Category Archives: Winter Solstice

Still Square Wheeled and Decision Time!

Posted on by
6

Sadly, despite having made quite significant progress recuperating from my leg injury, I haven’t yet been able to ride a motorcycle; the old leg just hasn’t got strong enough.

“Annoyed ” is not a strong enough word for it!

The medical support that I have received this year has been superb, though I feel that I have seen the inside of far too many hospital facilities, it’s just a shame that my body hasn’t been able to play the recovery game as quickly as I would like. It’s an age thing I guess!

Equally frustrating, when I look out of the kitchen window at Dookes H.Q. I enjoy a wide vista that includes the mountains of Scaraben and Morven…I so want to get out onto those slopes, but I don’t fancy becoming a “Mountain Rescue” statistic. Back when I was in my teens, my Mountain Leadership training placed great emphasis on knowing ones own capabilities and at the present time mine do not include being safe on those peaks.

Looking ahead, I had contemplated taking one last motorcycle trip to the Alps next year. It is a long way from the Far North of Scotland, 700 miles just to get to the ferry port to France. In the past I wouldn’t have thought twice about that, nor the 600 miles to Jausiers once I had landed on the Continent, but this is now, the new reality. I have cast around a few of my pals to see if anyone fancied a road trip and whilst a few were interested, they either have health issues too, family commitments or worst of all, have sold their motorcycles!!!!

Sadly then the Alps ain’t gonna happen; I’m just going to have to console myself with memories and photos of my days on the high alpine roads.

All is not lost though, I still have Scotland, my “new” country, to explore!

I have though, made a decision about going forward and that is next year I will be ending this blog.

It has been over 12 years since I started on this blogging journey. In the beginning the blog was only supposed to be about my travels on my Harleys and whilst that core remains broadly true, it is fair to say that I have on occasion wandered around a bit! Looking back and reading some of my older posts it is amazing how easily the emotion of the moment often returns to me.
I will sporadically post some more stuff over the next few months, it will be June when the blog ends, so time enough to wrap things up gracefully.

The Winter Solstice arrives on Saturday, marking the turning of the year, I’m feeling happy. Content that the days will soon be growing longer and that the natural order of things still runs true.

It’s probably fair to say that that the Winter Solstice has become my favourite day of the whole year.

In our Northern Hemisphere it is the shortest day.
Here in Caithness the Sun barely shows itself above the horizon and then for the briefest possible time.
Solstice Sunrise for us will be at 09:03, Sunset 15:21hrs, maximum sun elevation at Noon is a mere 8º!

I have written before how the relevance of this turning point has become stronger for me as I grow older; I understand the ancient people who venerated the turning seasons and the Celestial Calendar, I celebrate their wisdom and align myself to their beliefs.

It appears that since the dawn of time our forbears have found reason to celebrate a festival of light in the depths of the darkest day of the year. So why not have a party to celebrate the ending of one celestial year and the beginning of a new one?

Sounds good to me, but then I am a Welsh Wizard/Dewin Cymreig!

On the day before the Solstice I will be out gathering evergreens to decorate Dookes H.Q. Many Pagan religions held tradition where it was customary to place holly leaves and evergreen branches in and around dwellings during winter. It was believed that the good spirits who inhabited forests could come into their homes and use the holly as shelter against the cold; whilst at the same time malevolent forces and spells would be repelled. The added advantage is that the house smells wonderful as a result!

Norway fir.

“Now is the Solstice of the year.
Winter is the glad song that you hear.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.”

Happy Solstice and Yuletide Greetings!

Catch you soon,
Dookes

Starting To Know Caithness

Posted on by
3

Well, the Solstice came and passed, we celebrated in a wonderfully pagan way!
Christmas and New Year also ticked by.
In the meantime, Mrs Dookes and I have begun to explore our new home county and enjoy the variety it offers.

Sadly, it is not the best of seasons to ride motorcycles; so until the weather warms up and our local highways gangs stop spreading salt on the roads our exploration will not be on two wheels!

To give a taster of Caithness, I thought that I’d first better show exactly where the county is.

This a map of Scotland and that’s Caithness in red, right at the very top, so now you know!

I have a bit of a problem though in trying to introduce you to Caithness, where do I start?
This place is rich in diversity and variety, from rugged coasts and brave fishing villages to wide landscapes of mountains and precious wetlands.
I’ll let some pictures show what I mean, click on them to see a bigger image.

Westerdale Mill on Thurso River
Scaraben from Loch More
The wide open Flow Country.
Lybster Harbour
Lybster Harbour
Sunset at Dunnet Head

All of these photographs were taken within 20 minutes of Dookes H.Q.
We are so lucky!
This week things have taken a slightly more wintery feel…

A wintery snowscape from Dookes H.Q.
“Hazy Shade of Winter”

We’ve had about 12 inches (300mm) of snow in the last 48 hours.
It’s time to keep warm and snug especially as more is expected!

