solsticedreamer

~through the window~

2012-01-21T12:33:00.001Z

good morning dear bloggers
thank you for your continued good wishes

i am out of bed today, wrapped in my big wool shawl, sitting at my desk in the bedroom looking out at the garden.
the sun is shining and white clouds are scudding
across the sky and the wind blowing the tree's.

its been a strange winter, not many days of cold or frost, no snow or ice down here the way we had last year when we were stranded in our village for about a week.

we have had some things flowering in our garden the whole winter, in fact it feels as if we have had an extended autumn and now we have Oimelc~La Fheile Bride upon us...but i shall talk about this another day.

right now i am going to wrap my shawl tighter around me and go and put food out for my wild bird family...

have a good day where ever you are

~*~*~*~*~

thought you might enjoy these words...

Io Isabella danzando ne prati
I Isabella dancing

Verdi della primavera
on the spring meadows

Girando e girando, cascando e cascando
Turning and turning, falling and falling

Nel mondo delle elfi sognando
Into the world of the elves dreaming

Mi prendono la mano, mi portano lontano
They take my hand and they take me far away

Mi prendono la mano, mi portano lontano
They take my hand and they take me far away

you can hear it here

•

read: The Desperate Romantics
taste: Bran and almonds
see: Sunshine in the garden
hear: The Visit~Loreena McKennitt
smell: Tara Healing Incense
touch: Wool shawl
think: To sit in garden
feel: A need to go to Glastonbury

~tales from the sick bed~

2012-01-18T17:47:00.001Z

i have been poorly, very poorly as you know.

yesterday i felt fine although swampy told me to stay in bed for the day.

so i was quite optimistic this morning~i got up even though i felt a bit snuffly and feeble.

well within a few hours i find myself back in bed wrapped in my blankets, feeling as if i have taken the proverbial one step forward two (maybe three) steps back.

*sigh*

i have done a few bits during the 'okay' moments as my needle felting supplies arrived....

this is actually a little shallow bowl...

~*~*~*~

my OU studies are officially on hold now until...whenever

i have to say, despite the cold getting me down, i feel totally liberated, and i am still giving thanks to you all for freely giving your wisdom and support over this.

well swampy is just about to bring me some soup

so more from me another day

~*~*~*~

~the dreaded lurgy~

2012-01-15T11:49:00.001Z

this will be short and sweet for i came down with the dreaded lurgy on thursday and been in bed ever since.

i have not felt this poorly since i had swine flu a few years ago.

my do i feel dreadful

i got up this morning, as swampy was out walking flynt, to make myself a drink...when i managed this without coughing up a lung i was fairly optimistic that i was feeling better...better enough to have some time on the laptop, even if it is in bed.

well, no i am not really...i have a headache with it which is bringing me down.

so i thought i would pop by and say a big hello

hello

one thing i did do was delete my OU shortcuts from my desk top and presently waiting the delivery of a fresh batch of assorted size felting needles.

before the lurgy hit i took out a fresh, large notebook and sketched and made notes for all my ideas for *alittleeclectic*

oh but i am so keen to get well and start work!

i have to say since i made my decision i have felt amazingly liberated...i no longer wake in the night and worry about getting reading done, notes written, essays planned and written.

it feels so good!

~giving thanks~

2012-01-11T17:16:00.000Z

today the sun has been shining and the sky has been blue here in this ancient forest

swampy has done some tidying in the sacred garden and we have had the back door open letting through a stream of cool, fresh air.

i have followed swampy around with my shawl wrapped around me and he has even swept out my nook and so i will be having a little fire later and burn some of now dry evergreens from yule as a natural incense

not only am i giving thanks to the beauty of the day but also for knowing you wonderful people...some i know and meet with, some i know only through my blog...

i am giving thanks for your advice and support and encouragement over my last few posts

its a hard thing to do, giving up, for however long, something that has been such a big part of my life for so many years.

yes i had decided but, as K put it, i was still holding on...and you all said things which helped me organise my thoughts

after more thinking yesterday i realised that why put myself through something that no longer gives me joy?

that had become something that was binding me in so many ways

i have made my final decision and just need to let the OU know.

if, in a few years time, i want to go back to it i will find a way with regards the funding.

but now...

oh the bliss of not having reading/essay deadlines facing me.

i can set my own timetable and its a timetable doing all the crafting things i love

i can sit in my nook with a book or my crochet and not feel guilty

i don't have to worry that the three day migraine is making me behind with reading

~*~*~*~

so now it is time for me to gather my crafting supplies and ponder my new steps

it feels like the start of a whole new life...

~singing but what the heck!~

2012-01-10T13:40:00.000Z

oh my

i just knew the elation would not last...

i spoke with the OU today and it appears the whole funding system is being changed by our wonderful government...if you could discern words said through clenched teeth at this point you would know i am doing so!

i have been told that if i stay with my studies from now until i obtain my degree then my funding would remain as it is now...that is to say highly manageable.

however if i take a year or two out i would have to come under the new funding system which means i would have to find a lot of money to continue my studies.

i admit when i found this out i was close to tears and my head is spinning.

i have been out for a walk with swampy and flynt and my it is cold out there today but it cleared my head and helped me think.

i was thinking about why i started my studies in the first place...

because i had never gone to university and felt i had 'missed out', i had the idea of future job prospects linked to my love of history, that having a degree would change things (what things? i do not know)

i was thinking about where i am now and the realities...

given my problems with m.e and fibro would i ever really be able to do what i want with my degree? am i thinking about having a degree in all the wrong way...do i think having one would make me better? would it really improve my life? why do i think having a degree would define me any differently?

things change and maybe i am hanging onto my OU because i am scared of change?

having a degree or not would not change who i am

or what i do

or what i love

*sigh*

-Cody-

2012-01-10T00:11:00.001Z

Remembering our dear Cody who went over the Rainbow Bridge two years ago today.
We still love and miss you so very much...

~singing~

2012-01-09T20:08:00.000Z

oh my dear bloggers you are all just wonderful~thank you for your positive and encouraging comments.

i have to admit to feeling on a bit of an high right now, and yes my mind is still buzzing furiously~like happy bee's facing a wonderful field of wildflowers!

tomorrow i shall be talking with the OU learner support team.

but i know i have made my final decision~i won't be stopping my OU forever, just for a few years~and who knows when i go back to it i may even opt for a different degree (at the moment i am doing history but i can go for either history, humanities or an 'open' degree).

i have another few bits to order to start the ball rolling but suffice to say *alittleeclectic* will become truly eclectic!

~what sings to you?~

2012-01-09T12:05:00.002Z

i have come to a bit of a crossroads...

its actually more than a bit.

i am close to taking a step towards putting my OU studies on hold.

for how long?

i have no idea to be honest.

i 'talked' about it with two friends via fb and this is what one of them said...

maybe this OU course isn't singing to you and the crafts are more.Do what makes you happy what makes you feel alive and happy xx

she is so right its scary.

i have been feeling no joy in picking up my books, it now feels like a millstone around my neck and when i am doing anything...anything at all...other than my studies i feel guilty.

it no longer sings to me...

what is singing to me is my crafting

as you know i have set up my little etsy shop and i have actually sold four items from my very small stock (woot!)

for ages i have wanted to take my crafting and selling the things i make further so i have been slowly gathering all the things i need to turn this into reality.

i have so many ideas and projects that are singing to me that my mind is in a constant whirl.

but also other things take a back step and i feel i have no time for other things, for my path, my sacred garden...just 'being' without feeling guilty...

i just feel that something has to be put aside and my heart tells me that its my OU, for however long it needs to be.

~*~*~*~*~*~

but the weird thing is lots of of things have been pointing me in this new direction and it was dear lizzie fae's comment about 'singing' which helped me make my decision...

i told my dad that i had sold a few things and he said 'from little acorns'...so true!

i also did a three card reading with my druid plant oracle just after the winter solstice, i generally don't blog about my readings but i think i should here...

i was questioning if i will move forward with my craft/etsy ideas

my first card is the one that gives insight into a situation or the issue of concern

*vervain*

a beneficent cycle set in motion

inspired in creative life-Awen~

beginning of a creative cycle

my second card is how i would like the situation to be

*mistletoe*

period of difficulty ending and a new cycle dawns

beginning of new projects and phases in life to be nourished close to the heart

Awen-the three drops of inspiration

guidance, inspiration, fertility

augurs well for any creative endeavour

'all heal'-all is being healed

my third card is an insight into how i might move the situation or issue into the desired state

*woad*

striving to gain freedom

woad evokes qualities of bardism and warrior hood

we all have the bard-the creative self within us

true freedom comes when we give full expression to our creativity

what do you think my lovely bloggers?

i would value your thoughts

~translate~

2012-01-09T10:04:00.002Z

does anyone know some kind of widget that can translate this blog into German so a friend of mine can read my blog?

~too much~

2012-01-09T10:03:00.001Z

i meant to post shortly after my last one but too much suddenly started to happen, its a long old story i wont go into

~to be honest i am lacking in spirit right now~

anyway my sister flew off to America last wednesday to get married...today in fact!

because her dog Billy (i rescued him many years ago and he lived with my mum and sister when i moved into a flat and could not take him with me) was so old i was popping into mums everyday to keep an extra eye on him.

well the thing we did not want to happen happened and i had to have poor little Billy put to sleep on friday.

why now, when my sister is so far away?

she is heart broken, totally devastated and i can only offer comfort via the telephone and texts~its all just dreadful.

to add to the pot it will be two years ago tomorrow that swampy and i had to send our beloved Cody over the Rainbow Bridge.

the only good thing is our little Flynt is two years old today! we are taking his to the vets to choose himself a nice new collar and we are eagerly awaiting his special stagbar-antler chew to come through the post!

i was going to make him a special birthday tuna cake but feeling a tad fragile today so he will have to do with a little nibble of cheese instead.

~*~*~*~

i think all the stress and strain of the past week has caught up with me as i spent most of yesterday in bed and i am not feeling much better today...however i do have something in my head but that will be a whole different post!

~rise & root~

2012-01-04T17:43:00.000Z

well now, i meant to post about what i found at the hermitage a few days ago...

i expect some of you have been there already...

have you?

did you find it exciting?

i tell you i nearly fell of my chair from excitement.

rima writes...

For some time I have wanted to make an image with which to start a quiet revolution on the backs of service station toilet doors, on the billboards behind carparks, over the screens of insidious train-journey advertising

In deep hatred for the feeling I get when I am forced to enter motorway service station cafes, shopping malls or toilets, I wanted to rail against all that is bland and homogeneous and commercial and life-suckingly chrome-and-concrete and spreading un-refuted like a disease across our land

do you not get a shiver of excitement from reading the words 'quiet revolution'?

a few times i have blogged about my dis-satisfaction about our world and how the soul has been leeched from it in so many ways and rima has expressed oh-so perfectly what so many of us have been thinking for a long time.

are you going to join this beautiful, quiet revolution?

bland and homogeneous and commercial and life-suckingly chrome-and-concrete

~solstice blessings~

2011-12-22T09:56:00.000Z

i was up early this morning

at 5.30 the sky was dark and the stars shining down as the fire was started and flame put to the charcoal in my small cast iron cauldron...

the 'yuletide' incense sent to me by my friend Tilli is gorgeous...

i released my little bundle...

and a waning crescent sat in the sky...

~*~*~*~

~can you feel the solstice?~

2011-12-21T18:15:00.000Z

so here we are, on the threshold of the winter solstice...the great wheel turns yet again and tomorrow we celebrate the return of the light, the return of the oak king...

can you feel it?

it stated with me last night~i couldn't sleep and my whole mind and body felt as if it were fizzing with energy and i have been on a real high all day.

and i am ready for pixies

mother of all releasings

i have made my releasing bundle and have some gorgeous incense from my friend Tilli, especially for the solstice, to burn while i sit and meditate with my fire in the early hours of dawn.

