Back with BITE!

I know I haven't been here for a while but I have SO much news! Lots of things have been happening.

I decided to change my life. I don't want to just be alive I want to LIVE my life! therefore I have applied to college to do the RHS2 course (one day a week). I am currently waiting for an interview to be arranged with the course tutor! Wow - how exciting is that! I could be going back to school! I'm really looking forward to it too!

Also, I have taken up running. I know, my bad knee! Well, considering that my knee is that of a 70 year old and I'm only 34 years old, the NHS won't operate, I decided I'm not going to spend the rest of my life hobbling around and dreaming of all the things I wanted to do and one day realise I'm just plain to old to do them once they do a knee replacement! So I thought bugger it! I used to like running and I was quite good at it (even if I do say so myself! lol). I know I'm fat and unfit and that part of the reason I have a buggered reason is due to my weight and weak leg muscles, so exercise, sensible eating and losing weight is going to be a good thing!

I have looked into this properly and am following a beginners running plan. It's a walk to run plan and is really the best way to start if you're unfit or a bit wobbly round the edges like myself! lol.

I am also still doing regular walking and am getting back into weekly swimming and when I can fit it in I shall cycle.

I have made a note of my starting weight and measurements and am looking forward to some serious weight loss and body toning happening!

In order not to make this blog boring for those of you who do not run or who aren't needing to shed a bit off the wobbly edges, I have decided to make a blog especially for my venture into becoming a Fittie - as opposed to a Fattie. You can find it here: http://fattie2fittie.blogspot.com/

I shall be posting my weekly plan of how to train and making regular notes on my weight loss. It's going to be so embarrassing but hey ho - I'm doing something about it and I know for a fact that many 'fit' people actually admire those of us who are making the effort to change our bodies for the better.

If my knee completely buggers up then the NHS WILL have to do a replacement - then I could get on with living the rest of my life!

Running gives you such a buzz and you feel a real achievement when you take baby steps and follow a training plan with achievable goals. I feel a much happier person since I started running and the change in just one week is amazing. It's surprising how quickly your body adapts and you find yourself more able to run comfortably.

The biggest piece of advice I could give is not to worry about your speed. If you only shuffle along it's a big step - a big improvement and in time you'll soon be running with more gusto. But you have to start somewhere. So chill, don't worry about speed. Find a pace that's comfortable and stick to it. They say that your speed should be slow enough so that you can hold a conversation - if you can't - you're going too fast!

So, apologies for waffling on about my fitness plan but if you want to read more about it - then skip over to that blog - you can also find the link on the right hand side here in the "Where to find me" section.

Oh, I'm off to Kew Gardens on Monday. I can't wait, it's going ot be an adventure!

Take care all and apologies for not being around much lately. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A torrent of activity down on the plot

We have been so busy this past week. We spent about 5 hours on the allotment last Sunday. My O.H decided to paint the shed. We're doing it a much darker colour and I have to admit we haven't finished it yet - we've got about halfway through coat 1. I think it's going to need at least 2 coats!
On Bed 2 (below) I planted Red Cauliflower plants. The red ones (Graffiti) I think are best as the curds don't get affected by sunlight and therefore you don't need to bend the leaves over the curd to protect it! I also planted Lollo Rosso Lettuce and Iceberg Lettuce.

Don't worry - this little spud below wasn't one I was sprouting! I actually discovered him sitting in the bottom of my spud sack when I pulled out potatoes for Sunday roast yesterday! I couldn't resist taking a pic. He looks quite cute and VERY animal like! lol I guess I should be ashamed that I let a potato get to that stage in my spud sack though!
I have some Broad beans left over from the allotment so decided to plant some in a container at home!
This is a white currant bush. It was on offer at a big nursery - reduced to £2.99! I couldn't resist the bargain! Of course, I've had to re-draw my allotment plan as I hadn't take into account for this wee chappie! lol

As I mentioned, I have extra broad beans. I managed to fit them all into the bed where they were to go but some were left over and I hate to throw anything anyway and I had already given a handful of plants away to my neighbour! So.... I decided to put them in the little area reserved for overflow plants and radish (short term growing plants). There were 5 plants (the bigger ones on the right of the picture below) and the other smaller plants to the left are Borage!

