October Full Moon

Well the October Full Moon has been full on!

First here is my full moon dream board as encouraged by Jamie Ridler:

So - luxury was the theme, and I have been quite surprised by what I experience as luxury. It turns out I'm not a diamonds and pearls girl at all! Lying on the grass in the sunshine is, a comfortable bed - of course - with a pretty cover and a good book, fabric and textiles, patterns, blue skies, stone circles and honey - this is the stuff that I'm made of. I also had to add in ceramics which are a secret favourite, especially stoneware, writing made it in too, poetry, and straw bales - a strange choice maybe, but I spent many happy days playing amongst them as a child - we used to build houses in the barn from the "square" bales - an early expression of creativity - next stop Grand Designs (for those you in the US / Canada - this is a fab UK tv programme that follows folk building their own (real!) houses). I also love the luxury of spiritual unfurling, symbolised by the unfurling fern.

That brings me neatly onto my next full on experience - two days of workshop with Australian Bush Essence hero Ian White - here's the link to the site ABFE booked through Universal Essences. This was a mind blowing introduction to the Light Frequency Essences - for those of you who don't know about them, they're a kind of step on from flower remedies - maybe you've come across FES or know the Bach Flower Remedies. Where as Bach, FES, and the Australian Bush Flower Essences mostly deal with the emotional level, these essences work on the global / higher self - some of them are big essences -  but don't let that put you off - sometimes the world needs big leaps. The essences help you connect with the lands they were made in, and also allow huge shifts in your own spiritual direction. The last couple of days (illuminated by the beautiful full moon) have taken me energetically from Antarctica to China, to Madagascar to Mount Pinatuba. Tears have lead to new certainties, new directions, new frequencies  - I can't wait to see where they will lead!

September Full Moon Dreamboard

So over the summer I did Circe's Circle with Jamie Ridler. The work of that circle is still permeating through my soul, and this is first attempt at a Full Moon Dreamboard. The challenge is "what would you like to build, tend, grow?" and this is the board I have created!

So the things I know about on the page are:
o - real things to grow, like vegetables! and a healthy approach to eating is in there too - I'd definitely like to grow that!!!
o - flowers and beauty
o - relaxation and happiness  isn't it great that all the women are smiling!
o - artistic skills - writing art and crafts and photography of course
o - reading more to nourish my soul!
o - launching into the things I love - that photo of the girl ready to dive is fantastic isn't it!
o - home and nesting
o - healing and meditation
o - and love :o)

I am a healer
I am an artist
I am a writer

Can't wait to see what else emerges!

Tonbridge Kite Festival

The first Sunday in June, and sure enough the kite festival could be found on Tonbridge Sports Ground - as run by my husband Andy with lots of help from all our friends and family.

As the misty morning cleared, the wind gradually increased, until there was enough to get some really beautiful kites in the sky.

This one is hand made by a flyer from Chatham - very pretty!

Andy & our friend Henry set themselves a target of getting 100 kites in the air on one string and here is the result!

It looked fantastic flying, and kept twisting about as if to show off its beauty - and there really were 100 kites on the string!

There were lots of other kites too:

and some support from All Good Fun and Wacky Faces, who kindly turned Andy into The Thing!

At 3pm the heavens opened, and everyone hurtled for cover. We gathered very soggily under a gazebo but there was no going on.

Since then the house has been full of drying kites and you can barely cross the living room! Still - we had a great day - really successful with some fantastic kites. Let's hope next year is even better!

River days

It's the long weekend, and the weather has been - well changeable, with some lovely sunshine. Planted a few more veg on Sunday morning (more photos soon) although the slugs have feasted on my lupins again - really I am never going to see them bloom! Before I progress to the main excitement of the weekend, a couple of cool discoveries: a Canadian who sends out great posts to remind you to love life, be creative etc - here's the link Jamie Ridler Studios and an interesting artist I've found through Jamie's website - Leah Piken Kilidas especially Key to Winter (I love the winter so this one really speaks to me!) and Lantern - sometimes life feels just like this!

Anyway, the main excitement has been CANOEING!!!!! Andy has had to sell his glider, so we went straight to the canoe shop after waving the glider goodbye! Kent Canoes have been really fantastic - at the moment we're borrowing a Easky 15 kayak, and a Wenonah Argosy solo canadian canoe. This apparent unmatched pair has come about because Andy likes to paddle kayaks with a double ended paddle (below) and I love the slow pace of a single paddle and the open canadian (photos of that one soon!).

 Andy's finding his water balance

It has been heaven to be paddling along the watery ways of the Medway. Your pace of life just calms right down. Today we saw a grey heron just 1.5m away, which took off as we drew level - my favourite bird.

The Easky paddles well, but needs a bit of ballast to stabilise it. You use your knees to help turn, but I couldn't get the hang of that at all. Still Andy's happy, so I think this one will be for him - in orange of course!

