Harvest Moon Triggers Countdown.

'Norse mythology celebrates with gatherings, festivals, and rituals that are intricately attuned to the Harvest Moon'(Wikipedia).
On the 14th of October there was a Harvest Moon, which occurs but once every four years at this time of year. So it was auspicious that the idea for a 'Compost Man Festival' was re-awakened today, the morning began with a frosted glass moon hanging just above the crown of an old Horse Chestnut, as I walked beneath it, rake in hand, I blew warm clouds of breath up to meet it's cold underbelly just for the fun of it! As I Swept leaves all day in the autumn sunshine and tended to the compost heap, I dwelled on a theme and formulated a plan. Compost, now a half digested mass of garden waste, and shrinking back after a brief period of 'coning'. All the millions of micro organisms and little pink wriggly worms are beavering away, consuming and transforming the heap in a two year cycle, and over the fenced sides, hands of bramble reach in, searching for its nutrient rich bulk. If the sun happens to shine on this pudding of earth, it gently steams, inviting the spade to break its crust. The last few butterflies of the year settle, momentarily warming their wings. All year we have been feeding the beast, laying offerings at it's feet. The windfalls of autumn lie along its flanks, attended to by a few drunken wasps, the apples smell of old cider casks. Last year we had the idea of celebrating the fertility of the compost heap, as the importance of this cycle in the gardening calender is paramount to the success of all that we do. The plan was to conduct a kind of 'quasi' pagan ceremony, a 'Gonzo' flash of fancy, and a chance for us to wet the baby's head. Anything goes was the motto, and anything could have happened, but it never did. This year, having rekindled the flame, we are setting the clock for a given date of half planned prankstivities. January the 26th, 2009 is the tentative date set for the Compost Man One Day Festival!(depending on a forecast for a favourable clear frosty day). If the Gods of the garden are willing it should be a successful way of blessing the 2007 vintage 'Appellation de jardin' compost. Let the countdown commence! (scroll to the bottom of Blog page to view the timer).