Well, our weekend has been very productive and moving indeed. After making a promise I would not stay behind at the camp site on Rath Lugh we headed down south, towards Navan. I got the idea that I needed to help Gareth connect better with what it is we’re actually so enraged by, and why we are so fanatic in defending it. By taking him to some key sites, I felt we had taken the first step towards greater actions to come, perhaps with him on our side should his shop allow.
Our first stop on the list was Newgrange. The weather was ideallic for it; massive BLACK storm clouds as the back drop while rays of sunlight gently rolled over us. We were met with a gentle drizzle, but nothing of the soaking kind. We walked around Newgrange, listened to stories told, and eventually ventured inside. He saw the infamous Newgrange triskel, and all the other great carvings inside. Next time we’re down, we’ll visit Knowth and Dowth as well, for Knowth’s decoration is something to be seen for sure.
Next stop, Hill of Tara. It felt good to visit these things, and it did feel like something was stirring inside Gareth, although it came across as him not knowing for sure what to do with it. The views from Tara were spectacular, no doubt about the site and whole valley being an area of great importance. The winds were rushing against us as we looked around. Something that touched me deeply when I asked him what he was feeling was that which he said; "I’m sad actually.. I find myself trying to imagine the place as it would have been, with forest all around."
The evening was now setting on what I looked upon as a good day indeed. After browsing the antique bookstore we had some soup in the restaurant, and later on Gareth asked person behind the till where we could find the Rath Lugh camp...
He looked up at us, sunk down and became slightly pale. He said; "The campsite? From here, go down the road, take a right and after that you take EVERY left you can take". He took us to the window, and pointed at the site. A barren hill ground in the far back could be spotted. "There, see that barren hill yonder? That’s the campsite. See the yellow dot? Be careful around those areas, for the Gardai are now on 24/7 guarding duties of the site." He paused for a moment, and shook his head. "Everything is worse than you could ever imagine" he said, as he slowly walked back to the till. We thanked him for his help, and set out to meet underneath a different kind of sunset...
As we went down with the road and reached the end of it, we took the right turn. After that, we took, as the man told us, every left we could take. It wasn’t long before the bright reddish/orange M3 roadwork signs started popping up, and the grounds around us started showing signs of damage from the heavy machinery moving through. Not long after, a clearing came upon us, like a sandy desert in a sea of what used to be green, and in it, a giant toll bridge structure. The damage done to the land was sickening to say the least. Not knowing whether we were heading the right direction (though it did feel ’right’) we kept going. Until eventually we reached a spot I recognized, camp entrance.
We walked up the slopes of Rath Lugh after we parked our car on the road below us. The first tent was soon spotted, and not long there after we saw movement in between the trees, and a plume of smoke coming from one of the bigger tents at the start of the site. Muddy footprints could be spotted, as the walkways had suffered from the storm in the previous week. I walked into the big tent, said my hellos and asked if someone would be so kind as to give us a tour of the camp grounds, since people online were curious about the ongoings at campsite.
A young ’pixie’ from the camp site stood up just as she finished re-awakening the fire, and offered to walk us around. She had just spend her 21st birthday on camp-grounds the night before and I’m sure she couldn’t have been in better company. The people on-site give off a wonderful feeling of belonging and a near family unity. She took us to the ’front-line’, or what was left of it. The place where the now infamous scene had taken place with the underground protests of Lisa "Squeek" Feeney. After a bit of climbing we were blinded by light, but as our eyes adjusted I could see something I never wanted to see in my entire life... damage to the land as far as the eye could see. Next to that, in front of us was a tall iron fence had been erected by the NRA. Remnants of a flag could be spotted through the fence, which was where the tunnels were.
After Lisa left the tunnels, the NRA agreed not to work 40 minutes in either direction until the 17th of april. But as it turn out, within 2 days the NRA was working again, and pushing work through the night to make up for lost ’progress’. So much for sticking to their word....
We were then led to the round-house, which was a amazing structure by itself. Greeted by the resident canines, including one very spunky puppy we took some shelter from the winds, and got talking with Mr. TaraPixie himself.
Message from the Rath Lugh camp; No more tea please XD
It seems they have enough tea to give the entire population of China a cup if they decided to come over. What we need most on camp site is SD cards, Mobile phone credit and rechargeable batteries and hand-chargers and so on.
The walk then led us outside the round-house, and towards the top of the Rath. Slowly the structure of the site itself started to dawn on me, and I was making out the ’walls’ and general shapes of things. There was a small shrine on top of the Rath on a old rotten tree stump. ’Supported’ said a small framed note on top of it, nestled inbetween the other offerings.
The campsite itself was a fantastic thing to behold. Little communities within themselves, but hardly any people to be seen. Most people were off doing their duties, while others stayed in their tents. There was a mixed atmosphere about... but mellow and tense at the same time. The tense-ness probably came from the news we received, that the camp grounds will be evicted this thursday. People are tired and wary, but full of fire to continue this fight.
