Beltane: Day 4

Our fourth day of Beltane celebrations! And neither of us has got sick this year! Woohoo!

Bakewell

Our little holiday in Bakewell continues! It's the last full day today, so we're planning to make the most of it.

Magpie Mine

We went for a picnic and a wander round Magpie Mine today. We came here a couple of years ago and just loved the place. It's so atmospheric and evocative. There are also a lot of wildflowers growing on the site. I particularly enjoyed spotting mountain pansies today.

Honey Tea

We took a moment to enjoy the season with a nicely evocative tea. This time, it was Honey Tea from Tugboat in Truro.

The Deceit

We spent this evening puzzling over an escape room game called The Deceit. This game was from Puzzle Post, and we really loved the attention to detail in the contents and clues. As always when we play games like these, we were so proud of ourselves for solving it, we considered (yet again) opening our own detective agency.

Beltane: Day 1

It's time for our third event in our Year of Celebrating the Seasons. Beltane (or May Day) is an exciting one, as it sits on the opposite side of the Wheel of the Year to Samhain (or Halloween), which is my favourite seasonal celebration. We're going to be celebrating all week, and I'm determined to make this a week of Halloween-in-Spring.

Beltane Earrings

My first pair of Beltane earrings this year were these cute little bluebells.

Magpie Mine

We went to Magpie Mine in Sheldon, near Bakewell, this afternoon for a picnic and a wander. It's a disused lead mine, renovated and looked after by the Peak District Mines Historical Society.

Lathkill Dale

We also had a little wander in Lathkill Dale today. We definitely want to come back and explore properly another time. It's lovely!

The Reddening

Beltane feels like the perfect time for folk horror. I'm not 100% sure it's completely seasonal, but I'm reading The Reddening by Adam Nevill this week.

Beltane Candle

We lit our Beltane candle (from Chalice Creations) tonight. This season's scents are ylang ylang, jasmine, geranium and frankincense.