Unikorns World Adventures

Back to Middle Earth...

2005-09-18T13:58:00.000Z

hello to you all, failte!

Thanks to those of you who have kept in touch - lovely to be back near a computer and read of whats been going on while I explore the lands of Scotland

Wowo! Well I started in Edinburgh, what a cool city - I think I could even live there! Spent a day touristing it - lovely museum - really cool Celtic history in there. Caught up with two of my oldest friends which was also very cool - nice to be able to sit with a couple of kiwis and not have to explain every little colloquilism and bitch about the cost of things in the UK heheh

So, on to Glasgow for a Druid conference which I spoke at - was very interesting and nice to present some thoughts about druidry in Aotearoa. Then up to Iona - sacred Isle - wow!

Back to Edinburgh and then up to the Kingdom of Fife to spend time with a friend in Cupar which coincidently (do we still believe in those?), is the place some of my ancestors come from....then hired a car and did the highlands - up to Inverness, saw Colloden (ouch), down to Fort William for a night - over to Glencoe - wow amazing scenery - sad history - then over to the Isle of Skye for two nights - wow amazing wowo wowowo - then across from Inverness to Aberdeen doing the Pictish trail - got to see some amazing stone circles, standing stones and pictish art and a really cool places called Archeolink http://www.archaeolink.co.uk/ check it out. night in Aberdeen then back to Edinburgh to spend a couple of days with more friends and explore the Chapel of the Knights Templar at Rosswell and the Glen there and this amazing cave!! then down to Birmingham and here I am in a lovely village out of there on this lovely land http://www.creativelandscapes.co.uk/

The adventures continues as we draw towards Equinox....

August...Lughnassadh

2005-08-18T14:02:00.000Z

Well I got to camp on the 25th July to a big, but welcoming field with one Yurt set up. Over that week the crew set up another Yurt, a Sunlodge Teepee, a bender - Wellbing, Gate, A huge kitchen/cafe and all the other facilities which make Camp so enchanted and wonderful.

I flew across the planet for this experience - and here it was! Home, tribe. There are no words to express the deep sense of belonging I felt there in the camp. Home, tribe. Any of you in OBOD that are wondering about camp - I strongly encourage you to go to one - its a life changing experience!

Finally emerged from camp on the 11th August, spent another week in Somerset and then followed the tribe across to South Wales for a week - then up to Scotland the brave!

Dartmoor

2005-07-16T23:17:00.000Z

I am having a sensational time here in West Devon, staying in a lovely little village called Exbourne. We have spent a day back down in Cornwall at Boscastle and Tintagel which was wonderful. http://www.cornwall-online.co.uk/english-heritage/tintagel.htm

Today we have walked the Moors - stunning place and found an ancient Bronze Age Village with Stone Rows and Circles and Huts and Standing Stones and oh wow its so beautiful and amazing....to think of people living here over 3000 years ago! I have taken some photos but on a normal camera so they won't be up for a while - but you can look here http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=117

I feel truly honoured to be treated so kindly by the lovely people who have opened their homes to me, and shared their sacred places. The moon and stars look lovely from here tonight - even if they are round the wrong way and upside down hahahaaha

So many thanks to you who have emailed me and txt-ed me - its really nice to get a little voice from home and from friends and family. I can't always reply as my time near a computer is limited but I do so appreciate them and read every word. From here Im going somewhere, not sure yet but will work all that out tomorrow and then on the 25th its off to Druid Camp for me! Im so excited about it and also spending my first ever Northern Hemisphere Birthday on the 3rd of August, in the middle of a bunch of Druids - that will be a riot no doubt!

The weather down here has been stunning- I rekon about 24-26 degrees each day but you can hang out all day in the sun and not burn! I am loving it.

I spent a week down in Kernow or Cornwall a couple of weeks ago too and that was amazing!

Unikorn's Big Crystal Factory Adventure!

2005-07-01T14:09:00.000Z

Hi again folks! Well, I'm back in not-so-sunny North Devon again, enjoying just adventuring around the local area.

Jumped on a bus the other day and managed to find myself to Dartington Crystal... http://www.dartington.co.uk/index.html

You can walk all around the factory, high up on a walkway and watch the whole process as they heat, turn, blow, turn, cool, work the glass into these fine pieces of art! Fantastic day out!

