6/7/8 April 2007
Ostara Celebration. Most people will be there Saturday 7 April but the Hof may be open on the Friday depending on whether a key holder is available then. If you turn up on Friday be prepared with a tent.

9/10 December 2006
Work party party and Blot.

14/15 October 2006
Work party and Blot – all welcome, all needed! - CANCELLED!!! due to everyone being at Hastings. Tentatively rescheduled for two weeks from this date – watch this space.

9 September 2006
Work party and general get-together.
All welcome – if you want more info email me (Dirk) or call Pete on 01366 384 316

17 June 2006
Solstice Party!
Once again we celebrate Midsummer, but a bit early since it is actually midweek.
Hopefully I'll be recording a radio show there, so if you want to be famous...

26/27/28 May 2006
Training venue for Stav Martial arts by instructor Chris Lambert - postponed

30/31 December
Blot and Sumbl as a pre-New Years Eve party, plus something a bit special.
Bring food, drink and er... other stuff.
Well, it certainly was a 'bit special'! Despite snow on the ground it was surprisingly warm that night, and the Sumbl was a great success with the food, drink and talk going on until bedtime at around 02:00. Sumbl is the time and place for Oaths, Toasts and Boasts. No Oaths this year, which was fitting as such are not to be taken lightly, but plenty of toasts and one rather significant boast. The latter is a statement of what has been achieved, or what the person claims will be achieved in the future. In this spirit during the final round of the Sumbl I made one boast, which was to ask Fiona to marry me (Dirk Bruere). I presented her with an engagement ring of Tanzanite in white gold with diamonds. Fortunately she agreed! After this she did some Shamanic drumming and all of us did a short 'journey' of visualisation, some aided by Salvia Divinorum. Last year a few of us tried Amanita Muscaria. We decided to try the former, and not the latter, because I wasn't too keen on puking up a rather pleasant meal this time. Anyway, it seems to have become something of a 'tradition' for some people to try interesting new herbs and spices (all legal, of course...) at Winter Sumbl. All in all, a very good end to the old year and start of the new.

10/11 December
Work party and Winter Nights Blot. Work will include cutting planks to length, the preparation of the Hof interior, fencing and creation of new benches for the Hof.
Not quite as much done as we would like, but planks trimmed and a good start was made lining the Hof.

12/13 November
Work party and Einheriar Blot, plus a general get-together for food, drink and chat.
The main accomplishment this weekend was replacement of the 7m long ridgepole that runs along the top of the roof. A tree was cut to this length and hoisted into position, and the roof sealed with a new tarred felt. Helping with the work, and attending the Blot was a guest from Iceland, now living in London, Gisli Pall Gudjonsson who took a number of photographs on a very impressive digital camera. Pictures posted in the pics section.

During the Blot we spoke of those who died fighting for their beliefs and nations, as well as personal and family heroes and ancestors who died too young.
As an aside, during the Blot I (Dirk Bruere) took a formal oath upon the ring that should the new hitech venture I am involved in be successful I will devote 5% of my income to propagating our religion.

1/2 October - Weekend
Work party.
Hopefully we will be using a JCB to dig a pond and do some channel clearing, amongst other things. As it turned out, we will be getting the JCB later this month. This time we cut some trees into planks to line the Hof. As Pete Seymour writes...

“The 1st-2nd October weekend workparty at Ormswald was scheduled to include a demonstration of a portable sawmill by the Wood-Mizer Company. The efficient and amiable operator duly turned up at around 9.30 am on the Sunday, and soon had our small workparty team busy loading logs onto the machine, from trees that Peter had felled previously and with Dirk's assistance during the Saturday. During the Sunday Chris Robinson's welcome appearance on site gave us the much needed extra manpower to process the timber and stack the neatly cut boards. The fine weather allowed us to gain over 100 six foot boards for panelling the interior of the Hof, and several excellent lengths to be used for bench seats from the lumber sawn by Mr Darnell and his splendid bandsaw. The intensity of the hard day's work was increased by finally having to extricate the Company's van from the deep mud pool at the arena entrance, and then along the main North-South track, including unhitching the Sawmill trailer and manhandling it up to the entrance gate, towed by Dirk's car. An exhausting but successful project.

The workparty left the site at nightfall. Ray Stigant arrived on the Saturday afternoon and successfully completed the re-surveying and marking out of the Sacred Lake project area but was unable to stay overnight or participate in the Sunday lumber work due to other commitments. Peter would also like to thank George Voller for driving him over to Ormswald on the Saturday morning. The Wood-Mizer demo work cost Peter £100, so any contributions towards this labour for the Hof would be appreciated.”

What Pete neglects to mention is that we worked like dogs from 09:30 until 19:00 without even a lunch break. Ormswald is a good place because those who turn out for work parties make it that way. It doesn't happen by accident, so if you like the place and use it, give us a hand please. Pictures on the pics page.

9/10/11 September
Woodland workshop and field archery course by the Tudor Group

20-21 August
Jomsviking camp

16-17 July
Work party party – see picture page for pics and stuff
Work continues on the Hof, with the ends of the Hof being both strengthened and decorated by shields fixed into place.
Despite the relatively high temperatures of 30 deg.C, we had a work party of four brave people (Peter, Chris, Julian and Sigrid) meeting up on Sunday, 17th July 2005. The atmosphere was relaxed, but still very productive. Six beautifully decorated shields were hung up at the end wall of the hof. Then, after some very intensive discussions, the work party was split up between a "Latrine Commando" and "Wood work tool preparation commando". The latrine commando had to empty the chemical loo, which was still waiting for some attention since the summer solstice celebration, and get used to all the functions and tricks of portable poohology. So while Peter, Chris and Sigrid buried the pooh with some final words of solemn dedication: "You are taking the p...", Julian got the tools ready for the wood working experience par excellence. The aim was to gain some planks from some windfall ash tree.
Part of an ash tree had fallen over some years back and a lovely fleshy sulphur polypore (fungi) also known as chicken of the woods has grown at the base of the standing part of the ash tree. The only modern tool which was used, was Peter's chain saw to cut the fallen tree up into spear-long or axe handle-long pieces. The rest was then done using metal wedges and a log splitter and a massive sledge hammer. The tree trunk had only a very small rotten core at the base, so a lot of solid, almost white wood was produced. The wood is ready for carving and working with. Some was carried for storage in the hof and some was taken home by Peter and Julian for further wood working experience. Everybody was very happy, because a previous attempt on splitting planks from a pine tree didn't work out as expected. Now, after this very encouraging success we will attempt it again at the next work party. Everybody here is on a very steep learning curve.
During a long and deserved lunch break the failing of modern film directors and future projects for the sanctuary were discussed. One of the plans is to dig out a large pond around September time, so that the most of the winter and spring rainfalls will be captured. Other plans include the building of an outdoor wood burning oven for bread baking and a natural cellar (something in the style of a hobbits home) for storing fruit and vegetables using the natural cooling powers of the earth.
After lunch the work repaired a large part of the perimeter fence. Again, even during the very fiddly bits of work and trying not to get tangled up in the greatest roll of wire, the work party found lots to laugh and talk about.
Although, only four of the Ormswald members could make this weekend (others had binding commitments that kept them away), a lot was accomplished. If there is one thing that Ormswald is teaching us all already, it is the fact that even in today's time people can still come together and achieve wonderful things using very little resources. All they need is a common dream and the strength, love and determination to make this dream come true.
The work party went home richer in the knowledge that they again learned how good it feels to accomplish something with your bare hands and sweat on your brows. It was a good day!

21 June
At 01:00 on Tuesday I had reason to return to the woodland because Fiona had left a bag behind. I did not find it and it appears someone has taken it. However, I did my customary check of the Hof and as I walked through the darkened woodland I was surprised to see lights which turned out to be a fire. I called out the fire service who responded very promptly from the Cheshunt Station and it was brought under control. About half an acre of the woodland was burned, although most of the trees seem to have survived. The incident number is 011459. If anyone has any info on the whereabouts of the bag please contact me (Dirk).

18-19 June (Sat/Sun)
Solstice Blot and party – This is the biggest event of the year.
Very successful and fun. We ran a burning Sunwheel down the Arena to the fire and held the Blot at that point.
This was followed by the usual eating and drinking late into the night in the Hof. Next day (Sunday) there were games for all the family – archery, axe and spear throwing. Pictures on the pics page.

28-29 May
There will be a work party. Anyone who wants to lend a hand should contact me (Dirk)

14-15 May
Weekend camp by Joms Elag Vikings

30 April – 1 May.
26-27 March
Ostara celebration and work party
During these two work parties significant progress was made in maintainance of the Sanctuary and improvement of the Hof. This included repairs to the building itself which for the third time had suffered vandalism. The latest attack was the worst, with the lock being torn from the door, a large hole smashed through the rear upper wall planking and items scattered about both inside and out. A work party repaired the damage and improvised a temporary lock for the door. A significant stretch of perimeter fence was also repaired. However, the most significant addition to the Hof were the dragon gables, and the splendidly carved pew/bench. These were supplied by Julian Stallard who, with his wife Sigrid, have returned to our Heathen community at Ormswald after nearly 20 years. Later the Hof rewarded our labours to heal its damage by providing its unique atmosphere for our Ostara ritual. A few days later Saemarr (Pete Seymour) made a special trip to fit a sturdy lockplate that should prove more of a challenge to intruders. The second weekend was used to make a start stripping the interior wall lining of the Hof. This will allow a straightening of the interior timbers and their eventual vertical panelling when our felling license is obtained. The recycling of the hardboard will provide many of the tarred shingles to cover the roof in an authenic and weatherproof manner. The latter Sunday was mainly occupied with fence repairs, finishing off with a sojourn to The Woodman, which backs onto Ormswald, to discuss future plans. Julian proposed a fireball style Sunwheel to be rolled down the slope of the Arena. The trustees also made me (Dirk) an official keyholder to the Hof at Ormswald.