The legendary tree of the New forest I mean of course!

We took a veeerrrry long walk from Wilverly plain (something like 6 miles if you include all our wrong turns) all the way around the disused railway track and back to Wilverly and found the elusive tree. Of course to you my friends outside of the UK this will all mean nothing but suffice to say it was a very pretty walk and although tiring it was worth the aching muscles.

The tree wasn't as elusive as we might have thought either, it turns out that on our last attempt if we had just turned left instead of right and walked a few hundred yards we would have found the tree, in fact it was visible from the point in the trail that we turned right - grr! Anyway we did it at last so here's a pic of the tree.

Witchcraft is allegedly still thriving in the New Forest.  Pagan worshippers have been seen in full costume offering sheaves of wheat as a sacrifice to the Naked Man.  The Naked Man is a tree in Wilverley Plain where a highwayman was hanged until the weather and the birds purportedly picked his bones clean.

© Vizzit New Forest

Other versions of this tale suggest that while the highway man hung from the tree it was struck by lightning causing his clothes to be burnt from him, hence the name.

The walk to find the Naked man was just the first part of what turned out to be a wonderful weekend. You see although I don't live very far from my beloved New Forest I haven't actually spent a whole night there since camping with my parents as a child so as a pre-birthday treat hubby booked us into this gorgeous old hotel

The Burley Manor

 A beautiful old hotel that actually 'felt' old. It was a wonderful relaxing weekend that we spent just walking, drinking, lunching and at one point, even Morris dancing!

My actual birthday was a few days later on the 24th, I had to work in the morning but I spent that afternoon with my family just doing normal family stuff but the special thing was that I had them all with me and we got a take out and watched a movie, well two movies actually because hubby had bought me "Ginger Snaps unleashed" and I needed to watch part 1 again before I could watch part 2 because I'd forgotten what happened, it was nice :)

Among my other presents I received a Loreena McKennit CD - The visit (not the one I wanted but they tried which means the most, especially since they'd no clue who she was! lol), I got The witches tarot deck, a beautiful green glass witches ball, a Doreen Valiente book, some lovely green jewellery from one of my sisters and wine and chocolates from my other sister. I felt very spoilt but every one of them gets a mention this May eve so hopefully I can give a little back.

Actually if I read back some of my recent blogs I probably seem a little shallow, all the pics of my new this and my new that that I bought or had bought for me. Ok I do love the "stuff" I am Taurean after all! but I don't have a great deal of money, I never buy expensive "stuff" and I make sure I can afford what I do get, I'm never extravagant, I value every penny because I lived a long time as a single parent and that's one hell of a learning curve!

So apart from all the cool stuff I got, actually my favourite part of my birthday weekend away was Sunday morning. Saturday night had been quite a heavy night, we'd begun with Morris dancing and then in the pub for dinner and lots of wine and then back at the hotel for a night cap and I drunkenly set the alarm for 6.30am with the announcement that I wanted to go walking before breakfast. Hubby smiled (rather lopsidedly) because he was thinking I would never make it because of the sheer amount of red wine I had consumed but I reassured him that he did not have to come with me - he works for Royal mail so he has to be up at 4.30am every day - he could have a lie in. He didn't think for one minute I would actually get up and go walking but upon hearing the alarm I rose, went to the bathroom to wash my face, thought blow it for a second but then thought again and I was out the door in my wellies by 6.50am. What a great decision that was! I walked around the desserted village, up a little lane I had never before travelled and had a little adventure all of my own taking photo's on the way. I imagined the witches that had walked those lanes before me, Sybil Leek for one but even possibly Valiente and Gardner and Crowley considering their connections with the new forest, it was awesome!

Some photos...

I just thought that this tree was pretty and had character.

Now this tree was right beside the hotel and on my way back I was drawn to it by the crows sitting in it, I began watching them and then suddenly I was watching the tree, I thought it beautiful and it had a very masculine feel

And then I looked closer and found my own vision of the green man in the bark... what do you think?