Glastonbury Visit 2012, 'Holy Thorn on Wirrall Hill'..wmv
Channel: semw52
Date: 07/08/2012

I have been visiting Glastonbury all my life and as a Somerset person this place is very special. The Olympic Games in London 2012 had scenes of Glastonbury as their main theme and background  in the opening ceremony---a symbol of England--'our green and pleasant land' --'Jerusalem. How wonderful that Glastonbury was chosen and how appropriate... Glastonbury is my spiritual home even though I was born up the road at the historical town of Bridgwater.
The Tor is like a guiding beacon and with me on many of my Somerset cycles and walks and a good reference point while negiotiating the winding lanes of the levels. As a 10year old , with friends, we would get on our 'home-made' rusty bikes and cycle, sometimes having to knock on doors for a drink of water as we made our way towards the Tor.The latter acting as a magnet then as a child and now age 60 years. Not many cars in those early days--real peace-- as we explored further from home on adventures.Eventually as a teenage hippy I found myself in a field discovering 'Peace & Love'---that field has since turned into an place of extraordinary magnitude with a pleathora of activities and sounds resounding around the vale of Avalon and has become the 'Festival of Festivals'...once a simple field now many fields, many people--not quite peace at that moment in the year but a time to release energy and share with others in some kind of collective spirit, a place of calm and tranquility BUT to the rhythm of a thousand drums. This year all is quiet, the fallow year, a time to reflect and recharge. 
 In my early videos, 2010, I climb the Tor  but on this day I decided to visit the Holy Thorn on Wirrall Hill where the story of Joseph of Aramathea has been told over many centuries. Where his  famous Crook, shaped from a thorn bush,  fell to the ground and sprung to life--a holy Thorn Bush which over the past couple of years has been damaged by vandals and is now encased to try and protect it--a new sprig is nearby.There are also Holy Thorns outside 'St John The Baptist' Church in town and within the Abbey Grounds.Queen Elizabeth II always has a sprig from the bush at Christmas-a royal tradition. While here I feel my Wessex roots of over a 1000 years awakening with passion whenever I visit and I intend having my ashes scattered around the Tor.  ----Like many places the face of Glastonbury has changed and from Wirrall Hill many new chimney pots can be counted,more roof tops, less green space,and  more noise from traffic heard.However, MacDonalds has had difficulty settling here and unlike the 2012 Olympics it is not an integral part of the Glastonbury community despite the 'gold-rush' of 'knicky-knacky' boutiques filling every available space on the High Street. However, no matter what century, King or Queen  the Thorn's roots hold on and the Tor keeps guard as time passes--both witnesses of human activity. I love 'My Beautiful Somerset'....