Winter Nesting. This last few weeks I’ve felt the need to stay home. Pottering, cleaning, fixing, making. I usually love to be out in the freezing cold, or in the wind and rain, but for some reason the pull to stay indoors is strong. A little routine is developing – feed the birds, de-ice the… Read More Winter Nesting
Snowfall and Firelight. So another week passes by in this endless lockdown. I’m at the point where all time is blurring into one. What day is it? Who knows. But this week at least brought some change in the form of snow – a good few inches here in Yorkshire. Standing at the doorway, watching… Read More Snowfall and Firelight
Endings and Themes. As the days fall shorter and October slips slowly into November, all is gathered and the Celtic year comes to a close. Samhain, Halloween – the culmination of the harvest, and the time for planning and setting foundations for the next year. And so, with evenings darkening and leaves falling, I settle,… Read More Endings and Themes
Ten things I’ve learned about Minimalism. I first wrote about minimalism back in 2011 on a little blogspot blog, back in the day. I journeyed through packing, donating, decluttering, inspired by Leo Babauta and The Minimalists. I bought nothing for 2 years, in 2012 and again in 2015, and wrote about how this impacted my… Read More Ten things I’ve learned about Minimalism
Away from the News. Away from the news, a soft breeze brings a hint of coolness through green leaves. Waves lap up a pebbled shore, constant, rhythmical. A ray of sunlight falls on morning dew. Away from the news, laughter echoes from gardens as people gather in friendship. Young birds learn to fly, and feed,… Read More Away from the News
My small patch of earth. The world is a weird place at the moment. I feel small, and although not hiding away, just like I want to take a step out of it all. I want to fade into the background, and watch, and wait. I pace the length of the garden, with tea and… Read More My small patch of earth
Morning Afternoon Brew, 6.1.2020 It’s actually the afternoon as I sit and sip scalding hot aeropress coffee and munch through a few lebkuchen left over from Christmas. The wind is blustering through bare trees outside, with rain coming in waves – battering the windows then retreating as clouds scud across wild skies. I managed to… Read More Morning Brew, 6.1.2020
This little heap of prickles is Benjamin. He arrived as a present, a tiny, tiny little sphere covered in glassy spikes of rage. Benjamin lived in a tiny little pot, which was fine, as he was a tiny little cactus. He has a long name for such a little prickle. When Benjamin was small he… Read More Meet the cacti part 4: Introducing Benjamin
This is Theodore. He is a tall lil dude, with many prickly fingers. He might be a succulent, but he’s never told me so I don’t like to ask. Theodore came into my life from my mum, who had been given him as a present. He was rather dehydrated, and lived in a very tall… Read More Meet the cacti part 3: Introducing Theodore
The year is drawing to a close ( I like to get ahead and think of the end of October as my starting point. Samhuinn and all that) and instead of resolutions, I’ve been using loose themes for the last few years. This last year I wanted to be more honest with myself and with… Read More Small Changes: A Project