Cottage in the woods

LAMMAS
Beginning of August

Celtic Festival of the first fruits and ripening corn



" In August the land grew dusty and dry. Petals fell from the roses, pink and yellow, crimson and white. Thick like a carpet they lay on the lawns and paths, and the poppies were seed heads now.The moors were tinged with purple heather and the cornfields had ripened to an overall gold. Dusk fell earlier with the approaching Autumn and Owen felt a touch of sadness, as if somthing was drawing to a close. There was a feeling of lateness in the minty evenings. He could smell the comming of dewfall and frost, and the brightness was gone from Bronwen's eyes, their greeness dulled like tired grass.
Owen gazed at her. There were tiny crow's feet at the corners of her eyes and her pale flawless skin had lost its youthfull bloom. Her complextion seemed sallow now, and amid the darkness of her hair Owen saw a single strand of grey. It was as if she, like the summer, was growing older,and it was not sadness he felt but fear. She was slipping away from him like the summer.He clung to her and buried his head in the worn greyness of her skirt....."

from The Earth Witch by Louise Lawrence.



LAMMAS

LAMMAS is the festival of the ripening corn and the first fruits of the year. Lammas is a Saxon word meaning 'Loaf-mass', which describes the celebration of the corn being the main ingredient for our 'daily bread' The older, Celtic name for this festival is Lughnasadh which means 'mourning for Lugh'.
Lugh was an ancient name for The Sun God and so the name Lughnasadh sums up the feeling of this end of summer celebration. The Sun is on the wane, the sun's strength is dwindling and his energy has gone into the ripening corn.
Like any man in sexual union, he gave his 'seed' to the Goddess who then creates a harvest. The God gives his energy and temporarily looses his virility and strength....but will recover to make love again (i.e Next spring). Through his 'sacrifice' the corn and fruits of the Earth are brought forth.
This is the origin of the corn dollie. The last sheaf of corn was not consumed but kept back and made into a effigy to represent the spirit of the corn and the harvest, sometimes called John Barlycorn.
The effigy was placed at the center of the feasting table and then next year when the fields are being prepared for the sowing of new crops, it was ploughed back into the soil so that the spirit of the sun and the corn did not die. Death being part of an ongoing cycle of transformation rather than an ending, is the most recurrent theme in Witchcraft and Earth religions.




Lammas is a time of abundance and a surplus of food. The hedgerows are now yeilding wild strawberries and raspberries. Gardens are fat with blackcurrants and beans. Green turns to gold, the flowers will begin to die back and bring forth their fruits instead. It is a time for gathering and we must bear in mind the coming of Autumn and Winter ahead. It is time to begin to lay in store the things we will need mentally and physically, to get us through the dark months.
The energy that began to rise from the earth at Imbolc, now begins it's return journey.


Lammas feasts traditionally lasted for 30 days: 15 days before August 1st and 15 days afterwards, during which time people would come together as a community to gather in the crops, reap the corn and celebrate the bounty through feasting and drinking ( beer being also made from the grain and so sacred!).
Can the origins of the catholic rite of eating the 'bread of life' and drinking the 'blood of christ' be just a twist on the Lammas feasting and drinking of late summer? I think it most likely!


LAMMAS CELEBRATIONS


The nicest way I have found to celebrate this festival of food and corn is to get together friends and loved ones, go out into the countryside and have a massive picnic!
Take wine, take bread, take a drum or two and have a chilled and gluttonous evening .
I always like to make a 'food altar', which is just a picture on the ground made quite literally of food. I have found that this is really great fun to do with others and gets everyone envolved. In the middle, put a piece of your 'Lammas loaf' and build outwards with patterns and spirals of different foodstuffs. Try and make it as colourfull and varied as possible, just like the Earth.



