Tuesday 28 April 2009

Shaman Sham goes South East

June kindly gave me a lift to sunny Sussex and Ygraine’s house. It was a LONG journey but still preferable to bouncing around in the mail and we did get to stop for refreshments, though snails were sadly lacking from the menu.

June and Ygraine set off to meet Moonflower and Jasper Lee on Saturday so I had a much needed rest and kept Mr Ygraine company, helping him keep those dogs under control.

Sunday we had breakfast with June and then waved bye-bye to her. We spent the rest of the day chatting and having a walk around the land. I found a lovely little pond which had many snails hiding in the long grass – yum!

Monday I was supposed to be having a pony ride but it poured with rain all day so we had to amuse ourselves indoors again. We read the Indie Shaman forum for a while and then Ygraine told me all about what had gone on at the PAT with Jasper.

She was explaining the importance of ancestors and how human beans were losing their way and losing sight of how important nature is. I am not sure I understand that because what else is there but nature and the wisdom of our ancestors (apart from slugs and snails and earthworms and … )?

I remember fondly when I was just a little hoglet we would curl up under the hedgerow to sleep and Grandfather Hedgepig would tell us all the tales from The Ancestors which contained all the lore we needed to know to keep us safe and help us grow wise and be useful tribe members. Maybe human beans still have to learn all that we already know..

Anyway, the sun is out today so maybe I will get that pony ride and I can pretend I am Warrior Hedgepig like my great-great-great Grandfather was. I will let you know how it goes.

Friday 24 April 2009

Oooo I'm nearly on my way to Ygraine's! So just a quick blog post from me to say bye bye to Simon and June until I see them again and thanks for letting me play with all their drums. Also thanks to Ygraine for offering to let me stay with her which I am looking forward to very much.

After I've posted this I'm going to sit in my travelling box on top of June's bag so she doesn't forget to take me with her this afternoon.

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Hedgehog tips


Shake those maracas for joy! Apparently I am actually getting out of the house on Friday! June is taking me down to Sussex in the car to visit Ygraine. June will be staying with Ygraine so she can attend Jasper Lee's workshop on the Saturday. Ygraine and another June are going to the workshop as well so I will meet all of them. I wonder if I will meet Jasper as well? I'm a bit big to hide in your handbag!

After the workship June is interviewing Jasper for the new Indie Shaman magazine which is coming out later this year. Then she is going home on Sunday but I am staying at Ygraine's. I have read that Ygraine is already herding snails for me so she sounds very nice.

I thought before I go I should post some tips on hedgehogs in your garden. We are very helpful you know in gardens ..... especially with clearing up pests like snails!
  1. Have steps or a gently sloping side in your pond, like June has in her container pond, so if I or my friends fall in we can get back out.

  2. We like to hide our beds. Take care when clearing overgrown garden patches and long grass as we might be in there. Especially if you use a strimmer as they can kill! Don't leave open bin bags on the floor and if you do please check inside first before tying it up and putting it in the dustbin/leaving for the refuse collectors. Composting is good but please check there is no-one in there before sticking a fork in it! Check anywhere else we may be hiding as well such as under sheds if you are going to do work on them. If you find a nest please don't disturb it.

  3. If you've made a garden bonfire please move it or check there is no-one hiding in it before you light it.

  4. Please don't move us out if we are in your garden as we are good for it and there aren't as many of us as there once was.

  5. If you want to encourage hedgehogs into your garden we like cat food and somewhere nice to make a nest like a pile of leaves. Please don't move one of my family from the wild though into your garden as we might have a family of little hoglets that will die if we aren't there to look after them.


Monday 20 April 2009

Shaman Sham - Rock Hero!

Everyone thought they would take a weekend off on Saturday and Sunday which meant the wallpapering remains unfinished. A fair bit of housework seems to go on at weekends though. Although I noticed June also sneeked off to the shops as she said she needed some new pumps because the weather is getting warmer and she's going to Sussex next weekend for a 'Reviving Our Ancestral Past' workshop with Patrick Jasper Lee. I don't know why humans wear stuff on their paws as I manage perfectly well without.

Sunday seemed to be the day all the games got dragged out which apparently is the only way to stop June working when she's in the house. Simon was playing something called City of Heroes and June was playing Sims. As you can see I decided to do something a bit louder and play Rock Guitar. You just have to press the buttons which is much easier with paws than strumming a real guitar. After an hour or so of it I got quite good but no-one could hear me by then as they all had their own headphones on for some strange reason.

I overheard Simon mention something about the pond being full of snails so I popped out to investigate. I think that type of snail is a bit wet though and June said I'm not allowed to get dirty. I think she might have a good point as I wouldn't look quite so much like a rock star if my spines were all mucky.

Friday 17 April 2009

Shaman Sham finds a staff

We have had 2 days without an internet connection but I'm sure that is no excuse for being quite this far behind with my blog. I must have caught something from June as she is always complaining about being behind with everything!

Apparently Monday was a bank holiday which meant all the humans didn't have to go to work or school. Although come to think of it the tall-young human hasn't been to school for a while now. Anyway as it was a bank holiday June decided what Simon really wanted to do was finish wallpapering the bedroom. He didn't seem quite so sure.

After a half hour or so of hearing colourful language from upstairs I decided to get some peace in the garden as it was a lovely sunny day. I helped around the garden for a bit clearing up the snails. Before June and Simon started decorating I found this very handy Shaman Sham size staff which I took out with me. So when I was full ........ I mean the snails were cleared up ............ I did a little thank you ritual among the heather and forget-me-nots by the 'standing stone'.

I've added another photo of my new staff. According to June it was actually her wand which she made during an OBOD course with some things Nelly Moon gave her. She says she wants it back before I go off on my travels.


Saturday 11 April 2009

A little bit of bother with a Dalek


Last night was the Online Circle Healing Session at the
Indie Shaman Forum so I thought I had better get some healing practice in yesterday afternoon.

Tried a few methods but really like focussing my thoughts with this chakra wand I found. Apparently it belongs to June but she hasn't used it for a while as she prefers to mess about with a candle and setting fire to pieces of paper.

Went to my usual spot on top of the set of drawers in the bedroom. Safely out of the way I thought. Then I heard 'Exterminate'!

'Seek ....... locate ....... destroy' .......... I could see something moving across the room then suddenly he flew to the top of the cupboard. How it did that I don't know as I couldn't see any wings and it didn't look like one of the little people.

'You are an enemy of the Daleks'

I tried sending Mr Dalek some positive vibes but he wasn't having any of it.

'We are the supreme beings'

Who did he think he is kidding? Enough was enough and I found his remote. That put a stop to it :)

Thursday 9 April 2009

Don't bang the drum!



Sorry I've not been blogging recently. To be honest someone, mentioning no names, thinks I've been stuck in a box all the time. I did ask June when we were going to do something exciting, as promised, but she just replied with something about her having been busy because it was the end of the year. Which is nonsense as I told her because it's April. I may be very young but even I've learned already that the year starts with January and ends with December. She then mumbled something about accounts and taxes and "believe me I was better off not knowing". It all sounds very dark and mysterious!

I did manage to creep out of my box though occasionally when everyone else was occupied. While the cats are away the hoglet will play ...... and I found this lovely bodhran hidden away in a box just like I was. So I've freed it. June did say something about it being Indie Shaman shop stock but its mine now.

As you can see its quite a big bodhran for me so I've had a few problems playing it as my paws don't fit round it properly. However I have worked out my own special technique banging it with one end of the tipper. Apparently I'll come in very useful if the house ever needs a dinner gong!