From the top of the Rath, we walked all the way down to the stream, and to the scared Brighid’s Well. All we could hear that reminded us of the chaos just outside the tree line was the humming of a generator on the road-work site. The area itself seemed to swallow us up in tranquility. It gave of a real feel of peace between all the chaos, and it reminded me on how special the place really is. Rubbish was found here and there, mostly from the road-work. Not surprizingly the people on camp found ways to incorperate this rubbish which was used for the camp grounds as roof materials.
After spending some time in contemplation at the site, we crossed the river using a tree that laid down before us like a natural bridge. Derek picked up a plastic bottle next to the well, and filled it with water for us to drink. The water was sweet and amazing to taste. The entire site really energized us. Which made the realization of the slip roads looming all the more clear...
We think they may be attempting to build a slip road for the houses behind the Rath, in which case they’ll be going through the Rath. Chances are high that, even if they stay clear of the site itself, the well will eventually be contaminated from the road works and enviromental pressure. Road works did put concrete pipes underneath the road to come to keep the stream flowing towards the river, but their works have been of badly planned and constructed, and people have already found stagnant pools in the area.
This road is useless. It’s too long, too wide. It’s like paving the entire area pf Tara. It’s costing a fortune, and there are better, shorter and cheaper alternatives. Many different plans have been submitted by qualified people, but somehow I don’t think any of the plans have been seriously looked at. Personally, I hope we can delay building long enough so it’ll costs too much and the whole plan is put to a stand still. I’d love to voice my love for sabotage actions, but at the moment I don’t think it would be much help.
What we really need is more help... we need more equipment. But most of all, we NEED more people on-site. This thursday chance are high that the campgrounds will be evicted, and the camp will have to move to another and safer site in the area.
As Derek said; "This fight is not over until the first public car goes over that road, until than we’ll keep fighting". All I can say is I couldn’t agree more..
Pictures from site and surroundings, both the wonders and the horrors...
Toll bridge
Stripped land, with Rath Lugh WAY in the back
Looking back on the toll bridge from Rath Lugh
Road works going forward, despite the agreement made by the NRA
Through the barricade A picture of what used to be the Front line camp
The Digger Tigger
The Round House
Inside the Round House Since it was build the Round House has shifted, further proving that the esker is moving
Round House Triskel Most of the poles inside the round house were carved and decorated
Shrine on top of Rath Lugh
Rath Lugh camp grounds
Rath Lugh hut
TaraPixie.net HQ What used to be a sound tent for recordings and such.
Inside TaraPixie HQ
The look-out
Little bits of Scarlet Elfcups found around the site
The walk towards the well
The stream, leading out to a uncertain future
Brighid’s cross above the well
The well itself. Simply beautiful
Stone spirals
Stone circle at the camp site closest to the well
Sunset from the main camp grounds. Also in view is one of the bridges over the Rath’s wall
As some of you may know, my lovely ferret buddy Duncan hasn't been feeling too good for a couple of months now. He's been to the ferret specialist a couple of times now, and not even she seems to know exactly what the matter is. What is for sure is that he can't stomach his kibble anymore, and that his internal tracts are not functioning properly.
Duncan is now on a hand-feeding procedure, and gets a lovely luke-warm 'meat-shake', which contains Royal Canine convalescence support and A/D meats from Hills prescription diet. He gets fed three times a day, and seems to be doing good on what he gets. His stool however, remains odd.
A couple of weeks back his stool was really odd. In fact, it looked like urine, but it came out of the wrong hole so to say. The specialist Hanneke Moorman demanded to see him as soon as possible.
Tomorrow is another vet visit, and we're going to see what is up. I fear I have to leave him behind for examination.. or worse... but don't want to dwell on it too much.
Needless to say, this whole 'going to specialist' and getting special food for him is running me into the ground financially. I never like to admit it, but I need help with it. Duncan's veterinary bills are around 600 euro in the reds.. and tomorrow is another visit which won't be cheap.
I don't like to ask anyone for money... so I thought it might be a good idea to design a little pendant as a reward for donations. People can buy this pendant to help out, and are free to donate more money if they'd like.
If you feel you could miss a little money for this cause, please follow the procedure. And if you can't spare any money, perhaps you can help by spreading the word on this cool ferret pendant.
All the little bits will help people.
Pendants are $25 per piece, but if you wish to donate more that is also possible. Shipping is $5 for Europe and $10 for the rest of the world.
If you want to buy a pendant, you can send your donation through PayPal to my email address (graywolf_howl [at] hotmail [dot] com). Please put 'Duncan Donation' in the subject line.
Well, a recent collaboration with the über talented german avocado artist Marcus has turned up a gorgeous pendant.
Marcus worked my Celtic bear design in the avocado heart and did the most stunning work in carving all the details into such a wonderful and natural piece.
The pendant is a one of a kind item, and Marcus had some trouble posting it online.. for he loves it too much. After a bit of thinking he decided to put it online anyway, and see what will come with it.
