Tiddesley Wood, Spring Open Day

It was only two days ago and yet it seems like a week! The weekend started out with a freaky coincidence on Saturday. I was sitting in the shop reading about orthimancy, (the belief that one can divine the future by watching birds) when a blackbird swooped into the shop and sat next to me. It looked around and then, without distress or panic, flew out again. Now, you might say that was coincidence but I had just read that a blackbird indoors is an omen of bad luck. Just then the phone rang and Tree told me that the van was at a garage and wouldn't start! Freaky or what!!
Anyway, to cut out a long story, we got to the wood, with the help of a lump hammer to hit the starter motor each time the van stopped, and set up the tent with, literally, minutes of daylight to spare. We took a walk, later on, into the wood in the dark, which was cool! I slept at the foot of the doorway to the tent and during the night we had a visit from an inquisitive badger trying to get to our food. All I could see was his nose poking under the flap!
It was better that we set up the night before as this meant we were a lot more chilled before the off. The weather was cool, yet dry, and we set up an altar, to mark Beltane, next to the Haj tent.
Lots of people we knew came to visit us including Dave and Nathalie, Dan and Sarah, Linda and Emma. I also got to meet with Sam and Vicki ,from the Pagan Association, who made the effort to come from Birmingham to see us and the fayre.
All round it was a good day and the mirrors went down well. We were too tired when we got home to do anything and I spent Monday doing absolutely nothing. We had hoped to go to The Green Man at Clun, Fayre but Tree had to do some paperwork and the van had a flat tyre, so we gave it a miss.

Tiddesley wood, an all that!

Well, here at last, nearly, ish. From my point of view it is, as I have a mad panic to get loads done in the last few hours before we go. I only have to sort the van, make two mirrors, pack all the stock, do all the signage, finish making a wand and collapse, all in the space of four hours. I love it really! I'm hoping to meet a load of people from the Pagan Association as well, which will be cool as I can put faces to names.

Asides from that, I thought I would find time to post a rather nice photo (if I say so myself) of the British Camp at Malvern. This view can only be seen from the train, as there isn't a road through this field! It's rare to see an ancient site uncluttered by roads and modern housing .

Do cats pray?

I couldn't resist posting this photo of our Herbie. He has this delightul way of stopping dead in his tracks and burying his head in his paws. If you didn't know different, you'd swear he was praying apart from the fact he starts snoring pretty soon after!! What with his fetish for feet as well, he is quite a mixed up cat.

Beltane blessings

Just a quick one, to wish everyone a merry Beltane. The moon is full and the sap is rising! So get planting those seeds and jumping the fire!

The beauty of an Iris - It's all in the eye !!

I woke up this morning with a head that felt like I had cotton wool squeezed into it and about as much motivation as a dead sheep. Three strong coffees later, which I know is not good for you, I feel a little better and I have busied myself hanging and photographing two more mirrors for the shop. Best of all, I sorted these photos of the Irises in our garden which I took this morning. Even a cotton head feels better for seeing these beautiful flowers first thing every day. We have moved them around the garden several times and each year they get better and better. Its name is derived from the Greek word for rainbow and its petals form a perfect landing stage for all the good pollinating insects in the garden. It also has over 100 uses including medicine, essential oils and artists colour. Definitely one of my fave plants !

A change is as good as a rest!!

Needing a break from everything mundane, Tree and I spent a few days down in Glastonbury to revive our flagging senses and celebrate her birthday. We stayed at Heaphy's, right in the middle of town, which gave us a good view of the monument and hill. We had our usual, fantastic, lunch at The Rainbows End and spent some time in the bookshops. Needless to say, we also spent a lot of time finding new suppliers, talking to Terry at Dillaways, etc, etc.

I was mightily impressed by a new mural that has been painted in the passageway leading to the assembly rooms. The more one looks at it, the more one sees. I recommend you click on the photo to enlarge it and see what I mean.

Monday started out quite drab, as it had been raining all night. We had breakfast at The Blue Note Cafe, which was pretty good, and chilled reading the papers for a while. Not to be put off by the weather, we went to Wookey hole and took a walk through the caverns. It was nice and quiet, as there weren't any children there, and we spent some time going round the place. However, I wouldn't want to go there in season as it is plain to see how busy they can get. As usual, the people who were there in the caves with us marched off to the cafe as soon as they got out of the caverns and failed to notice the 1000 year old Yew trees nearby or the calming sound of trickling water, coming out of the hillside! Tree and I were quite pleased, as this meant we had the place to ourselves.
Now we are back, I will be concentrating on creating stuff, ready for Tiddesley wood at the end of the month. Not forgetting that we also have the Beltane celebration this weekend to look forward to.

