Magical happenings in Edinburgh . . .

The tale of magical happenings in Edinburgh,

where tiny intricate sculptures are

left mysteriously about the city.

Nobody knows who puts them there,

but they are certainly causing a stir.

You can see a film clip about them here.

Waking up to a new year . . .

As the tired old year drew to its last few quiet hours

It was time to remember & to say fond farewells,

to be thankful for the many magical moments we had shared.

 

 Time to reminisce over different paths my feet had wandered, 

here and there and back again!  Paths that led to  . . .

my becoming fully self employed & my very own boss!

To a new wee cottage tucked amongst the Galloway hills.

To discovering so many wonderful & new like minded souls

who taught me how to grow and led me off on new adventures.

To my finding at long last, my quiet space within.

A year filled with many lessons learnt. 

I woke sleepy eyed into 2012, wanting to savour this new beginning,

this year in which i am 50, I never thought I would look forward to that!

But I do and I am. I have planned out my years goals for home, work & play.

I have happily polished up my business plan, until it almost glows!

 Finally I am ready, fingers itching, to tumble back into my studio.

So, I'm here, I'm ready as I will ever be.  Its good morning to you 2012!

I look forward to getting to know you so very much better.

May we become the best of friends. I am hopeful & excited too!

I wonder what magic you will begin to reveal!

Oh, i almost forgot, but however could I!

A very new wee soul came into our lives just before Christmas

a tiny pup who we already adore. Here to meet you, is Poppy!

(Can you imagine my delight when I discovered her 

pedigree kennel name is Lady of Magic! It was meant to be)

Here's to filling each & every day with love & hope & happiness.

*  *  * 

Do you remember my mentioning the Essence of Wild 

 bare foot breathing course I loved? Just in case some of you may be interested

there is a a new course starting very soon,  you can find the details here

Merry Christmas . . .

Merry Christmas to each & every one,

may your days be filled with Precious Things

Time well spent . . .

Moments in time.  Where do they go those seconds, minutes, hours & days?

I lift my eyes & see that they have tiptoed past whilst i was busy elsewhere.

Rainy August slid into September, a richly hued October fell into November

Like old friends, the seasons pass by, say hello and then go on their way again.

I seemed to miss so much, spending hours tired & frustrated, running in circles.

Too much to do, too little time.  Knowing something was missing, but what?

Then in mid September, oh lovely synchronicity . . .(do you ever experience it?)

 . . .  one day, I chanced upon two intriguing e-courses that just called out to me.

Essence of Wild’s “Barefoot breathing” run by Jackie Stewart & Jason Smalley

and the “Relation-ships” course run by the lovely Jackie Walker.

I knew I had to sign up for both, feeling excited & hopeful & nervous

 unsure of what I would unearth, but instinct telling me to give it a try.
I made a decision & took 6 weeks out, to emerse myself in all I found!

 I’m so glad I did, with such inspirational words & guidance, I have learnt so much!  

I slowly unravelled myself, found better understanding, new direction & purpose.

I was taught to re-connect with myself & Mother Nature, for I had forgotten how.

I learnt to build calmness & balance into my days, the very things I saw I had lost.

The courses were such a wonderful gift &  I feel I look at the world with fresh eyes.

I can’t say a big enough thank you to the wonderful folk who guided me on this path!

  After I finished the courses I set out to find ways to keep this new found balance.

Being a Virgo I loved doing this, designing a personalised monthly, weekly & daily planner.

Making slots in my day for the important things; home, family, business, creative & me time.

I sorted & organised & tidied my life, my head, my studio, my computer, our home and us!

 Then I found  Julia Cameron's "The Artists way" & am working through her course now!

I write morning pages (as Julia suggests), loving the flow of words, finding answers & insight. 

 I am learning new habits to ensure I don’t “forget” the lessons I have learnt.

Meditation brings me peace & calm and I am back to yoga, after years away.

I write down my "5 precious things" a day, remembering to be thankful.

Make time for 100 deep breathes in nature, soaking up the beauty of it all.  

I spied a weasel playing under a bramble, a delicate deer in the early morning

 and i woke extra early to watch the pink hues of a sunrise light up the world.

I am now so much more aware of the passing of the season & the days.

 I am looking forward & planning, with lots of new projects in the pipeline.

   An idea that in the future I hope to share, creating ways & means to enable folk 

to find the time to fulfill  “all” the parts of themselves as much as possible.

We are getting ready for long winters evenings snuggling by the fire and Christmas too!

I have a kitchen to finish decorating, mood boards to make for our garden & living room . 

Bulbs to plant, an art doll to start & . . . . oh but time enough to share these things another day.

And there was me thinking i hadn't been up to so very much lol!

Just remember my lovelies,

take time out to slow down & notice the small precious things every once in a while

x x x

Time is a brisk wind,  for each hour it brings something new... 

but who can understand and measure its sharp breath, its mystery and its design?  

~Paracelsus

Folklore, Corrimony Cairn & Munlochy Clootie well

I hunted down treasures whilst away up North

One day I found wondrous snippets of folklore in Inverness museum

top left - a medieval spindle worn to protect against the evil eye,

centre, elf's arrow pendant made from a pre-historic flint, protection against faeries,

folk once believed these were made by faeries who weren't able to use metals.

 

The ladle, used to remove the evil eye would contain a piece of silver, 

a person suffering bad luck would drink from this standing under a bridge. 

The tiny charms, bottom right were sewn into the clothes or the bedding

of children protecting them from the faeries & changeling babes.

these also caught my eye, medieval ring brooches, the Achavrail armlet

and treasure found in 1875 by a lass in a field in Croy.

Another day I crawled down the ancient entrance tunnel into Corrimony Cairn

a chambered tomb or passage grave, built four thousand years ago

I felt its ancientness seep into my very bones as I looked out

at the silent stones standing guard in a circle .  

 

Most moving,  the Munlochy clootie  well, an amazing sight, a myriad of "cloots"  

left by visitors  who have visited this place wishing for healing for a poorly loved one.  

So many wishes! To make a wish you walk sunrise around the well three times, 

splash water from the well onto the ground and say the wish. (Cloot means cloth).

The wells use possibly derives from "the power of water in Celtic tradition"

*      *      * 

I am ever fascinated by these folk who's customs & beliefs I have seen 

who lived in a world filled with wonder & fear and feel even more that

these are the stories I want to keep alive, want to work into my paintings.