The fullness of Summer

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Once again, the gap since my last blog offering is bigger than I would like. I had planned to send a Summer Solstice post out but several things conspired against its timely dispatch. First, I was troubled by some lower back sciatic pain that slowed me right down in the garden at the height of the busy season and I have avoided sitting down at the computer for too long to give my body a chance to recover. Secondly, my mum came to stay with us in June and I made sure to spend as much time as possible together …

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Soaking up the joy of Nature at Beltane

The daffodils, with the wood anemone and the wild primroses, have carried us from mid to late Spring. Now, at Beltane, the tulips, the bluebells and the cowslips are the stars in our garden and meadows. Something to awaken and delight all our senses.

Everything is greening up and the pace of growth is now much increased. Nature is at its most active and oozes Physis, the life force energy, for us all to see and attuned to. Our newest hens have started laying their beautiful blue eggs. We have planted out the first crops in the potager: peas, broad …

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Open Afternoon at the shepherd's hut

A couple of Sundays ago, we held an Open Shepherd's Hut afternoon with friends and neighbours, as a way to launch our new venture and to show what we have created. It was a lovely gathering, a real celebration of what we have achieved, almost a year to the day since we first set eyes on our shepherd's hut.

It was an almost sunny afternoon (given the cold and wet weather we've been having this August, that was a good thing!) and people came and went as they pleased. Our local Welsh Assembly Member even responded to our invitation and …

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Summer Solstice, celebration of the light

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Today is the Summer Solstice, marking the longest day of the year with maximum hours of daylight as the Sun reaches its peak in its ascending - or waxing – phase. Since the Winter Solstice six months ago, the light has steadily increased throughout two seasons and it reaches culmination point now at Summer Solstice. Now is the time to celebrate the strong energy of the Sun and the long days of Summer that will bring us a bountiful harvest to feed us during the dark, cold and leaner days of Winter.

Mirroring Nature and the Wheel of The Year, …

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A year on...

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I cannot believe I have not written a new blog piece in a couple of months!! Well, actually, I can believe it as it has been a busy Summer here with our son's graduation, our silver wedding anniversary party and having visitors as well as completing various small projects on the smallholding and tending the garden, by now in full growing mode with generous offerings of fruit and vegetables that need harvesting and preserving for later.

At the end of July, we also celebrated our first anniversary of living here. These last 12 months have gone incredibly fast and yet …

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Past and present... old and new

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With the end of October approaching, the wheel of the year draws near Samhain - or All Saints or Halloween - and enters its darkest times between now and Midwinter. Certainly, the weather this week feels more wintery with gusty winds, noticeably less sunlight and dropping temperatures.

It is a time when the house becomes a warm and cosy sanctuary: I have made thick curtains for nearly all the windows and our woodburners are very efficient at keeping us warm. We are preparing the house – and ourselves - for winter! We have taken out the old Esse range cooker …

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