Well, we have been battered by storms the last couple of day which is limiting my adventuring slightly - don't really enjoy getting drenched through to the skin...reminds me of home tho :) Well, thats it from the home of Devonshire Teas *waves*

2005-06-21T11:25:00.000Z

Hello everyone! Now I am down here in Chard, which is a little village about 10km from Lyme Regis - on the South coast of these Isles.

I had a wonderful time in Ilfracombe and will be returning there later this week to explore the Exmoor http://www.visit-exmoor.info/index.htm - there are several neolithic sites on those moors which kept this part of the isles safe from many invaders. While there we took a boat out to Lundy Island http://www.lundyisland.co.uk/ what a stunning place! It has been inhabited since about the Stone Ages, and there are Iron age remains of huts and stuff there - wonderful! Us Kiwis are used to space and wild places, but over there I could truly be alone like home!

Yesterday I returned to Glastonbury which is always wonderful and I hope to go there again. We went to Chalice Well and that was a lovely way to spend hours in peace and tranquility of ages and ages beyond beginning of memory. That night we sat above where the well is in a meadow and watched a brilliant concert by Dahm the Bard and Dragonsfly. We wove this Solstice in and truly the lands of Albion resonate with age and mystery!

So happy solstice as the sun turns, for us here towards the winter months, and for you in the South, happy times to come out of your Winter gloom!

Blessings and love from the British Isles

Bright Greetings from Ilfracombe

2005-06-13T11:28:00.000Z

Hello my friends and family!

Here I am in beautiful North Devon, in this lovely town called Ilfracombe. Arrived yesterday after a wonderful weekend in Glastonbury. I met up with some poeple I have talked with over the internet for the last year or so, and met many wonderful people at our Summer Gathering. We spent some time on Glastonbury Tor and also I got up for dawn in Stonehenge, we had private access. Was a truly wonderful experience!

Now I am down in this part of the British Isles until late July and am very looking forward to both the ancient aspects of this land and also the land of some of my ancestors!

Thanks to many of you for lovely emails - sometimes I cannot check them for a week or so but I am trying my best to keep in touch :)

Arohanui

Lewes, Sussex

2005-06-09T09:24:00.000Z

I am currently in the South of England, in a part of Sussex called Lewes. Its really lovely here and the people are all so lovely to me.

One day I went to the Lewes Castle and climbed up into the keep - that was really challenging for me but I did it! You could see all the way across the skyline was wonderful. Yesterday I walked around to this man made hill - actually the keep is built on one too, and there used to be lots in this area - the name Lewes is dirived from 'sacred hill'. however most of them are gone - there are only 3 left now. So i climbed this wonderful hill/mount/mound and it was really lovely and peaceful up there, facing the cliffs, the castle was on my left. Nice place to sit and eat my lunch!

Now I am off to the Long Man http://www.sussexpast.co.uk/property/site.php?site_id=13

to pay a visit and perhaps have lunch in the local pub - its a stunning hot sunny day here and all is well

Bright Greetings from Oxford, UK!

2005-06-01T16:53:00.000Z

Well hello there old chaps! I am writing to you from oxford. I arrived yesterday (Tuesday) and felt great - was a good trip over and I dont get jet lag yay!

My friend picked me up from the airport which was so neat and we decided to enjoy the fabulous English summers day and travel to the Uffington Chalk Horse and Waylander Smith - so touchdown UK and spent my first day amongst the true sacredness of this land. http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/majorsites/uffington.html

Today dawned rainy and we headed into Oxford itself. Some wonderful stuff there like a big castle and parts of the University are pretty damn impressive. We sat down by the River Thames and had a proper English pint in a proper English pub heheh. We even got to sit next to a young chap who was celebrating the end of his Oxford exams - in full Suit, Tie hoorah!! hehehehe

Well, I am having a really wonderful time so far and it doesn't feel strange or scary to be here at all!

Poetry Book

2005-05-22T05:46:00.000Z

Well I got my poetry book printed and its available for sale if anyone is interested - please check out the website I created http://pagangrove.net/poetrybook.htm

8 More sleeps

2005-05-22T05:43:00.000Z

Thats tonight, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and then its Monday the 30th and Im off!! wohoooooo

Had a wicked party Friday night - people gave me precious gifts - I was so touched. Have a lovely shell to wear around my neck and a beautiful hand made diary to keep notes in - thanks guys.

