Wholistic Arts

Dolmen da Barrosa, Portugal Loreto and I had found this place literally by accident one time during a day-trip into Portugal. We'd decided to take a wander onto the back-roads and just saw a sign for a dolmen and said "Hey!". So, wanting something to do to mark the Solstice, we waited for Mum and Dad to come over for New Year, and took them there on the way home from Porto airport. The dolmen is on the other side of a smashed open wall, and on a nice-sized square of land enclosed all round (except the smashed in entrance!). Next to the dolmen (beautiful specimen, I might add) are the remains of a house of similar dimensions as the dolmen, and in alignment with it. The year 1914 is calved above the door. Dad and I pondered over who would construct a building so close to a dolmen, and why it might have been abandoned. Then Malusa, the youngest member of the team, drew our attention, walking in circles on the leave-strewn ground, singing loudly and enjoying the echo of...

Heptonstall James and myself started out early at 09:00. The plan was to head off to Sylvia Plath's (poet) resting place. Heptonstall is very bleak and there is only one way into it! Also planned was to visit a well, Reap's cross, Standing Stone Hill etc. Stone circle, standing stone and a well. In the ancient hilltop weaving village of Heptonstall, overlooking Hebden Bridge, stand two churches, both in the same churchyard, one in ruins and the other one still very much in use.The chapel was erected between 1256 and 1260 and was dedicated to Thomas a Becket who was murdered in 1170, became a saint in 1173, and was a popular symbol of resistance to state authority. The aura of the ruined church was spectacular, looking across to the 'new' church over a lot of grave stones was eerie. One account on the internet suggests that there are over 100,000 bodies buried there! Another says 10,000. Whatever it is they lie below the stones that are above the surface. We the...