I've also planted my first early spuds. 10 of the little guys! I have yet to plant my Pink Fir Apple spuds at home in compost bags - shall try and do that this weekend!

Couldn't resist showing off one of my Mothers Day presents that my son brought me. It was this lovely little cauldron. Came from a charity shop at only 50p! It's totally sweet!

The compost bin overhaul!

For quite some time (since last year) I have been aware I have a serious ant problem in my compost bin!
I am adding everything as I should and it was rotting down perfectly - only, I had ants! Red ants at that!
Well, looking into the lower section of the bin it did seem a bit dry. I have been worrying that putting grass cuttings in will turn it into a black sludge, that I have been adding plenty of paper and may have inadvertently dried it out a bit too much - hence the ants arrival!
So, the plan was to empty the composter and mix it all up and put it all back in with my newly acquired 'compost maker'. Oh and to give it a 'watering' if it needed it too!

I emptied the whole thing and laid it all out on a tarpaulin! Ant nests - very easy to find and put in a bin bag and in the bin!

This is the 'compost maker' I got. VERY cheap and you just add a handful with every new level of compost you put in! I made sure to add plenty! lol

Saucy was busy on snail patrol duty under the tarpaulin! I found SOOOO many snails hiding away in the tarpaulin - which had been covering something on the patio! Ewww! So, all the little blighters were also popped in the bin bag and are hopefully living up the rich life at the dump now!

The compost put back in and mixed in well, didn't look too bad and wasn't too dry actually - it only appeared that one layer had dried out.

I have also been busy planting things and have left over broad bean plants from the allotment - so have planted them at home in a pot with support! I still have another 5 plants to put somewhere though! I can't put them in the border bed as all the local cats like to poop in it. Not enough room in raised bed either! I might have to just find some more pots and grow them in those!

The shed move!

I did have 2 allotment plots but recently decided to let one go as my osteoarthritis is being a problem lately and to be honest, I'd struggle to find time to give 2 plots justice!

So, before I gave the plot back I decided to move the shed........ this is how it happened.....

Below, the shed is sitting in it's spot on Plot 2. After cleaning in out we managed to slide 4 round posts underneath with the intention on rolling it forward and then taking out the post at the back and bring it forward, rolling it forward again and then taking the next post out the back, taking it to the front. A primitive way of moving it but just see how easy it was!

Below: Within minutes (literally!) the old shed was off down the middle of the plot...

This pic was funny, my OH wasn't praying for divine intervention to help us (honest!) lol

Below: now we're coming up to the last corner to turn her into her final sitting position on my plot. It was easy to manoeuvre the shed around on the posts.

Below: Here she sits - in her final place, with water butt attached! I had paving slabs to fit underneath and admit I didn't have them 100% level. I did align them the best I could but it wasn't perfect. However, the shed is stable and secure!

We inserted 2 square posts on the far side into the ground beside the shed and screwed and nailed them into shed to help stop her going fly abouts if the wind gets up! lol

End of an era

Well, the MOT was due on my car today and instead of paying £55 for an MOT and then a fortune on top to get it through (it needed some work!) and then to pay £330 afterwards to have some electronic box fixed to settle the idle speed, I instead chose to sell her!
I know, I am shocked, gutted and upset that I've gone and done it!
The car has emotional meaning to me. When my marriage broke up and I was left with nothing - no car, no home etc, my parents took me in and my dad gave me his car. So this car has been in our family for years. I've had her for 4 of those years. My son and I went on our first ever mini holiday (to Wales for 3 days) in 2006 with her and even though she came back broken, she got us home and the part was replaced asap.
She wasn't' a bad car at all, all electronic, sunroof, windows, wing mirrors etc. She didn't look too bad either.
But she did decide to test me financially since the day I had her! My dad had never had her fail an MOT in the time he had her - but she failed every one I put her through! It wasn't that I didn't look after her either!
I have spent over £2000 on various parts and I decided that it is time to call it a day. I am not rolling in money and I can barely afford the tax and insurance etc, let alone petrol now that prices keep fluctuating.
I would have liked more than I got for her but considering she didn't have an MOT and was a 1996 I guess I could consider myself lucky that I got £100 for her!
It's just the emotional attachment felt like it was worth more than £100.
Anyway, as silly as this may sound, I hope someone buys her off the dealer and can pay to fix her up and that I do indeed 'see her around' in the future.
For now, I am car-less! I have no idea how I'll cope, I can't afford to buy a car at present but there is a family plan coming together to try and help me out a bit.
Love my family - they are always there and help out when they can.
Miss my car - has been nice owning you and you were the start of the new phase of my life.
Blessed Be my Megane!

