Hawl y Mynydd

[Francis]

I thought perhaps some folk might like this youtube clip.

www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=fQFaN6bhtTk

Gareth and his wife Rhian are sort of neighbours of mine. They're Hill Farmers on the Carneddau but have some lowland down in the Conwy Valley that shares a boundary with our land.

Welsh Mountain Ponies have been grazing on the Carneddau for thousands of years. Nowadays they pretty much live wild and free, bar being gathered once a year in November.

Then some Idiot at DEFRA decided to make things difficult - all ponies now need to be microchipped and have a passport and other paperwork. There was no way the farmers could afford that and for a while it looked like this tradition (more than tradition - right, relationship, way of being) would be lost. Fortunately CCW and the Esmee Fairbanks trust stepped in and bore the cost for the farmers.

It just doesn't seem right that a government suit in London could have come so close to killing this ancient relationship off, with crap legislation that didn't take any specific situations into account. The song is about this and other threats to a way of life and culture

If they managed to stop laughing for minute what could these farmers teach most neo-pagans that met with them? If you want relationship with the land, tradition and artistic creative musical "awen" then here is where to look if you ask, me not PCG.

[dreamguardian]

Like it, Francis. I've forwarded the link to a few others too.

[Tegernacus]

roll on Independence. (although would it be fair to say that all that malarkey is Brussels regulations?)

[dreamguardian]

Brussels it may be & I'm sure the presentation was great!

Therefore it follows that the corporates who love their targets, graphs & powerpont get hypnotized ... And you get ludricous nonsense as legistration.

[Francis]

Jul 4, 2009 8:35:13 GMT -1 Tegernacus said:

roll on Independence. (although would it be fair to say that all that malarkey is Brussels regulations?)

True the horse passport / chipping Procrustean Bed was legislated for in Brussels - but the idea had its origin with British civil servants who couldn't see any implications beyond its impact on the horsey set of the home counties - and was first brought to the Brussels table by them.


If I'm honest I hope we never see full Independence, and when Rhian harps on about house prices etc. I think she "chooses" to miss much of the true picture!

[Francis]

Keeping off the politics of it all. What about the relationship the ancient Britons had with horses - is it well attested that there was something special/different/unique here in the primary literature? I have to admit than I've only read about it in "Mathews"-type books of the ancient "celts".

For what its worth at the Gathering (July 25/26) They'll probably be a handful of these ponies down by the river on the summer grazing. All unbroken, so never ridden - the experience of being with unbroken horses is very different from that of ridding horses. There's more behind the eyes - you'll get what I mean.

[Heron]

Jul 4, 2009 11:29:38 GMT -1 Francis said:

Keeping off the politics of it all. What about the relationship the ancient Britons had with horses - is it well attested that there was something special/different/unique here in the primary literature? I have to admit than I've only read about it in "Mathews"-type books of the ancient "celts".

For what its worth at the Gathering (July 25/26) They'll probably be a handful of these ponies down by the river on the summer grazing. All unbroken, so never ridden - the experience of being with unbroken horses is very different from that of ridding horses. There's more behind the eyes - you'll get what I mean.

Try this: The Horse in Celtic Culture by Sioned davies & Nerys Ann Jones

www.amazon.co.uk/Horse-Celtic-Culture-Medieval-Perspectives/dp/0708314147/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246733639&sr=8-1

[Francis]

Jul 4, 2009 17:57:48 GMT -1 Heron said:

Try this: The Horse in Celtic Culture by Sioned davies & Nerys Ann Jones

www.amazon.co.uk/Horse-Celtic-Culture-Medieval-Perspectives/dp/0708314147/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246733639&sr=8-1

Thanks for that Heron. I've just found and sent off for a secondhand copy. Sioned Davies is usually worth taking account of.

Regards

[arth_frown]

I'm might be paranoid. But I'm sure the government is pushing us off the land and into the office. Making big money for big companies.

I'm starting think, f*ck there rules I'm going to do it my way.
Sorry I'm annoyed that it's been made so hard to live in the woods which will help me work the land easier and reduce my cost of living.

[arth_frown]

BTW nice song

[Francis]

Jul 15, 2009 11:15:15 GMT -1 arth_frown said:

Sorry I'm annoyed that it's been made so hard to live in the woods which will help me work the land easier and reduce my cost of living.

It's a very tricky topic Arth... But you might be pleased to see;

www.stewardwood.org/

[arth_frown]

Jul 15, 2009 12:28:05 GMT -1 Francis said:

Jul 15, 2009 11:15:15 GMT -1 arth_frown said:

Sorry I'm annoyed that it's been made so hard to live in the woods which will help me work the land easier and reduce my cost of living.

It's a very tricky topic Arth... But you might be pleased to see;

www.stewardwood.org/

That's great, nice to see common sense.

If people move to the woods and live low impact and run a local business and reduce the housing pressures. That must be good for everyone?