~however you all celebrate this time i hope you have a wonderful time~

~Dr Bronners revisited~

2011-12-17T16:53:00.001Z

remember i mentioned i had bought some Dr Bronners to use to wash my hair with?

well to update you...i have lost the horrid transition hair that you get when you stop using chemicals on your hair...whoop!

for some months my hair has be feeling weird, sludgy almost and feeling not very clean (even though it was) while it shed the chemical build up...i nearly gave up...nearly, but said to myself whats the point of starting it if i just give up?

then suddenly...overnight it seems...i washed my hair and hey presto...the sludgy feeling has gone and with a rinse of dilute apple cider vinegar my hair is super soft and shiny and the wild, dragged through a hedge frizzy has gone as well.

admittedly i do need a trim...i am growing it again...but it needs a little tidy up...but it feels lovely.

so i highly recommend you try Dr Bronners...i use it for washing my face and in the bath as well, it really is a bit of miracle use all potion and the dilute apple cider vinegar is great.

go for it!

~inspired by blogger~

2011-12-17T09:54:00.000Z

this post by boho mom

led me here

and then here ....

and so inspired this post

here!

i sat here and read these posts and realised how much junk i carry around with me...

how much of a slave i have become to m.e/fibro.

i realise i need to fight it...well maybe not fight it but just not let it get the better of me quite so much. there are days when i really cannot do anything but go with its flow and wait for the worse of it to be over.

but i realise too that when i do have the okay moments i dont make the best of the opportunity of these moments are offering me.

the trouble being is that with these illnesses life becomes a whole round of making bargains with yourself...to do this then you must not do that in order to have the energy to do this...and of course there are the unknown variables, the things that really do come out of nowhere and stops you in your well intentioned tracks.

so while i cannot always fight it then i really must make more of an effort to make the best of the good moments and not waste them.

and what of all the rubbish in my head of past events i cannot change?

oh my there are a whole basket load of those dragging around with me...why on earth do we hold onto things in our past that are not good and happy.

i know its good to learn for the past but to keep it all stored up in the mind and dragging it out to mull over surely cannot be good and healthy.

why oh why do i still go over things that happened 5, 10, 20 years ago?

what is wrong with me?!

there are things i want to do, creatively, but i keep making excuses as to why i cannot...its time to stop doing that...stop making excuses and just do...create...

its not just that for me

its also about the re-discovery of the free spirit i feel i have lost.

oh sometimes its there, fizzing and bubbling away like crazy, like when we are in glastonbury or avebury and then after being at home for a while the excited fizzing just fades away.

well no more...i want my spirit to fizz and bubble away all of the time

You know, the little things that keep us sitting in our own dungeons, stagnant and hungry

yes pixie i know exactly what you mean!

so this yule is the time to finally put all the junk aside, to release all the negativity and focus on the future, the positives.

its time to stop stagnating

are you going to join us?

~winter~

2011-12-16T17:30:00.000Z

oh my but it is chilly here in this ancient forest

winter has been a long time in coming but it is well and truly here~in time for the solstice next week.

two weeks ago we had our village christmas evening and it was lovely we all gathered for the turning on of the lights~all the shops were open giving out mince pies and mulled wine, morris dancers performed, donkeys were collecting for the donkey sanctuary and a pony was giving sleigh rides and collecting to send gifts out to soldiers away from home and top of the evening was the village firemen rescuing santa from a rooftop.

******

here in our little hobbit hole we have our little tree in our front window and mantel decorated...with robyns green santa taking pride of place as usual!

******

we had to have an unexpected trip to the minor injuries unit in lymington the other day~flynt had become a little over excited and jumped for a stick-unfortunately he caught swampys had and not the stick resulting in a gash down to the muscle...ouch.

it is healing nicely and he has to see the nurse every few days to have it checked and dressed...but he is not able to drive and it meant we could not get into southampton to see seth lakeman play last night (trying not to think of it...i am distraught).

luckily he is playing close by again in february and march...and i intend to go to both!

~*~*~*~

well the smell of my stew is calling me into the kitchen so i shall save the news of my adventure with my sister for another day...

~cold~

2011-11-27T17:56:00.001Z

i am feeling distinctly chilly today~possibly because i am feeling a bit unsettled after being up a good chunk of last night with some random tummy bug.

i get a lot of random tummy bugs~their randomness makes me sure they are linked to my m.e and fibro so i just put up with them~luckily they don't last long.

i have spent today at my desk...well most of the day...i did a bit of crochet this morning and watched 'impossibly handsome vet'

actually no its not called that, that's what i told swampy it was called when he asked what i was watching! hehehehe

its actually 'bondi vet'

the rest of the day i had to catch up on my studies~a few bad days last week set me behind, it doesn't take much. but i am glad to say i am almost all caught up.

~*~*~*~

yesterday i made a new york cheesecake!

yes i did!

when i was in new york the other year i went into juniors in times square and fell in love with their cheesecake and on coming home found their own recipe in my copy of sheila lukins usa cookbook

so its taken me some time to pluck up the courage to actually attempt to make this...given how forgetful i am to say nothing of even totally going blank...which explains how i managed to ignite the handle of a knife (not just any knife but one of my favourite 1950's ones...sob)...how it got to be in the pan with the handle poking out the side is beyond me...i honestly cannot remember putting it in there.

luckily swampy was decorating and had his mp3 going so did not hear my 'oh, oh, oh's' as i jigged around the kitchen before getting in the sink!

anyway, so yes, i made the cheesecake...i have never seen such a large amount of cream cheese in a bowl before.

i cooked it to the time set in the book and its wonderful but i think it does need a little longer in the oven as it is not as stodgy as the real thing...i remember the real thing cleaved to the roof of my mouth in a rather spectacular fashion and needed good quantities of ice tea to help it down...still nothing wrong in making another and extending the cooking time

anyway this is whats left...

you can see by the cut sides it is not stodgy as it should be...mind you it still tastes nice!

~*~*~*~

in my never ending search for a more natural shampoo i bought some Dr Bronners...

so far i have only actually washed my face with it, but its gorgeous stuff and more importantly has the leaping bunny logo.

~*~*~*~*~

want to come with me for a walk?

~on that note i shall say goodnight~

~dark & gloomy~

2011-11-21T16:13:00.000Z

today is dark and gloomy, very autumnal rather than wintery as i expect it to be.

although according to the weather report a cold blast will hit us at the end of the week.

yesterday was a lovely day for a walk in the morning, misty with dew looking almost like a layer of frost and i just love the way the mist layers the tree's...

the white spots here are where a pony has been and shed some of its soft white fur...

as i sit it is getting darker and the birds have now stopped visiting the feeders which hang in the tree opposite my window.

i have been working with my druid plant oracle this week~just going through the book that came with the cards to refresh my memory a little.

they are lovely cards and i find myself feleing very connected to them~more than with other card decks i own.

i have also been reading

desperate romantics: private lives of the pre-raphaelites

which prompted a call to my artist dad this morning to discuss the pre-raphaelites.

now, as darkness falls its time to work on some crochet...

~sigh~

2011-11-17T16:32:00.000Z

its been one of those days today where my concentration is poor, really poor.

i set out to do a few hours study this morning, then again this afternoon~buts its one of those days where i just cant.

there is a restlessness in my mind that i cannot overcome.

~*~*~*~

i have to answer rose here who asked how i was burning my incense~for this kind of loose incense i use small charcoal discs that i bought in starchild although they can be bought in any good hippie shop.

i burn mine in a wee cast iron cauldron that swampy bought me in burley at the coven of witches in one of our neighbouring villages.

~*~*~*~

it has finally turned quite wintery here in this ancient forest, the sunsets have been a little gloomy of late, but spectacular nonetheless...

now we wrap up warm when walking flynt and the tree's are finally dropping their leaves and the pools that dried up over summer are filling up again~in one area we walk the woods are full of small pools, hiding among the tree's and there is always a special, yet secret feeling about them.

as if, if you stood there long enough, your gods and goddesses would be sure to find you...

the berry bearing tree's and bushes are full of colour as you can see with the holly here~as they were last year~prompting many people to predict a hard winter...

this particular walk always guarantees the finding of the fly agaric~the fairy story mushroom...

i dont know why but i am always drawn to taking their photo.

~*~*~*~

this week was my yearly opticians appointment and as i have every year for the past four year, i have had to have a stronger prescription for my far sightedness.

but now i face the prospect of having to wear glasses most of the time for near sightedness.

i noticed about six months ago that when out i was having problems focusing on the distant tree's and not being able to read signs until they were very close.

so i have chosen new frames...my usual plain, black style to go with my new varifocal lenses...my, i feel vauguely old now!

i am a little apprehensive as i had such trouble with bifocals last year and gave up with them~resulting on my spending most of my time with my glasses (as i am while typing this!) perched halfway down my nose so i can peer over the top of them while reading or doing my crochet.

i vow i will try my hardest to get used to them~however i did opt for the premium lens which gives a larger area of lens to see through.

~*~*~*~

here in our little 'round house' things are in full swing for winter nesting~swampy is decorating the hallway a warmer colour than we used when we moved in, which i hope will feel much more welcoming when we come home on cold days.

now, some of you may remember my post from march

white, blue & rebellion

there i talked of painting our front door and rebellious bright red

well tomorrow it will be the said bright red!

and swampy had the most wonderful idea for our house number, which i shall keep secret for now...but watch this space!

~*~*~*~

well its now nearly dark and an evening of torchwood beckons~along with pizza and garlic bread

~have a good evening everyone~

remembering

2011-11-11T10:47:00.000Z

John 'johny' Gaul

1890~17th September 1918

died of wounds

John Betteridge

1897-1917

POW

~so long~

2011-11-09T17:36:00.000Z

again days...weeks i should say, have passed since my last post.

its been a busy few weeks, my Open University studies have resumed, this module being 'empire 1492-1975', i am one month in, having just submitted my first essay to my tutor and already enjoying it.

that is how most of my time has been spent because i have to factor my m.e/fibro into my time and so i have to try to be at least one week ahead to allow for days when i am feeling too unwell to study.

and of course i have to fit in all my other interests~the reading, crochet, jewellery making, film watching...i do need more hours in the day!

last weekend we took off to Glastonbury yet again, this time to meet up with friends for the Witches Market and Fairy Ball (which swampy went to while i stayed at the campsite with flynt...next year i will have a 'pup' sitter and go to the ball!).

our journey took us on our usual route when we want to travel to Glastonbury or Avebury, out of the forest and up onto the cranbourne chase, part of which crosses the dorset cursus, where you will find several barrows...

our route takes us down zig zag hill near shaftesbury~it is like a shorter version of san francisco'sfamous lombard street (five instead of eight hairpin turns!)...but with more tree's which were looking beautiful

many, many people regard glastonbury as their spiritual home and i am one of them.

the area is like a beacon, it is almost like a vibration that spreads across the land.

if i set off as the crow flies straight out of my front door i would land at the foot of the tor.

driving there you feel a growing sense of anticipation, excitement, the closer you get, and it is as if the energy draws your eye so that you home in on it without the use of a map...i saw it as a small, but oh so distinctive speck when we were still 24 miles away.

as we got closer out came the camera...

our campsite was less than a mile from the tor, and we were camped facing back east, from the direction we had come

all we had to do was cross two fields behind where we were camped and there it was...

in reality we were much closer, why does the camera make it look so much further away?

because the sun was setting and the route became more muddy we set off back to Pretty Pagan without climbing the tor.

we didn't fancy slipping down the hills in the dark.

back 'home' i turned on the fairy lights.

the next day we went in glastonbury and met our friends and did some shopping then in the evening i went back to my fairy lights while

swampy went with our friends to the fairy ball...some of my friends are pictured here, i am pleased to say!

the following morning we again passed the apple orchards at the base of the tor and went the short distance into glastonbury to meet our friends and shop...again!

we had tea and coffee siting outside of heaphys and then moved onto the rainbows end cafe where the wonderful 'd' had arranged for cake for us all as this was the first time she had joined us~wonderful soul!

'c' waiting to tuck in...it was gorgeous and i had a hot spiced apple and ginger to go with it

'k' had the vegan option

there was a bit of 'trying on of the boots'~'d' had a gorgeous pair of dm's we were all so envious of and 't' had to try them on, she looked to wistful and i am glad to say a pair found their way to her later in the week!