The Argosy paddles as smooth as coffee through the flat water, but it is quite tippy -  and I can't help feeling on faster water I would end up out of the boat a bit too frequently! It's fine as long as you stay central and nothing happens too quickly - but I can't see that being the case beyond our sedate stretch of the Medway. Also, the ol' ankle wound is a bit uncomfy being knelt on (which is best for boat stability). Still it paddles like a dream and that's quite a strong temptation .... so watch this space for an update. Anyway, here's a quick pic of my attempts to paddle Andy's kayak, and one of the cat too (who may be coping better!) More pics soon. x A

Bluebells, poems & fire

Brief entry today: The utter blue of bluebell woods is upon us, a magical fairy world of sunlight and improbable colour. Seduced by the light, I am draw into the depths of the wood, where the carpet is both continuous under the tree dapple, and fragmented into a thousand individual flowers.

 Bluebell blue, up close

Beyond the woods, on Sunday evening, a vacant building burnt into the sky. 2am shouting, water, a mist of rain, and smoke billowing out over the far houses.

And to finish the up & down poem from Caught by the River: Caught by the River on Amazon  

Loving London

This week a slightly unusual way to spend the election day afternoon - strolling through the streets of London. Unfortunately aside from the reporters outside 10 Downing Street, little was seen to prove the significance of the day.

 

10 Downing Street, election day 2010

 

Our walk started at the Photographers Gallery which has moved to Ramillies Street. Here's the link: Photographers Gallery in London. Most exciting of all was the new polaroid film which is available from the Gallery - "First Flush" is allegedly very temperamental sepia-toned film. Can't wait to start trying it out! Very expensive though :o( There are some experiments already available to view on flickr: Impossible Project Polarid Results on Flickr. 

In Carnaby Street the music festival offered bands in shops, bands in the street and some union jack fashion.

 

From there we ambled down through Golden Square and Piccadilly to St James's Park, where the squirrels were having a field day:

 

before continuing down Westminster, and round to Charing Cross.  Finally I headed home to cast my own vote!

Rainy Bank Holiday Weekend

True to form it has rained most of the weekend! However, fun was still to be had amongst the showers. First up a trip to Sarah Raven's Perch Hill. Everything is a bit slow here due to the extra cold winter and cool spring, but that hasn't stopped the tulips coming up for air. There'll be more from Perch Hill later in the year, as Sarah Raven has a real eye for colour combinations! Here's the link: Sarah Raven's Perch Hill

After that we moved on to Pashley Manor, where between downpours there were some more gorgeous tulips! Pashley Manor

View from the greenhouse, sheltering from the rain!

Anyway, signing off. More soon!

Gardening Sunday

Quiet today - just working on my garden. Here's a quick picture - more to come as my garden grows!

PS - don't miss last Sunday's post - Scottish Sunday, which I only managed to post today!

Scottish Sunday

Change of scene last weekend - off to Scotland (in spite of volcanic ash, and after 4 trains, umpteen seat changes etc etc) for my dad's birthday.

The weather was, well, mixed! Some snow still loitering on the hills to the north of Crieff, and we had some more later in the week.

We climbed over the hills towards Loch Tay, the weather shifting all the time. A few minutes later there was bright sunshine!

There's a sort of deep quiet in the hills which is really beautiful - especially in the flight free world. On Loch Tay we aimed for the reconstructed crannog - an ancient dwelling from c. 500BC. The experimental archaeologists built this one, they even found a boat in the silt below which was 3,500 years old. Anyway, it was pretty drafty in there, so I reckon they had much better insulation in those days! It is big inside, probably 12 m across. You could fit animals in as well as the family. There was a central fireplace set on clay so you didn't burn your own house down. We doned blankets so we could feel like prehistoric people, and the guide explained how those people would have lived.

Archaeologists have found the remains of 14 other sites on this loch alone. Here's the link, if you want to know more: The Scottish Crannog Centre. Travelling home (again by train) it became greener the further south we went. The east coast line is really beautiful and runs along the coast for long stretches, and passes both Durham Cathedral and the York Minster, and of course, Anthony Gormley's huge sculpture The Angel of the North - you can't tell it's 20m high from the train though.

Ok that's it for now. Will post today's soon!

Perfect Day

Lovely Sundays - aren't they great! This weekend the perfect afternoon - a visit to Charleston Farmhouse followed by the best crystal shop in the south east!

Handpainted walls and pottery lampshades

Well Charleston was once home to the Bloomsbury set - ie Virginia Woolf's artist sister, her husband, her lover, her various friends ... some of whom became movers & shakers of their time.

Anyway - they painted everything - I mean everything! The furniture, the lamps, the walls, the side of the bath! It's so fantastic you can't help but go home and start painting your own house!

You can't take photos in the house except by appointment (I might have to try that one day!) so these are some postcards I bought in the shop.

The old place is tucked under the South Downs - chalky uplands that run along the south coast of England.

The road to Charleston.

It's really beautiful countryside - although it was a bit breezy on Sunday. Next stop - Litlington:

Litlington Crystal Store, Sussex

This tiny shop has some of the best crystals, all carefully selected. It makes you feel better just to be in there the vibes are so strong. There's always a range of interesting folk searching the shelves - and the crystals they need just sing out to them.

Amethyst Cluster