Beltane: Day 5

Another day of celebrating the season... and we had lots of nice seasonal treats lined up today.

Bakewell

It was our last morning in Bakewell today. We had a bit of a mooch round the town, and then lunch at The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop. I had Derbyshire Rarebit and a Bakewell Pudding (of course).

Beltane Wreath

This was a lovely surprise... when we got home from our holiday, my mum had hung a lovely springtime wreath on our front door.

Cherry Bathe-Well Bath Bomb

A bath-time reminder of our holiday... it's a Cherry Bathe-Well Bath Bomb from Bomb Cosmetics.

Beltane Wax Melts

We lit our diffuser tonight with some seasonally inspired wax melts: Wild Bluebell by Orgánico.

Beltane Dinner

Rob cooked our traditional Beltane dinner of Sausage Casserole tonight.

The Wicker Man

And we watched our traditional Beltane film, which is obviously The Wicker Man.

Beltane Gifts

After dinner, we exchanged our Beltane cards and gifts. We'll add the whiskies to our seasonal collection, to drink when we're in Cornwall in December.

Beltane: Day 2

Our second day of celebrating Beltane! And we had a nice little trip out planned today.

Bakewell

We're still on holiday in lovely Bakewell. The weather isn't too bad today, and apparently it's going to get even better tomorrow.

Summerisle Mugs

Celebrating Beltane with our new Summerisle mugs from Cultzilla!

Robin Hood’s Stride, Stone Circle and Hermit's Cave

We had a lovely walk and a picnic in the hills above Bakewell. We visited (and climbed all over) Robin Hood's Stride, and I found a little grotto to sit in. Then we visited a nearby stone circle and the Cratcliffe Hermit's Cave, where there's a stone crucifix that dates back to the thirteenth or fourteenth century. It was a really brilliant walk!

Green Man Puzzle Box

I'm a bit obsessed with the Green Man this spring, so I treated myself to a Green Man puzzle box from Bakewell market today.

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?

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.