Spring has sprung

Spring has sprung indeed! I love this time of year when every day brings something new to see and hear. Every morning now, we hear blackbirds calling for mates and see another one of the plants burst into life. The Sycamore tree, at the back of our garden, has just opened it's buds and is nearly in leaf. Meanwhile the bluebells and wood hyacinths are in full bloom, giving a burst of sweet fragrance as we walk down the path. This spring has been particularly warm as well !! With Beltane just around the corner, we should get busy with planting seeds. I am sure we will make an extra effort to celebrate this one!!

Eostre and back from the brink.

Eostre blessings to one and all!!!
What can I say ? I have been without broadband for a whole week and cut off from the cyber world of blogging. The lesson I have learnt, is to never trust ISPs when they say they'll sort you out in a couple of days !!
Otherwise, I have been having a good time in the real world. Tree and I gave ourselves a break over the Easter bank holiday and needed every minute. Sunday, we went to Westonbirt, and bought shed loads of wood, and Monday we chilled out having lunch out with Elliott, Katie and Sandra. It turns out Elliott is really good at photography and we spent the afternoon round at San's looking online at some of his work. It must be hereditary, as my grandfather and my father were both keen photographers as well.
I have got the confirmation for Tiddesley Wood Fair again this year and I will now have my head down working non-stop until the end of April making mirrors, wands and staves. Deja-vu
I think!

Walking back to happiness.

The clue is in the title I think. Tree and I went over to Symonds Yat yesterday and clambered up to Yat Rock to see the view. Apart from the heat haze obscuring the far distance, you could almost see to the Malvern Hills . The wind was strong and quite refreshing as well. You don’t realise how high up you are until you see that the trees in the photo are 50 foot Oaks!! Tree and I then went on to Ledbury, in search of some wood, and walked the pathway that was once the old steam railway line. You get a different view of the town from up there, as the line used to run on a steep embankment right across the middle of Ledbury. We came back via the Malvern Hills and I stopped to catch a photo of a beech tree that is just to the right of the road as you ascend to British Camp. The root system is fantastic and you would almost believe this tree could get up and walk.
After all this walking, you can imagine, we were fit to drop and too tired to do anything when we got back. Fair play!!

Look up to the sky !

Tree and I were up early today to take the van to it's MOT. However, it was reluctant to start and we abandoned the idea until tomorrow. This meant we were ahead of ourselves and set off to work a little earlier than usual. As we came over British Camp, a deep fog enveloped us and we weren't clear of it until we got to Ledbury.At this point I noticed the sky was a distinct shade of pink, as the sun tried to push through the layer of mist above us. Weird yet wonderful. Is this what they mean by sky blue pink?

I wanna stay in bed another hour !!

Tree and I were up and out, not too early, yesterday and made our way to Cirencester. It was good to see the circle has improved even more since we last came. We cleared some fallen branches and had a lovely celebration to mark the Spring Equinox. Afterwards we went on a walk to the farthest point of the woods to find the deer antlers I had spotted some time ago, but to no avail. We found the skeleton of the deer some way from where it had been originally and suppose that a fox had dragged it there. Sadly, we did not find the antlers. Nearby we found some large burrows in the ground which are either a fox or badger sett. Oh well, it was not meant to be. No doubt I shall find some others soon.
Today was difficult, as I always find the clocks going forward messes with my sleep, and it always takes a couple of weeks for me to adjust. At least the evenings are lighter, which is so much better!

Bright blessings for the Equinox celebrations

Yet again I have to offer belated greetings for the passing of the Spring Equinox. Most people we know are celebrating this Sunday, as indeed we are. Tree and I have been invited to a gathering at Mosely Bog but have decided to go to Cirencester to celebrate. I spent most of yesterday writing the form of the ceremony and I look forward to getting there. The weather looks promising as well, not that it matters too much but I do like to be dry. I may get a chance to use my new stethoscope that Tree got me and listen to the trees talking in the wind. Anyway, have a good celebration, however you mark it, and be full of cheer for the herald of Spring! Bright Blessings!!

