Showing posts with label Beltane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beltane. Show all posts

Monday 1 May 2023

Beltane: Day 7


Ah well, the final day of our Beltane week. At least we're both feeling better now! But that means we're both back at work, so no time for any final celebrations. Still, there's always next year!

‘A Merrie May’



The final seasonal chapter in Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun was 'A Merrie May', which was an excellent way to finish off my seasonal reading. It certainly provided a lot of food for thought (especially after watching The Wicker Man last night), and so it was a good way to finish off the season.

And so the wheel of the year turns. We'll be celebrating again at Midsummer (fingers crossed!).

Sunday 30 April 2023

Beltane: Day 6


Our last day of celebrating together, as Rob is going to be going back to work tomorrow. As I've said in previous posts, we've not had as much of a Beltane extravaganza as we'd planned. Nevertheless, we were determined to have a proper Beltane dinner tonight!

‘Royal Oak’



I read the penultimate (and utterly fascinating!) seasonal chapter from Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun today: 'Royal Oak'.

Beltane Dinner



Now that we can both eat (sort of) properly and with minimal pain, Rob made us our traditional Beltane Dinner of sausage casserole tonight!

Beltane Gifts



We swapped our Beltane cards and gifts tonight. Two more whiskies to add to the set we'll be sampling at Christmas.

The Wicker Man



And, of course, what Beltane Dinner would be complete without the seasonal film?

Saturday 29 April 2023

Beltane: Day 5


Another day of our sickness-restricted Beltane. We're back in Manchester now, and we managed to make it out and into nature. At least we got to see a few trees this year!

‘Rogationtide and Pentecost’



The next seasonal chapter of Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun was 'Rogationtide and Pentecost'.

Bailey’s Wood Beltane Litter-Pick




It might not have been the Beltane festivities we had planned, but we were out for the Friends of Bailey's Wood Beltane litter-pick today, so I spent the morning surrounded by hawthorn and birdsong.

Friday 28 April 2023

Beltane: Day 4


And another day with limited seasonal fun for us (we're still poorly!). We're going to need a massive Beltane next year to make up for this one, I think.

‘Morris and Marian’



I did read another seasonal chapter from Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun today. There are quite a few chapters devoted to May and the beginning of summer, so it's keeping me going through the week.

Thursday 27 April 2023

Beltane: Day 3


Sadly, it's another very quiet Beltane day for us due to ongoing illness. Not a lot to report this time, I'm afraid.

‘May Games and Whitsun Ales’



Although we weren't in a particularly celebratory mood, I did read the next seasonal chapter of Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun today, which was on 'May Games and Whitsun Ales'.

Wednesday 26 April 2023

Beltane: Day 2


Sadly, Beltane this year continues to be hampered by illness. It's lovely being in Derbyshire, but we're very much using the time to recover and not really taking full advantage of the season. Ah well, we'll have to make up for it next year. There were a couple of seasonal things today though...

‘The May’



Continuing with the seasonal chapters from Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun, today's chapter was 'The May'.

Ronald Hutton Lecture




And it was a double bill for me this evening, as it was time for another wonderfully engaging and informative lecture in Ronald Hutton's series for Gresham College. Today's lecture was entitled 'Finding Lost Gods in Wales'.

Abominable Books



Okay, so not strictly a Beltane activity, but I'd been saving this month's Abominable Book Club box as a treat, so it seemed like a good time to open it. Amongst other goodies, this month's box had The Green Man of Eshwood Hall by Jacob Kerr and Old Country by Matt Query and Harrison Query as the featured books.

Tuesday 25 April 2023

Beltane: Day 1


Well, Beltane season began today, but sadly it isn't going to be the week we had planned. Poor Rob's been really quite ill for over a month now, and it's been a tough time for him. Unfortunately - with the worst timing in the world - just as Rob was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I ended up spending an entire day in A&E with a throat so badly swollen I couldn't breathe or swallow properly. It turns out I'd managed to come down with one of the worst cases of tonsilitis I can remember having (and I've had some bad cases).

We'd got a little holiday planned in Bakewell for April, as we do every year, and we really didn't want to miss it, despite everything that's happened. It won't be the walking holiday we'd planned, but we came to Derbyshire on Sunday (with a first aid kit that looks like a field hospital) to convalesce and recuperate for a couple of days.

‘Beltane’



I've got a whole week's worth of Beltane/May chapters to read in Ronald Hutton's The Stations of the Sun this season, so I'm starting (appropriately enough) today with 'Beltane'.

Lambs and Hills




Again, not quite the Beltane week of adventures we had planned, but we took a very short trip out this afternoon and saw some hills and some lambs today, so that was nice.

