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Post by Francis on Dec 22, 2009 18:57:27 GMT -1
Just finished re-reading John Stewart Collis' "The Worm Forgives the Plough" a wonderful book that I'd recommend to all with any element of their spirituality grounded in the soil.
It's often cited as a lament for the passing of an agricultural age, before the coming of full-on mechanisation - but I thinks that's to miss a great deal.
That said it still leaves me with a deep sense of longing and regret that I was born about half a generation too late (given where I live) to see the last of the Hay Ricks put up in summer and slowly sink through the winter.
Anyone fancy having a go at putting one up next summer (with a few other friends of mine) if I leave a couple of acres unbaled? A great old character in the village here, Gareth Parc, has offered to show me how it's done if I can persuade enough people to come and help- complete with ropes made of hay and properly thatched roof!
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Post by megli on Dec 23, 2009 9:01:55 GMT -1
I'd be up for it!
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Post by Lee on Dec 23, 2009 18:31:15 GMT -1
yup indeed
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Post by Heron on Dec 23, 2009 21:39:15 GMT -1
Count me in
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Post by dreamguardian on Dec 26, 2009 15:18:23 GMT -1
Me & Lynne (foxglove) for definate, Stephen.
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Post by potia on Dec 26, 2009 19:56:26 GMT -1
I like the sound of this but it depends on when and what's happening on the family front  |
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Post by Francis on Dec 26, 2009 22:13:40 GMT -1
Great! I always have a paranoid expectation of tumbleweed My guess is that it would probably be late July/early August - depends on what sort of spring and early summer we have in terms of the weather. If it was more having a gathering in general than hay making in particular that appealed one other thought I'd had would be for us to follow the Mayday tradition of moving up in to the hills with the stock for summer, and spend a few nights at the old Hafod by Llyn Dulyn - now used as a bothy? I could post up a couple of pictures - it's a beautifully isolated spot high in the Carneddau. The lake sits in an amphitheater of sheer cliffs up to Foel Grach- very spectacular. There's also a stone mountain hut on the summit of Foel Grach if anyone wanted to experience the night high on the Carneddau Ridge without having to carry a tent. (A little more than an hours walk from the bothy if you're relatively fit.) We can drive to within an easy hour and a half walk of the bothy - and I'd be happy to have taken coal up for a couple of nights fires the day before? Let me know what you think - but I'll be doing the hay anyway so any takers for either or both would be great |
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Post by Heron on Dec 26, 2009 23:14:28 GMT -1
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Post by Francis on Dec 27, 2009 11:09:33 GMT -1
It all sounds good to me. I suppose Dulyn means 'black lake' (looks pretty black in the pic), in which case 'Llyn' is redundant. But, pedantry aside, both the bothy and the hut, appeal to me. How many will the hut take? Yes of course you're right - I added the redundant Llyn to make it clear it was by a lake  No - I don't when the extra Llyn seems to have been added, but it must have been recently as we did always used to just call it Dulyn. Here's a picture of the bothy; www.citycol.com/lrc/ac/students/telematics/Graham_Blomeley/bothy3.htmI know this sounds like I'm being an annoying git-bragger but we've got limited fishing rights on Dulyn for a single rod. If I'm hosting I'll probably be carrying plenty of extra stuff and so won't want to cart a rod etc. up there myself. If anyone else wants to though there are brown trout (and torgoch, although we'd want to put those back) which would make a very fine meal cooked over the fire! The shelter on Foel Grach is at about 3000 feet, and at the beginning of May it can be very cold up there - you'd need a very good bag (well I'd need one - although Anna thinks I'm a wuss and she'd say a 3-season sleeping bag in a plastic bivy bag would be more than enough.) I was more thinking of that for anyone who wanted a night by themselves for something more serious? |
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Post by Francis on Jan 31, 2010 12:49:15 GMT -1
I just thought I'd check if anyone wants to do the Beltaine/Calan Mai going up into the hills? If so I thought it might be best to fix a date now -as I know people's calendars fill up quickly once the weather warms up. I guess many people will have something on for Calan Mai itself, but if anyone fancies it please let me know which weekend May 1/2 8/9 15/16 would be preferred? Just to try and tempt you here's a picture of one of the waterfalls on the Afon Dulyn (the small river that flows out of the lake we'd be staying by in the bothy). www.cavinguk.co.uk/holidays/NorthernWaterfalls2009/round2/normal/RhaeadrDulyn.jpgIf you look to the left of the waterfall past the fallen branch touching the pool you'll see the entrance to a small cave. Following on from something Heron and I were discussing last year I've been working a little with the effects of the noise of the waterfall in the cave - white noise plus more - and experimenting with it use on states of consciousness (okay I'm trying to avoid using words like trance and shamanic horse!). It's a beautiful special spot - it faces eastish and if you're there early when the sun rises above the hills on the other side of the valley, particularly in May when the leaves on the trees around the pool are so fresh and pale - and in the golden light of early morning - well it doesn't get much better than that! |
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Post by Lee on Jan 31, 2010 16:05:41 GMT -1
wow.
i will plum for the 1/2 may weekend
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Post by Heron on Jan 31, 2010 17:34:40 GMT -1
Me too - let's have our own Calan Mai gathering!
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Post by dreamguardian on Feb 1, 2010 9:18:29 GMT -1
I'll chaeck my shifts & sounds great
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Post by Lee on Feb 1, 2010 10:33:08 GMT -1
yep, seem this will be the calan mai gathering |
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Post by dreamguardian on Feb 1, 2010 21:23:26 GMT -1
I'll chaeck my shifts & sounds great I need to 'CHECK' my spelling too ;D |
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No - I don't when the extra Llyn seems to have been added, but it must have been recently as we did always used to just call it Dulyn.