That Monday morning feeling

This morning I did indeed wake up with that Monday morning feeling.Tree and I didn't get out yesterday, as we hoped, mainly due to the weather being so horrid and I wasn't too well stomach wise. Instead I slouched on the sofa for most of the day, apart from the odd dash to the loo. However, the plus side of the day for me was that Herbie shocked us both by sitting on my lap. Now you might not think this strange but, if you knew him you'd know, he NEVER does that.He'd rather chew your face off. I have been working for months now trying to get closer to him and bit by bit he has warmed to the idea. Over the past couple of months he has sat between me and Tree, but never on our laps. He may be mellowing at last !! It's only taken 5 years!!!
Anyway, as i say, I wasn't feeling good this morning either and was 50/50 whether I should open the shop or stay at home. In the end I thought what the heck and came anyway. A good decision, as on the way we saw the Malvern Hills capped in snow from last night. We stopped to get a photo (which doesn't do them justice) and watched as everyone else rushed by with anxious expressions, oblivious to the beauty that lies all around them. Life is too short to get stressed to the extent that some do. This made me feel a lot better and I look forward to Beltane even more.

A belated Imbolc greeting to you all!

In all the mayhem that is post Yule I completely forgot to pass my wishes and blessings to all for Imbolc. Tree and I went to Shrawley wood, on one of our rare days out, to get in touch with the spring. Whilst there, I came upon two amazing pieces for wands and they have already begun the transformation. I also have my eye on some deer antlers that I came across a couple of months ago. I am waiting for Mother nature to take her natural course and strip them ready for me to turn into ceremonial staves. They will hold great significance and power as they are only a few feet away from a spot that is very important to me.
Other good news is that my son Elliott got in touch with me and we met up the other day. He has shot up and is now taller than me!! Most people are anyway!! Dan and Sez came over to the shop and I think Dan may be putting some photos on his blog, so give it a click. Blissfields tickets are on sale now, so get em quick. Otherwise, there is not much to report, a blessing in a way as I am beginning to gear up for Tiddesley Wood Spring fair. At least I enjoy my work now!!!!

Loony eclipse.

Well done to Dan for reminding me about the lunar eclipse last night. I was thinking it was going to be about 1am but noticed it was already happening at 10pm. A bit of a race to get the telescope out, but I managed to get a few photos. Unfortunately the camera had a problem with the image being dark and they weren't as sharp as I would have liked. The moon at the height of the eclipse went a beautiful shade of orange and resembled Mars, which was cool. As the pics are all very much the same I have just posted the two, a sort of before and after thing.

Missing the point!

Not so much of a blog, as a catch-up, I'm afraid. Oh well, at least it's because I've been busy. I must clear up a point from my previous entry concerning the Dr Hadwen Trust. It seems, from a few comments that I have had, that people think it is regarding the ethics of using drugs that have been tested on animals. It is not. The Hadwen Trust concerns itself with finding NEW ways to test drugs WITHOUT USING animals. This does not mean that drugs already developed cannot be used but concerns more the future of humane testing. Considering the pain inflicted previously to animals in testing, it would be an insult to their memories to not use these drugs. However, as soon as a replacement was available, then the switch would be made. Without the Hadwen Trust research, there is no future for animals in labs. Also, bear in mind that a report was written in 1989 detailing that had Thalidomide been tested in human control experiments, instead of animal, it would never have been used!! A strong argument for alternative research I think.
I shall catch up with the rest of this blog soon. See Ya.

I'm missing the snow already!!

You know how it is. When it's there and you can't get to work, etc, etc, you moan. When it's gone, a nostalgic mood sets in for the romance of crisp clear air and white horizons. You can't win! Anyway, while I was stuck in, unable to get to the shop, I decided to catch up on some reading and came across a brilliant article from the Dr Hadwen Trust about the launch of their new website . The trust has been developing ways of doing medical research without using animals. When considering that most data from animal research is not viable for human testing and the pain inflicted is therefore futile and criminal by moral standards, it makes sense to support the trust. I have been supporting them for some years now and have been very impressed with the number of procedures that no longer require testing on animals. Go on take a look! Go on, go on, go on.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (or maybe not).

Well so much for the more frequent blogging. To be fair, I have been inundated with things to do. Tree and I went to the Spring Fair and spent loads of money and met some new people to trade with. We are making a concerted effort to move away from commercial traders and buy from independent craftspeople and made some good contacts.