'i want them...'

one of the windows of the goddess and the green man

decorations in star child

gorgeous home on wheels parked up near Pretty Pagan

all too soon it was time to leave our friends with tears and laughter and plans to meet again very soon~although 't' told us of her birthday plans for next year which has set us to planning an extended trip to yorkshire and both of us planning our outfits already!

i came away with some incense from star child~i first bought some over twenty years ago, was given a jar of 'moon' last year and this time came away with 'samhain', 'earth-spirit' and 'glastonbury' (one of my original choices all those years ago!)

burning samhain on samhain

could not come away without some of this...

its rowan and smells gorgeous

or this...

the one i bought many moons ago did not travel well on our last house move so she had to be replaced

~*~*~*~

well i shall try to visit you all over the next few day and hope to find you all well!

~free spirits camp~

2011-10-17T17:09:00.000+01:00

...so we drove across east hampshire ('hamsher' if, like me, you are a hampshireite!) to the boarder of hampshire and west sussex, finally arriving in a small field behind a pub in liss.

for the previous week the weather forecasters had been saying there was going to be a heatwave and i have to say i was not convinced although we woke up on the friday to unseasonably warm weather.

once on site we set up our little awning in a late afternoon heatwave.

the next morning more cars, tents and campers started to arrive...

we started to watch the temperature rise...

and rise...

and rise even more...

...when it hit 116 degree's i was to hot to move let alone take another picture of the figures!

going to watch the re-enactment i sheltered under a large umbrella...

we kept flynts 'house' well into the shade and luckily i had a 12v fan that i would run for short periods when the heat really did get too much...

it started to cool down when the sun went behind the line of tree's, around 5pm...

some change of clothes later for some and it was time for the dolmen and six string jack to play and tell tales of pirates...and even put people in the stocks in order to sing happy birthday...

robyns bunting...

then it was time to travel home...people not of hampshire often think of it as a flat part of the country~nothing is further from the truth. it is a land of rolling hills split through with the huge chalk dragons back known as the southern england chalk formation

i feel closest to portsmouth when i can see and smell the sea~its those sea fairing ancestors of mine again stirring my blood...

this is 'up the hill', or rather portsdown hill showing the chalk underneath...my aunt still lives in the shadow of the chalk.

as children we would spend summers with her and we would drag cardboard boxes up as high as our legs would carry us on the grassy area to the right of the chalk face, then climb in the boxes and launch ourselves down again.

my mum still remembers being taken up there into the portsdown tunnels during the air raids in world war 2

the last time i travelled across the full length at the top of the hill was when we took my beloved nan on her last journey, through old portsmouth and up the hill.

it was such a wonderful weekend and a great way to spend an indian summer.

~*~*~*~

now i am sitting at my desk, with a lamp on at five in the afternoon, the sky is grey and a wind is stripping the leaves from the giant oak and the only spark of colour is the yellow black eyed susan still twining its way up my nook.

samhain is knocking on the door...

~of being sidetracked~

2011-10-17T15:46:00.000+01:00

well what a surprise weather wise the free spirits camp was!

it was warm when we drove away from the forest.

we followed the motorway for a short while and skirted the sea port i was born in and where branches of my ancestor tree go way, way back to the time of Henry Vlll and beyond.

we crossed the great chalk hill that looks down over portsmouth and passed a little place called Butser where they have the most amazing ancient farm then onwards, skirting a place called Buriton where generations of my portsmouth ancestors and more recent family, my nan would take my mum, uncle and aunt each year and many residents of their road would go to pick hops each year

in fact my mum was talking fondly of their yearly 'holiday' last week.

they lived in a street of two up, two down terraced houses in an area developed right near the docks in 1796.

the whole street was made up of a true extended family-everyone living there was related.

this was part of the poorest part of the city and getting away each year, even if it was to work, really was a holiday...

Hop-picking usually took about three weeks around September. Local children were all expected to help and were given time off school. Casual labour, mostly from Portsmouth, was employed as well as local pickers. Many of the Portsmouth families came back year after year.

In the early years they used to be fetched in wagons from Petersfield Station: a wonderful sight as they all arrived. Some would camp opposite the Maple Inn (now the Master Robert) in Heather & Bakers field, lighting campfires at night. There were many tales of how the local gamekeepers were kept busy ! There were also reports of drunk and disorderly behaviour suggesting that much of the money that the pickers earnt was probably spent in the pub !

you can find more from this source here

finally we reached the field behind a pub that was the home for the dolmen gathering of free spirits...

-a day of crafting-

2011-10-11T20:27:00.001+01:00

I finally got to play today!

~a post before my travels~

2011-09-30T12:15:00.000+01:00

today we are off to the dolmen~free spirits camp.

just until Sunday but a chance to enjoy this sudden Indian summer that has hit us~it really is hotter then the summer months here.

Pretty Pagan is packed up and all i have to do is hang the beautiful bunting that Robyn sent me...

swampy has been spending the week painting our bedroom and so a couple of days of relaxing and live music will be good for him.

when we return the decorating will continue and for me its the start of my studies, with the next module of my history degree to start on.

~i hope you all have a wonderful weekend~whatever you are doing~

~blessings & sloes~

2011-09-23T10:00:00.001+01:00

alban elfed

the autumn equinox

the last harvest

the light of the water

/|\

here in the north we reach the point in the great wheel of the year where for a time everything stands in balance between the light and the dark

its the last of the harvest which began at lughnasadh and we give thanks to the goddess for her bounty

we find ourselves moving into the darkness where the sun will grow weaker and the days shorter.

***

this morning i stepped into the garden with my wool shawl over my 'jamas and it really was

chilly

we are lucky as we do not live near a main road and the air is much cleaner.

so stepping out and breathing in the chill, clean air felt so good.

the sun is shining and is appropriate for the last harvest i am going out to harvest sloes to make sloe gin~they have taken some finding but my sister finally found enough for me and the creatures of the forest to share.

later i am going to do a little in my sacred garden.

a tidy of my nook (the rambling rose has gone wild while we were away and i have lots of long 'rambles' that need to be tied up...next year my nook really will be a shady spot to shelter from the sun), clearing some of the dead flowers, but of course leaving plenty of winter cover for the small beasties of the garden.

i will also see if swampy will drill out some bamboo stakes so i can make a few small solitary bee 'hives'.

once the nook has been cleared a little i plan on sitting out there

and

just

'be'

~across the miles~

2011-09-23T09:18:00.000+01:00

a wonderful parcel arrived on my doorstep from the lovely robyn this week...

something very beautiful for Pretty Pagan...the bunting shall 'live' here until our next trip to the free spirits camp next week...

the most beautiful lemurian seed crystal....i am so honoured to be one of the keepers across the world...

thank you dear soul

~*~*~*~

~welcome willow!~

2011-09-17T17:30:00.001+01:00

i just want to introduce you to a friends new blog...

Willow's Wonderings and Wanderings

welcome to the blogosphere willow!

~johny gaul~

2011-09-17T17:19:00.001+01:00

93 years ago today my Irish great grandfather johny died in france~a short time before the end of world war one.

it seemed fitting that today Ireland also won their match in the rugby world cup!

~*~*~*~

i have been doing a bit of crochet today as the pains in my hands and arms have let up a little...

here is the gorgeous piece of flint i found over the forest...

i admit i have brought it home with me...we were walking up by the assorted barrows about a mile from home and i was following a small chalky path.

in this particular area there are hills that, if you look closely enough, have a very distinct look of being boundary ditches for settlements.

as most of you know some of my ancestral roots go back here many hundreds of years and i like to think they go back beyond recorded history.

when i found this i was thinking of my ancestors and how rooted i am to this area when i saw it right at my feet~this long, almost spearhead shaped palm size flint, very distinctive from its neighbours.

almost as if it jumped in my path...

~change for the turning~

2011-09-15T15:10:00.000+01:00

i hope you like my little blog jiggery-pokery today

as the dark half of the year is on my doorstep i thought a little change was in order.

this morning when i woke the sun was shining in the clear blue sky and looking out of the kitchen window i could have sworn there may have been a slight frost earlier this morning-now the clouds are drifting across the sky, maybe with the promise of a shower or two later in the day.

i am sitting wrapped up in my green shawl/throw feeling a tad delicate today~the adrenaline that kept me going while away has ebbed away leaving me with a fibro/m.e 'flare up' where my symptoms are much worse than usual. so after posting this i shall spend a day just 'being'.

two days ago i booked two tickets for the dolmen 'free spirits' festival at the end of this month and am really excited about it~i have been a member of the dolmen grove since early 2008 and for many reasons missed out on previous camps~next year i have put in my diary their wessex gathering

~*~*~*~

later...i went for a short walk with swampy and flynt to get a bit of fresh air, we went up to setley pond near a collection of bronze age barrows and i found the most amazing piece of flint...if you are on facebook, come find me and you will see the pictures...if not i am afraid you will have to wait until tomorrow!

~my feet are home again~

2011-09-13T20:26:00.000+01:00

we are back in out little home in the midst of the forest after our longest time awat for ages~12 nights sleeping in Pretty Pagan.

swampy was a star and unpacked most of our haul when we arrived home and i have visited some of your blogs, but only made it so far...i shall have to do some more catch-up tomorrow there are so many of you!

our time away was good and bad, you will know some of this if you have visited 'walking wild' on tumblr.

for now i just wanted to pop in and say hello as my bed is calling me~i shall make a hot drink and cuddle up with a copy of Alys Fowlers 'the thrify forager' which was kindly sent to me from yorshire in return for one of my shawls :)

so goodnight all

*namaste*

~remember to click my tumblr picture!~

2011-09-06T08:57:00.001+01:00

~solstice cafe~

2011-08-28T18:06:00.000+01:00

another gap in my blogging-i am finding it more difficult to get myself into a routine since coming back from avebury, my head is in the clouds still.

so, the 'solstice cafe' and 'any night in the jack'

the solstice cafe was my idea for helping those camping with us at avebury who had no access to electric.

i set up a free cafe in the awning we use on Pretty Pagan when we are going to be camped for longer than a couple of days, providing a kettle, water, tea, coffee and herbal teas, milk-all they had to have was a cup!

'any night in the jack' is a take on the pub in the stonewylde books 'the jack in the green'.

within the forum we have a virtual pub named and 'opened' by our dear friend sorcha in holland called 'any night in the jack' and so it seemed appropriate i change the cafe sign in the evening to the jack. our 'jack' was decorated with fairy lights and bunting and looked most un-pub like!

so it has become a new tradition for our avebury camps and swampy and i are planning even better decorations and sign for next may-yes we had the next camp arranged in less than a week of coming back from our most recent visit!

~*~*~*~*~

now i am having to get my head and soul back to the reality of being home, more importantly get back into my routine.

as is usual with me i have let things slip and i need to get back into myself.

~*~*~*~*~

there has been a distinct shift in the great wheel over the last week, stepping out of our back door, especially in the morning, there is that very definite 'smell' of autumn in the air, even a slight chill which is giving me a tingle of joy.

my long term readers know that i am a cool weather girl. i love the wild weather and cold nights snuggled under a blanket.

~*~*~*~*~

i was a tad 'norty' yesterday and ordered myself a little something...to cheer me up...well no not really, i just loved it and have been looking for one for ages and my gorgeous little pixie friend sujee had a similar one at avebury...a gorgeous pocket belt from earthywear

many things we go to with our friends these days means having a bag over my shoulder is not very practical as i want my hands free and my 'things'~you know the important things we carry around~have started to overflow my little bum bag.

my things include...

my owl purse i bought in macys

burts bee's lip balm

a pot of calendula balm from the dorset herbalist

my blackberry which has become my lifeline as my memory is so bad and i like to get my e-mails through it

a little tin that holds emergency medication for my migraines

dextrose tablets for the hypos i now have

i am hoping it arrives in the next few days as we are off to birmingham on thursday to see swampys family and then we are off to vanfest in the malverns, taking step daughter o'mine with us for the week

well time for some food here and maybe watch a film (or 'filum' as the wonderful souls from ireland say...after years of knowing them friends from the stonewylde community came to camp at avebury~beautiful people and so very funny)

i hope you are all well

xoxoxo

~of sacred sites~

2011-08-19T17:31:00.000+01:00

i am a dreadful blogger

truly awful

lackadaisical

there is no excuse

hrumph....

i had meant to at least blog via tumblr while we were away but was so busy meeting friends, shopping and sleeping i didnt even get time at night.

even my morning cup of tea was not spent in bed but sitting outside as our dear friends roses and lizzie fae were camped next to us in their tent and using the 'solstice cafe' (more about that in a mo!) for their morning tea and so i would go and join them.

but we had a fantastic time and didnt want it to end...

