Midsummer: Day 5

It's the fifth day of our Midsummer celebrations this year, and it was a bit of a busy one (with an absolutely lovely trip out in the evening).

Crumpsall Park Summer Solstice Walk

This morning, I led a Summer Solstice-themed walk for Friends of Crumpsall Park, enjoying the natural world and folklore of the season. As one of the participants was blind, I turned it into a tactile, sensory walk, where we explored the summer through touch, sound and smell instead of sight.

Hannah’s Bookshelf Midsummer Special

This afternoon was the Hannah's Bookshelf Midsummer Special on North Manchester FM. I had seasonal flash fiction from twelve writers, plus summer-themed music and some seasonal chat from me. Also... jam tarts!

Cheetham Close Stone Circle

After my show, we headed up to our local stone circle: Cheetham Close in Bolton. We came here last year and just fell in love with the place. Although the stone circle is likely Bronze Age, it was destroyed by a farmer with a sledgehammer in the 1870s. However, some of the stones (or fragments of them) are still there, nestled in the landscape. You have to know where to look, but when you find it, it's truly magical.

Sunny Days Tea

We took a moment at Cheetham Close to enjoy the season, accompanied by a little taste of Sunny Days from Tugboat Tea.

Midsummer: Day 1

It's the first day of our Midsummer celebrations! After a muted Spring Equinox and a Beltane curtailed by illness, we're really looking forward to at least some festivities this season. Fingers crossed we're not completely cursed! Today was all about our now traditional Midsummer picnic at a stone circle, though we stayed a little closer to home than last year.

Cheetham Close Stone Circle

This afternoon, we went hunting for a (sort of) stone circle in (almost) Greater Manchester. Cheetham Close is a megalithic site on the moors above Egerton in Bolton. It's the site of an early Bronze Age stone circle that was destroyed by a farmer with a sledgehammer in the 1870s. There are still remains that can be spotted, if you know where to look.

Midsummer Tea

We took a moment to take in the atmosphere of the season and the setting at Cheetham Close. There's only one tea that's perfect for drinking in the remains of a stone circle above Lancashire... Fairies Chapel from The Tea Crew!