And then came the snow. Thursday was a complete waste of time, having tried to get to work and failing by getting no further than Powick roundabout, so we decamped to Sandra's house for the rest of the day. It was a good job we did, as we were told many tales of people abandoning their cars on the top of British Camp and walking home. Friday was not much better. We managed to get to Ledbury and Hereford, respectively, but Tree had to come back early as snow was blocking up Hereford. By the time we had finished lunch the roads were covered in snow and slush. We decided to avoid the hills and went back via the motorway. Even the M40 was coated in slush and it took a long time to get home. Today I went over British Camp and there was a string of cars, still where they were abandoned the previous day, and the road was reduced to a single track in some sections where trees had fallen under the weight of the snow!

However, I couldn't resist the temptation and built not one but two snowmen. Well, with global warming, we may not be able to much longer.

It's a hard life!

Unless your a cat!

Well, not much to report, apart from news about the shop and that can get a bit dull, as an observer. Tree and I are back on the healthy regime and aim to get in lots of walks and fresh air. I have managed to put on a stone in weight since leaving the bank! This is down to the fact I am not cycling to work every day. We hope to get along to one of the Critical mass meetings on a Friday. The only problem is that by the time we get home it's too late. Hopefully in the summer they will start later. Failing that, Tree and I will just go out for a ride anyway.

Two posts in one day, what's the world coming to?

I couldn't miss out on this one. I was just in the newsagents, getting a paper, when I overheard this snippet of conversation between an elderly lady and the owner.

Lady "Well he likes to stop and fuss a bit"

Owner "I don't know. He says I give him too much work on his round and yet he has time to play with your pussy everyday"

Get it while you can Grandma, I say.

Hoorah for broadband!!

At last, I finally got my arse into gear and sorted out broadband for the shop. Not too momentus an occasion, you might think, but I have contact with the outside world again. Sadly it will not all be game playing and surfing for me as I will have to get the virtual shop up and running as well. The shop is looking a lot better now I have put in the shelving, as you can see from the photos, and we are getting a lot of new stock in soon. With business being quieter this time of year, Tree and I are thinking of taking a month off work next year and travelling instead. We may as well take advantage of the situation!!

I wouldn't wanna be Jade right now !!

As Big Brother is said to represent a microcosmic view of the state of our society it was inevitable that, like all civilizations in the past, it would end up destroying itself. The current debacle about racism is to be the tip of the iceberg in retrospect. Oh well, it was interesting while it lasted, however, I was beginning to tire of it. Even if it manages to continue, it will not be as it was. The interesting concept is that the real Big Brother is now watching Big Brother behave. Orwell knew what he was onto alright!
BB aside, I am getting broadband set up at the shop so I will now be blogging a lot more. Life will be a lot easier being able to do most things at work, rather than eating into my spare time.

I am the God of Hellfire!!!

Recently I read an article which said that a clothing company had been prosecuted for writing “We must apologise for our president, he is an idiot” on their washing instruction labels. I thought this was quite amusing, yet surely it must be a one-off occurrence? Oh no!! I checked some of my labels and found this one which, seeing as I have been accused of running an occult shop just because I have a pentagram in a glass cabinet, must make me the devil himself (sounds of, Hollywood style, evil hollow laughter, echo behind me). As I don't believe in the "devil", as he is a christian construct to control people, I haven't been phased by this !!! It puts a whole new meaning to hot under the collar. Does this mean I’m hot stuff!! Yeah right.

CBB, an all that!

Oh well I was nearly right. You know, a couple of Americans, a washed up musician or two and an unknown actress. Either way it’s all a bit the same, as usual. Anyway, life does not revolve around Big Brother! Tree and I took a day off to go and see one of our suppliers in Staffordshire and it was like entering Aladdins cave with all the crystal everywhere. We would have bought the whole warehouse, in our dreams, but had to settle for one or two rather nice pieces instead. It was a fascinating day and I learnt a lot about how they extract crystal without damaging the environment, as opposed to drift mining where they rape the hillsides with explosives and water cannons. When I have more time, I will get round to applying for BAFTS accreditation for the shop. In the meantime, we are soon to appear in the local ragmag to help promote where we are. The shop is now listed under Wyrdewood, in the business internet directory. I am getting business broadband set up soon, so I won’t be so cut off…hooray!!! Otherwise, not much to report so I’ll say seeya soon. Aloha!

CBB an all that....