******

our journey to Glastonbury took us across the cranbourne chase with the most amazing views...

we had to stop for a 'comfort break' for flynt!

there is something about the Tor...it is like a beacon to those who feel connected, in whatever way, to this land and the ancestors.

i dont know why this is, but it is so.

even from many miles away when it is a teeny, tiny speck on the horizon you can turn your gaze to it straight away, with no help from any map.

from my first visit over twenty years ago it has felt like another home for me and i know many people who feel the same and you keep being drawn back time and time again...

our campsite in Glastonbury was only a ten minute walk into the town (actually town is wrong, i would call it a large village!) and so the next day we walked down and met our good friends alan 'the welsh wizard' and jilly from wales who had come down for the day.

Glastonbury has a pull to it like the Tor...it draws you in and holds you close and something finds its way into your soul and remains there forever and you never want to leave...

luckily swampy and i only live a two hour drive and so can go for a day when the mood takes us, but now we know we can camp so close our future visits will be for a day or two.

it was swampys first ever visit to Glastonbury~my vists are countless...see it does get into your soul and draw you back~and so i was a bit unsure how he would take to the 'alternativeness' of it~we had been there only five minutes when he turned to me and said 'we are definatly coming back here!'

i was so pleased and was equally amazed when he fell in love with the goddess and the green man where i topped up my incense supply with goddess and greenman, green man and wise woman

in another shop i was able to buy two little bottles of Spiritual Sky perfume oil, white musk and orchid-i have used this for many years...

when i was a 21 year old chamber maid in one of the few large hotels here in the village i would wear my uniform-a horrid yellow ruffled thing with my DM boots with bells laced through the laces, my hair henna'd (the top was long and i had the back and sides shaved to grade 3) and my spiritual sky patchouli oil~one day i was told to stop with the patchouli as someone complained of the smell!

i also bought a beautiful long purple skirt in Lilith, some books in The Speaking Tree and we all had lunch sitting outside of Heaphys enjoying a nice cup of tea and people watching.

it was a really special day and it was only the start of our holiday for next we were headed to Avebury

we arrived at the campsite and set up and slowly all our friends started to arrive over the next two days-we took over the covered bbq area, now named 'the barn' on friday and saturday night, and on the saturday we took over the village hall in avebury for the day for kits book signing.

Mr.B's gongs~they sounded amazing in the dark...

poor Bilbo broke his leg at the lammas games in avebury the week before...

briar baggins loved flynt~especially his fluffy tail which she thought was a good toy...

saturday night was dress up night to celebrate kits new book...

it was a really special weekend and many, many tears were shed when we all had to go our own way and return to the 'outside' world.

however all is not lost for we are all having another big gathering in may and between then and now we are arranging small moots and gatherings (to say nothing of the facebook community~goodness knows what we would do without facebook now!)

well time for me to think about dinner and peruse all my 'new' books and my new yoga magazine.

i shall come visit with you all over the next few days!

anyone wanting to see more photos can find me on facebook as

lee-soltice dreamer-williams

~our home on wheels~

2011-08-07T19:37:00.000+01:00

i have been meaning to post for ages but for some reason i have just not had the motivation~what has been in my head could not be transferred into words

tomorrow swampy, flynt and i will be off in our home on wheels~first to Glastonbury for two days and then onto the campsite near Avebury, where we stayed in may, until the following monday.

on saturday avebury will be taken over by a mass of stonewylde fans gathering for the launch of kit berry's fourth book 'shadows at stonewylde'

the clock is ticking and we really need some extra hours today to get packed.

i shall attempt to find my words while i am away and put them on tumblr~i am sure sitting under the stars listening to our friends beautiful guitar playing will inspire me

so if you want to read my ramblings dont forget to check tumblr

~seeing me~

2011-07-25T16:21:00.001+01:00

'Its funny how we view ourselves and how others do..when I see you I see someone who is very bright and intelligent but also really in tune earthy and spiritual'

i had a short 'conversation' online via messages on faceache one evening last week with a fae friend and

the gist of the messages were regarding self image and insecurity and the comment above is part of what she wrote to me

*blush*

now that is not how i see myself~how do i see myself? i have no idea~and so it surprised me to find that this was how i come across to people

i am very comfortable in my own skin

years back i decided that its pointless to worry that my hair is not straight and shiny, my skin not perfect and my shape far from the perfection seen in magazines.

i stopped buying the magazines when i started to become increasingly frustrated with the garbage they were spouting about how i/we should act, look, what we should buy and what we should wear/not wear.

apparently anyone over 25 should not wear leggings~ho really?

well come tell me that when i am wearing my birkis and black leggings under a floral dress...

pah! we dont need magazines like that

my poor fae friend bless her is worried about her first camping experience with swampy, myself and the friends that we camped with back in may~the worry of being seen first thing in the morning without her public face on.

i think that the sight of me in my pyjams with my hair doing its usual dragged through a hedge backwards look and possibly doing the sun salutation in a field will reassure her that there is nothing to worry about

~*~*~*~

i have not been around much, well actually i havent been about at all for about a week.

my yoga class last week was wonderful~it was a small group, there were only seven of us including rue the teacher and it was the gentle class.

i have to admit it did knock me out a few hours after and i ended up in bed around four in the afternoon and the following day i was not too good either.

but mentally i was on such a high and to me thats as important as anything.

so i will be off tomorrow morning in my purple yoga pants and my mat under my arm for my next class and i am really looking forwards to it.

~a few words~

2011-07-16T13:45:00.000+01:00

yesterday swampy decided was a day to tackle the jungle...

today was a day to harvest...

taken on a sunny day

flax...

larkspur...

today we have had monsoon like rain...

click on the flowers for a much better view

i have no idea why teen-pup has to chew his paws....

~the femme & the yoga-grrrl~

2011-07-15T18:57:00.000+01:00

well look who i found sitting at one of my alters this morning!

Cailleache the femme has made her way from amber moggies home to my little roundhouse over night and made herself well at home among the green men, crystals, stones, wood, antlers, a bowl of leaves and a rowan wand.

~*~*~*~

today i heard back from rue, the yoga teacher i told you i had found.

there are three sessions left before the summer holiday and i am welcome to attend to see how i like it with her and the other ladies.

i am starting with the gentle yoga and hope to move up to the multi-level hatha classes if my body allows me to.

so next tuesday will see me trotting to a neighbouring village right on the coast for my first class...between now and then i will have to busy myself making a bag for my yoga mat.

luckily i have a large amount of blue gingham fabric so am sure i can whip up something.

i cannot tell you how excited i am about this

no longer will i be a solitary yoga-grrrl~of course i will still practice at home, in fact i am busy making one end of my bedroom an area for my home practice.

the area faces the window onto my sacred garden and i have been slowly creating an alter space on my cleared desk, so i will have plenty to focus on.

but to actually go somewhere and be with other people who love yoga will feel so amazing.

i had such positive vibes from rue's website.

~it feels so right~

~of soft things & yoga~

2011-07-14T15:21:00.002+01:00

now i have been looking for the right shawl/wrap for ages

oh i have lots of scarves~i feel undressed without them~of different sizes and colours and patterns, but what i have been searching for was something huge that i could snuggle into~much like a large thin blanket~but that wasn't a blanket. something i could wear out and it not be obviously seen as a blanket.

in fact when i was in new york a few years ago i had found a wonderful wool paisley wrap in macy's, however when i saw the price tag i sadly walked away.

i have also seen some wonderful vintage ones on a certain online site but they have also been an awful lot of money.

but yesterday i found something soft, beautiful and blanket sized...

i wish you could feel it, it is so soft and the pattern and colour so beautiful~reminds me of the arts and crafts movement

but do you know something?

it's really a largish throw, maybe for artfully draping over a sofa or bed bought in ikea!

however in my mind, after seeing the colour, pattern and feel of it i knew it had to be mine and to be used as a large shawl/wrap.

and it wraps around and hangs beautifully and feels so cosy.

so remember~things can be utilised for use other than that they were designed for!

~*~*~*~

if like me you are somewhat eclectic then you may enjoy hel looks which is a 'street style blog from helsinki'.

when i came across this blog~goodness knows how, but i am glad i did~i think i spent a whole day going through the archives and seeing how much imagination is there on the streets of helsinki.

it made me want to pack my bags and flee to such a wonderfully creative place and sad to say it made me feel somewhat dis-satisfied in that these days, in this country, there are smaller concentrations of the wonderfully, eclectic.

maybe i am getting old but i find myself thinking back to my teens and early twenties when lots of different 'cultures' seemed to exist along with many different styles of music and looking eclectic was almost the 'norm'.

now when i walk through a town or occasionally a city i seem to be surrounded by a boring hegemony (i am not really using this in the right context but i think you know what i mean) and i am sad to say, but the new forest, especially my village, is not a place for the individual, the wild and wacky eclectic~and what few there are are not seen much.

here in the village there are two (not counting me~yes really, two!) people who do not fit into the general conservative mould and stand out like shining beacons of general oddness~one a man who has lived here many a year and has dreadlocks and a lady i passed one day as i was walking out of the village. she was generally dressed like me and maybe because of this our eyes locked and a little message, an acknowledgement of our differentness possibly, passed between us.

~*~*~*~

now there was something else i was going to pass comment on, but you know i have rambled on so much it has clean gone from my mind!

that will teach me for rambling...

solstice dreamer watches Le Tour while trying to remember...

ah i remember!

yoga

tina asked about yoga and i mentioned in comment that i had found a local yoga teacher.

i have been practicing alone for many years.

when i was about 15 or 16 i came across a yoga book of my dad's~a very funky sixties one~and i remember trying to follow the poses, not very well i might add, but fell in love with the whole idea of it.

as the years passed i dipped in and out.

in the late eighties/early nineties i found a book on yoga specifically for the different stages of a woman's life (i have searched my books high and low and cannot find it, i can only think it is with other books at my mum's) and of course then came videos' and following hot on its heels dvd's.

with the onset of m.e my practice wavered, stopped, started, wavered, stopped when my fibro started and then i started again.

slowly and carefully and with a few complete stops.

but yoga has never left my heart and i have always flicked through old copies of my different yoga magazines when the spirit seemed to waver.

recently my practice has become more regular again and with it the urge to find a local teacher and join a group of like minded people.

so i 'googled' once...

now there are plenty of yoga teachers and classes around here, some of them are held at one of two yoga studios in southampton and looking at their websites i have never felt i would be comfortable there.

but yesterday, inspired by my magazine i decided to 'google' twice, this time for 'new forest yoga teachers' and had this moment of serendipity

don't you think this is the most beautiful and welcoming web site?

so i e-mailed the teacher for some more information and so i am now waiting to hear back from her

and do you want to know the funny thing?

not only are all her classes within five miles of my little roundhouse but she lives only moments away from me!

~i feel so excited~

~camping-flint & flowers~

2011-07-12T21:57:00.001+01:00

we are home from our little moot and right now it just feels wrong to be in our little home.

camping always does this to me and even more this time for our friends who live in their camper joined us for two nights

hurst castle and the isle of wight beyond it...

the needles just visible...

low tide at the sea wall and a certain teen-pup had a wonderful time...

some of my stonewylde tribe...

i think i feel this way because i have come down from the adrenaline rush that keeps me going when we camp~i get so excited and happy to be away from the four walls of home~it does give an indication of my life when something like getting away for a few days (and only five miles from home!) can give me such excitement!

last night i was shattered and after a short bath collapsed in bed and slept through until 9 this morning.

today i have been feeling achy and tired.

i have been out harvesting a few things today~a handful of blueberries eaten straight from the bush and a bowl of pea's~picked and eaten straight from the pod within half and hour and sungold tomatoes shared with swampy as he pulled out dead plants and did some deadheading.

i admit i am a bit of a grazer when it comes to the things we grow~most just get eaten as it is picked and i get my 9 a day (did you know diabetics are 9 a day and not 5 a day? sometimes i wish that included chocolate!), easily, without even knowing about it.

calv kindly passed this wonderful piece flint on to my keeping...

i think it is the largest piece of flint i have ever had in my possession and it has the distinct feeling of being placed somewhere special.

sweet pea's and cornflowers are scattered through our little 'roundhouse'...

and a magazine is keeping me inspired...

