The clear distinctive smell of woodsmoke, the palette of autumn leaves, the nights drawing in and the start of the darker season celebrations:...


Have a wonderful new Autumn Equinox, ye all.



Ps I am pondering on going to one of the days of the Halloween Festival at Conway Hall (easier to get to than QMC!), if only the day that Wolfshead and Vixen Morris are on. ;)

I hope it be a good and successful and fun Pirate day for you all.

I'm off to Boggarts weekend of dance in Tideswell, Derbyshire in about twenty minutes, so I'll be catching up with lj next week.

Avast me hearties, have a rollicking weekend of rum and dancing! ;)

Ps miss_amethyst

seen the book on the talk like a pirate website. Perfect for someone who wants to be a piate when they grow up;)

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

Lu-Tse's Diary was last year's.  It's a bit late, but does anyone know if there's a Discworld diary out for this year?  I've looked and asked in Waterstones but alas no joy. :(

Off Msn:

"Gothic this winter means an abundance of black and lace, but it also uses feminine cuts and on-trend shapes, meaning you'll look more vampish style queen than corpse".

I think dear msn, that'll you'll find 99 per cent  of the goth world does this anyway...................

Well, I've heard it all now....texted by greenwyrd 

"Buttering my toast as usual, when I hear  the kettle boiling.  So I get the coffee out of the cupboard and return to my task in hand.  "You can imagine what happened".

Er, marmalade, probably tastier?  Less haste, more speed,  next time, greenwyrd ?!!![Bad username:   ]

says she with half an hour to go.

I have a sinusy headache and feel like I'm going to throw up.  Any good enrgy spare, send some over here, all welcome.  Bloody p****d.  I don't get ill, but these knock me sideways, Especially when I'm struggling with other stuff of life.  Bah.  Stupid useless function (to me) of woman's body.  Sorry to moan.  At least it's not hot and stuffy up north,  Miss you all.  *wanders off mumbling*

Edit:  The Lovely deities bless solphadeine. Feeling a bit more human, as it kicked in. Aaah. :@

Today, I am walking around witha wonderful air of awakening and lightness.  I always hold things that I want to be at arms' length, for fear of being "found out a fraud". But today was a "Eureka" moment down the road, in a quiet fashion.  I damn well don't believe it.  But I do.  Hoorrahh with bells on!

Another part ker-chings into laying foundations for who I be.  Marvellous. *dusts off hands and gets on with things*

and what are we earwigging?  the Archers. At work. How cool is that?!! :) :) :)

was worth going to, but the Gods I am paying for it this morning. I feel like death warmed up. Still :) it was worth it. Great songs, fabulous harmonies, really,really challenging Scottish tunes played at break neck speed. Fwoarrrrrr!!! I needed that. I think one was Miss (not Mrs's) McCleod's and it it's still in my head, making me dance through my daydreams. And so is that song, with the noted harmonies. Hah!

Off to Whitby Folk Festival for the week, on saturday. Anyone going?

I opened a settled, mark you, coke bottle, and the damn thing exploded all over my clothes and the student application forms. Sums up the day I've had. Gaahhh!

A fruitful Lammas and a great time of harvesting thought and happiness.

Blessings for the summer and those at Sidmouth, have a fantastic time, you lucky people.

Still making my mind up about this festival, but Boggarts definetely had fun and got interviewed by BBC Radio. The heat though was horrible. Guess which daft 'un forgot to keep drinking water, causing a scream after the procession, of "Oi! who's got a cup, NOW! Bloody emergency, My head's killing me. :( (for soluble painkillers, three solpadeines didn't work, so imagine the state of me), irksome headache returned on sunday, but processing in the heat and dancing under the sun, in rag coats and top hats, took it out of all of us.

Remind me to tell you about putting up tents in the dark ,and buying shower curtains -actually maybe not, I might be teased too much! :@

As for the title see this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mwX4iCcq7VU

Apparently, or so the rumour goes, one of the past vicars of the parish was a morris dancer, and I think, it was said, that on his last service, he threw off his church robes and had his morris kit underneath, and proceeded, with his team, to give a send off performance. Or something like that. So we are continuing on the tradition! Good, eh?!


Oh well, nice food though, exceedingly unhealthy and fun. Moor and Coast did brilliant full English breakfasts and we were all going ecstatic over Field Kitchen's chips, nicking each others.

We've got Whitby coming up, and our weekend of dance. Now for the Hook Eagle members who've commented on here and might see this, this is short notice, but Grace said to invite you to our weekend of dance. I'm going to ring your Bagman tonight and pass on Boggarts leader's number (Grace), but I thought I might just drop you a line here. It's going to be in Tideswell, Derbyshire, 19th-21st of September. I did suggest Hook Eagle, when Boggarts discussing teams earlier in the year, but I think they already had some others they knew in mind. Sorry for the short notice, but have a think!

It's been a hell of a day.  Damn the Gods are cruel.


*cries*  :( :( :(

Sorry, I've not been very communicative on friends journals nor posting.  Just wrapped up in the new job, and finding my feet.  I haven't done full-time work for a very long time, so it has taken a bit getting used. Not that I'm expecting any sympathy from the old full-timers! ;)


Saturday before last, was tremendously ego-lifting.  Boggarts Breakfast danced out in Sheffield's Chance to Dance festival.  Heh!  It was great, an enormous interested crowd, who really let us know their appreciation.   And then because of the title of the festival, we got loads of people to dance tinners rabbit.  Ha!  And I got two altenative very young kids come up and tell me that I  rocked and I was cool!  I hope they saw Alec, our drummer, who looks like something out of the mighty boosh!  And I hope forgives me for insulting him, thinking he was Elmo, and saying, "I though Elmo looked a bit old today". WHOOPS! Sorry, Alec!  :(    I suppose, they don't see top hats and tatters and blue faces, slamming sticks and dancing in great patterns, very often!  I am very lucky, they are a lovely bunch to hang out with.  We have Warwick folk festival next weekend all being well.  Although, DAMN, it clashes with the student trip to Scarborough, and I would have to have loved to have gone for lots of reasons. OHHHH ***********!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Always the way, eh?! *pouts muchly*

We're still sorting out some of the students' union cards.  I really do feel for them.  They've paid, what three grand or so, and three or four weeks into their course, without a student card, and so no access to library or internet for study/browsing.  We do get it on the front line of reception, but my deputy boss said she was ever so chuffed, with my backing her up, and telling the students, that she has a mile high of letters to do, and no, she can't do your letter in five minutes.  Though we are working hard, and she's fair working flat out.  And there's a student treasure hunt for our English Foreign language tonight. That's likely to provoke some interest, by the locals! :)

And oh, damn, again!  Just got the tv on, in the background and uktvgold has a carry on weekend.  ARrrhhggghhh!!!!!!!!!  Give me Frankie Howerd any day. *winks* :)


what else?  Went to festival at the edge at the weekend.  It's storytelling and music.  I prefer the latter, having grown up in sessions in pubs and listening to short stories, than dramatic acted oral epics, in beer gardens at Sidmouth festival, told by anyone and everyone. Far more interesting.  Say a young un, then one of the Seven champions mollydancers still blacked up, then a known storyteller like Taffy Thomas and so on.

I felt a bit footless and restless as usual, as most friends were either stewarding or not around to be found!  Boo.  However, I did investigate the stalls/marquees and seriously had delight in indulging in some well deserved retail therapy.  I bought a lot of dresses, nice to find some flattering ones, and found various people, and chilled out with coffee and crepes.   We did get the session rocking later.  It's nice to be able to play withe new found confidence, after playing for so many years.  And then, I had an idea.  I remembered I 'd brought my step clogs and I asked the bar staff, if we could take down a table, so I could dance on it!  That went down very well, especially as the fesitival on a rugged Welsh greenbelt site.  So I was almost dancing at an angle.

Nice though to see old friends Taffy Thomas and Pete Morton performing.  And catching snatches of old friends who were tight on time for performing.  I also had extremely interesting conversations with a chap I'd met a couple of years ago, about paganism, druidry, pantheistic animism (if he sees that, he'll roar) :), and yes, Pagan John, I agree, I think we will take up and continue that conversation over the years. Definetely.   Freedom of conversational subject and talking with someone on the same wavelength, is rare and a joy!

then on sunday, the edge being the festival that is, I was sitting across from a few people, when the chap with long hair, said "I think I've met you before, are you from Yorkshire?! " "Yes", I said, looking at him, and seeing the past come back.  I thought "this is easier going to be "Oh S**t!!!" or possibly not. Thank the gods the latter.  It turned out, as he pointed out, we'd met THIRTEEN years ago"  Ye Goddesses, that makes me feel old!!!!!! And he now live in Leeds. We had met at shetland fiddle school, in Burwell, Cambridgeshire, and he was going out with one of my now flatmates.   Whaw!!! the festivals really do exist in strange parallels!

Anyway, that's some of what I've been doing, at least, what I can remember.

I shall endeavour to be more in touch. *Looks very contrite* :@ xxx

Happy Birthday to dear demonmoonglow.  Hope you have a glorious one.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks for reminding us, morbidfrog!

Sorry, I know I've been frightfully bad at commenting on journals. Been settling into the new job, which has the nicest bosses. We've lost one lovely colleague to West End College in Mayfair! in London. Good luck Neil, may flowers and luck and musicals always grace your paths. :) We miss you dreadfully. :(

It's for international students to learn English and everyone has been so kind. And she says with a twinkle in her eye, there is a chap who's definetely caught my eye. Lots more kind flirting to indulge in. Dear man. *laughs uproariously* Oooooh!!!! nothing like a bit of fun.
*dreadfully naughty grin*

Put it this way, I told one of the rents I was singing round the house with great gusto and pleasure on sunday, and still it goes on.

Listening to the Copper family (ask painted_bird !), well one for the hard core English folkies! And wondering about freaks in the peaks, yes more morris festivaling, this weekend, but I might have left it late.

http://www.freaksinthepeaks.com/

Plus dragging everything over to rural Derbyshire, without a lift, and I will have to borrow a fiddle bow. I've finally wrapped mine up, to the best bow rehairer I know

http://www.matthewcoltman.com/about.html

Anyway, as I said sorry and I will try and be more "spoken"! :@

Sheffield University job, at the English Language centre. Easy to get to, as far as I know 9-5. On a long term temp contract, and I already gave them an image of a professional at the interview. Full-time, not sure if I start next week fully.

Apparently I seriously impressed them at this interview and at the other one. Excellent candidate was the repeated phrase. ;)

Now to break it lightly to work and go and buy flowers and chocolates for an amazing agency. I've never known such a dedicated and caring one. :) :) :)

having posted that, I am having a real moment of down. "what am I doing with my life? It's futile."

Just gone to very irritable, with certain factors acting on that, and just looking at the impending evening and the next few days, organising, moments of busyness and dull. I am berating myself, that I really do have a good situation of life, but it's that old biological hormones feeling again and sadness at no morris. Call me mad, but I really live in that moment of the joy of the morris dance. Hence longing memories of fabulous Rochester Sweeps Festivals and hanging out with other morris teams and making new friends.

Having just soul wrenched there, I just opened the door to another Morris Dancer, flatmate's team are dancing out tonight, and I would go, but I really need an early night, otherwise even with interview, I would have said, "I'm going". :) Good to know where my common sense lies( meaning that I'm making decisions to grab life by the throat, and go out to these dance outs and things, and conquer some of my worries, when the little opportunities run up to me and grab me by the leg and not sit around moaning). :) Anyway, just had a lovely chat with said Morris Dancer, and she doesn't know, but she really lifted my spirits, by being a nice person, who wanted to have a general catch up conversation with me. Sounds like little, but can mean a great deal when you feel crap. Especially when you don't let onto the other person, and thus gain their enthusiasm and humour.

Thanks L! :)

Morris Dancing. Excellent!

And here's a taster of friends, Boggarts Breakfast made at Rochester Sweeps, if only for my own delight! ;) Hook Eagle Morris from Hampshire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRAOje8xDjo&feature=related

It's been Boggarts practice on sunday, and I danced the strange chorus and the vortexes of the hey! YARRRRRRR!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPT-O6Rcero&feature=related

And let's see played fiddle in the band, on monday for Sheffield City Morris Men, who are different and great to watch.

Tuesday, played fiddle in the William Morris Morris Band.

Saturday, Boggarts are dancing at Whaley Water, and before all the big festivals, like Whitby and Warwick, I damn well must get my bow rehaired and put new strings on Lementina!

Oh and here's one of Motley as well, for good measure. Based in Rochester, Kent.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=7982813

Motley and Hook - all absolutely lovely people to hang out with. Shouldn't have to wait for Rochester, before seeing them *~sulks* :@

You can tell I like my morris a bit too much, can't you..???? Hey, stop laughing at the back. ;p

two interviews with the University of Sheffield this week.  Trying to pace myself and stay tranquil, as I think I prefer out of the blue interviews, from agency, than ones to plan for and get all worried about.

I'm a bit adrenalised and eeky still though.  Trying to feel laid back and professional.  Aaaaagh!!!!

Taking risks is better than staying but damn this adrenalin. :@  Particularly as one's today.