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.

Abriachan Forest & tiny houses . . .

Such a magical place we discovered 

tiny wooden houses tucked amongst the trees

( child sized & perfect) 

 

a loo with a heather covered roof!  

 a rainbow of patterned bird boxes & wooden hangings 

made in the forest school classroom

Gruffalo houses for tiny folk
(I so wanted to crawl in)

 

and my favourite the round house, 

a Celtic bronze age dwelling made from stone, hazel & reeds

(i just had to sit inside & let my imagination fly) 

 

Abriachan Forest Trust

"In 1998 the community purchased 534 hectares of forest and open hill ground from Forest Enterprise.  Since then, as a social enterprise, the Abriachan Forest Trust has managed this land to  create local employment, improve the environment and encourage it's enjoyment by the public through  a network of spectacular paths, family suited mountain bike trails and innovative education  opportunities." 

 A wonderful project with such exciting teaching and learning opportunities for all.

It took me back to remembering. . .
childhood hours playing in the forest near grandma's house
the smell of damp earth, the feel of raindrops through the trees
and the memory of all things foresty x

Into the highlands and a path unseen . . .

Where have we been . . . 

in the hills in a tucked amongst the trees tiny log cabin 

venturing out and exploring the wild & beautiful Scottish highlands  

discovering the sights of Drumnadrochit & Abriachan forest, 

the faerietale places of Glen Affrick and of course Loch Ness.  

 Under incredible skies, both sun tinted and stormy. 

Such feasting for our eyes, so peaceful and unspoilt.

We have walked & talked, been rested & invigorated,

felt ourselves connecting back to nature & things that matter most.

Precious and much needed time out, the why is told below. 

I noticed a recurring item on Facebook recently that intrigued me, folk posting "Depression is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign that you have been trying to be strong for too long.  Put this on your status if you know someone who has or has had depression. . .” as I read more I was moved to see so many eloquent responses on this so misunderstood subject. 

I used to think my "blues" (depression) was a huge sign of weakness, didn’t want a soul to know fearing I would be judged.  I didn’t remember the stresses in my life that had pushed me into that dark place; I should have given myself a pat on the back but no, I though “weak” and fought hard against it, making things so very much worse.  

Many years later, I have slowly learnt to stop fighting, and months can pass when I completely forget my "blueness”.  It still creeps up on me from time to time, I land with a bump and realise I forgot to be on the lookout, hadn't noticed I was pushing myself to hard, the growing lethargy, disconnection, disinterest. 

 I am learning that this “blueness” makes me who I am. When I have a patch of "hyper" it is amazing!  I overflow with inspiration, ideas & energy, my eyes are wide open, I am in a good place, the world shines.

I have learnt that when the bump happens I have to step aside, be quiet, still & small & slowly make my shape again, hence my "time out" such as the post above.  I have learnt to recognise the things that keep me afloat; walking in nature, meditation, my “5 precious things a day”, writing and re-pacing myself.  Remembering & accepting again my own boundaries, ( though this is frustrating at times for a stubborn soul like me) I always emerge finally, blinking into the sunlight , knowing that each step makes me stronger, as I re-assess & start to love life all over again.

In all its shapes & forms, depression is very real (though I have met many who would disagree), it is scary and it can be debilitating. I have written this post for all those out there who recognise this place,  we need to remember we are not alone, not insane, just a little crazy at times.  Hold your head up high and say this is me.

A bit of a serious post this, but a subject very near to my heart.  I see and hear of so many friends & family who have found themselves at some time in this place.  It affects 1 in 4 of us at some time, yet it is still so misunderstood. I am fighting the cause ;-)

ps: Whilst we were away "5 blog" passed its 3rd birthday . . . already!  Wherever does time fly to!  Thank you to all, it has truly been a wonderful, moving, unexpected journey and sharing it with such lovely folks as yourselves makes it even more precious. x x x