Blimey, is it a year already since the last celebrity Big Brother? I can well believe it, when considering all that has gone by in the last year. I can only wonder at the prospect of this New Year. Oh, by the way, Happy New Year!!! Back to CBB, I won’t even begin to guess who will be in it. Instead I will forecast the types of celebrity and see if I am right.

Celeb Big Brother forecast

One American
One desperate politician
A former glamour/man mag model
A forgotten actor/actress
A has been child entertainer (i.e. Timmy Mallet)
A musician or musically related person
A topical person from some sort of scandal trying to prove they were stitched up
An airhead/play it dumb type
A feminist or gay activist (most likely annoying)
An unknown (you know, the type you say, “what they been in then?”)

Oh, hang on, you mean to say exactly like every other Celeb Big Brother?
Yep indeed!!

Keeping a promise. The Maha Mantra

I almost forgot. Even though Charles, one of the waiters, is Catholic, he asked that I put the Maha Mantra on the blog. We had a discussion about Lord Krishna, Rama and Sita, the Ramayana and The Mahabharata (Hindu bible). He seemed quite impressed that I had read it cover to cover, as it is 9000 pages long and most Hindus only read sections at a time. The recitation of this mantra gives, and brings, favour and reverence to those that recite it and, more importantly, to Lord Krishna.

Hari Krishna Hari Krishna
Krishna Krishna
Hari Hari
Hari Rama Hari Rama
Rama Rama
Hari Hari.

More India photos

These photos are of the Park Hyatt Hotel and Anjuna Market. As I mostly recorded the trip on my digi video, the photos don't show too much. The hotel was surrounded by one big swimming pool, the biggest in India, and as you walked round, you crossed it by a series of bridges. Outside of our rooms was a lagoon with a view to the sea on our right.
Anjuna market was complete madness with everyone hassling, shouting or begging for you to buy. After a while you became immune to the mayhem. The sound of people saying "Na, Na, Na", which means no in Hindi was everywhere you went. However, when considering that you can buy a T-shirt for £1 or incense for 9p, it was a fantastic experience.

India Photos

Solstice Greetings/Hari Rama, Rama Rama, Hari Hari,etc...

Greetings one and all and may your solstice have been as good as ours!! We have been home just 24 hours now and are still a little jet lagged, but relaxed all the same. Goa was everything we expected and the hotel was brilliant. The service was more than I could believe, I swear if you dropped a bit of paper it wouldn't reach the ground before it would be caught by one of the staff, and everyone made every effort to ensure you had a relaxing time. The weather was a steady 34 degrees with a light breeze which was very welcome. We mainly stayed around the hotel or on the beach but ventured North to Anjuna one day to the market there. The market was crazy and a tale in itself, let alone the drive there on majorly potholed roads with a driver who spent most of the trip two inches from the car in front or in the middle of the road!!! We bought loads of crystal, fabrics and incense for the shop and it was good to be buying direct from source, rather than lining someone's pocket over here. We even made arrangements with this guy we met, called Farook, to send stuff direct to us here in the UK !! There were two guys at the hotel who were really friendly called Charles and Richard and we made sure we gave them fat tips when we left. The average wage, in India, is about 700 rupees per month (about £9) so they were well chuffed when we gave them 500 rupee tips on the last day ! As usual, I have shed loads of photos but will only post a few at a time.
Tree and I had a particularly good solstice, watching the sun set on the beach. It was made very special, for reasons to be revealed later, and will be one I will never forget !! Now all that is left is to look forward to the New Year and all that the future holds, a certainly brighter one than in the last few years.
Catch ya soon.

....and Breath

At last, a quiet moment to catch up on the blog ! That is not to say that I have been rushed off my feet with customers, but rather that I have been busy finishing off all the fiddly bits like shelves and electrics. We have been fairly quiet midweek but are hopeful for the weekends. The main thing is getting people to come up the passageway. The rent has been covered for this month already, so no complaints !!We have already been described as “ The best kept secret in Ledbury”, and we have had a lot of positive feedback regarding the pagan items we stock. Someone remarked that we were similar to a shop in Glastonbury, which I was pleased about. Although the shop looks good as it is, if I say so myself, I want it to evolve and grow in a free form, rather than a conventional, way. Otherwise, there isn’t any news other than the fact that I feel guilty for ignoring everyone at the moment, but it can’t be helped. When things are a bit settled Tree and I will visit you all…promise! In the meantime, India is just around the corner, time wise silly, not literally, and I can’t wait ! Catch Ya soon.