Beltane Candle




We lit our Beltane candle from Chalice Creations to mark the start of the season tonight... Ylang-ylang, jasmine, geranium and frankincense are the scents of our Beltane fire this evening.

Wednesday 12 April 2023

Events in April 2023


Easter Poetry and Storytelling
Friday 7th April
2.00-4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

The Medieval Blackley Deer Park and its Afterlife
Wednesday 12th April
7.00-8.30pm
Friends of Bailey's Wood
I'm giving a local history talk on the history of the medieval deer park at Blackley, including its demise and afterlife
Booking Link

Virtual Writing Retreat
Sunday 16th April
10.30–5.00pm
Hannah's Bookshelf
I'm hosting a online writing retreat for creative writers with writing exercises and structured writing sessions
Members Event

Beltane Poetry and Storytelling
Friday 28th April
2.00-4.00pm
Castlerea House
I'm running a seasonal poetry and storytelling workshop session for residents at Castlerea care home
Private Event

Interested in booking me for an event? Click here to find out more.

Sunday 1 May 2022

Beltane: Day 7


The big day is here! And, to be honest, we're absolutely shattered now! I think it's fair to say we've given our Beltane celebrations a really good go this year. We weren't quite as full-on as we are for Halloween, but I think this was a good try. Maybe next year we'll go even bigger with it, because I have to admit I love Beltane now (though, obviously, Halloween and Christmas are still the best).

Friends of Crumpsall Park Beltane Litter-Pick




The Friends of Crumpsall Park litter-pick is held on the first Sunday of every month, so it fell today. And, like yesterday's litter-pick, it had a Beltane theme this time. We had another go at making Beltane story sticks while we travelled round the park, though mine turned out a bit more Goth than the one I made yesterday.

Springtime Bath Bomb



A lovely little gift from Rob for a bit of seasonal relaxation!

Beltane Dinner



May Day concluded for us with the (now) traditional Beltane Dinner of sausage casserole, followed by strawberries and cream.

The Wicker Man



And what else could we watch to accompany our Beltane Dinner than The Wicker Man (the 1973 version... obviously!).

Beltane Gifts



We ended the night by sharing our (now) traditional gifts - more whisky (or Calvados this time for Rob) to add to our seasonal tasting sets that we'll enjoy at Christmas.

And so the wheel of the year turns... We'll be celebrating again at Midsummer.

Beltane: Day 6


Another day of festivities... and oh, we do have a busy weekend planned! Today we combined Beltane with Walpurgis Night for an added celebration.

Friends of Bailey’s Wood Beltane Litter-Pick




The monthly Friends of Bailey's Wood litter-pick was on today (it's the last Saturday of every month). This time, there was (of course) a Beltane theme. As well as doing the regular litter-pick, we also made Beltane story sticks as we travelled round the woods.

Quick Lunchbreak



Not exactly Beltane-themed, but it was nice to take a bit of time out after the litter-pick for a quiet lunch with Rob, before heading off to buy some important stuff for tonight's celebrations.

Walpurgisnacht Earrings



I wore my Green Man earrings for the litter-pick in the morning, but I switched them in the evening for some little silver witches in honour of Walpurgis Night.

A Visit to Heaton Park






One of the Walpurgis Night traditions that I read about and was quite taken with is visiting 'the high places'. Luckily enough, the highest place in Manchester (the Temple at Heaton Park) is just around the corner from us. We had an early evening walk, and then a bit of quiet time contemplating the view. To accompany the peace and quiet, we had a little cup of tea as well - Bonfire Toffee from Bird and Blend Tea Co. (saved from last Halloween).

Walpurgis Night Dinner





The other Walpurgis Night tradition I wanted to observe was 'gathering with loved ones' and 'making lots of noise'. So, we had an awesome and rather boisterous family dinner tonight. I brought balloons that were meant to look like flames and a Beltane-themed cake. And me and my brother created a playlist of music for the evening, which was a bit of a rollercoaster, given how different our musical tastes are!

Saturday 30 April 2022

Beltane: Day 5


It's Day 5 of our Beltane celebrations! Getting ready for a busy weekend! But first... today...

Beltane Earrings



Today's seasonal earrings were hawthorn leaves and blossoms.

Creative Writing Session






We had a lovely Springtime writing session at Castlerea Home care home today, where I do a weekly volunteering session. We were brainstorming the best bits of the season, and then writing short poems/stories inspired by these ideas.

Violet Liqueur



And finally for today... I had a cheeky Beltane drink with a friend this evening. We had a very seasonal Aber Falls Violet Liqueur!