Round the Herne

A few days ago I wanted to upload something about International Men's Day, but I was too pressured with work and too tired to find the energy or mental capacity to string three words together. Today is both Wolfenoot , a spontaneously created new festival dreamed up by a child and dedicated to the celebration of lupines and canines (being a lupophile, I am always willing to add a celebration to my calendar). Plus today is also the anniversary of the very first episode of Doctor Who being aired in 1963. Not having the wherewithal to churn out three separate contributions, the following meander is a mash-up of all three events. The theme set for this year's International Men's Day by whoever dreams these things up is role models and, conveniently enough, this is where the Venn diagram overlaps because, as a child, the Doctor was one of my central male role models. That my main model should be a fictional entity may say something about the quality of the flesh-and-blood me...

On December 1st Pooka's Pageant (a celebration of mythology and folk lore through the performing arts) will be held at Oddfellows Hall in Ipswich. The programme is shown below, with more details here . Tickets are £5 on the door (£3 in advance) with any profits being split between Husky Rescue and the Hare Preservation Trust. This year we also have three trade stalls - Robert Lummis jewellery, incense and crafts; Whispering Eofor's jewellery (see more details here ); and Michele Bo Boyd's felt ornaments. Please feel free to circulate details to any people you think would enjoy attending. The Pageant s family-friendly with refreshments available on the day (feel free to bring your own sandwiches if staying all day!) PROGRAMME 1 0.00am ~ Welcome and a toast to the Pooka 10.15am ~  'Weaving Wyrd Words',  poetry & song with Sheila Haskins 11.00am ~  'Wolf Song ',  music with Carys Singer 11.45am ~  'Flower Power ',  plant imagery in po...

This afternoon I went to visit a friend whom I've known since the 1980s. She is in hospital in Essex following a fall that has resulted in broken bones, compounding a number of other medical conditions (she is elderly and vulnerable to such injuries). I remember talking to Di in earlier days about Greek and Roman religion and mythology - she is a great admirer of Pythagoras amongst others. The Ancient Roman poem Catullus wrote a hymn to the moon goddess Diana, which seems an appropriate "gift" to my friend to listen to when she gets out of hospital and maybe one Diana will intercede to help another now she is in a bad way. My Latin is very rusty, and hopefully will not cause too much distress to those friends who are more fluent in it. I'll print off a version to frame and hang on her wall at home as well. The English translation I found on line, created by Pete Crowther (I don't know anything about him but will keep an eye open for his other work now) and it ...

A Russian folktale about a silly man who, unable to follow good advice, reads out the contents of the Black Book. A tale suitable for a chill winter's night when one has a log fire, a glass of ginger wine, and some strong cheese.