~tumblr~

2011-07-08T09:54:00.000+01:00

good morning my lovely readers.

the urge to blog comes upon me at anytime and i have had to get around not being able to use mobile blogger by using tumblr

you will see a new link there on your left, this will lead you to

solsticedreamer~walking wild

and you will be able to follow my journeys and meanderings when i am away in Pretty Pagan

and now i must tidy up and get some things packed away and ready for our little stonewylde moot

dont forget now, if there are no new posts here come over to my roundhouse at tumblr!

~clan mothers~

2011-07-07T18:30:00.000+01:00

thank you all for your enthusiastic comments about the start of my new tattooing journey and welcome mad madame mel to my little 'roundhouse'!

dubgirl, i am not really sure how it is going to evolve, i don't think it will be a sleeve in the usual sense, you will have to watch this space!

today it is all much better but surrounded by a yellow bruise.

~*~*~*~

the dear soul that is robyn asked more about the 'seven daughters of eve' and 'clan mothers' so i will provide some more information here taken from 'britain bc' by archaeologist francis pryor (who by the way discovered the bronze age site of flag fenn).

***

we are all descended from the first cro-magnon people-women-from africa and the professor of human genetics at oxford university, brian sykes, named the first african mother of the homo sapiens 'mitochondrial eve'.

mitochondrial dna is passed directly through the female line and so professor sykes team was able to trace a pattern of inheritance and found that almost the whole indigenous population of of europe derived from seven women, 'clan mothers', who lived 45-10,000 years ago, who sykes named 'the seven daughters of eve'.

one of these clan mothers has been named ursula and she began her clan in greece 45,000 years ago and her direct maternal descendants are found across europe, but mainly in scandinavia and western britain.

dna tests on 'chedder man', one of two bodies found in goughs cave in chedder gorge, somerset revealed he was a direct descendant of ursula and a man local to chedder gorge recently had his dna tested and found that he was a direct descendant to 'chedder man'

now doesn't that just blow your mind?!

so you can see why the ancestors are so important to me~we all have very real links to the peoples of the past, not just over hundreds of years but tens of thousands.

***

we are off again in pretty pagan tomorrow for the first new forest moot of the stonewylde tribe (if you go to the community news section you will see a teeny image of me and flynt!)

for once we do not have a long journey, instead we are travelling a mere five miles from home to a wonderful local campsite that has views across the solent to the isle of wight and that allows camp fires~so friday and saturday night will see me sitting by a fire and sipping mead.

~*~*~*~

~pagan skin~

2011-07-06T17:19:00.002+01:00

yesterday we had our very long awaited appointment with lil rob at tattoo magic in southampton.

i have long wanted to incorporate the sun/moon and celtic knot on my right arm into one larger piece of work and had a vague idea of what i wanted.

as most of you now know i am history lover, and most of my love is for pre-history.
when we travel around i track our route and know where we are by the sacred sites, hill forts and barrows
.
and of course my love is for the ancestors~my direct ancestors and those of the land as a whole.
given the the spread of early human migration we have to be aware of our own connections to these early humans~consider the matrilineal descent we women have that goes back to 'mitochondrial eve' and 'the seven daughters of eve' who are said to be 'clan mothers' and are the common matrilial ancestors of all humans.

"...man is a bundle of relations, a knot of roots,

whose flower and fruitage is the world..."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

but what has this to do with tattoo's? i hear you cry

well the 'vague idea' i had for my tattoo developed into an ongoing project based on the tattoo's of prehistoric ancestors.

tattooing of both men and women was a part of many prehistoric cultures as seen with the pazyryk mummies~including the 'ice maiden'~scroll down here and you can enlarge the photo showing some of her tattoo's, otzi the ice mummy and takla makan mummies of the tarim basin.
of course we can never know why they were tattooed although it has been suggested that they have a spiritual significance.

interestingly some of the tattoos on otzi were groups of short, parallel, vertical lines and it has been suggested that because of their placement and the research, which revealed he suffered with problems linked to the tattooed areas, suggest they were somehow linked to pain relief from acupressure or acupuncture.

the 3000 year old mummies of the tarim basin were a people with long red/blond/brown hair and european features and their clothes were associated with the celtic hallstatt culture.
there are lots of photos of all of these these if you do a search of the 'tinterweb and an article about the tarim basin mummies from 2006 here

~by golly am i drifting off subject today, i blame my new pain killers for making me feel slightly drunk right now~anyway...i wanted my new tattoo to reflect this huge love of mine (cant you just tell by my ramblings here today?!) and i want something quite random and primitive but at the same time have a kind of flowing connection.

i had to hunt the 'tinterweb for those elusive images, small pieces of a whole, and printed them for jon to come up with something freehand.

i had also had a chat with jon when we went into speak with him about what we wanted because of my fibro i was worried about the pain being more than usual, he advised an anesthetic cream to be applied to numb the area.

now, i have seven tattoos and the pain tattooing causes does not bother me-its a nice hurt if that makes sense.

well the pain of the thin initial outlines of this new one was bad...really bad.
either i did not put on enough cream, or it had worn off while i was waiting for swampy to be finished in the chair.

when he changed needles to do the thicker lines it was fine, just like the pain i remember-still after an hour and a half i was glad it was over...until my next session in two weeks to freshen up the two older tattoo's i had done when i was 21 and finish my new work...

these three were taken about two hours after it was finished, red and sore

yesterday it has settled down an awful lot...

today it is better still and i have some bruising under my arm where it is most sensitive and i am impatient for my second session to arrive!

~away with the fairies~

2011-07-05T15:32:00.000+01:00

well, no not really...although i do know the pixies borrowed Calvs Stonewylde t-shirt, only to return it a few days later!

actually we drove our home on wheels that is Pretty Pagan up to the Malverns (ahem...i wont mention the 'detour' we took when swampy ignored lola his sat nav and took us across country only to double back again to find the right road!)

it was the weekend for the british volkswagen festival and swampy helps with the custom show and shine on the sunday.

it was the perfect time to test out our newly built wardrobe and finished cupboards and i like to report they all worked a treat and it was great to not have to rummage around in bags and have them on the floor.now everything has a place and there is no more packing things away if we decided to leave our camp for sight seeing.

this is her prettiness with the huge back doors open and the seating converted to our huge bed-we always think because she is so long and narrow she is a little like a narrow boat on wheels.

the south american textile is actually a baby sling. we are going to buy another, sew them together to make one huge throw.

our pillows are usually kept in the cab area with our duvet during the day but we lent our cushions to sujee and bilbo (owners of that gorgeous bell tent!) and they still have them so we had to use pillows as cushions.

well now, luck was on my side on the cushion front for there was a stall at the festival selling the most beautiful cushions in all kinds of patterns and colours but as it will take at least four cushions each side to furnish PP i bought one to be starting off with...

don't you love it?!

i bought Step-Daughter O'Mine a mexican day of the dead one...this is SD O'Mine, loulou...

...who came for the day on saturday, bringing her nephew ryan, who spent the day keeping grandpa swampy very busy indeed...

poor old grandpa swampy collapsed on the bed around 9pm and promptly fell fast asleep while i was reading and i ended up having to wake him up to get into bed!

we also bought some flower garlands from flowers-up to decorate the inside of PP...

because the interior is wood and the linings on the wall are brown we need to introduce a load of colour and these flowers and the cushions is the start of it.

we also bought a new wind sock for our flag pole which we set up when we camp. we fly two streamer flags and now have a dragon to fly at the very top~however we now need a longer flag pole!

now usually i have problems with big gatherings of people relating to my m.e and fibro, which i wont bore you with, but this festival was on a smaller scale than the massive vanfest we have been helping out at for the last ten years and i was able to look around the stalls without having to fight crowds.

i was also very daring in the evening and walked down to catch up with our lovely friends albert and mary...in their seventies and still camping!

~*~*~*~

yesterday was the day for the tattooist's chair but more about that in my next post!

~yesterdays pictures today~

2011-06-23T17:53:00.000+01:00

here we are!

thank you for the tip leanne!

this is the 'mexico'~in reality it is more red and much brighter and very 'tweedy' with blues, purples, reds, greens and yellows.

it reminds me of glastonbury festival for some reason.

i had major 'crochet block' last night and for the life of me could not make up my mind what pattern to use for this~i think i must have unravelled my work at least four times and in the end decided to just put it away until today.

this morning i decided on a 5.5mm hook and settled on a traditional granny shawl.

i initially thought the wool too 'busy' but after doing five rows decided it is just perfect~and perfect for the little fae soul it is intended for.

this is the much chunkier wool i discarded for the fae project.

again, in reality it is nowhere near being the purple it looks here (talk about the camera never lies~well it does!)

in reality it is very autumnal red and orange with tweedy flecks.

as i mentioned yesterday this shawl will be going on etsy eventually.

~*~*~

here are the promised pictures of some of the work we have been doing to Pretty Pagan...

this is the side of the wardrobe that swampy has built for me (woo~hoo no more living out of bags!)

and today he is re-jigging the little shelf he put above my side of the bed, adding two doors and making one for his side.

he has done the same with the shelves above the 'kitchen' area~the trouble is with shelves, when you drive away you have to put things away into the larger cupboards unless you want everything to tumble off as you round the first corner.

now it means we can keep our tins of tea etc and mugs up in the cupboards.

~*~*~

i had to show you this picture of one of our borage plants...

such a beautiful plant.

we have four of these dotted around our garden, the fifth is at my mums, busy attracting the bee's there.

~*~*~

today has been fairly quiet and after the decent nights sleep i had on tuesday my insomnia was back again last night~so i think tonight i might have a very early night after a simple tea of boiled eggs and toast~our eggs are local free range, organic ones and make the best boiled eggs ever!

*i hope you day has been a good one*

~the finding of heaven~

2011-06-22T17:27:00.000+01:00

i had the most sublime serendipitous moment today

last night i got to work with the wool i had bought earlier in the day, but after much changing of hook and pattern i was not happy with it.

~there would be a couple of nice photos here for you yarn addicts, but for some reason today blogger will upload my photos but not let me post them!~

while i was working i had the thought of the little fae person i am making the mediation shawl for and the wool was just not right~it didn't feel right in my hands and i just know it didn't feel right for her.

this morning we headed out for our weekly shop and as we drove along i was still talking about the wool and how it just wasn't right. i was also saying how proper old fashioned wool shops were becoming obsolete in the face on online shopping and what a shame that was.

i am a great one for loving to touch the thing i am buying and that joy is lost via the internet.

...i have a little fantsy in my head about opening my own yarn shop/coffee shop and i often just talk about it~as if i had the money and just had to find an empty shop~we can all dream!...

anyway, we were driving along and i suddenly said 'there is a wool shop in christchurch!'...well i remembered that there was once a wool shop in christchurch, whether it was still there was another matter altogether.

as it was only a ten minute drive further down the road we took a diversion and drove up the old narrow streets, crossing the river and passing the ruins of the castle and norman house and there in front of me was a tiny shop front...it was still there.

well we parked up and i resisted the urge to stop by the red house museum and gardens and a few minutes later opened the door to honora wool specialists

oh me, oh my

what a shop~i do not exaggerate when i say all four walls were floor to ceiling yarn of every shade and texture imaginable.

it was so exciting to find a good, old fashioned wool shop and i really had to restrain myself from going totally wild and leaving with my arms piled high with goodies.

as it was i found the most perfect yarn for our little fae friend~patons 'trentino dk' in 'mexico' so i will start anew with that later and the shawl i started last night i will complete and put up at *a little eclectic*

~pretend there is a nice photo here~

well given the blogger glitch i cannot show you the 'prettification' of Pretty Pagan or my borage, so i shall love you and leave you and get to work on the fae shawl...

