The magical month of May

I always feel that the month of May is such a magical time.

I went to the Green Man festival in Clun over the Bank Holiday. The Morris Dancers were fantastic, although the male dancers can be a little bit scary sometimes. I was right at the front when one chap who was at least eight foot tall ran straight at me! (OK perhaps not eight foot, but he was tall!)



A fire eater swallowed his flames then blew them out again like a dragon. He was then followed by a Jester on stilts who entertained the crowds as he marched up and down over the bridge, building on the excitement of the audience of what was coming next - The Green Man!



Every year the Green Man has to banish winter by fighting the Ice Queen.

It was so exciting as I waited on the river bank for him to appear. My heart was thumping as I sat next to some modern day Pagans who shared the magical moment with me.

Then from a distance somewhere behind, the crowd started to boo and hiss as the Ice Queen came from the opposite direction. The Green Man joined her as they met on the bridge. The fight began as he battled with the Ice Queen who was determined to keep her icy hold, but he continued to fight and he won!



The crowd screamed with joy as he was joined by the beautiful May Queen to welcome the end of winter. Children danced around the Maypole (so did my hens - see my other blog Inside the chicken coop) and everyone started to celebrate the magical month of May.




It really is a magical time. A time of re-birth, as the garden starts to come alive again. Animals emerge with their young, and everything feels new as the environment springs to life again.

That applies to my writing too. In the last few days I have felt incredibly creative and despite being at work, I made myself do a little bit of writing every day. Even a few notes scribbled here and there have made a difference, in fact I even came up with the title of my next novel while driving to work!

Just hope every coming month has the same effect on me!