Happy Hallowe'en

Expect the Unexpected

I was going to do a Halloween post but thought that would be a bit predictable for me. I decide to take some pictures at dusk. Above is 'my' Linden tree. It looks quite sculptural against the sky with the backdrop of telephone cables!

The plants take on a delicate silhouette against the sky. The sun is about to go down and the sky is momentarily blue.

A pretty little cluster of flowers against its shrubby leaves.

A massive rain cloud comes in from a South Easterly direction towards the West.

Outside my house. Who needs pumpkins and ghouls, witches and bats, cauldrons and spells when a house looks as scary as mine does. I should think the trick or treaters will be staying well away. Now where did I put my broom..........................!

Tree Hugger

I am not a tree hugger but I could easily be. This beautiful Linden tree stands outside my house.It provides privacy between my house and those across the road. I like to watch as it changes throughout the seasons. The leaves were beginning to turn from green to a golden yellow and each day a few more leaves would fall from the tree revealing the sky up through the branches.

Today I felt sad. I woke up to the sound of a chainsaw. The local council had come to give the tree its annual prune. I say 'prune' but they chopped it to within an inch of its life. No leaves remain. It's natural shedding of leaves has stopped abruptly. The tree now stands as an ugly black silhouette devoid of life among its branches.

The birds can no longer use it for refuge. The wood pigeons used to like to hide inside it as did the blue tits and squirrels.

Why oh why do so many people have to interfere with nature? I believe the only reason for pruning it, was so that they don't have so many leaves to sweep up. All our local trees have been pruned. They look so ugly now without the softness of the leaves. The changing leaves that led us gently from one season to the next.

It now looks as though it has become winter overnight. The jagged silhouette of the trees look almost threatening against the bleak grey sky. It is as though the trees are angry at being butchered in this way.

Unless the trees are a danger, I think they should be left alone.

The Moon, Samhain and Looking Back

I missed the full moon this week. I love to see it in full roundness and I look up to it imagining who else is looking up to it at the same time as me.

This is the last week in the Celtic year. It also marks the end of the harvest season. The new year in the Celtic calender begins on November 1st. With this in mind, I looked back to the past year, in particularly the 'harvest' from my garden.

It has been a particularly poor year. I grew many tomato plants from seed but most failed to come to fruition. The apple and plum trees didn't bear any fruit nor did the strawberry plants. My 5 acorn squash plants produced 3 fruits in total.

Plants that did well were my climbing french beans, pear tree and blueberry bushes. I don't know why it was such a bad year. I got the plants off to a good start but I think it was a lack of pollination.

For months I have waited for my Gerbera plants to come into flower. Bizarrely they decided to show their faces at the beginning of the month. Some opened out their petals briefly before curling up and dying but a couple are defying the odds and making a most unseasonal appearance.

I hope next year is a fruitful one for all of us. x

Coming Back

Slowly, very slowly I feel my creativity returning. Back in August a friend suggested that three of us should put together a mini scrapbook of ideas and techniques for card making/scrap booking and other creative projects so that we could inspire each other.

I have had the book for over a month and just used to stare at my blank page with not a clue of what to put onto it. A couple of days ago I had a breakthrough and managed to get something down into the book. It is not perfect. In my eyes whatever I do will never be perfect - but it is a start. Now that I have got that out of the way I feel I can move on to other creative pursuits.

Just to mention the door. I deliberately left off the handle/doorknob. It is a doorway to the imagination and therefore a handle is not necessary!

Pause

I feel the need to pause; hibernate even. My mind is racing and there is so much I want/need to do. I want to paint, draw, embroider, design, cook, write etc etc. Instead I do nothing. Today I had a good stretch of hours in front of me but just felt too tired to attempt anything. I hate it when I feel useless like this.

The doll in the photo above was purchased a few years ago. She is an Earth doll and wears the tigers eye precious stone. The element earth is said to contain the area 'knowledge' concerning deep inner realisations and a good intuition. Maybe my 'intuition' is telling me to pause for now and just reconnect with my surroundings before rushing into new projects.

Contemplating

I am feeling in a quiet mood. I almost feel as though I have lost my voice. Above is a photo of where I like to sit in the evening. Opposite a small bookcase I have a jug of dried lavender which I harvested in the summer. Two large scented jar candles sit either side.

The golden glow warms my heart as I sit contemplating.

Erdigg Apple Scones

I took this recipe from The National Trust calender 2010. Erdigg is a National Trust house and estate in North Wales where this recipe comes from. They are scones made in the traditional way (I use wholemeal self raising flour though) but with the addition of 1lb (450g) dessert apples, half grated, half chopped. Traditionally the scones are eaten with Welsh cheese and I think they would wash down quite well with a glass of cider.