Petit Pois

I have been hunting high and low locally to try and find Petit Pois peas so that I can sow and grow on the allotment.

I like peas but only Petit Pois! lol. Call me fussy or faddy but I just prefer the taste and sweetness of these little beauties!

After searching all local garden centres I finally found some: PeaWee 65 (Suttons)

As an emergency (before I found my Petit Pois) I brought some Duchy Originals Cavalier Pea.

I shall plant these as well. We'll be eating plenty of pea soup then! lol

Home made raised bed & seed sowing

I have been a busy beaver this weekend. I finally got round to building my raised bed from the wood that I got from my dad.

However, i decided that one level wasn't going to be deep enough - so I trundled off down the local sawmill and got some more wood (and a new saw - because the old one was seriously blunt and it took about 3 hours to saw the original pieces down! lol).

I used some supporting wood at each corner and left it high at the top so that I can attach netting or chicken wire (I chose the latter).

The wire is to mainly stop cats from jumping to the bed and pooing on it.

I shall use a liner inside the bed to help prevent the wood from rotting. I have got some old industrial sized polythene bags which I've cut up to make the liner and I have put holes in the bottom of them to allow for drainage.

I am planning on filling the bed with brought compost and mixed in with my own homemade compost.

The bed isn't massive but will be big enough for my needs. I am planning on growing salad leaves, radish and a few other bits and bobs.

I also have an announcement to make on the allotment plot front too: I have decided to give up my second plot. The latest one I acquired because my joints really aren't good lately.

My Osteoarthritis is definitely getting worse!

However, before I give the plot up I have one final mission - I have to move the 6ft x 4ft shed off it onto my main plot! I have no idea how I'm going to do this. As far as I can see - the shed has been put together with nails - not screwed - so it's not going to be a simple case of dismantling it.

I think it's going to be too heavy to move without taking it apart though!

So.... I've had to redraw my plot plans and change what's going where. It's going to be a tight fit but hopefully I'll still be able to get everything on the plot.

At home I've started more seeds. On the living room windowsill. Here in these pots (starting from the far left) are Rosemary seeds, Basil (Organic standard) and Basil (Thai).

In the Green Shed I am still waiting for my Broad Beans to make an appearance and also the Sweet Pea. There is Borage and red Cabbage.
Today I planted some Tomato seeds (4 different varieties) and also Black Beauty Aubergine.

These ones will go in the bay window in the bedroom to start them off.

Ostara

OSTARA

Also called Spring Equinox, Oestara, Lady Day, Rite of Spring, Tree Festival, Light of the Earth, Eostre's Day, Celtic Bird Festival, and Vernal Equinox.
Ostara is one of the eight major sabbats of the Wiccan/Neopagan Wheel of the Year.

It is celebrated on the Spring Equinox, in the northern hemisphere around March 21 and in the southern hemisphere around September 23, depending on the Spring Equinox.

One of the Lesser Sabbats. Ostara is the first true day of Spring, the day that paves the way for the coming lushness of Summer. Ostara is a time for the celebration of fertility and balance, a time when all elements within and without us are brought into harmony. It is a celebration of the fertile Mother Goddess, the time of new life and rebirth, as well as the end of Winter.
Originally Easter eggs were painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring. The egg and the rabbit/hare are symbolic of fertility and the Goddess Eostre. Wearing green represents the coming lushness of spring. Ostara was thought to be the only day when death has no power over the living. The symbol drawn on hot-cross buns, the sign of a cross within a circle, to an astrologer (whose science is far older than Christianity), represents the planet Earth. This symbol also links with the four directions, the four elements, the four seasons and so on, making it a magickal talisman.

