A Whole New World...

This evening, Buffy & Angel finally brought the goslings out from the safe haven of the goose shed for their first look at the big wide world outside. Cue a whole slew of gratuitous gosling photos...

Yes, I think we're as besotted as the proud parents.

Fuzzy

Fuzzy on many levels, the foremost being picture quality. But it's hard to get a good photo in the darkness of a shed when your subjects won't stand still and their protective parents are trying to peck the photographer!

Anyway, for gosling fans everywhere here are our two cuties. Still unnamed as yet. More and better photos will appear in due course.

Thank You, Thank You Very Much...

Many thanks to Lee at Solstice Dreamer for giving me an Excellent Blog Award. Thank you Lee!

I will pass it on to ten deserving blogs shortly. Watch this space...

Hold The Front Page!

Latest news - we have goslings! Buffy has hatched out two of her eggs, and she and Angel are as proud as can be. They're both very attentive to and defensive of the goslings, so as of yet I've been unable to get a photo. But I'll post one as soon as I can!

So - names? Spike & Drusilla? Or Connor and ? Or non-Buffyverse names? Anyone got any great ideas?

April Showers Bring Forth May Flowers...

Kaboom!

That is the sound of summer exploding. Or rather, that's the sound that I imagine summer would make this year.

Last year summer was something of a non-event. Wet, wet, wet and cold. Then we had a long, rainy winter followed by a spring that frankly seemed to be struggling. Normally I get excited by every little sign that spring is here - the buds, the flowers, the nest-building, the lambs in the fields. One after another, the little signs follow eachother in an ongoing rush until spring slips easily into summer.

Yet this spring every flower and sign of new growth seemed hard-won. The chilly days and nights held everything back, and I almost felt like it could all be withdrawn, taken away at any time. The signs of spring were there, yet spring seemed so far away, somehow.

And then...

Just about Beltane - the Celtic first day of summer - almost overnight the weather turned warm and sunny. And it continues warm and sunny. There has also been some gentle rain - and a couple of impressive thunderstorms, all of which have kept the earth nice and moist. But for the most part it continues warm and sunny. Very warm, very sunny. Not spring warm and sunny, but summer warm and sunny. So, warm sun + moist earth = Kaboom!!!

The earth has exploded from a standing start straight into summer. Sparsely-sprigged branches suddenly have leaves! Bare earth in the veggie plot is sprouting weeds so fast the growth is almost visible moment to moment. The flowering cherry burst into blossom, which lasted mere days before dropping. The last of the daffodils and primulas which still hung on late into the cool spring are suddenly usurped by bluebells, red campion, Queen Anne's lace, summery aquilegias and foxgloves. They look stunned by the sudden turn around. I know how they feel.

Swallows and martins swoop delightedly around the house. Slowworms like ropes of burnished metal bask in the sun. Bees bumble and butterflys flutter. Cats search for shade. I walk barefoot through the warm, wet grass!

And the last reverberations of the great Kaboom! die away, as spring, caught with her pants down, gives way to summer at full throttle.

Beltane 2008

Last year I celebrated Beltane in Portsmouth at the British Reclaiming Spring Gathering.

This year I helped create a ritual for members of my local Pagan Moot, although the invitation was also sent out on the Carmarthenshire Pagans yahoo list so that any Pagans in the Carmarthenshire area who wanted to come along could. It was held on a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon in a room on the top floor of an old pub in Carmarthen that has recently been converted by friends of mine into a really wonderful magic shop.

Here's what I wrote in my journal afterwards:

Beltane 2008

The creak and dark of a town-centre upstairs room, warm early summer light and life filtering in through shaded windows.

Altars to the five elements: silky fabric, candles, shells, stones, feathers, flowers, incense, crystals...

Stockinged feet on worn oak floorboards.

Collaborative circle casting, element calling.

Quiet visualisation, smiles.

Singing softly, weaving bracelets.

Sharing visions...

'May you never hunger, may you never thirst'.

Soft laughter together, new friendships blossom.

Reluctance to part, this quiet friendly time and space apart from the hustling bustling world is sacred, precious.

Helping hands pack away, graciously help to carry.

Hugs, kisses, thanks, see you soon!

Parting.

Going home.

Tired, happy.

I hope you all had a good Beltane too!