Once I can dig ourselves out of the house, I look forward to more exploring and posting more pictures!!

Catch you soon,
Dookes

Moving Home – Dookes HQ Relocated – Here Comes The Solstice!

Posted on by
10

I’ve been quiet for a long time, off air and our of contact!
Life has been hectic for the past few months as Mrs Dookes and I have been in the process of moving home.

In the usual Dookes way this hasn’t been a minor undertaking. In our world it always seems that if something is going to happen it’s going to be pretty major and totally worth doing! This also hasn’t been a simple matter of popping just a few miles down the road or into the next county; oh no, we have moved from one end of the United Kingdom to the other!

Previously we were in Cornwall, in the far South West. Now we are in Caithness, thats about as far to the North East as we can go without dropping into the sea! Not only have we travelled 750 miles North, we have also changed countries and are now in Scotland.

Additionally, we are very, very, happy with our decision!

It is beautiful here , the people are great and I am looking forward to blogging furiously about the place once I get out and explore more on two wheels, but for now I give you a couple of taster pictures

Not a bad view from the back door of Dookes H.Q.!

Thursday is the Winter Solstice and I’m very happy in a Druid-like way. I said before, it’s probably my favourite day of the year.

In our Northern Hemisphere it is the shortest day, when the Sun barely shows itself above the horizon and then for the briefest possible time! Here in Caithness the daylight hours are particularly short. Sunrise on the Solstice will be at 09:02 and Sunset is at 15:20.

Caithness Sunrises are very special!

I have said previously how the relevance of this turning point has become stronger for me as I have grown older; I understand the ancient people who venerated the turning seasons and the Celestial Calendar, I celebrate their wisdom and align myself to their beliefs.

It appears that since the dawn of time our forbears have found reason to celebrate a festival of light in the depths of the darkest day of the year. So why not have a party to celebrate the ending of one celestial year and the beginning of a new one?

Sounds good to me, but then I am a Welsh Wizard/Dewin Cymreig!

Stennes Sones Orkney

Have a great Solstice everyone.
Catch you soon,
Dookes

“Now is the Solstice of the year.
Winter is the glad song that you hear.”

Winter Solstice Greetings

Posted on by
8

Hello dear readers, yes I know “Where have you been Dookes?”

Life is busy, hectic, interesting and really quite good….I’m not complaining at all!
I am struggling though, to find time to do any writing, let alone keep this blog updated. So please forgive me.

Today is the Winter Solstice and as a result I’m very happy in a Druid-like way. Lacking time to get very creative and write a new post I’m going to break one of my own rules and rework something that I wrote previously, but hey it’s my blog and my rules!!!

Have a great Solstice everyone.

“Now is the Solstice of the year.
Winter is the glad song that you hear.”

It doesn’t take much to make me happy, which might seem a bit strange for a chap who owns two big Harley Davidson motorbikes, but it’s true. Today, for example, is one of those things that no-one can own, hold, buy or claim; take note Mr Musk! It’s the Winter Solstice and I’m a very happy Dookes as a result!

It’s probably fair to say that this has become my favourite day of the whole year!

In our Northern Hemisphere it is the shortest day, when the Sun barely shows itself above the horizon and then for the briefest possible time! Sunset today is just before 16:00hrs!

Stennes Stones Orkney

The Solstice marks the turn of the seasons when the days begin to grow longer and the warmth of Summer begins its long return journey.

It’s also the real beginning of Winter.

I written before how the relevance of this turning point has become stronger for me as I have grown older; I understand the ancient people who venerated the turning seasons and the Celestial Calendar, I celebrate their wisdom and align myself to their beliefs.

It appears that since the dawn of time our forbears have found reason to celebrate a festival of light in the depths of the darkest day of the year. So why not have a party to celebrate the ending of one celestial year and the beginning of a new one?

Sounds good to me, but then I am a Welsh Wizard/Dewin Cymreig!

Let’s not forget that many other cultures and religions around the world also celebrate festivals at this time of the year and have the rebirth of light firmly as their focus.

Dunnet Head

The Christian Church has celebrated the birthday of Jesus Christ, Christmas, on December 25th since the 4th Century when Pope Julius I chose the date in an effort to replace the Roman Feast of Saturnalia. People have compared the rebirth of the sun to the birth of the son of God.

It’s also interesting to reflect that the origins of many “traditional” Western Christmas decorations such as the Yule Log, Tree and Wreath can trace back to pre-Christian times.

Familiar decorations of green, red and white cast back to the Wiccan traditions and the Druids. The old Pagan Mid-Winter Festival of Yule also included feasting and gift giving, doesn’t it all sound very familiar?!?!

