Well the Mercian was awesome. V & I camped in the accessible field (due to my unsteady gait). We were right in the middle of everything and consequently managed to do many more talks (British Goddesses, Hare Spirit, Incense Making, Pagan Songs). Also the opening ritual, the shall I / shan't I do the fire maze (we waited for the flames to die down a lot). Later in the evening we listened to Kate and Corwen and then Damh the Bard (both very fabulous). But half way trough Dave's set they started standing up to dance and it had been a really long day so I thought we would be better moving outside the tent. Last thing I remember was clipping my water bottle to my bag. Must have been a complex partial as I was quite happily led outside and collapsed on a man called Martin (who happens to manage a care home so was merrily taking charge). Took a few minutes to get back in the room then he helped V & L get me back to the tent.
Then Saturday we burned the Wicker Man. But went back to the tent to do a private little ritual. Which was lovely.
There is something magical about the Mercian. It makes you slow down. No computers, phone died after the first day and just being cut off from the real world was lovely. Plus the company. I am struggling a lot with not being at work I am an incredibly social creature and extroverts are recharged by being around people. At the moment the cocktail of meds I am on are so sedating I can't actually make it out of the house on my own. But having a circle of friends around me, who didn't mind that I regularly had to has a little nap, was grand.
Sunday we did the inevitable trot round the stalls and I bought a couple of books and a very pretty hare necklace. Kate gave me a private concert of the outlandish knight on one of the medieval instruments and we talked about maybe doing a workshop.
I came back to find that the Creative Beings post for September was 'Slow September'. It's been a prompt of mixed feelings I hate my 'slowness' but a chat with the Susie Fox who did the British Goddesses workshop reminded me as I bought he book and she signed it that illness is often a lesson in disguise and when we have worked out what we're supposed to be learning the ailment or what we need to help us with our ailment will be revealed. So can it be a coincidence that the Mercian ended on 1st September and my appointment for the epilepsy nurse is 2nd September.