~of blessings & yarn~

2011-06-21T17:19:00.001+01:00

~*sending out solstice blessings dear readers on this the longest day*~

i have a spring in my step today, well lets say my plod is a little more lighthearted as the sun has been shining an awful lot and swampy took me to buy some yarn.

i bought another ball of Rowan alpaca cotton in rice for my own shawl/poncho (i cannot decide if the shawl is going to turn into a poncho, i think it might) and some patons shadow tweed in a shade of red/burgundy/orange to crochet a meditation shawl for a very fae soul of our acquaintance.

~*~

i am also rather excited as in two weeks i am going to have my tattoo collection added to.

i have been wanting some more work since my last triskele a few years ago and finally decided to go for it so went and had a chat and booked an appointment.

~watch this space~

~a few showers~

2011-06-19T14:27:00.000+01:00

i am not obsessed with rain right now-honest!

its a better day here in the forest today, although we have sunshine and clouds rushing by the rain has held off which is pleasing me because we have a tiny visitor making camp in the over grown grass of our back lawn.

earlier this morning our neighbour calv (of the great blog mishaps in the making) caught swampy on his way out that a baby bird had made its way into our garden.

i, of course, set up watch at the window, worried a jackdaw might find it and attack it~i have seen magpies do this so thought i would keep an eye on it just in case.

i was glad to see the mum coming to feed it, allowing me to identify the baby~its a blackbird!

she is also not feeding him a lot which makes me think it is not a particularly young baby and it is also preening itself too.

i just hope it does not rain too hard on him if it does.

***

i am going through an extended period of 'insomnia nights' right now.

i think last night was about the fourth or fifth night.

i get to sleep for about 2-3 hours, wake up and then that it until the birds start singing, when i fall asleep again for a few hours. i think tonight i will have two bags of 'sleep easy' tea in a mug.

over at gaia's garden shop they have lots of oils and incense for relaxation (as well as a lovely forum) so i think its time to spend a little money.

***

~alban hefin~

2011-06-18T12:30:00.000+01:00

*the light of summer*

*litha*

*the summer solstice*

has the great wheel really turned that fast?

the sun is nearly at its maximum peak of the year and we are coming to the longest day and shortest night and of course the nights will slowly draw in darker as the days pass as we work our way through the waning of the year and the holly king takes the mantel from the oak king~the sun god dies to await his re-birth at the winter solstice.

our ancestors saw life coming from the sun, it gave them life, supported them and fed them and at this time every growing thing is at it height, as full as life as it can possibly be.

bearing that in mind then, the solstice is the best time to gather your herbs and keep an eye out for the green man watching you through the leaves...

***

today is more like autumn or winter, with heavy showers between the odd patch of blue sky, so it is a day for reading and crochet

*have a good day*

~guess what...~

2011-06-17T18:24:00.001+01:00

...its raining!

...yes it is!

and cold, so chilly i have put the heating on to take the edge off the chill for a bit.

i went over the forest this morning to walk flynt and it started to rain so i came home and changed, but i haven't really warmed up all day and i am having one of those days where my legs feel all cold, numb and tingly (i have to say here~thank goodness for spell check~my m.e/fibro has addled my spelling abilities and if you had to read what i really write i am not sure you would come back!)

i have been feeling somewhat, um, unsettled today. i cant blame my hormones anymore due to my possible enforced early menopause (still waiting for a hospital appointment to get to the bottom of this) but i am not sure what to blame...

...arrghhh yes i do its the rain!

my body is crying out for some hot, sunny days.

and do you know what the rain is doing to me?

turning me into a popcorn eating, zombie film watching freak

oh yes

not what you would expect a peaceful soul to enjoy, but there you go.

i recently saw Resident Evil-Extinction, the third of a trilogy, well most of it as i missed the first forty minutes.

then i saw the first one last night and now plan to see all of Extinction again.

i totally surprised myself by really enjoying it, not for the horror aspect but the character of alice~a real warrior woman...

i think we all need a warrior woman and right now alice is mine

~here i am~

2011-06-15T16:23:00.000+01:00

so what have i been doing?

last week swampy covered my head in henna and despite doing it quickly and only leaving it for fifteen minutes i have been left with a headful of bright copper/orange hair~its certainly brightening the day's up around here...

and do we need some bright days?

oh yes we do.

we have only had a few days where the sun has been coming out from behind the clouds~on sunday it poured down...all day...heavy...leaving our poppies, cornflowers and corncockles battered and bruised.

today is grey and chill and as it usually does when its chill and grey i ache and find myself wishing the day away in the hope of some warming sunshine. by the looks of the weather forecast we still have two days of rain.

***

last week i travelled up to manchester with my sister to see take that and the pet shop boys~i surprised myself by managing well due to the fact we had seats but i spent most of the rest of last week paying for my crimes and spending a lot of time in bed.

on the days we had a bit of sunshine i would sit on the garden bench or my seat in the nook and soak up some of the warmth of the sun~i feel so much better when it feels as if my bones have soaked up some sunshine.

***

between the rain and the sleeping and resting we have been busy decorating Pretty Pagan and swampy has been installing a narrow wardrobe (we always meant to have one but other thing started to take our time and money, finally we bacame fed up of living out of bags when away).

we love Pretty Pagan and the freedom we have with her but she has none of the quirky good looks of our first camper Pilchard, a sparkly blue and white vw bay window or pippin the lovely old french h van. but she is reliable...something we really needed in a camper but her white/grey colours were a bit...normal for us!

she is a large camper van...we have bench seats and a table that converts to a bed that is 6 foot by 5 foot 8, its larger than our bed at home and we can leave it set up as a bed and still have heaps of room for kitchen area with two ring hob, small sink with drainer, fridge and a little 'room' for the porta-loo...she is large.

being so large it would take a lot of money to have her re-sprayed~despite the fact that swampy is a qualified, and very good, paint sprayer~so the next best thing to dress her is with stickers.

last year we met the lovely couple who owns and runs hippy motors and bought a few stickers~then decided that what better way to get around the re-spray option but stickers...lots of them!

well we bought a selection of flowers (and other little bits and bobs) got to work dividing them into two piles and realised we would need more...a lot more!

so we ordered more yesterday and shall see how it goes but we think we may well have to buy many more to get the effect we want~when it is not raining i shall take some photos.

***

yes it has started to rain hard and i have given up hope that the sky will clear enough for the solar eclipse tonight.

so i think its time to get into my more comfortable clothes, light some incense and curl up with my crochet

~i hope you are all having a wonderful day~

~a wandering soul~

2011-06-03T15:45:00.001+01:00

during the 'coming down' period after camping with all our lovely friends and meeting even more new friends while in avebury i have reached the inevitable low i always feel.

i miss them all so much.

the trouble we have is that we are spread right across the country and so between times we have to be content with keeping contact through the forum, social networks (see, thats why i went back!) and phone calls and texts.

in an attempt to keep local folk connected people have been arranging picnics and meeting at different sacred sites and so swmapy and i have taken the plunge to get some of the stonewylde 'southern belles' together here in the new forest, to fill the 'lean' time before our next big camp in august for the book launch.

it may just help until our tribal gathering in august...but it seems so far away.

~*~*~*~

i have also been feeling restless and suffering a tad from wanderlust~i always do after we have been away in 'pretty pagan' and of course over here its festival season and i so miss my festival days.

the wanderlust i feel is always transplanted into how i view my surroundings and this then turns into dissatisfaction with my immediate surroundings.

its silly i know, i have plenty to feel thankful for and to be honest i cannot put my finger on any one specific thing...its just my wandering soul which i think is in my genes...

my dad is a wandering soul~throughout his life he jumped from job to job never happy until he gave up the rat race to live with his art, his motorcycles and an ever expanding train set.

his dad, my grampy george was a wandering soul~living his life aboard ship in the navy and constantly travelling the world and finding home on a house boat on the thames.

and i guess all those mariners and bargemen ancestors of mine going back hundreds of years must have been wandering souls to choose life at sea and along the canals rather than settle down to life on terra firma.

so that has boiled down to me, here in my little 'roundhouse' in this ancient forest, with itchy feet to get out into the world and explore...

~song of songs~

2011-05-31T20:25:00.000+01:00

i maybe a pagan but i have always been able to appreciate and love the written language

the song of songs, also known as the song of solomon, is a little part of the Hebrew Bible and i love it~the words are so beautiful they make my heart ache

~i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i do~

Chapter 1

The song of songs, which is Solomon's.

. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.

Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.

I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.

I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.

Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.

We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.

While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.

A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.

My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

Chapter 2

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

Chapter 3

By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?

It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?

Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.

They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

Chapter 4

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.

Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.

Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:

A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.

Chapter 5

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Chapter 6

Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.

My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.

Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.

There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded.

Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

Chapter 7

How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.

Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies.

Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins.

Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus.

Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!

This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.

I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;

And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.

The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

Chapter 8

O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.

My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.

Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

~*~*~*~

~again? so soon?~

2011-05-30T15:18:00.000+01:00

another blog post so soon after the last one?!

i am having an quiet day...

...well i was having an enforced quiet day as i was supposed to be saving my spoons to go and see Duran Duran (who remember's them first time around~i feel old!) with my sister tomorrow, but it has been cancelled due to simon le bon's laryngitis.

but all is not lost, i am now conserving my spoons for next week when we go to see Take That yet again!

of course spoons dont really work that way~i never know when i wake up quite how many i will have to last the day but hey-ho!

~*~*~*~*~

i have a confession to make...

i have been lured back to 'face ache'~oh i know, i know (i have a contrite look on my face honest)

but after seeing my lovely friends last week i realised how much i miss them, even across the t'internet so i registered again. but this time not accepting any old random person into my friend list~they are all people i know and have interacted with in person (except for a very , very few special folk)

~*~*~*~

its a wet, chilly and very grey day here in this ancient forest and i am sitting here just thinking...i am having one of those days where i dont know what to do with myself.

earlier i took a nasturtium out of my strawberry basket as it was overcrowding the strawberries and blocking out the light~so its nowin a pot and sitting behind some plants that have stopped flowering to add some extra color.

it seems we have had days of grey skies and i am longing for the sun.

in the last year i seem to have turned from a sun-hater (actually hater is a bit harsh but having the old Irish paleness i burn easily) into a sun lover.

only because the heat helps my fibromyalgia~sitting quietly in the garden the heat soaks into the painful joints and muscles like an all over hot water bottle.

a lot of people with certain chronic conditions say that all kinds of weather factors affect them~you will find a good write up about that here.

i have to say i have been half hartedly monitoring my m.e and fibro and weather certainly does change things.

well i think i will get my crochet out, i am still working on my granny shawl from the lovely alpaca cotton, i took it out yesterday but my fingers felt like sausages so i didnt get very far!

have a good day wherever you are

~here we are~

2011-05-23T17:13:00.000+01:00

we had such a wonderful time this weekend~none of us wanted to come home and are already waiting for our next gathering in august.

our chosen campsite was not far from avebury and when we arrived~we were the first~we had the option of where to camp.

well we chose the paddock that was far enough away from the main site to be in splendid isolation and we had this wonderful view across to what was once a hill fort...

from the Friday morning people started to gather and we were all excited to see the bell tent belonging to sujee and bilbo...

friday evening saw the communal barbecue and much messing around with pitta's...

this is four month old izzy belonging to milani and andy~she adored flynt but he was more interested in stealing her squeaky ball

we had live music thanks to bilbo and chappie...

pretty pagan was decked out in lights~our flag is two long medieval looking pennants...

lunchtime saw us all resting our legs...

on the way home we decided to stop at the neolithic silbury hill...

we had also planned on stopping at the west kennet long barrow but there was not enough room to park pretty pagan. also within minutes it started to pour with rain.

so we have decided to return to the campsite for a couple of nights in the next month or so and return to the long barrow during a week day when it is less busy.

some of us took our dowing rods and other took the opportunity to let their crystals absorb some of the stones energies and of course money was spent in the henge shop.

~*~*~*~*~

we arrived home yesterday and immediately went to check our garden~it had seemed to grow more jungle like than ever...

an elder waiting to be planted~'black lace'

well time for tea~tonight is pizza night and i have bought some blue cheese to add to my margarita

*~ i hope you are all well ~*

~here & gone again~

2011-05-19T10:05:00.000+01:00

well i did it again~days of no blogging.

the days seem to speed by me and i am sure there are fewer hours in the day!

since my last post i managed a walk to a place called setley pond which is about a mile from home. the last time i went there was in the winter and i posted at the time about the bronze age barrow that is close to the pond.

well now it is wearing its spring clothes...

the pond looked wonderful in the sun...

i was just too late to photograph a man driving his horse and cart through the shallow area at this end of the pond where a small bank of shingle sits in the middle.