When you have completed your food altar, then start your picnic. Do not eat any of the food altar....that is your gift to mother earth and for all her creatures to feast on after you have gone home.
Take a large goblet for the red wine. Fill and pass it round the group and toast the summer. Make a wish and share it if you would like to.
Before you leave, light some incense and leave it burning for the air and fire spirits, then pour your last drop of wine onto the food alter for the water elementals....and you have given somthing for all the elements which make up our earth.


Lammas Altar


If you can't get out in the elements, then bring some into your house.
Decorate your table or altar with corn and grasses. If you have no corn, then bake a loaf of bread and plait it to represent the weaving of the summer energies and birthing. Light golden or dark red candles on your table to represent the waning sun. Bring in a bowl of raspberries or wild strawberries.....the colour scheme should be yellows, golds and reds.

I have laughed my a** off at this ,which I found on my photographic community site . This is for Ming the merciless :-)

FROM A DOG'S DIARY

Day number 180
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 PM - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 PM - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

Day number 181
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 PM - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 PM - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

Day number 182
8:00 am -OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 PM - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
1:30 PM - ooooooo. bath. bummer.
4:00 PM - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

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EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DIARY

DAY 752 - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.

DAY 761 - Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed.

DAY 765 - Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan.

DAY 768 - I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 - There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer.." More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 - I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird on the other hand has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time.

" May passed into June and Midsummer. The weather was glorious, long spells of sunshine with soft overnight rain, perfect for the growing.The land produced in abundance. The air was sweet with the smell of freshly mown hay, orange blossoms,carnations, and roses. There were roses everywhere.....

......For hours he would roam with Bronwen and the dog, dawn to dusk over the moors and the mountains, both of them careless as children. He feasted on fruits and salads,beans and peas and new potatoes. Herbs with their delicate scents were collected and set to dry and the cottage kitchen was filled with the smell of thyme and rosemary and fermenting wine. The apple tree's held the promise of cider, and down in the green woods the cherry was growing wild...."
from 'The Earth Witch' by Louise Lawrence.



Summer Solstice ( Litha)

The dawn of Tuesday morning will be Summer Solstice ,The celtic festival of Litha. Here in the last weeks of June we reach the height of the summer flowering. The sun is at it's highest point in the sky, giving us the longest day and the shortest night. The Summer Solstice is the great turning point of the solar year. The Earth around us is at the peak of it's outward flowering.....flowers adorn the meadows and hedgerows.....roses, buttercups, elderflowers, campion and vetch. The bees are laden with pollen amongst the clover, the hay grows tall and the light nights are scented with nettles and herbs.
The Goddess ( i.e Mother Earth) is the Queen of summer and the God ( i.e The Sun) is at the height of his strength and virility. Akin to a man and woman at the peak of their physical love and expression. The solstice energy represents our mid to late twenties in our own 'seasonal cycle of life'.....strong, virile, beautifull and expressive.

This is a time to relax and enjoy the summer....the rampant, chaotic energy of Spring and Beltane (May 1st) have passed and now there is a more balanced energy in nature.....things pause and begin to slow down. This is a time to sit in the meadow or on the mountainside and let the lazyness of summer envelope you. Enjoy. Life should be easier now than at anyother time of the year.



Midsummer was traditionally the time when our ancestors believed elementals and fairy folk would frolic and play tricks on mortals. The twilight nights are said to be full of magic and mayhem as all nature dances to Pan's pipes. The legends of fairy rings and fairy lights probably originate from glow worms, which were common in summer. Their neon greenish-yellow glow being easily seen on the light summer evenings.

Witches and wise men/women too, were very active during the summer nights, being light enough to gather herbs and other natural materials unseen, warm enough to meet outside and even to dance and perform rituals 'sky-clad' (naked). With all this activity, it is easy to see how Midsummer has earned it's reputaion for magic and mischief !



The festival of Midsummer is bittersweet. The wheel of the year must keep turning....


