The Miscellaneous Goings On Of Tom - Sunday Morning Tea
A Lazy Sunday Morning With A Cup Of Tea Heals The Soul
As the low sun beams through the windows of my bedroom and I lay under my duvet soaking up the warmth. I begin to crave the most British thing going, that first cup of tea of the day. I'm a Yorkshire Tea drinker, one because its so damn good and two I realised I could get more teabags per box at a better value than Twinnings. Anyway, I guess the point that I am eventually getting to is, that over this weekend I have had a sudden wave of overwhelming positivity accompanied by the simplest and smallest pleasures that one seeks, bringing overwhelming joy. I have alluded to this in previous posts but a lot has happened to me this year, with some monumental change mentally and physically. I'm fitter, stronger, healthier and happier in mind, body and having this realisation rush upon me has given my an energetic surge alongside a real sense of significant achievement. So stepping back and smelling the proverbial flowers has been nothing short of beautiful this weekend and I am confident in the knowledge that I am on the right path. One of the biggest things that has impacted me recently is the sheer volume of books I'm reading, by stepping away from various screens and getting lost in literature has been a huge mental stimulant, just yesterday I finished a book on Anglo-Saxon poetry and I came across the concept of Wyrd (Weird), basically tied with fate and "The way things are". It provided some comfort to me as if it is the Weird's way it was meant to happen. Which ties into this overarching feeling of being on the right track. As I drink my perfectly brewed cup of tea (side note: if you want to know a good way to my heart, make a banging cup of tea and I'm yours), I'm feeling accomplished. Not the most metal way to start one of these things, but sometimes, you need to have a break in your Jotunn slaying quests and have some time to yourself.
From a music standpoint, it has been a massive week! Witchwood Wizard & The Psychic Yeti (WW&TPY) were played on the Atom Heart Mutha show for Hard Rock Hell Radio (Link below, skip to 58 minutes to hear Deep Rooted Black Magick) and the overwhelming support has been phenomenal, so thank you all for listening to and sharing us! It's crazy how big a part of my life this original bedroom project has become, and I'm so thankful I've got the opportunity to work and collaborate with some amazing people. Hopefully you'll see WW&TPY on the road in 2021 because I really want to play some of these songs live! I know I rant on about the 10,000 hits target on the blog too but we are well on our way to achieving this goal, if I can get to 9,500 before the month is out then I will be over the moon. So, overall, as you can see, these times are getting very exciting despite the global adversity.
What I'm Listening To At This Very Moment
I am fully getting into the Hallowe'en mood, and no other song has scared me as much as the time I first heard Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. The haunting way in which Ozzy sings "What is this that stands before me?" terrified me in my younger years. However, you can see that I have grown to love the darkness and the folklore and mystery that surrounds this time of year. I'll probably be spinning a lot of Black Sabbath at this time to be fair, which to those that know me is unsurprising and predictable.
What I've Been Jamming To This Week
As you can see from my recent reviews it has mainly be death metal...again. I just have a penchant for gutturals and chunky riffs at the moment. With that in mind, chunky riffs also applies to doom, so when I discovered VVARP on Reddit, if I remember correctly, I filled that quota pretty easily! The Australian band that have a madly atmospheric album out that I can't get enough of, check it out for yourself.
Posing On A Tree Stump Throne
As the photo above shows, I can't get enough of sitting in trees or on stumps. This particular stump was perfectly shaped like a chair, and my beefy buttocks fit on it! Looking back on that day at Heaven's Gate in Warminster, it made me really want to live amongst the trees in the woods and take a full break from modernity. Whilst I am happy, I just feel this longing to wander in the woods for days on end. Maybe it is some primordial instinct connecting to the energy and attempting to draw me in. It got me interested in the folklore of trees, such symbolic things that they are. Of course the most obvious and famous tree would be the World Tree, Yggdrasil alongside Treebeard the Ent from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. What captures me though is the little bits of folklore that get overlooked yet we still subconsciously swear by the sayings and lore of our ancestors that deeply beloved and believed in these things. These examples were taken from Russell Barnet's article for DiscoverWildlife.com;
1. Hazel - Hazelnuts were associated with knowledge and wisdom, with an ancient Celtic story telling of nine hazel trees that grew around a sacred pool. The nuts fell into the water and were eaten by salmon, who had the nuts’ wisdom bestowed upon them. The number of bright spots on the salmon was thought to indicate the number of hazelnuts they had eaten.
2. Rowan - Also known as mountain ash, this tree was thought to be home to faeries due to its white flowers. It was therefore considered to act as protection against witchcraft and enchantment, often being carried around by individuals and hung from cattle.
3. Yew - The longevity of yew, as well as its toxicity, has seen it associated with death and resurrection in Celtic culture. Some of the oldest individuals, such as The Fortingall Yew in Scotland, could between 3,000 and 9,000 years old.
4. Elm - To the Celts, elm was associated with elves and the passage to the Underworld. It had similar connotations in Greek mythology, with the first elm tree said to have grown on the spot where Orpheus played his harp after rescuing his wife Eurydice from the Underworld.
You can view more on the website here. But hopefully that has satisfied your tree fact needs!
Another Busy Week Ahead, Saving For My Travel Plans
As I am working hard and earning funds to help aid my future travel plans, it's going to be another bumper week to balance hours and music, but I am up for the challenge! Thank you all for your phenomenal support this week and beyond, it is really appreciated by all in the WW&TPY/Fjordhammer camp!
WW&TPY's debut album comes out on the 22nd September (coinciding with Hobbit Day!) and you can digitally pre-order/pre-save by following the links below and check out our debut music video!
Have an awesome Sunday everyone! 🤘💜
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