Only a week late – Summer Solstice wright up

Sometimes it’s good to celebrate the changes in the time of year, especially if they can be accompanied by some really good friends.  Solstices are the points where everything start to swing in different directions, in this case the days start to shorten as the earth tilts back again on its axis.  It’s an event that’s worth acknowledging at least now and then, even just as part of the appreciation of the beauty of the world we have.

Our own celebration of this day began at four in the morning, up at the crack of sparrow fart as y father would say, to see the rising sun from the nearest open space of our own Southampton Common.  One small group of Pagans was there, milling around a fire they’d sat around all night.  We took a seat on the grass a short distance from them and awaited the dawn of the new day.

Of course this makes it all sound very serene and in its own way it was, however certain elements don’t quite fit the picture you probably have of us so far.  Like a hyperactive puppy called Bailey.  Bailey was mostly content to chase his ball back and forward while we sat watching the morning haze rise and the steady golden glow spread across the sky.  However Bailey did take a strong interest in the Pagans after a while, struggling with his nervousness and the urge to investigate the strange new people.

Soon though the glow from the sun was quite definitely there, the Pagans were performing their cleansing rituals and we contemplated the summer ahead as their smoke drifted by in nice little layers.  It really was a beautiful 5am.

Breakfast and a bit of a nap followed.  There was a no way that we were going to make it through the day on the little bit of sleep from the night before.

Rising a little later we moved on to the next phase of the day.  A trip out to see some of the different types of people that were celebrating in Avebury and perhaps get a little of how other people celebrate.  One car journey accompanied by some rather eclectic music and we were there mingling with the Hippies, Pagans, bikers and miscellaneous others who were all out amid the stones and the pub.

It’s important to visit the pub when visiting a lot of small villages in England.  Historically they were for many the social centres of the world and today they still have an element of that.  Even if you just keep to your own little group for conversation, the people watching opportunities are superb.  And on a day like today there are some real characters to watch.  It’s almost as if the pagan festival draws all the hippies and social outcasts out into the light for the day, like mid 90s bypass protestors dragged from their trees.  Swampy could have walked through and no one would have noticed, he’d just have merged with the dreadlocks and the baggy trousers.

After leaving the pub we wandered the stones, although it wasn’t my favourite trip there.  I’ve been to Avebury before and spent the day almost without seeing anyone and it’s those days when the place is magical.  Something about the business detracts from it all, dampens the magic and the feeling that this is something ancient that people worshipped in and around.  In general I’m not a believer in many things, in fact I’m pretty sceptical about a lot of religious and superstitious things, but I do tend to find the places that people have worked to create out of belief and superstition to have something to them.  It’s almost as if that very belief is what has made them special.

That evening, back at the house we had our own celebration of sorts.  I might be stretching the idea that it was a Solstice related really, however it was a very good barbecue in its own way.  Much food, beer and cider was consumed before rounded the evening off with a little bit of fire play.  Two staffs, some poi and a fire sword.  My staff skills are competent, my poi skills are negligible and both are dwarfed by some of the others demonstrating that evening.  Fire swords were a new thing for me, something that lacks the grace of the other items but does have a certain wow factor.  I guess that’s really to be expected from what is basically just two feet (more?) of flame.

It really was a good day to mark the beginning of what looks to be a pretty frigging awesome summer.

Filling the Gaps – Somedays you just gotta get out

Sometimes you find yourself in a long gap between trips, time starts to drag and you feel the need to get away growing.  Sometime it just really isn’t possible to get away on long trip, to do the whole hearted travel, separating yourself from everything in your day to day life.  It’s these times when you need to take part in micro tourism.

Fuck me that sounds like wishy washy sales talk.

Basically the idea is that you need to travel to somewhere that’s a little closer to home and just go for a short trip.  A day or two perhaps of just exploring somewhere near to hand and getting to know the places in your own backyard.  Like so many things on here it sounds simple, but actually it ends up being something that we never do.

How many of the tourist attractions near to you have you ever been to?  Many of us will travel all over the world turning up in far flung destinations and furiously taking in every facet of them that we possibly can.  How often have you been out to see the tourist attractions in the next town though?  Or even your own town?  It’s like we need to block these things in the day to day life and then because of that we forget about them, they become part of the background and somehow we never notice them again.

Take the time to go out and notice them. Really do.

The problem can sometimes be just taking that first step, getting out and taking that different perspective.  viewing things through that different set of eyes and viewing things almost like a visitor from elsewhere might.  Sometimes its easiest if you just start venturing down those streets you walk past and exploring the little corners that you haven’t looked in before, finding out what behind various alleyways and buildings.

Another method to viewing things differently is to take a camera with you and turn the whole thing into a project.  Set out to document the sights and sounds that you see almost as if you need to show everything that there is to offer and every little niggling detail that people should look out for.

Lonely Planet did a very interesting book of other ideas that can be adapted for days like this called Experimental Travel (The Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel ISBN 1741044502).  Some of them seem a little strange at first and almost certainly some of them you will look at and think that there’s no way that you’re ever going to do that.  But give one or two of them a try.

They may help to brighten an otherwise dull weekend.

The Lonely Planet Guide to Experimental Travel