.....From this day forward the sun ( the God) begins to loose his strength and his power now goes into the grain, as the sun ripens what Mother Earth ( the Goddess) is producing. The Goddess, too, will start to transform....her outer beauty will start to fade as the flowers die back to fruit or seed. She will begin to move from 'Maiden' to 'Mother' and give birth to the Harvest ahead. From today (summer solstice) the year turns back toward the waning half of the cycle....days will get shorter and the nights longer as we slowly spiral back towards winter.
This is the way our ancestors saw the cycle of the seasons and based their celebrations and beliefs on, when we lived closer to the Earth and in tune with her cycle of birth and death.
The next major point and celebration of the year will be Lammas/Lughnasadh in early August....the beginning of the harvest.




To celebrate Midsummer you could decorate your table and home with fresh summer flowers: Roses, Elderblossom, daisies and ferns.....night scented stock, sweet peas, Jasmin and gipsofala.
Open your windows and let the air circulate and the birdsong fill your home.
A good time to have a gathering or party, with the light evenings and fresh summer salads (midges permitting!!). Light the garden with lanterns and fairy lights, leave a symbolic offering for the 'fair-folk' and burn sage grass to cleanse and purify. Have a fire with singing and home made wine!

It is traditional to stay up all night and greet the dawn of the longest day. Feel the freshness of the dawn and go to a high place where you can see the suns rays come over the horizon. Be with friends and loved ones and give thanks for their part in your life.





Photographs :
'The Secret Garden' taken in Torosay castle Gardens
'The White Hart' taken in Torosay gardens
'A glimpse of Pan' Wild mountain goat, Morven
'Downpour in the garden of memories' taken on Torosay Estate farm
Sunrise over The sound of Mull taken from Duart Bay

Hi there
First of all I must congratulate the BBC on giving us a much better looking Island Blogging site! It has lost that 'on a budget' feel that the last two designs had and looks a little more interesting graphic wise.
However.....where can you view a list of all the bloggers? I have been trying to find Ming the Merciless's Blog and as far as I can see, I can only find the Blogs of the people who have most recently posted. If there IS a way of finding everyones blogs listed somwhere,then it is not obvious in the main menu and therefore not very user friendly.
The other problem is that when I try to view my own Blog, because I have lots of photographs,it takes upto 8 minutes for the page to load! Thats not really going to get anyone looking at my Blog....let alone myself. It may be ok for people on Broadband....maybe somone out there on broadband can have a look at my Blog and let me know how fast it loaded up? I know the rumours of braodband comming to the islands is now September for Mull, but thats still a long way off if I wan't to post anymore pics etc.
I know there will be teething problems with any new layouts/web spaces, but I thought I'd mention these two things because I think they are quite important. I,like many others, have limited time to spend surfing the net and I don't really want to wait 10 minutes for somones Blog to open up properly, or to spend ages trying to find somone elses Blog who hasen't recently contributed.
Any thoughts/ solutions?

Although I've been living on Mull for 2 years, I only got around to visiting the tiny Island of Ulva a few weeks ago. I had seen the advertisment saying 'a world apart' , but I diden't quite expect to feel just that!
Ulva is an enchanting island with quite it's own atmosphere and energy....even though you can almost throw a stone from the shore of Mull to the shore of Ulva.
It's woodlands are beautifull and crammed with life, and the views from the higher paths are breathtaking.Everyone we met were extreamly friendly and laid back.....and the Boathouse Resturant had the biggest and best prawn rolls I have ever tasted! (fresh prawns pulled in and cooked only a few hours earlier).
I have now caught the Ulva 'bug' and intend to return many times with my camera through the changing of the seasons. If there are any other recent newcommers to Mull,holidayers about to visit Mull, or seasonal staff working the summer on Mull.....I highly recomend a visit to Ulva.
I believe there is a guided walk there on June 22nd as part of the Mull and Iona tree festival which is running now untill the end of July, perhapse that would be an ideal oppotunity if you want to see the Island.
Here is a few pics from my trip to Ulva :

Ulva Ferry heading towards The Boathouse



Ulva local,Barry, working on his boat:




