Tag Archives: Yule

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

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.