I made them for the first time today and think they work well with the addition of apple. It might be nice to add some cinnamon or nutmeg to the recipe too. The tops are brushed with milk and sprinkled with sugar. If you look closely at the photo above you will see chunks of apple poking through. I may have one or two as a night time snack later this evening!

A Question of Faith?

I am a philosopher. I spend so much time thinking and not nearly enough time doing. I have an inquisitive mind and don't accept things on face value. I have spent many years questioning my religious beliefs and found it difficult to fit in with all the various religious constraints.

Yesterday I had an epiphany! (in the form of a realization and not in the Christian sense of the word). I was seeking out things that interest me through Internet searches and came across a belief system that fitted in with my views and beliefs rather than me having to fit into someone else's.

It felt as though a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I had the best nights sleep I have had in ages.

This is not going to turn into a religious blog as I think that religion can be a great divider and I want this blog to be accessible to people of all faiths and beliefs.

Who knows, next week I may change my views yet again but for now I feel that I have made a breakthrough in understanding a little more about myself and the direction I want my life to go in.

A Different Perspective

Today has been one of those days when I have been torn between things I HAVE to do versus those I WANT to do. Usually the HAVE to do wins. I really need to find a balance between the two.

As the rain eventually ceased today, I took the opportunity to get out into the garden and take some snapshots of the fungi that are popping up all over the lawn. I had completed some of my HAVE to do things and decided to do something I WANTED to do.

The two pictures above were taken from focusing on what I could see.

I then thought; I wonder what would happen if I put the camera under the mushrooms without seeing what I am photographing.

Here are the results.

Much more interesting don't you think?

This brings me back to the title of this post 'a different perspective'. Sometimes looking at things through a different perspective can open up a whole new world or at least let us look at things in a different light.

Feel Good Factors for October

When the weather is miserable and the rain falls relentlessly, the nights are drawing in and summer is just a memory; we need to nurture our body and soul to deal with the onslaught of winter.

Now is the time to make ourselves feel good. It is not a time for diets and deprivation. It is time for nurturing and nourishing.

I hope that the list below provides some ideas and inspiration to help you through this difficult month.

Buy yourself a big, new, soft fluffy towel to envelop yourself after a warming bath or shower.

Make lots of tasty soups using colourful vegetables – be experimental!

Bake bread to warm the kitchen and fill the house with a wonderful aroma.

Stock up on reading material.

Fill a big bowl with pine cones and cinnamon sticks.

Make use of the pumpkins and squash available in the shops now – they seem to disappear after Halloween.

Take up a gentle craft such as embroidery or cross-stitch.

Plant some winter flowering pansies.

Stock up on seed catalogues and plan what to grow next year.

Buy (or knit) yourself a pair of soft comfortable socks to wear around the house.

Get back into the art of letter writing using the finest paper and ink pen.

Treat yourself to an individual cake presented in a box.

Buy or make a new scarf and wrist warmers.

Read inspirational quotes.

Drink a large mug of hot chocolate.

Stock up on store cupboard standbys such as tinned soup when you are not up for cooking or are feeling unwell.

Keep honey in the cupboard and lemons in the fridge for cold/flu emergencies.

Buy a new umbrella.

Light a candle.

Buy a bar of handmade soap infused with essential oils.

Make some cushions in autumn colours.

Make a draught excluder with woollen off cuts.

Focus on all that is good and put negativity on the back burner.

Start writing a gratitude journal.

Smile because YOU are LOVED!

Rest and Rejuvenate

We are hard on ourselves much too often. There are always things to be done. Things to tidy away, projects to be completed, things to be read, things to be mastered, people to see, phone or write to, things to be mended, washed, ironed etc etc. The guilt mounts up if we do not achieve all we set out to do.

Today was another bleak day. It wasn't as dramatic as in the photo above. The sky hung down like dirty white sheets above and the sun didn't get a look in. Uninspired, unmotivated and unable to keep my eyes open as I ploughed through another book to escape the monotony; I did what I should have done days ago.

I put my book aside, turned up the heating and curled up on the sofa under a warm blanket. I drifted in and out of sleep, quietly contented like a happy cat and I just stayed there.

After a considerable amount of time I awoke. I felt focused and rejuvenated and ready to ease myself back into the day.

The autumn season gives us the time to slow down, reflect and regroup. I am not going to be rushing around anytime soon. I am going to take advantage of this slowing down period and approach the festive season in a calm manner and not like the headless chicken that I usually do.

Comforting Scones

When the rain outside is lashing down and my mood is low I turn to baking. These sultana scones took less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish. Recipe from here.

I substituted the flour for wholemeal self-raising and brushed the tops with single cream. Split while they are still warm and spread with butter or clotted cream and jam. Delicious!