Ulva woodland around the dam



Looking towards Mull from Ulva

Well, you should all know by now that I'm not really a story teller on IB. I prefer the visual media than the written word, and so here is a round up of Spring on Mull as seen through my camera lens. Hope you enjoy them and thankyou to everyone who was kind enough to comment on the last batch :-)

Bluebell Meadow near Craignure



Oyster Catcher's nest




Highland cow and calf, Torosay castle estate





Blebells against the sunset looking up the Sound of Mull



Woodsorrel in flower on an old stone wall



Celendine flowers Torosay gardens

I have been enjoying the spectacular weather we have been having here on Mull the last week or so. A splendid mixture of sunshine and showers producing some great skyscapes,rainbows and dawns. My camera hasen't had time to cool down!
Here are some pics from the last week :

There is a special feeling about Spring equinox (or Easter), it is one of freshness and purity, of new growth and of new beginnings. At Imbolc the changes and the light were delicate and hidden within, but at Eostar, we see changes in the outer world....the birds are singing loudly, flowers are blooming, animals are mating and becomming fertile, lambs are being born. The first warm days arrive with the fresh scent of growing foliage.This time of year is akin to the energy of the teenager....boisterous, independent, wanting to break free from the bondage and control of winter and discover a new world full of possibilities. A need to strike out on their own and make things happen......change the world with their idealism. Spring is the time to put our plans and our new ideas into action.....to push forward into the growing energy of the year.




" Do you see the white hare, standing still for a moment?

There are footsteps there......

Underneath the earth, the lady is rising.....

feel the lady rising.....

see the lady rise.

And the Lord of the wood, is waiting....."


Decorate your table or Altar for Eostar with bright yellow daffodills, catkins, pussy willow and forsithia. You can burn yellow and green candles and decorate your own eggs with bright colours. Bring some of the outside springtime energy indoors. If you like, you can take your eggs outside and bury them in the earth or throw them into the water, symbolically releasing your energy into the outside world.

Spring Equinox


Spring Equinox falls on or around the 21st March and is the time when day and night are of equal length all over the world. In the northern hemisphere, this day heralds the begining of the light dominating the darkness. From this day untill summer solstice, the year is truely into the waxing half of the year .
Spring Equinox is also called Eostar, which cames from the ancient Teutonic Goddess Oestre, the Goddess of light, fertility and spring. This is the root of our modern word Oestrogen, the hormone that stimulates ovulation and is associated with womens fertility. Eostar is represented by the symbol of the egg, representing fertility in nature. It also represents the plans and dreams that we have 'hatched' on the inner levels during winter and since Imbolc, that may now be put into practice. Another symbol strongly associated with this festival is the White Hare, representing the Goddess ( or mother nature) in the physical realm. Through the centuries the symbol of the hare has resulted in the modern day Easter bunny. The easter egg, too, has it's beginnings in the celtic festival of Eostar, and it is still a tradition today to paint hard boiled eggs and roll them down hills.

I haven't uploaded any pictures for a while....one reason being that I've been too busy out actually TAKING pictures, with all the fantastic weather we have had over February and early March. (not that you'd think it now after 4 days of rain !)

I have been working hard to get images ready and printed out for the start of the Tourist season....I have a new website,new images and a new buisness name too. I don't know where the winter has gone! Next week it's back to work for the season.....and hopfully those of you on Mull will be able to see the first of my work in the shops :-)

Here are a few of my favourits shots from this winter. Hope you enjoy them wherever you are ....

Duart castle with a snow laden Ben Nevis to the left on a glorious sunny afternoon last month:



The 'Isle of Mull' ferry sailing past Duart on the Sound of Mull towards Oban



A frozen solid Lochdon back in January:



Moonlight on snowfall....my interpretation of a wintery snow scene in Glenmore:



'A brief moment of sunshine' looking down Loch Linnhe:




and finally....sunset over a frozen Lochdon the week before Christmas: