... to meet up with so many of you this summer!  In the seven weeks since Lammas I’ve seen hundreds of Stonewylders all over the south and south-west, and I’m really sorry to everyone who lives in the Midlands, north, east and west (there’ve been lots of complaints and grumbles).  Mind you, we had some fans travel over from Switzerland and others from Eire, not to mention Yorkshire, Wales, Midlands, Cornwall, East Anglia, Kent etc etc when we met for the magical Corn Moon book launch party at Avebury.   More about that below in “Community News”. The first book launch on August 6th was in Dorchester Waterstone’s, one of the original shops to stock Stonewylde back in 2005.  I was given such a wonderful welcome there by the staff, with a huge display of books and two massive tables.  Just as well as the queue almost went out of the door at times as old friends and colleagues turned up to buy a copy of Shadows at Stonewylde, and the other three revised edtions too.  I saw several of the lovely children I used to teach, now all grown up and looking very sophisticated, and parents whom I hadn’t seen since Parents’ Evenings so long ago!  I was also given lots of wonderful gifts by readers, which was very touching indeed (it was an emotional day altogether, believe me!).  I promised to mention one particular lady’s artwork - Mia Bradbury gave me some beautiful cards and a fridge magnet featuring moongazy hares, and told me that this art was inspired by my books.  Do look her up here - it’s beautiful. We sold out of books in the end and it was truly wonderful to be back home in Dorset with so many familiar and dear faces around me.  The Dorset Evening Echo carried two excellent articles, and I was also on local radio Wessex FM.  Many thanks to the brilliant staff at Dorchester Waterstone’s for hosting such a great launch for me.  Roll on Book 5! The following weekend saw us in Avebury for the Moongazy Camp and the book launch party in the Village Hall.  It was absolutely fantastic to see so many of you there!  Big plans are afoot already for the next Moongazy Camp in May 2012 - our Swampy is taking bookings now, so come and join us on www.stonewylde.net for full details. Mr B and I had three days back at home and then it was off to Devon for the Stonewylde South West Book Tour!   We visited five places in three days, driving all over the place.  We met Matthew Clarke from the Torbaby Bookshop in Paignton and got together with some lovely Stonewylders who’d made a huge effort to be there.  Then it was a dash up through Dartmoor (running late, no phone signal, ponies in road ...) to the Walter Henry Bookshop in Bideford. We were given a warm welcome and again met many people who’d come for Shadows. And Lindsey and the staff had made a beautiful window display complete with a hare!  Next day it was Plymouth New George Street’s Waterstones - late again in the pouring rain and a whole crowd of Stonewylders were there waiting excitedly!  That was such fun, and we saw many people who went back a long way to our early days with the books.  Then another dash to Tavistock this time, and the Book Stop.  It was great to be visiting some independents on this book tour and lovely to meet the owners’ teenage children who were excited to be introduced to the world of Stonewylde. The following day we visited Truro Waterstone’s and again saw some faithful Stonewylders who’d braved the Cornish roads on a sunny August Sunday.  And then we were off home again, tired but very happy.  During the next week I ran a writing workshop for teenagers in Guildford Waterstone’s and had a great time.  I was also interviewed for a little podcast by Martyn Drake, and you can watch the film here (it’s about 8 mins long and very “natural” - many thanks, Martyn!). I also signed books in Woking Waterstone’s, and again the next week in Reading Broad Street branch.  And it was a pleasure to be invited back to Swindon Waterstone’s again last weekend and see so many more Stonewylders!  Mr B and I have just returned from a glorious week’s holiday in western Cornwall visiting standing stones, stone circles and the mermaid of Zennor!  We had a fabulous time and are now raring to go again - Eastbourne next, and we hope to see folk at the Pagan Federation’s 40th Anniversary Celebration!  Breaking Stonewylde news      Stonewylde Newsletter 38 September 21st 2011 Bright blessings at    to all Stonewylders It’s been wonderful ...  The Autumn Equinox is one of the four Fire Festivals. Like the Spring Equinox, it's a time when days and nights are of equal length, so it’s a time of balance and equilibrium. In some pagan calendars it's called Mabon. The Autumn Equinox is also the time of Harvest Thanksgiving, or Harvest Home, when Mother Earth is thanked for her abundance and bounty.  This is the time of the second harvest - fruits, nuts, berries and the last of the crops.  Lammas is the first harvest, when the cereal crops are harvested, and Mabon is the harvest of fruits, trees and the hedgerows. In Cornwall an ancient ceremony called "Crying the Neck" is still performed around this time, when the last handful of cereal crops is harvested.  This is called the Neck, and local people get together each year to perform the ritual. Many people of all religions and traditions hold a Harvest Thanksgiving, and churches can be particularly beautiful at this time with their piles of fruit and vegetables. Pagans of course celebrate the fecundity of the Earth Goddess, and all the gifts she bestows upon us. This is the time of rejoicing in the abundance of nature. The light is different at this time of year, a rich golden colour compared to the brightness of summer. There’s a smell of woodsmoke in the air, with the nights growing colder. Visit the Stonewylde Website Dates for your diary ... Do come along and collect a postcard and badge.  And if you own a Stonewylde T-shirt - please wear it! Waterstone’s Book Events Saturday October 1st - Eastbourne, West Sussex Saturday October 15th - Camberley, Surrey Saturday October 22nd - Newbury, Berks Saturday November 12th - Portsmouth, Hants Sunday November 20th - Staines, Middx Saturday December 3rd - The Oracle, Reading, Berks Saturday December 10th - Cheltenham, Glos Most signings start around 11.00am and I stay in the shop for about three hours or so, but please check the website here for full details as some of the events may be slightly different.  Pagan Federation 40th Anniversary Event - Saturday October 8th - Kensington, London I’m delighted to be invited to this very special celebration - come and join the fun.  Click here. Pagan Dawn are reviewing Shadows at Stonewylde in their Samhain edition - with giveaways too!  And do look out for the next edition of  Greenmantle which features an interview with me. The interview and photoshoot I did back in July with the fabulous team at Soul & Spirit is now in print!  The October edition is out now and I can’t wait to see it.  I spent a lovely day with Naz and Katy, the editors of the magazine,  in Colchester, Essex.  I was made up by a professional artist, and along with the other two ladies in the feature, photographed with a wind machine wafting our hair!  I haven’t yet seen any of the photos but the three of us certainly felt very glamorous that day.  The feature is about women who’ve embarked on a new career based on their spiritual beliefs and personal path.   Latest information on events can be found on the Stonewylde website here Stonewylde Community news ... Many Stonewylde fans from far and wide gathered together in Avebury at the time of the Corn Moon to celebrate the long-awaited publication of the fourth book, Shadows at Stonewylde.  We’d hired the Village Hall for the day, and a whole team of volunteers kindly organised badges, teas and coffees, cakes and biscuits and generally ran the entire event.  John and Esther Wilding of the Henge Shop supplied the books, and offered a generous discount for the day to everyone present.  Orion sent along a marketing and camera team of two to film some of the event (unfortunately not yet edited so we can’t show you it).  Mr B sold the new T-shirts and bags, whilst many Stonewylders sold their hand-made crafts.  I sat behind a table and signed book after book after book!!!  It really was an amazing day and I’m just sorry that I couldn’t get to speak for longer with people who’d come so far.   Thank you so very much to all the helpers involved, and to John and Esther for being brilliant. To add to the excitement, Swampy had organised the Moongazy Camp at nearby Blacklands Campsite at Calne, and had secured rally rates for us all. Most people arrived the night before and there was a massive joint barbecue.  Unbeknown to me, people started sloping off from Avebury on the Saturday afternoon to prepare the cobwebby indoor BBQ area at the campsite into a special Stonewylde venue.  We arrived back from the Village Hall pretty exhausted but put on our glad-rags for the little party planned for the evening.  The whole camp was quiet and when Mr B and I turned up we were greeted by massive cheers - everyone had transformed the area into the Stonewylde Great Barn!!  It was beautiful - ivy, foliage, decorations - what a wonderful surprise!  There were two amazing Stonewylde cakes, some mead that a member had kindly sent along, and a fantastic raffle with donated prizes.  It was a truly memorable evening and Chappie and Bilbo played their guitars whilst everyone celebrated together.  I just wish I’d been able to keep my eyes open for longer - I was exhausted and had to leave all those Villagers to it.  The costumes were lovely and I think this may become a regular event now!  The proceeds from the donations for refreshments in the Village Hall and the raffle in the Barn, plus an unexpected refund from the campsite for the covered BBQ area that I’d paid for, meant that we collected a total of £288.  This has been split between the Dorset Wildlife Rescue centre and the Hare Preservation Trust.  Both are very small charities and entirely dependent on donations, so many thanks to all who contributed. Willow is already organising the next get-together at Avebury for May 2012, and the Village Hall is booked for the day!  Swampy has booked the campsite for the Moongazy Camp and has secured rally rates for us.  Some folk are staying for the weekend and others are making a whole week of it.  Full details are on the Stonewylde Community so come and join us here.  It’s hard to describe the atmosphere when a group of Stonewylders get together - but it’s something you really should experience! Sorry there isn’t room for more news this time - several of the local Stonewylde groups arranged get-togethers around the country and have had a great time.  . . At Stonewylde, it's the time of the great apple harvest, and in the second book this is described at length, along with the traditional cider making process. The symbol of this festival is the acorn, representing the fruits of the land, with the potential for new life stored within. The symbols decorating the Great Barn and the painted on the stones at the Stone Circle are the acorn, conker, corn cob, dormouse, squirrel and of course the cornucopia, an ancient emblem of harvest and plenty. Enjoy the Equinox however you celebrate, and glory in the amazing miracle that is the harvest. Keats’ beautiful poem “Ode to Autumn" is one of the best accolades to this beautiful time of year. If your birthday's around this time (mine is!) or you feel an affinity with this festival, you can now buy a silver acorn as a charm or to wear as a pendant from the "Where the Wild Roses Grow" website.           ©Steve Perry Wild Roses has been an ardent Stonewylde fan and keen member of the forum for many years now.  Lots of readers have bought her exquisite hand-made individual pieces of silver jewellery, and a long time ago we discussed her making special Stonewylde pendants for us.  These have proved to be trickier than imagined (so expensive in silver and very difficult to do in pewter) so we’ve put these on hold for the time being and concentrated on some lovely Stonewylde festival symbols and a couple of other goodies. We’re delighted to announce that these are now available!  You have a wonderful choice - the special Stonewylde S as a pendant, charm or ear-rings, and the Stonewylde talisman and eight festival symbols in two sizes to wear as either pendants or charms.  All are in pure silver and hand-carved by Wild Roses, and supplied in a Stonewylde presentation box on a bed of natural material.  You may like to mix and match - perhaps your birth symbol in pendant size with a small talisman charm and an S charm to hang on the same chain? Or with Samhain approaching, you may like to order the crow, and treat yourself to a pair of S ear-rings as well.  Wild Roses is our first licensee (you may recall that Stonewylde is a registered trademark) and these beautiful silver items are available to buy here from her own website.  We hope to add them to our website too, when Mr B has sorted out the logistics!  We also have new T-shirts and bags available (our new organic, fair-trade cotton range) but we just don’t have time to get them photographed and up in the Stonewylde Store right now.  Please take a look in a week or so!  Stocks are very limited as we sold so many at Avebury in August, though we will be getting more in. To make space in our over-crowded house, we’re still selling off existing older stock at reduced rates in the STONEWYLDE SALE!  The black T-shirts  (only L and XL left) featuring a silver labyrinth and the slogan “There’s no escape” are reduced to just £5.99, plus only £1 p&p in the UK.  The new-logo Stonewylde T-shirts and strappy tops (white in ladyfit and natural in comfort fit - all sizes still available) are reduced to £7.99 each plus £1 towards postage, and the eco-bags have now sold out.  Absolute bargains - only while stocks last as they say. We also have a Stonewylde pack available from the shop - a must- have for the keen fan.  Four different badges and a car sticker for £2.99 with free p&p.  These are proving very popular, so do show the world where your heart lies. Run by members, there’s now a place on Facebook for any Stonewylde fans who’d care to join.  It’s called “The Clan of the Hare” and is open to anyone who loves Stonewylde. Do take a look if you’re a FB person.