Cider Festivals and Cadar Idris!!

The arrival of the Summer Season at the Workshop saw us all working to full capacity.

Furniture was built and sold, pyrography blocks made in the morning were sold by late afternoon. 

Taran Eco Designs was officially a success with our Facebook page getting more and more 'like's each day.

We held dinner parties for our friends sitting around the huge tables John had built.

We had walks along the beaches in the evenings, collecting more wood to make into interesting creations back in the workshop.

With the success of my Festival stall I also needed to create and make things in my own time and so after a day of pyrography at the Workshop, I now filled my evenings making things for my stall.

By the time the Cider Festival arrived in September, I was restocked and ready for another weekend of merriment and Storytelling.

I had been booked to tell Stories for only an hour on the Saturday but I set up the Story Hall amongst the trees next to our base camp in the orchard just for the practice.

The shop positively over flowed with stock 

and bit by bit people wandered down to have a look or to listen to a story.

We introduced David and Linda to the joys of cider drinking and having now become a regular at the Cider Festival for the past few years, there was also plenty of time for cider drinking and dancing.

Fairy wings were worn,

Pirate hats were donned

Elbows were licked

the cure for cider hic-cups was tested

repeatedly....

and a good time was had by all.

My Saturday Story telling took place under the parachute covered children’s area and I was amazed at the response.

With so many other activities going on it was a pleasure to see so many smiling faces waiting to be entertained.

We told stories about pirates, stories from the jungle,

stories of fairies and of course Jack and the Beanstalk as re written by the Giants wife.

At the end of the weekend I sat down and did the maths.

Once again the stall and the stories had been a huge success and I was now confident that Storytelling for a living needed to be tried for at least one year!

I returned to the Workshop and sat down with John to tell him that next year I wouldn't be returning to the Shop.

Our usual End of Season Party was held on the Wednesday after the October half Term but it now had an added feature of being my leaving Party.

People were invited food was prepared and the workshop was cleaned from top to toe. I don't think I have ever seen so many people in the Workshop before.

Some arrived early, others drifted in after work, others arrived quite late and stayed the night. (Although none of us thought to take any photos!!)

Food was eaten and there was still loads left for lunch the next day.

Although the Workshop doors were open the next morning to the public, we didn't do much work on the Thursday and by 3pm we all called it quits and went home.

Friday, it was decided would be our last day and any clearing up could wait until then.

I arrived Friday morning rested and ready for work. I had mentally worked out all the things that needed doing as I had driven the winding road to the Workshop and was ready for action. 

But as I arrived I found not only John and Sanne waiting for me but Scott, Sophia and two of our volunteers?

“Get in the car and don't ask questions!” John smiled as I drove up.

Bewildered I did as I was asked. Sanne distracted me with questions about work and projects I had done as we drove through the countryside until, driving up a narrow lane I spotted a sign.

Cader Idris!!!

We were going to climb Cader Idris!!!!

For the past 17 years I had wanted to climb this mountain on my door step. For 17 years I had found excuses.

Today, surrounded by friends carrying food and refreshments from the leaving party, I was going to make it to the top!!

At the bottom of the mountain we posed for photos, wrapped against the elements and in drizzling rain we started up the track.

“I have never seen the top”, John remarked as we walked, “It always clouds over before I get there.”

“Ah but you have the weather guru with you today”, I countered, “If it is sunshine you want, it is sunshine we shall manifest!”

Bit by bit the drizzle cleared until by the time we rested at the half way mark beautiful sunshine bathed the hillside.

I laughed and asked what other weather they all wanted, a bit of hail perhaps?

No sooner had I said it a huge black cloud raced across the sky and deposited a shower of painful hail onto our heads!!!

“OK enough hail,” I cried, “something else please!!”

The cloud was blown away by a huge gust of wind that continued to blow with force as we climbed to the summit pushing us as we went.

At the summit the view was amazing. 

A near clear sky revealed the sea in the distance, farms looked minuscule, sheep became flecks of white in green fuzzy felt fields.

I sat for a while alone at the top of my hill as the others set up our picnic in the storm shelter a few meters from the summit. 

A raven (or crow I can never tell the difference) hovered right above me riding the gale force wind as if it were just a gentle breeze. 

We watched each other for a minute or two, me marvelling at his skill and wondering if he had been sent to teach me something, him just hovering and probably wondering if I had any food hidden about my person.

As the raven gave up his visit, dipping one wing to hurtle down the mountain side and out of sight, I joined my friends for chocolate cake, breads of various kinds and cheeses. 

A mist descended onto the summit and then snow began to fall!!

Not just little bits either but a full scale blizzard of swirling wing blown snow that drifted into the doorway of the shelter! How easy it was to be caught by the weather!

We finished off the food and cleared away our mess before venturing out once more into thick swirling cloud. Visibility was down to maybe 20 foot as we gingerly picked our way through the boulders searching for the path.

The wind dropped and about 30m from the top we suddenly stepped out from beneath the cloud and into crystal clear air. Another 50m and the sun was back.

We rested half way down again as clouds gathered around us once more to discussed how fickle our mountain had been today.

Still she had blessed us all with the most wonderful experience, sun, hail, rain snow and gales, we had reached the top and returned with full bellies and tales to tell.

Back at the Workshop we hugged and said goodbye for the winter. 

I felt a huge sadness that a stage of my life was now coming to an end.

I voiced my concerns only to have everyone reassure me that the Workshop and their friendship was always going to be here for me,

"Go and enjoy your new adventure," they smiled, "then come back and tell us all about it!!"

I smiled back and drove home to a silent house. 

I had four weeks until I left the country for the winter. 

Four weeks until I stepped onto a plane that would take me first to India, then Singapore and finally the Philippines …. a lot could happen in four weeks!

So I packed some food into Lady Sage and headed to Scotland!!!!