Activities:
Dying and painting eggs, eggs hunts, flower gathering, watching the sunrise, blessing the garden, divination, making hot cross buns, picnicking, making a new besom or staff, planting seeds, wearing green, and bird watching.

Decorations:
Colored eggs, pussy willows, baskets, ribbons, hares/rabbits, spring flowers, butterflies, four-leafed clovers, and budding twigs.

Natural Ostara Eggs:
Cover your plant material (see list below) with about 3 inches of water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the color looks good. You'll probably have to let the eggs sit in the dye overnight, so if you're planning more than one colour per egg, start this a few days before Ostara.

Yellows - daffodil petals, saffron, onion skins
Blues - blueberries, grape juice, red cabbage leaves and vinegar
Greens - broccoli, colts foot, carrot tops
Pinks – strawberries, beets, cranberries
Browns - walnut shells, tea, coffee
Red/Purple - Blackberries, red onion skins, violet blossoms .

Special Refreshments:
Chocolate, honey cakes, fish, ham, anything with eggs, fresh fruits such as strawberries, cheese, hot cross buns, and green leafy vegetables.

Information found at: http://www.paganwiki.org

Ostara
by Aurora

Winter's barrenness has subsided,

From the death of Winter

Springs new life!

Spring is coming to the land.

The days grow longer,

Warm breezes begin to stir,

All around us we see signs

~~~

The growing things are beginning anew.

It is a resurrection of the dance of life.

The dance of the stems and stalks

As they push forth from the Earth.

It is the season of creation.

Growth has turned outward,

The land has become fertile again.

The Earth is caressed by

The loving touch of the Mother.

Where her hand passes:

Atoms twine together to create growth.

Buds burst open,

Leaves and vines unfurl.

She creates a vision of green beauty.

Beauty so breath-taking after

The dark solitude of Winter.

It is this vision that we celebrate

On her day of Ostara

The world recreating itself

~~~

Returning from the death of Winter,

Into the new life of Spring

Through the love of the Goddess.

Recent buys!

Right, recently I sold a web cam on EBay that wouldn't work with my current computer (the computer appears to be running something Windows95 - even though it's actually XP and therefore web cam didn't want to know!) and so with my EBay money I decided to buy a rear carrier box for my bike! It's waterproof and lockable! Excellent for keeping my hat in too when I'm shopping and walking round the shops! The box is 17 Ltr in size and is grey to match my bike. I'm so chuffed I can't wait for the postie to bring it, to be able to fit it and try it out!

Also, at the weekend my S.O decided to fund a new under counter freezer and I can pay him back bit by bit.

I actually need a freezer for a couple of really good reasons. Firstly, my normal fridge freezer has gone wrong (despite being just over a year old!) and it isn't freezing food very well. I can't afford to replace it yet. I also need an additional freezer so that I can take advantage of B.O.G.O.F (Buy One Get One Free) offers in the shops and thus saving money in the long run. Also, I know I shall have plenty of fruit and veg off the allotment this year and I'm planning on storing it to see me through the winter.

I looked at cheaper models but they weren't worth it because they were so small. I needed something substantial that could take plenty of veg. I have a BIG gap under my work surface so I can fit larger appliances. I thought if I'm going to buy something then I need to get the biggest I can as it would work out more economical in the long run and certainly worth it's price.

So I chose a Hotpoint under counter upright freezer that is 3.6 cu ft big.

It matches in with the kitchen colour scheme and the Hotpoint washing machine next to it.

As you can see...................

