Catch up with my doings.

Yet more rain is falling, so I have been wandering around today, photographing and making notes of all the things I want  moved/rejigged in winter so I don't have to wade through mud to do them.

These include:

• More hard paths to/from the chicken run area: 

• A new washing line set up by the new patio, so I only have to walk across paving slabs in the winter to hang out washing ( if it ever stops raining long enough for the washing to get to the hanging out point!) .

• More slabs around the polytunnel:

I am sure there will be more things to add to this list! 


Blondin the cockerel is now King of the Roost and lives in with The Big Girls in the Mega Hen pen. He is very pleased with himself.

Still not 100% convinced that Treacle is actually a pullet, but s/he shows no sign of crowing yet, so I guess we will not know for sure until an egg is laid. 
 

 
Inside I have been busy sorting out old paperwork, doing my Tax return and generally clearing out the old to make way for the new.

<cough> The new in this instance also includes ordering some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn in glorious autumnal colours from a supplier who had lots of now discontinued colours in stock. :) 

Sadly our local Wassailing with The Big Apple had to be cancelled due to the appalling weather, so we will just have to " make do" with serenading our few trees with The Wassail Song and banging some pots and pans around them. Oh, and drinking cider, of course :) .

And for some reason Tabitha has taken to sitting on the Kitchen window ledge, outside .

 

Wassail!

 The Big Apple Wassailing this year was at  Aylton,  to see in the New Year and bless the fruit trees for the coming season. Compostgirl, Compostman and I went on Sat night  -  it was VERY cold indeed. We met up with a friend and her children and then saw lots of other friends there :-) it is a big social occasion around us :-)

We arrived at about 7 pm and had hot mulled cider (us) or hot blackcurrant (the children) - all locally produced -  and there were hot pork rolls on offer from a local farm's pig roast ( again local and free range and really yum)

We then processed with flaming torches to the nearby apple orchard, ledd by our local Morris dancers the  Leominster Morris Side, faces blacked up as is traditional in winter ( to avoid being identified by thier landlords or employers in times gone by!)

 where the bonfires were lit,  libations poured to the tree to ensure a good harvest, songs sung,

 

shotguns fired (!) to scare away evil spirits or bad omens which would blight the apples

 and dances danced to help ensure the harvest is good this year.

We then went back into the Great Barn and watched the traditional Mumming play, about St George and the Dragon - with many amusing and topical extras!

At about 9.30 the mumming finished and we said goodbye and went home to drink hot chocolate before out friends went home.

I have written about our local Wassail here, and about Leominster Morris and wassailling here

As always it was a fabulous thing to be a part of - one of the local things we do which we really love participating in ;-)

Wassail!

Wassailing this year at Hellens, to see in the New Year and bless the fruit trees for the coming season. Compostgirl and I went - Compostman sadly did not come as he felt unwell and it was VERY cold indeed. We met up with a friend, Angie and then saw lots of other friends there :-) it is a big social occasion around us :-)

 We gathered in the courtyard and ate and drank,

 

then processed to the orchard, some carrying flaming torches. I had one :-)

We made a circle around the  centre tree and small bonfires and the Morris Men danced and sang, the fires were then lit from our torches and there was more singing and dancing, libations and food were offered to the tree  and noises were made to scare away evil influences which might blight the harvest.

More about Wassailing the Orchards

Taken from the Leominster Morris website

The words comes from the Anglo Saxon 'was hael' meaning good health - literally 'be whole'. Ella Leather in 'The Folk-lore of Herefordshire' (published 1912) refers to the custom of lighting bonfires on Twelfth Night, with associated ceremonies, and called locally 'wassailing'. She quotes the Gentleman's Magazine (1791) describing the event. In Herefordshire, wassailing has long been associated with morris dancers and mummers,  THE LEOMINSTER MORRIS uphold this tradition.

The Wassail was the first event they revived after the side was re-formed in 1983. That first Herefordshire Wassail of the new era took place in the orchard of Sandy & Eileen Thompson at Tudor House, Yarpole.

The Wassail begins by gathering at a given watering hole, where flaming torches are prepared & distributed to the public, whence the side leads the crowd of followers (usually about 200) to the orchard. Toast is soaked in cider, then placed in the fork of the tree chosen to represent the orchard. Cider is then sprinkled about the roots of the tree. Next, the Herefordshire Lantern is ignited: this is a beribboned thorn-cage stuffed with straw on a pole. It represents the sun reborn, and shows why this ancient ceremony took place at this time of year. At the midwinter, the coldest & darkest part of the year, people encouraged the return of light & warmth, and by so doing they performed an affirmation of their faith that it would be so. Next, the 13th fire is lit and immediately stamped out; the Fire of Eternal Renewal or the Judas Fire. This is the sign for the simultaneous lighting of the ring of twelve fires, The Wassail Song is sung by THE LEOMINSTER MORRIS under the branches of the tree and two or three dances danced there too.

The we all go back in procession to the meeting place where THE LEOMINSTER MORRIS perform the Mummers Play. The text for which is taken from several local sources, and enlivened by individual members adding topical references or variations to their parts. More dances follow, then it is in to the bar for music, song, dance and drink!

The Wassail songs are spoken or sung.

(The Butler)

Old apple tree we wassail thee,

And hope that thou wilt bear.

For Lord doth know where we shall be,

Till apples come another year.

To bloom well and to bear well,

So merry let us be.

Let every man take off his hat,

And shout out to thee,

(Wassailers' response)

Old apple tree we wassail thee,

And hope that thou will bear,

Hat fulls, cap fulls, three bushel bag fulls,

And a little heap under the stairs.

Wassail!

Tonight the Compost Family went to The Big Apple Wassailing. For those who don't know, Wassailing is where you go into an apple orchard on or near 12th Night, and bless the trees and scare away evil spirits and ask the trees to be fertile and give lots of fruit in the coming year. You do this by pouring a libation of cider around the trees and making a noise ( tin cans, drums and, in our area, shotguns fired up into the trees...) also cake or toast is soaked in cider and put in the branches of the central tree. Bonfires also feature in the ritual.

Around here we have our own version, we have a torchlit procession to the chosen Orchard,

The Wassail Ceremony

Me lighting one of the 12 bonfires in a circle around the central Apple Tree.

Fire poi.

 St George and the Dragon. The Mumming!

A dead Dragon

Reviving those slayed by St George...The Dragon, The Black Prince and The Egyptian King...miracles worked by The Doctor!

Then we all go back to the pub/house/ barn to drink cider, eat hot pork and apple rolls and watch the Morris men perform a Mumming.

Its wonderful.:-)

It was stunning here tonight, the New Moon and Venus and all the stars in the sky were so clear... like jewels...Where we are we have minimal light pollution so were able to see loads of stars, and Compostgirl stopped and stargazed for a long time and was able to point out various constellations which was impressive for a 10 yr old....!

I love where we live!