So, if you are interested in Celtic art, one of a kind natural pendants that are created by hand with a lot of love and care, bears, or perhaps you just like avocado's, then please take a look at the item, and all the other wonderful things Marcus has on offer right now.
Well, I decided to use the space given on MySpace and uploaded a couple of my illustrations on this page as well. You can find them in the pictures section under the 'Artwork' tab.
If this turns out to be a success I'll be sure to upload a Corsets and Jewellery design folders as well.
Finally all the re-designing of the website has been done. It took a long time to finish and intergrate everything into the website and make things work, but we've got them down now.
So, as of today, the 21st of June, the website has been launched. Take a peek! Update your bookmarks, spread the news and let me know what you think of it! Release that inner Celt ;)
It's been a long time since I wrote anything in this journal, but I've been much more active in my Livejournal, so again for those wanting to keep up with what I do and create be sure to check there!
The GrayWolf Crafts Website and the GrayWolf Corsets website will both be renewed on a short notice. Crafts is aready in the works, and is turning out better and better each day!
Got a couple of nice contracts running, one of which will be great for the crafts website.
Also, if anyone is in the Netherlands around August, come to Castlefest! I'll be there with a stall for all my stuff :)
Haven't posted in some time on this site I'm afraid, but I have been writing regularly on my Livejournal. For those interested in my day-to-day doings in corseting, art, taxidermy and whatnot I'd like to point you to my Livejournal; http://users.livejournal.com/_graywolf_/
Finally saw my new house when I was over in Bangor, County Down for Samhain. It's a beautiful place, and I think I'll be able to get used to it. Pictures of the house can be found here
Samhain was lovely and silent this year. Cooked dinner for the folks, consisting of Collops and cream, Colcannon and honey almond candy for desert. It was very nice :)
Netherlands Louche Fest - A meeting of the 'Absinthe' minded
Netherlands Louche Fest Well.. the turn up was a lot smaller then I would have hoped.. but we still had a blast!
On Sunday I planned a dinner with Barski, his girl and Eric in a fabulous restaurant in Utrecht, which was stationed right along side the canal. We would try to be there at 6:30pm, and I had a quick look and found a nice parking garage close to the restaurant and figured it would be no problem getting there in time.
My route guidance had other plans for Eric and me...
It send us in circles all the time. We didn't get to see a lot of Utrecht, since it was a rather boring circle, but I did manage to drive the car straight into the town center which looked really nice and managed to turn it on near a couple of bars.
Giving up on my route guidance I decided to take a right somewhere and went straight into the first parking space I could find (it being 7:21pm by now) We eventually found the restaurant, and it turned out this parking thing was even closer than the one I had in mind and we had a wonderful dinner together chatting away about all kinds of silly things like checking a still for leaks with a cigarette lighter.
Eric went home with Barski that night, and I drove back to Lelystad, only to take the train back to Arnhem the next day to meet up with them again. It was quite a journey, but I eventually met up with everyone again.
Barksi and his girl made a lovely dinner, and I half expected the other two people that might drop by to come.. but they didn't.. ahh well, more meat and absinthe for us!
After the dinner we watched some Robin Williams Live on Broadway, and I never cried so much from laughter as when he started explaining on how the Scots invented golf.. it was a killer!
By that time the first couple of glasses were nicely dripping away on the table. Ice was a rare commodity this time, so we harassed the neighbors a couple of times and stole their ice cubes.
(silly line up)
And where was Eric during all the drinking and chatting? You're right:
Behind the computer!
Eric later joined in on the fun, and the stories went on from breaking both arms and a hip to gluing ones eye lids together with epoxy. Unable to top these stories, I threw in a story I read somewhere else.. the Confessions of a gum swallower story.
The later it, got the more bottles kept appearing from little nooks and crannies throughout the house. Egg salads also made a appearance and much fun was had in general.
Grim gave us a call and Barksi, Eric and mysef had a little chat with him. He sounds like a really nice guy, and hopefully I'll get to meet him one day. (well, hopefully I get to meet most of the US bunch somewhere later this year)
I'm also backing Barski up on some artisans #27 tasting like dutch-bubblegum.. it's very very candy-ish.
Barski's attempts to come close to the Pernod Fils recipe were really interesting. I really like his #2 batch. The double distilled one was bad either, but I wasn't too fond of the mixture of his #3 and #4.. He mixed is 'cause #3 was too strong. I say it still was, and not very pleasant. But like I said, loved the #2. Barksi was a dear, and gave me a bottle of it.
With two big time HG distillers things certainly started stirring within me. I've always wanted to try and make a Pontalier recipe absinthe, and now that I can get my hands on the proper equipment I think I'll finally set things in motion. Eric is willing to share knowledge, as is Grim and Barski.. so who knows?
Despite there only being the four of us we all had a really great time! Eric went home with me to Lelystad again, and I drove him back to his hotel in Made the next morning.
And last but not least, our little birthday cheer to Hiram! :cheers:
celtic bear
