Cripes! Wizards, Weirdstone, trees and fun at the Edge ...

 The Weirdstone of Brisingamen

~ Alan Garner

A few weeks ago, Nick from A Pile of Leaves suggested a blog book club reading the The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath by Alan Garner during this August in preparation of the long awaited third book.  Join in here!  Go on, there is still time and it is immense fun.  It follows the magical adventures of Colin and Susan, but I won't spoil it for you by telling you everything, read the books (yes, it is a trilogy).  I've just started the second one and am loving it so far.

On Saturday, Rhid and I met up with Nick and Jon so that we could explore Alderley Edge where the books are set.  We had a lovely picnic (possibly the most extensive picnic you've ever seen), eating delicious cherries and then set about finding wizards, lovely views and trees!

What a magical, awe-inspiring place.  The whole woodland felt full of wonder and excitement.  The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, anything could happen.  I mean, with visible root balls bathed in dappled sunlight (see above), why wouldn't there be svarts and dwarves running behind the trees?  It is an enchanted wood, with beautiful gnarled old trees, a place where dark magic could exist and be fought by the kind of good magic that exists in the like of twelve year old.  My favourite tree had grown so remarkably, it was almost unbelievable (below).  Thank you Nick and Jon for a lovely day, now all that remains to be said, "Cripes, I am so thirsty I could drink a sea of lemonade!"