*~*~*~*~

swampy has been helping me make a staff...

i found a large fallen branch in the forest back in the winter. i had been looking for one suitable to make a staff for ages and the branch this came from was literally laying right in front of me.

i, of course, took it as a sign and we loaded the whole branch in the camper and once home swampy trimmed it to size for me and it was left in the bedroom to dry for about six months.

this month i started to carefully peel the bark off, swampy gave it a gentle sand and then i gave it a coat of finishing oil then two coats of bee's wax.

swampy then wrapped a strong thong around to make a soft grip for my hand and i attached the little pouch and one of my hag stones through the hole swampy had drilled through the stick for this purpose...

~*~*~*~

we are off for a few days today. we spent yesterday slowly packing up 'pretty pagan' and today we head into wiltshire to our 'base' campsite where we are meeting all of our friends from the stonewylde forum.

on saturday we are all going a few miles down the road for a day at avebury.

some of you may remember my post two years ago when some of us had a day out in avebury, which last year developed into a day combined with a few days camping. this has developed into a tradition now and we will be gathering again in august with the launch of kits fourth book 'shadows of stonewylde'

~*~*~*~

here are the great tit chicks that are in one of our bird boxes...

and here is our first crop of radish from our garden...they taste very good!

well i had better get myself organised and finish packing my clothes...i shall catch up with you all when i retur home.

xoxoxoxo

~before & after~

2011-05-10T16:50:00.000+01:00

swampy and i love the first two photos here as it shows how much one part of the garden~and by association the rest of the garden has grown up over a matter of weeks...

yellow black eye susan in the nook...

more black eye susan, this one is planted in the old milk churn...

the young rowan is doing well...from a small twig with a few roots this this in a couple of years is wonderful...

another new foal...

the weather has cooled down somewhat here and we are not having to worry too much about making sure the garden has had enough to drink.

the vegetable garden is looking great and we have harvested a good handful of radish today so guess whats for tea!

~thank you~

2011-05-07T17:32:00.000+01:00

oh my friends, thank you for all of your comments on my last post~again days have passed since i even looked at my laptop.

it feels so good to know that friendships and connections exist across mother earth without the need for invasive social networks!

the weather has continued to be glorious...

however last night thunderstorms rolled in from france and spain, it was too hot to sleep so i lay and listened to the thunder as it rolled over us throughout the night.
as i type the clouds are gathering again for another night of storms.

the part of the forest we often walk flynt has been busy with the animals...

highland cattle have been released after the winter...

new foals appear daily...

crab apple in blossom...

and in our garden...

plants have been added to our fountain...

the rambling rose grows around my nook...

a long promised book...

i was given some money and the bookshop in lymington had a 'three for two' offer so i also bought 'the valley of horses' and 'the mammoth hunters'.
i have to say i am totally enjoying the read.

our vegetables are growing well...

a hot, hazy morning...

our banksia rose looks wonderful...

a gnome child in hiding from the sun...

the hare soaking up the sun...

a bed of sweetcorn, peas, french beans, sorrel and radish...

dragonfly chimes in the nook...

a makeshift sun canopy on the hottest day...

gifts from my sisters recent holiday on the isle of wight...

~is it really so long...?~

2011-04-16T13:21:00.000+01:00

...since my last post here?

well i guess it is and i have lots of reasons why that is so.

i have been spending a lot of time in our garden.

we have had a very unseasonal few weeks with days of sunshine that makes you think of summer. the sun has been so hot i have been having to put on my factor 30 aloe vera suncream just to sit in the garden.

this is not like an english spring at all.

my 'nook' in the garden is now complete with the arrival of two wooden chairs and a table (although we are debating the table may be a bit too large for the area) and a small clay chimenea. we also have a wooden bench in another part of the garden which gets the sun later in the day to give us a different view and under this we store our small cut logs.

the climbing rose and jasmine are slowly climbing their way along the top of my nook and i really hope that by real summer they will provide shade.the spring flowers are slowing returning to the earth, we have one geranium with wonderful purple flowers growing right by my nook and the huge climbing banksia rose is full of tiny buds.

we now also have a small fountain near codys 'bed' and its just bliss to sit there in the peace and listen to the water~often i just sit there with a book or my crochet and end up doing just that~sitting. and listening and looking.

we have blue tits and great tits nesting in our garden and many other birds still coming here to feed. yesterday seemed special for right above our garden six~yes six!~buzzards were circling high above us.

our herbs, fruit and vegetables~peas, corn, radish, carrots, beetroot, tomato, little gem and cut and come again salad, strawberries,blueberries are doing well.

i am hoping that it is not too late to plant red currants in a large pot.

the next small project is to put in a small wildlife pond in the hope we will attract frogs and provide another watering hole for birds.

since cutting our logs has opened up a purpose made hole in the fence and we have removed the puppy proofing which has opened another small gap in the other fence i am hoping we can attract the hedgehogs back to help with slug control (organic gardening here of course!).

******

i have also been feeling quite unwell. the sunshine helps me mentally after such a hard winter.

it feels good to sit in the garden breathing in the good air~we are near no main road so have no traffic pollution. our garden smells of soil and growing things, and the occaisional incense cone!

physically i have not been great with my m.e and fibro being mean...there is no other word, they are mean!

i thought a short walk (plod) with swampy and flynt would make me feel better the other afternoon but i was so exhausted all i could do was sit in the camper and watch them have a walk~how horrid is that?

the previous week i managed a few slow, painful walks and was so glad i did for we found the first foal of spring had been born...

we are now getting excited as the donkeys will soon be ready to bring their babies into the world...these were in the village recently...

...so yes my m.e and fibro have not been joyous recently however

i had an ultra sound with my consultant last week and happily my uterus has now reverted to its normal size...four times smaller than it was in august!

when i first saw him i was unsure about having small plastic beads injected to cut off the blood supply to my uterus but agreed to give it a chance. i am now so glad i did however i am still experiencing odd pelvic pain so i am now waiting for another mri and a return visit to my gynechologist to have it investigated further.

my gp has also now referred me to a pain management clinic, i just need to decide which hospital i wish to go to...we thought maybe bournemouth so we can go into the city after.

******

i have been working on my crochet when my hands and arms have been kind to me and my alpaca cotton shawl is going well.

i have also picked out the yarn for my sisters poncho which i hope to start next week.

well my nook beckons~i shall be round to visit over the next few days, there are so many of you now it takes me sometime to get around!

~i hope you all have a wonderful day~

~kurt cobain~

2011-04-05T16:32:00.001+01:00

seventeen years ago today the world lost kurt cobain

i was lucky enough to have seen nirvana twice and still love them to this day.

~a man never lost to the world~

~such a sky~

2011-03-19T12:57:00.001Z

today is just

glorious

i was up at about 7am and opened the door to a very hard frost and the little yellow tete a tete's looked rather limp and sad.

however a couple of hours later when the sun had cleared the massive cedar that grows behind us the tete a tetes perked up and spring warmth flooded the house and garden.

its a day to leave the back door open and have the windows open~such a perfect day.

swampy is in the garden giving the earth in the beds a little turn and taking out some weeds~i was pleased to hear monty don ... i love monty don so much~such a love of the land and a gentle manner *sigh*...in fact lets have a picture...

as i was saying, in an old episode of gardeners world on allotments he said that gardening is good exercise.

after his physiotherapist told swampy there was nothing to do but 'work through the pain' i guess he might as well have pain doing something he loves~and he adores his garden.

yesterday i spent the evening on my own shawl...drinking chai...

tea for one?

it is growing fast.

this morning i spent a couple of hours on my sisters one.

as i mentioned before its acrylic~eeep!~and i really cannot wait to get it finished.

you know that squeaky chalk on a chalk board things that sets teeth on edge?

that's me with acrylic.

once its done i am going to make her a really good one~probably with the alpaca cotton...yes i admit it i am addicted to it.

i find myself wondering if i should buy lots and keep in store...my little stash of alpaca cotton to ponder and dream over.

i have been planning my poncho project and this of course means pouring over all the yarn over at Rowan

so much gorgeousness to choose from but i am one of those people who need to handle it before i buy it (and don't forget that quick sneaky sniff if no-one is looking!)

*~*~*~*~*

well all that talk of crochet is making me hanker after my hook so think i will drag a deckchair out of the camper and sit and watch swampy before i settle down for rugby~today is super saturday, the last day of the six nations and there are three matches, pretty much back to back (i can get a lot of crochet done in that time!) i shall of course be honouring my irish and welsh heritage (this makes swampy very miffed indeed~in fact he has called me a turncoat for not supporting the english~this made me very cross.despite being born in england to parents who were born in england i feel more irish/welsh in my soul and i see nothing wrong with that) and cheering their teams on.

~i hope you all have days like today~blue sky and sunshine!~

~coconut oil & yarn~

2011-03-18T17:17:00.000Z

well folks the coconut oil treatment worked a treat.

i think the trick is to really give your scalp a good soaking and leave it overnight, but cover your hair!

i have a floral buff that i have had for years~last seen here in my avebury posts from last year keeping my head from getting sunburnt...

so i just wrapped my hair totally at bedtime to protect my pillow.

in the morning i just washed my hair in my usual seaweed shampoo and so far i have been 95% itch free for two days and my hair is super soft.

i have to admit i have been contemplating using home made shampoo, i seem to have an ever increasing concern over the assorted chemicals in products.

we use faith in nature seaweed shampoo and although it doesn't contain SLS or SLES i still wonder if my scalp is sensitive enough to be intolerant of the ALES in their product~its entirely possible.

anyhow i have been on the susun weed forum to see what other people do~i am not sure i am brave enough to go the no-poo route.

do you want to share your haircare with us?

do you have any shampoo recipes or are even no-poo?

if you want to share just drop me an e-mail and i will do a sham/no-poo post in a few days!

~*~*~*~

we have had a few nice days and so i have had to combine not using all my spoons with enjoying a bit of time in the garden.

i shall try to get out tomorrow and take some photos, but we have a few nice splashes of colour. the yellow of the forsythia is fading to be replaced with the bright, almost lime, green leaves~that alone makes me think we are really into spring now.

swampy is convinced we are still due another spell of freezing weather but i think mother nature knows best.

****

we are both excited as next week our raised beds are going in~gone are the days of an almost formal garden, it is now divided into exciting sections.

now we have my 'nook' which hopefully in the next few weeks will be resplendant with wooden seating and a little table~i cannot express how excited i am to have my 'nook'~everyday i look out or stand there imagining sitting in my seat with my crochet or a book, enjoying home made lemonade and looking at our growing things and listening to the birds, we are so lucky to live where there is no passing traffic and are far enough away from a main road.

next come the raised beds, edged on one side by the path~a bench is going under the bedroom window under which is going the small logs we have been collectingfor our fires/outdoor cooking~even boiling a kettle when it is too nice an evening for going indoors!

the pathway will also house a potato growing bag and tomato pots and hanging from the eaves will be baskets with strawberries.

the garden is then divided again with cody's 'bed' and goes up two steps under a wooden arch to a sloped grassy area where a wild life pond is going.

around the edges are beds where we have flowers and herbs.

we have never had a 'forever' home before and so never really had the inspiration to do anything so exciting. although it has taken nearly two years to get to this point (and the bedroom still has not been decorated!) it feels good to know that the main work is nearly done and we can really start to enjoy it.

~*~*~*~

i have been pandering to my crochet obsession these past few days~one day i couldnt even get out of my pyjamas and did little but read~i finally started 'wildwood-a journey through tree's' by roger deakin (who by the way wore boots from green shoes, the folks who made my lovely green boots!) after finishing 'blackberry wine' by joanne harris (another beautiful book)

i first heard 'wildwood' read on radio 4 and fell in instant love with his lyrical writing and so finally recieved my book as a yule gift.