When I was younger we always did the usual Christmas decoration stuff, including a highly non-authentic artificial tree! My late father did little to dress the tree, but had his own take on the whole decoration thing that he insisted on doing himself; every year he would garland the house with boughs of green holly and evergreen, it was only then that I truly used to feel that things were being done properly. I suspect that my Celtic blood has a lot to do with this and I still carry on that tradition today in Dookes H.Q.. I adore the house smelling of pine and other evergreens! Yesterday, on the eve of the Solstice I was out in the glorious Cornish countryside gathering the greenery to decorate our home. It’s done now and I feel very happy and at ease with it.

Many Pagan religions had a tradition where it was customary to place holly leaves and branches in and around dwellings during winter. It was believed that the good spirits who inhabited forests could come into their homes and use the holly as shelter against the cold; whilst at the same time malevolent forces and spells would be repelled.

Mrs Dookes also enters into the spirit of the season with her splendid handmade evergreen wreaths. This reflects another pagan tradition, the wreath’s circle has no beginning or end and the evergreen represents life in the depths of winter. The circle of life.

Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, The Solstice, Dongzhi, Yalda, Saturnalia, Malkh, any other festival that I may have missed, or just looking forward to having a restful holiday, have a truly wonderful time and maybe spare a thought, or penny, for those less fortunate.

Thanks for joining me this year, we haven’t ridden much, but i have a feeling that 2023 is going to be some ride and i look forward to sharing that with you all!
I hope you will saddle up with me for more adventure and opinion than this year!

“Praise be to the distant sister sun,
joyful as the silver planets run.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.”

Catch you soon.

Dookes

With grateful thanks to Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull for sharing the Solstice over many decades!

Ring Out Solstice Bells 2021

Posted on by
6

Best wishes to you all on this Winter Solstice Day!

At exactly 15:59 GMT today the polar axis of our Planet Earth will have be tilted at its farthest away from the Sun in the Northern Hemisphere, giving us our shortest day of the year and marking the beginning of astronomical winter. This makes me a very happy Dookes, for though the days will be colder, they will also start to get longer!

Of course if you live South of the equator the reverse applies.

For my previous posts about the Dookes take on the Solstice please click here.

This year we have been doubly treated as there was a full “Winter Moon” last weekend.
For us Celts, with a feeling for the natural cycle of life, it doesn’t get much better than that!

The Winter Moon rising over a cold Cornish landscape.

In accordance with the old ways and as a Druid, I’m off to garland Dookes H.Q. now…and raise a glass to the setting sun.

In the meantime, however and whatever you are celebrating have a really good one!

“Ring out these bells,
Ring out,
Ring solstice bells”

Catch you soon,
Dookes

Winter Solstice – Looking For Brighter Days Ahead

Posted on by
4

Today, is the Winter Solstice, and probably my favourite day of the year; yes that includes Birthdays, Anniversaries and Christmas!

Living in the Northern Hemisphere it marks the turn of the seasons when the days begin to grow longer and the warmth of Summer is beginning its long return journey, true it’s also the real beginning of Winter, but hey you can’t have everything and thats only for a few months!

I spare a thought for my friends South of the Equator for whom the opposite is true, your days will now start to shorten towards Autumn.

In this craziest of crazy years it does occur to me that we, the human race, have drifted away from that fundamental link and understanding of nature. One could argue that we actively turned our back on the natural world to our great peril and it is now biting back. The World’s climate is changing and now the globe is under the grip of a pandemic that appears to be mutating and growing in ferocity.

Is our planet telling us something?

Perhaps it is saying “There’s too many of you, this cannot go on!”

In response to the pandemic the UK Government has just introduced restrictions on the number of people who can meet and socialise over the Christmas period.

Unsurprisingly, there has been a great outpouring of angst. I do wonder though exactly what these people will be celebrating, current surveys show that only a tad over 50% of UK citizens identify as ‘Christian” and staggeringly only around 10% attend church! I suspect the principle “God” figures are a turkey, alcohol and something called “Me, me, me”!

As I age, for me the relevance of the Solstice turning point has grown stronger. I understand the thoughts of ancient people who venerated the turning seasons, the Celestial calendar and more importantly the natural world which gave them everything they needed. Come to think of it the natural world still does, it’s just that we as a human race seem to have ignored it for too long.

In Pagan tradition it was customary to place holly leaves and branches in and around dwellings during winter. It was believed that the good spirits who inhabited forests could come into their homes and use the holly as shelter against the cold; whilst at the same time malevolent forces and spells would be repelled.

Scan 20

It’s interesting to reflect that the origins of many common Christmas decorations such as the Yule Log and Wreath trace back to pre-Christian times.

