photos of Beautiful Days. Although, if you were there, then it's a wholly different viewpoint.