...here i am branching off, i am meant to be showing you this...

do you like it?

my lovely alpaca cotton is being worked into a grannie shawl and as i am working it with a size 7 hook it is growing fast.

as you can see its designed with blocks of 'raindrop' separated with bands of 'rice' and 'salmon'~two more bands of 'rice' today and its back to the 'raindrop'.

i am now debating if i should edge it with scallops of 'rice'...

depending on how much is used i may well make one up to go into my etsy store.

well i have been sitting here too long and feel mentally tired now.

its only just gone 5pm but as you know that is effectively mid-evening for me so its time to get into my comfortable pyjams (not a spelling mistake~read 'pie-jam's'!) and think about dinner.

*~*~*~*

~coconut oil & a sketch~

2011-03-15T16:31:00.000Z

i am sitting here with coconut oil massaged into my scalp and hair.

for some reason my scalp has been sooooooooo itchy and today, despite a rosemary rinse after washing, it was driving me crazy.

so a quick trip to the susun weed forum and all i had to decide was do i use olive oil or coconut oil?

well we have both so i opted for the coconut, some generous massage and getting swampy to check i had got down to the scalp and here i sit...another five minutes and i shall wash it out...

except i now have the dilemma that its my shampoo~faith in nature seaweed~that is giving me the itchies.

i also did me a drawing today~my submission to 'what i wore today' on flickr

i found i really enjoyed sitting there and making a cartoon me...

~*~*~*~

coconut oil washed out...we shall wait and see...

~sunshine & thrifting~

2011-03-12T11:16:00.000Z

it is yet another gorgeous day here in this ancient forest~even stepping outside into the garden the air has lost the chill of previous weeks and the wind that is setting off my chimes hanging from the forsythia is a warm wind.

'our' birds have been here feeding, a dunnock is sitting on the fence singly loudly and a buzzard has been circling high above me.

of course my thoughts are turning to the earthquake and tsunami in japan~and i am trying to remember if my second cousin is still there teaching. she returned home last year but i cannot remember if it were for a holiday and if she returned...

yesterday i was doing some crafting and listening to the radio and listened to this on radio 4~it was difficult to listen to, made worse because i remember it being reported at the time.

but it was a good reminder of the importance of acceptance and tolerance...

it also made me think of how society seems to have changed over the last 20-25 years.

when i was in collage the student body was a fine mish-mash of different groups/subcultures and we existed in harmony~this harmony existed beyond college to the clubs and events we went to.

the events around sophie makes me think how and why could such intolerance and dis-harmony exist and it makes me sad.

~*~*~*~

so onto thrifting...

i have always been a fan of the second...third...maybe fourth hand.

unlike some i have never had a problem with buying clothes or household items that others have worn~after a wash its like new without the crispy newness you often find with new clothes.

i first started to go to local jumble sales when i was still at comprehensive school and my best buy was a harris tweed jacket and a trip into an antique tent at the yearly new forest show gained me a black tailcoat which i wore daily.

i still thrift now~after my operation last year i was very ill and lost a stone in weight and never put it all back on, although i did have some to spare i have to admit!

as a result, all of my clothes, especially skirts and trousers, have become so lose i can put them on and off without unbuttoning them and my new super-strict 'dirt and worms' diet is also making me lose more weight.

so it was time for some serious thrifting!

i have a set routine~i stick with a few particular makes of clothes as i know my size in them, both top and bottom; they are brands that are generally beyond my budget in the 'real world' because then i know they are well made and will last and usually i wont pay over £10 for it...and the lower the price the better!

the only things i wont thrift are shoes~don't ask me why i just wont.

today i am in a combination of thrift and store bought in sales~my green 'kurt' cardigan, bought in a sale, orange and white striped top, a sale find in new york, over a thrifted white broderie anglaise sundress, over sale find blue/grey (one size too large!) linen trousers with striped socks and my 'milano' Birkenstocks...oh and a scarf given me by swampys sister hazel and a hand made necklace of a small vial of white sage.

well now, its too nice a day to sit here~time to go and look around the garden...

~end of the day already?~

2011-03-10T15:05:00.000Z

the view from my desk today is of grey sky and the tree's moving in the wind~its cold and damp and the feelings of joy brought about by the recent sunshine has crept back under an almost wintery blanket.

today i am having trouble settling down to anything productive.

my ma popped in for a cup of tea bringing with her a bunch of daffodils and hot cross buns and dog print pyjamas from my sister.

i washed up, ignoring the aches and pains~i have had a two day headache/stiff neck~by listening to REM's 'out of time'...

and now i sit at my desk, listening to the birds and the wind...there are two little collared doves sitting on the fence~they appear every spring but i never notice when they vanish in the autumn. there is a little siskin eating sunflower hearts, different finches running up and down the fence and a big fat wood pigeon on the roof opposite...and a gang of goldfinches are having a bit of a row over who gets the sunflower hearts now the siskin has gone!

i am lucky because all houses close by are bungalows and so i have nothing but tree's and one roof in my direct view of the sky and tree's. and even the roof is covered in moss and lichen so gives a very organic impression.

my little 'nook' is finished and stained an 'old' looking green and the climbing rose and jasmine have been untangled enough so that it looks like my nook has been there for a long time. the birds love it as extra perches.

since another neighbour, the one who 'encourages' sterility, did our direct neighbours garden last summer and cut down everything to below five foot (our fence is about 6 foot) the birds have had few places to perch so this is almost a new act of rebellion on behalf of the birds!

so its nearly three o'clock and to me the day is nearly over.

i know that must sound cazy but to me and my two little distractions generally late afternoon is the start of the end of my day.

its the time when any aches and pains i started with slowly get worse, or go, only to be replaced with new aches and pains. the act of just being since waking up induces the feeling of exhaustion to the extent all i can think about is getting into my pyjamas and taking up residence on the sofa.

i hate it but have come to the understanding that i just have to go with the flow and hope that tomorrow will be a more productive day...

~at my desk~

2011-03-07T18:15:00.000Z

we have had a jig around here in the little house in the forest

when we first moved in we were excited at having what we saw as a second bedroom...it was small but it was a room we didn't have in our tiny cottage in dorset.

and yes we did have people stay.

then it turned into 'my' room, where i would study.

while waiting for my studies to start again (i have taken an extra few months break until i start up again in october) swampy took over the room and it has now become his 'model' room~where he sits building his huge truck models while listening to his rock music (ac/dc arrghhhh i cannot bare that mans voice).

so now, with my increased crafting and thinking ahead to october 'my' room is now the bedroom.

we have the luxury of a large bedroom which looks out over the back garden.

so, if you can imagine, behind me at the far end of the room is a large black iron bed, my large desk sits against the other end wall under the window that takes up the width of the room, facing, as i mentioned, the garden.

i have been sitting here today working on some ideas i had for little teeny bags to hang on neck cords~wouldn't you know it, i made three before becoming frustrated, cutting out a basic shape, sewing and threading and that was the best one i had made all day!

it is actually very sweet (and swampy my biggest critic loves it so i know its more than okay) and so i will finish it properly tomorrow for myself and it's future followers are destined for *a little eclectic*

i am hoping to pin swampy down (oh er missus) for a bit of a photo shoot tomorrow and fingers crossed my first items will be on etsy later in the day.

tonight i plan to work on some crochet.

i started a shawl for my sister ages ago with some yarn she gave me to make one (unfortunately its acrylic and really puts my teeth on edge) when i first started to crochet and before i knew any better.

as a result i was creating a shawl in totally the wrong stitch and as a result it was taking forever...and ever...plus my increasing looked rather dodgy and i was very unhappy with it.

well i started all over again...with the acrylic~eeep!~ and working on the idea of an ever increasing triangular granny square and its working perfectly. more importantly its growing quickly.

do you know i haven't started work with that gorgeous alpaca cotton?

i keep looking at it and thinking, and thinking some more but finding it really hard to take the plunge and start work with it.at this rate i will still be pondering over it come yule.

well time to whip up a nice salsa to go with my veggie roast!

*have a good evening*

~white, blue & rebellion~

2011-03-07T08:42:00.001Z

i pulled back the kitchen curtains at about 6am this morning and was surprised to find everything covered in a layer of frost, but even better a pale blue sky that hints at another nice day here in this ancient forest.

we have had a few days of nice, but cold weather which is raising the spirits no end i can tell you.

i am hoping today will be the day for a photo shoot for the first of my etsy goods and i have set aside today for creating more goodies.

my 'secret nook' is up already!

i just need to encourage the long strands of climbing jasmine to start their looping journey around it~although i don't think it will need a whole lot of encouragement.

i am now thinking that once the pots have been put back i shall light a small fire in my little iron cauldron and sit in my chair wrapped in a blanket to welcome my nook.

i am thinking i need another green man to decorate it...

~*~*~*~

in the garden the snowdrops and crocus have nearly finished now and our daffodils have started to flower bringing a nice burst of assorted yellow tones, the forsythia is still a glorious burst of yellow and i was pleased to find tiny buds on my oak, birch, hawthorn, beech and rowan.

we were in a small garden center the other day looking at tree's and found a small~well its about 7 foot~snake bark maple that had been reduced in price to under £10.

no other tree had been reduced and i can only think it had been passed by so often that they wanted rid of it the poor thing, so it is now happily sitting in our front garden.

there is a story behind my wish for a tree...and a whole lot more, in the front garden...

the front gardens in our small part of the village are rather...sterile to say the least.

we have two cattle grids that keep out the ponies, cows, donkeys and pigs as the front gardens are all open plan (my mum has two catches on her gate~one of them a special safety catch which means ponies cannot push it open easily). but that is no excuse for sterility...do you know there is nowhere for the birds to perch?

shocking.

when we moved in we were 'encouraged' to keep the sterile atmosphere for assorted reasons...even not to have anything grow up the walls of our house~none of which would stand up in my fictional gardeners court.

well now, if anything was designed to make me rebel is to be told how to have my garden.

but one house just around the corner is one i find so exciting...rebellious you might say and has been frowned upon!

they have bushes and plants everywhere and it gives it a nice feeling of privacy...then you walk around to our end of the cul de sac and its sterile city-central~board expanses of open lawn with flower beds only under the window. woe betide anything that eats into the expanse of lawn.

well no more i say!

we started by erecting an arch over our front door and planting clematis that could grow over the arch and then along under the eaves of the house...no?! how vary dare...

last week we planted two small beech hedge plants in the wall of bare cream brick wall between our kitchen and living room window, these we are going to grow up into a raggle taggle high but narrow hedge...and of course the maple which went in right in the middle of our lawn in front of the living room window...how vary dare...

we have a small acer in a pot which is going to go in the middle of the lawn the other side of the path and...we are going to put a narrow bed either side of the path and grow a lavender hedge...how very, very dare!

and we are going to paint our front door a bright poppy red...

to use the talk of my childhood...'ummm I'm telling...'

solsticedreamer

~through the window~

~tales from the sick bed~

~the dreaded lurgy~

~giving thanks~

~singing but what the heck!~

-Cody-

~singing~

~what sings to you?~

~translate~

~too much~

~rise & root~

~solstice blessings~

~can you feel the solstice?~

~Dr Bronners revisited~

~inspired by blogger~

~winter~

~cold~

~dark & gloomy~

~sigh~

*remembering*

~so long~

~free spirits camp~

~of being sidetracked~

-a day of crafting-

~a post before my travels~

~blessings & sloes~

~across the miles~

~welcome willow!~

~johny gaul~

~change for the turning~

~my feet are home again~

~remember to click my tumblr picture!~

~solstice cafe~

~of sacred sites~

~our home on wheels~

~seeing me~

~a few words~

~the femme & the yoga-grrrl~

~of soft things & yoga~

~camping-flint & flowers~

~tumblr~

~clan mothers~

~pagan skin~

~away with the fairies~

~yesterdays pictures today~

~the finding of heaven~

~of blessings & yarn~

~a few showers~

~alban hefin~

~guess what...~

~here i am~

~a wandering soul~

~song of songs~

~again? so soon?~

~here we are~

~here & gone again~

~before & after~

~thank you~

~is it really so long...?~

~kurt cobain~

~such a sky~

~coconut oil & yarn~

~coconut oil & a sketch~

~sunshine & thrifting~

~end of the day already?~

~at my desk~

~white, blue & rebellion~

remembering