Wreaths are traditionally made from evergreen symbolising strength and endurance as the evergreen lasts throughout even the hardest winter. The ring is also immortal, never-ending or beginning. I am pleased to report that, as is tradition, Dookes H.Q. is currently displaying a splendid Wreath made by Mrs Dookes.

image

Familiar decorations of green, red and white cast back to the Wiccan traditions and the Druids. The old Pagan Mid-Winter Festival of Yule also included feasting and gift giving, doesn’t it all sound very familiar?

When I was younger we always did the usual Christmas decoration stuff, including a highly non-authentic plastic and metal artificial tree! My late father did little to dress the tree, but had his own take on the whole decoration thing that he insisted on doing himself; every year he would garland the house with boughs of green holly and evergreen, it was only then that I truly used to feel that things were being done properly. I suspect that my Celtic blood has a lot to do with this and I still carry on that tradition today in Dookes H.Q., I adore the house smelling of pine and other evergreens!

It won’t be long before I have to pop outside into the rain to grab Holly and Evergreen to decorate Dookes H.Q.!

Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, The Solstice, Dongzhi, Yalda, Saturnalia, Malkh, any other festival that I may have missed, or just looking forward to having a restful holiday, have a truly wonderful time and maybe spare a thought, or penny, for those less fortunate.

Lets hope that there are brighter days ahead and that we will all get to ride together again in 2021 with Harls, Hetty and I for more two-wheeled adventure and opinion!

“Praise be to the distant sister sun,
joyful as the silver planets run.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.”

Catch you soon,

Dookes

Solstice – My Favourite Day.

Posted on by
10

Today is the Winter Solstice, a day that has firmly become my favourite of the whole year!

In our Northern Hemisphere it is the shortest day, when the Sun barely shows itself above the horizon and then for the briefest possible time! It marks the turn of the seasons when the days begin to grow longer and the warmth of Summer begins it’s long return journey. It’s also the real beginning of Winter, but hey you can’t have everything! For my friends South of the Equator the opposite is true, your days will now start to shorten towards Autumn.
p1080151
The relevance of this turning point has become stronger for me as I have grown older; I understand the ancient people who venerated the turning seasons and the Celestial Calendar. It appears that since the dawn of time our forbears have found reason to celebrate a festival of light in the depths of the darkest day of the year. So why not have a party to celebrate the ending of one celestial year and the beginning of a new one? Sounds good to me, but then I am a Welsh Wizard/Dewin Cymreig!

Let’s not forget that many other cultures and religions around the world also celebrate festivals at this time of the year and have the rebirth of light firmly as their focus.

The Christian Church has celebrated the birthday of Jesus Christ, Christmas, on December 25th since the 4th Century when Pope Julius I chose the date in an effort to replace the Roman Feast of Saturnalia. In several languages, not just English, people have compared the rebirth of the sun to the birth of the son of God.

It’s also interesting to reflect that the origins of many “traditional” Western Christmas decorations such as the Yule Log, Tree and Wreath can trace back to pre-Christian times. Familiar decorations of green, red and white cast back to the Wiccan traditions and the Druids. The old Pagan Mid-Winter Festival of Yule also included feasting and gift giving, doesn’t it all sound very familiar?!?!

A real Christmas Tree.

A real Christmas Tree.


When I was younger we always did the usual Christmas decoration stuff, including a highly non-authentic artificial tree! My late father did little to dress the tree, but had his own take on the whole decoration thing that he insisted on doing himself; every year he would garland the house with boughs of green holly and evergreen, it was only then that I truly used to feel that things were being done properly. I suspect that my Celtic blood has a lot to do with this and I still carry on that tradition today in Dookes H.Q., I adore the house smelling of pine and other evergreens!

Many Pagan religions had a tradition where it was customary to place holly leaves and branches in and around dwellings during winter. It was believed that the good spirits who inhabited forests could come into their homes and use the holly as shelter against the cold; whilst at the same time malevolent forces and spells would be repelled.

Mrs Dookes enters into the spirit of the season with her splendid handmade evergreen wreaths. This reflects another Celtic tradition, the wreath’s circle has no beginning or end and the evergreen represents life in the depths of winter.
image

Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, The Solstice, Dongzhi, Yalda, Saturnalia, Malkh, any other festival that I may have missed, or just looking forward to having a restful holiday, have a truly wonderful time and maybe spare a thought, or penny, for those less fortunate.

Thanks for joining me for the ride this year, it’s been a ball and I hope you will saddle up with Harls, Baby and I in ’17 for more two-wheeled adventure and opinion!

“Praise be to the distant sister sun,
joyful as the silver planets run.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.”

Catch you soon.

Dookes

Winter Dusk Dartmoor

Winter Dusk Dartmoor


In memory of “Crazy” Mon and Ann who rode on ahead in 2016.