Owl in the woods .. Part 2

Just a quick owly update though there isn't alot to report. I spoke to the vet a little while ago. He said they x-rayed Spirit's wing this morning and found that there isn't a break, just trauma. He's telephoned an owl centre to ask their advice but they haven't returned his call ... I suggested the best place may be the Hawk Conservancy because they have a specialist bird hospital there and he said he may go to them next. He also added that she's eating well still :~)

I'll phone back towards the end of the week to see if there's any more news. Fingers crossed .. 

Owl in the woods ...

Last week we went foraging in the woods. As we reached the garlic-scented ramsons patch, a clattering and fluttering nearby drew our attention and we saw a large bird trying desperately to fly away. She couldn't ... she merely flapped and ran ...

Andy carefully caught her, cupped her in his hands and we saw that she was a beautiful tawny owl with eyes huge and black, like scrying pools. Such a magickal presence, even with her obvious injury. She turned her head slowly this way and that, carefully surveying us and just a glance was enough to still us and fill us with awe.

Clearly, this owl wouldn't survive a night in the woods and she would make easy pickings for a hungry fox with a litter of cubs to feed. We took her home. On the way, Andy showed me where the owl's talons had dug deep into his hand, down to the bone. It was bruised and bloody. "That owl's certainly got spirit!" he joked ... and that was it, we knew her name was Spirit.

We wondered aloud about what to do - contact a vet, or an animal sanctuary. One look at this poor bird though and we guessed they wouldn't give her a chance so we chose to try to help her ourselves. I must admit that as we placed her in a cardboard box with a towel for comfort, neither of us really expected her to survive the night. Advised by web pages, we fed her thin strips of liver dipped in water and hoped for the best. Surprisingly, in the morning she was very much alive and a little brighter so we fed her a little more, allowed her to rest and then gently wrapped her in a towel to look at her damaged wing.

Spirit's wing didn't appear to be broken, or even a particularly new wound. It looked like it had been struck against an object, a tree perhaps and it had badly damaged the joint. She felt thin beneath her tawny feathers. We bought frozen mice from the pet shop, put up a large, old dog crate stored away and made her as comfortable as we could with perches from some of the many woodland branches we have stored away. I joked that I'd never had a box of mice in the freezer before ... but then I'd never had an owl living in the dining room either!

This beautiful owl, this wild creature of the woods was so calm and laid back about our presence that we wondered if, perhaps, she was tame and brought up in captivity. Maybe her wing became damaged and her "owner" dumped her? As each day passed though, she became a little stronger and more alert. She chose to feed only if it was Andy who held the mouse out to her and even then, only if they were alone. She perched on his hand and allowed him to treat her wing as best as he could. If she became annoyed, she warned him off by clacking her beak, a distinctive clicking sound.

Over the last few days, Spirit has become slowly stronger. The original wounds that Andy had from handling her were joined by scratches and cuts where she skipped up his arm. We read about owls attacking people and tearing their eyes out with their talons and knew it was true ... we could feel her strength. We fed Spirit and let her rest, let her gain her strength ... as she did, she became more feisty, more aggressive and wilder ... more as she should be rather than docile and placid.

Today we made the decision that it was time to pass her on to someone who we hope can take her the next step of the way. We phoned the RSPCA and they told us to take her to our local vet for treatment. I must say, the vet didn't seem at all keen to take her which is worrying ... however, they're apparently planning to x-ray her wing tomorrow and when we left they were contacting the local Hawk Conservancy so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

So, that's the story of Spirit, the owl who blessed us with her company for such a short space of time. I'm lighting a candle tonight to send her healing wishes and to hope that the Hawk conservancy are able to help her. 

Two very special wands ...

As promised, I've added the two wands which were crafted on the Spring Equinox, also known as Eostre or Ostara.
Above and below: Willow Ostara ogham wand which is crafted from naturally twisted willow wood, a rarity! It is carved with the ogham alphabet, following the twist and has an Ostara Sun added to the handle celebrating the new life at this time of year.

Above: Detail of the Willow Ostara ogham wand
Below and also, the top picture of this blog post: Wild Honeysuckle Ostara wand which is crafted from wild honeysuckle wood which has a naturally deeper coloured core which is exposed in natural patterns. The honeysuckle was gathered and crafted on the Spring Equinox, also known as Eostre or Ostara, and the resulting wand feels full of that wild spirit so noticeable in Nature at the time.
Plenty more new items left to come ... :~)

Eostre greening and woodland walks

What a beautiful week Eostre has been! We were blessed with sun, warmth and bird song :~) As you can see, Andy has been busy crafting ... so busy in fact that I'm having trouble keeping up with the photographing and listing! I've still got another couple of wands to be added in that wonderful, wild style that seems everywhere at the moment ... so full of energy! There are also some Stonehenge Wayfaring Tree staves in a birch bark box, several other stave sets and numerous pendants all waiting their turn to be added.

The pendant above is Bran's Raven. Crafted from warm-coloured alder wood, it marries three traditional associations: alder wood which is connected with the Celtic god Bran and Bran's totem bird, the raven. Bran is an interesting character with links to the Tower of London and the Ravens who live there. You can find some excellent information out about him here.
Another pendant which is newly listed is the Sunwheel shown above, carved from the deepest black Celtic bog oak. You can find both pendants listed here, each with an instant purchase option.

Above is a wand, carved on the equinox and celebrating the sun ...
Walks in Eostre week found such beautiful sights ... Silverweed and lichen ...
... primroses too, all bathed in the warmth of spring. It's been unseasonably warm in England this week and it's a welcome end to the winter.

Above is the finished Eostre ogham wand which will hopefully be listed on the website later on this week. Below, you can see the pussy willow looking so soft against the blue sky.

Softest moss for Faery beds and our faithful big hound the colour of dried Winter grasses ...

... little hound with her spotty bandana, sniffling and snuffling and wagging her tail ...

... ladybirds, venturing out after their winter hibernation and hover flies on primroses ...

... clumps of violets and even more primroses, dotted across the whole of the woodland floor.

Everywhere at the moment, new leaves are breaking out in so many different shades of green. Greening, greening, everywhere ... bliss! :~)

Postage costs

I've finally bitten the bullet today and really reluctantly raised the postage and packing costs on the Spirit of Old website. I can't honestly remember the last time we did (if ever?) so it must have been many years ago! I know that gradually I've been watching another hike and another by the postal company and knowing that I'll have to give in at some point.

I hadn't realised quite how out of date some of our postage prices were though until I went to the Post Office a few days ago. The customer had paid the standard Spirit of Old P+P cost of £8.50 and the package turned out to cost £26 to post ... so off I went to repackage it a little shorter and managed to post it on it's way for £13. Another package had £10 postage paid but cost over £18 to send ... so you can see my problem and it was time to pass the horrible price hikes on .. sorry folks :~(

Native Corresponding Runes ... One set available!

Imbolc has been and gone ... did you have a good one? It was very grey here ... and still is! Blustery, stormy and just very, very grey! One of our customers in a recent email described the sky as being "grey as a mouse" ... I like that description very much.

I must admit though that this year I feel very grateful to have this kind of weather after seeing so many countries on the news suffering so much. It really brings home the sheer power of Nature ... Australia seems to be being battered by everything at the moment :~(

I think a little of our English grey has even seeped into the photos a little this time as the light was just so poor but I couldn't bear to wait to photograph them! Over the last few months we've had many, many emails about when the Native Woods corresponding rune sets will be available again. We're hoping to gather some new materials for them at some point in the (fairly) near future to make them available for regular ordering again but, for now, Andy (Spirit of Old's craftsman) has gathered the pieces for a one-off set complete with its own rowan bark box.

I'm in the process of adding a few new items to the website over the course of today/ tomorrow but just wanted to post a little note on here first so that if you've been patiently waiting to grab a set you can let me know before anyone else orders it first ;~) If you are interested, you're welcome to email me (Lou) at enquiries@spiritofold.co.uk or you can wait until it's on the main website and I'll add an instant buy button.

Above and below: Native Woods Corresponding Rune set with Rowan Bark box. Item number D113. Price: £90 plus usual P+P. When it's been uploaded the set will be listed here.

Above and below: Wild Honeysuckle Imbolc wand with Ogham Core. The honeysuckle was gathered and crafted on Imbolc and the resulting wand feels full of that wild spirit so noticeable in Nature at the moment ... Item number: W493. Price: £60 plus usual P+P. When it has been uploaded, this wand will be listed here.

Above and below: Avalonian Ogham wand with Mugwort Core. The handle of this wand is hollow and filled with dried mugwort which was respectfully gathered from near to Stonehenge. A neat plug permanently seals the mugwort safely inside and the ogham alphabet scrolls around the wand. Item number: W494. Price: £50 plus usual P+P. When it has been uploaded, the wand will be listed here.

Valentine's Offer ...

Valentine's Offer

The perfect treat for someone special ...

30% off all pendants and beads (including wristbands)

10% off dream amulets

~*~*~*~

Offer valid until 28th February 2011
Excludes postage and packing costs
Please click here for full details of the offer