There is no escaping the inevitable... LEAVES WILL FALL

You can fight it but it will happen.

The leaves that you fell in love with, the leaves that gave you shade from the harsh summer cloud.

They will fall.

You know that you will be out there, treading through the damp grass, sweeping the little dry brown red corpses into a rustling pile of death.

They will fall.

The branches will stand stark and bare before the grey sky.

They will fall.

And like them you know that you too will die, you will join the earth and feed the ground.

And as you lie beneath the earth they will make a blanket for your dissolving self.

They will fall.

Leaves Will Fall - The September Mix Is Coming...

Stick it to the Burryman!

Stick it to the Burryman this August!

If you are lucky enough to live in South Queensferry Scotland you will be familiar with the Burryman. Covered in thistle burrs he walks the town in mid August (usually the second Friday) and people throw more burrs at him (burrs coated in their own horrid sin and guilt) and the Burryman carries them away. Bless him.

Thistle Burr (fill it with your sin and chuck it at the Burryman!)

Raymond Burr (not to be filled with your sin or thrown at the Burryman under any circumstances...)

The Feast of Llamas

As everyone knows the start of August is traditionally the feast of Lammas.

 It is less well known that (between 1801 and 1816) in the village of Stourton at the start of every August, the local Lord of the Manor invited the villagers into his gardens. There they would feast on roast llama, wear llama masks, dance llama themed dances to llama themed music and watch llama races.

 This strange tradition ended when it was pointed out to the Lord of the Manor that he had a terrible ear for the local accent.

The festival had been repeated for so long because no-one had the heart to tell him that he had misheard and misinterpreted the Feast of Lammas in this way. They also really liked roast llama.

The village of Stourton does pay homage to this mistaken tradition still in their annual Lammas rite by baking  Llama’s bread and crowning the village Llama as Lord of the Manor and forcing the incumbent Lord of the Manor to  live in the Llama stable for a night in a llama mask made by local children.

The Willows are on the move... The August Mix is here...

The Kalendar Heath is ready to be explored this August, but beware, the willows are on the move.

Celebrate Lammas with the likes of Magnet, The Owl Service, Beacon Street Union, Bebel Gilberto, The Tiger Lilies, Love, Clinic, Carole King, Funkadelic, Hall and Oates, Grizzly Bear, Kingston Trio, Micky Newbury, Jacco Gardner, Julie London, David Cain, Lost Trail, The The and Isla Cameron.

This month's exploration of the Kalendar Heath includes extracts from this month's short story "The Weeping Will Walk" written and performed by Chris Lambert. The story will be published as part of "Wyrd Kalendar" a collection of 12 short stories written by Chris Lambert and illustrated by Andy Paciorek to be published in October 2017.