Well exciting this is, my friend will be here from tomorrow and that means one last night at the Celtic wohooo get to take my pic of my name on the Guinness 100pint club!!

Well, prolly another sleepness night for me as the moon turns towards full

Love and light!

Happy Samhuinn

2005-05-01T09:19:00.000Z

Well folks its Samhuinn here. Traditionally this is where the Celts would honour 3 days and nights of chaos, throwing open the animal enclosures and the concept of 'order' The veil between the worlds is thin, and you don't know who or what is walking amongst you, leading of course to traditions of dressing up at this time, and also of playing tricks on each other - as the Fae were want to do. Here we find traditions such as 'Fool/King for the Day', Trick o Treat, and Halloween (in the Northern Hemisphere). This is a time of great respect for the Ancestors, and for all those who have passed.

This year I could not make the celebrations down at Pukerua Bay, or Ashhurst, so I stayed here in Taranaki. We went down to the land and planted 9 trees for the Goddess, including one Pohutakawa for the Ancestors. Felt so good to be connected with the land, standing and gazing across the majesty of this place, to the ocean. We have some wonderful little groves and ponds scattered about - its going to be a magnificent place to live!

Well, pretty much 4 weeks to go until I jump on that plane up to Hamilton to spend some time with my dear friend UrsaFire, and then head out on the 30th May!

Started packing my pack for real tonight. I don't have a lot left to go in...just shoes, pants and some tops that I am still wearing - will wait until I finish work on the 13th (yes thats Friday the 13th Mwahahahaahah) and then do a wash and stick them in.

Well, anxiety level is pretty OK - talk to you all soon!

love and light
Unikorn

Got my tickets

2005-04-21T10:11:00.000Z

Well, they are electronic, but officially picked up the stuff from the travel agent dude. Thanks travel-agent dude, you helped me make this dream come true.

Update - going to Stonehenge for Dawn Ceremony - we have 200 places through English Heritage yay! That will be the Dawn of Sunday, 12th June. How exciting! Although Stonehenge isn't the most important or significal stone circle for me, still it will be a rare blessing to gather with other Druids and welcome a new day.

Not long now! Very exciting stuff - still have to find a day pack 20L or so, but something will come up. Still not 100% sure what to do about shoes - went walking along the beach today at BackBeach - boy was that wonderful! - wearing my docs and clambering about cliffs I was thinking - might be a good idea to have decent tramp/walk/stomp shoes apart from my docs....*sigh* shoes is an issue! I can see why people settle for just one pair of good walking shoes! Will go have a hunt around tomorrow.

Stuff...

2005-04-01T21:35:00.000Z

So I think I have everything I need now. Still not sure what to do about my sleeping bag but apart from that I have:

Backpac
Torch
Knife and fork set
Travel towel
Leatherman
Money/stuff pouch
First Aid Kit
Plate/bowl/cup set - indestructable
Spare battery for phone
Address book

What else will I need ;)

Revised travel plans

2005-04-01T21:31:00.000Z

Well I'm not going to Perth now so the new plan is fly direct from Auckland to Hong Kong, then onto another plane straight to Heathrow!!

Plan to spend a few days with my dear friend Ursafire on the way out of the country - gotta have someone to wave me goodbye at the airport! And now my friend from Oxford tells me he is going to be able to meet me at the airport after all so yay!!

I get into Heathrow on the 30th May - getting pretty close now! My last day of work is Friday 13th May - thought that was appropriate :)

So many wonderful members of our order have offered me a place to stay and show me around their sacred sites - I am so excited :)

Got a Date!

2005-02-19T02:45:00.000Z

well, the ticket is in my hot little hand! I fly to Perth on the 25th May and then into Heathrow, London on the 31st yay! Gonna be a great trip I'm so excited.

On the other hand, my laptop dropped on the floor the other night so my access to the net is limited :( Bummer

Beginnings

2004-05-16T04:57:00.000Z

Well, here is a beginning, and in the beginning an ending...