St John's Eve

So today it is St John's Eve and according to the 14th century John Mirk of Lilleshall Abbey in Shropshire tonight is the one for which men would have built three types of fire to celebrate. The first one would have been for burning clean bones and was called a "bonnefyre" [from which we get our modern day word bonfire], the second clean wood only and was called a "wakefyre" because the men stayed up all night to tend it and the third was a mixture of both and called "St John's Fire". The evil smell it produced supposedly drove away dragons, but I don't think the friendly one in the photo above would have caused you too many problems. He goes by the inflammatory name of Spot!🔥🔥

Here in Sussex it would have been best to have not found yourself next to a certain oak tree in Broadwater [nowadays part of Worthing]. The hollow trunk of the tree still stands, but in times past it was claimed that at midnight on this very eve skeletons would rise up from its roots and holding hands, dance until cockcrow before disappearing again. I, myself, will be safely tucked up in my bed by the witching hour as it's back to work tomorrow.

We've had a fabulous holiday all topped off with the wonderful news that TYM has managed to get on a 2.5 year paid graduate training scheme for a charity in London. He faced very stiff competition and has only had time to apply for a couple of things so far as he is mid way through writing his Masters dissertation. He starts in August and we are delighted for him.

Arilx