I always wanted extra freezer space anyway, but moving into my own home for the first time, I didn't have much money to go out and buy everything I wanted in one shot so I'm buying as I go along. Next will be a new cooker. Mine currently takes about 4 hours to cook a baked potato! It's therefore not good for the environment and not good for my finances! It only seems to partially cook food! I have struggled on with it for a year or so. I expect it will take me quite some time to save up for one and estimate that maybe I might just be able to buy one in time for Yule 2009 or maybe just after (to take advantage of the January sales!). I have to save up for a new fridge freezer first and I'm going to redecorate my home first. I have been here 1.5 year and haven't put my touch on it yet - so this year that's just what I'm going to do! lol

I might seem to be buying quite a bit at the moment but they are all basic things that I need and most folks have already. I've just taken my time in getting them.

I am also NOT planning on buying a tumble dryer because I have learnt they cost a lot to run and I don't have room for one now and anyway........ I'm quite happy hanging my clothes up indoors or out.

An Announcement!

Oh wow! I am just the happiest at the moment! My boyfriend and I are officially engaged!

Yesterday we went to pick the ring and the picture above is the actual ring I chose.

Only thing is - they didn't have my size in stock so it's had to be ordered - talk about making me wait! lol

We haven't made any plans for a wedding or when because we're taking it one step at a time - although I do think the Olympic year 2012 would be good as he is sporty and the UK is hosting the event so it's going to be a special year. It would also give us time to sort things out and hopefully the UK will be in a better financial situation and jobs will be back to normal.

But for now - I am one happy woman and am engaged to a really gorgeous fella!

Starting chitting & my cycle helmet!

Well, my seed potatoes have been sitting in the bay window for a couple of weeks now. They're slow to chit - my spuds in he kitchen chit quicker! lol
I have got 4 varieties altogether. I have First Early "Pentland Javelin", Second Early "Charlotte", Main crop "Arran Victory". I chose the latter because it has good blight resistance and last year everyone on the allotment lost loads of spuds due to dreaded blight. I also got "Pink Fir Apple" - they are an amusing shape and apparently have a nutty flavour, can be cooked in their skins and are basically just a fun experiment for me.
I only brought sampler packs - so I have 10 each of the first 3 above and 5 of the Pink Fir Apple.
It is my first time growing spuds so it will be interesting. I've read up loads and am just going to go with what I feel to be right too. I come from a farming heritage so I am sure I have it somewhere deep inside of me! lol
I have made another purchase today - a cycle helmet! I pondered to buy second hand but you can never be 100% sure about the helmets history and seeing as it is a life saver I wanted to get something decent, something I could trust and something I could try on!

This is what I brought! It's a Bell Avanti and looks smart! It cost way more than I was expecting to pay but I wanted something with lots of vents and a variable fit - as I often have trouble fitting hats because of the different hairstyles I wear - I mean, it's tricky to get a hat to fit when you've got plaits running down either side of your head, whereas the hat would fit if I had a low pony tail! This hat has some dial adjusting thingy which allows for a head size between 54 - 61cm!!! Excellent! It's so comfy, lightweight and won't leave an annoying red mark on my forehead!

I haven't owned a cycle helmet before! I used to use my old horse riding hat previously but I knew I should buy a proper helmet.

When I was about 13 I fell off my pushbike on the way home from tending my pony. The front wheel of my bike slipped into the edge of the road where it drops off into the grass verge. The edging of the road wasn't actually done properly so it was the councils fault really. Anyway, The front wheel stopped dead and I catapulted over the handlebars. It was a girls racer bike and the gear shift was on the handle bar which cut into my thigh and then bam! My forehead hit the tarmac! Man, that hurt!!!! I had nasty concussion and was ill for days. I am left with a nice dent in my forehead and a scar now! I admit I haven't used a helmet very much as an adult - since returning to the village and getting my bike but I haven't been able to afford one! I know I should take care where health is concerned but when you're scraping by every week it's impossible to buy something like a helmet!

Well, I have been saving for a freezer to stock my excess allotment veggies in and I treated myself to a helmet and some proper gloves (I always get sores on my hands from cycling!). I know it'll just mean I have to save a bit longer for my freezer, but I will be using the bike before the freezer so I figured my safety is more important.

I know many people don't like wearing helmets because they think they look silly and uncool and they make your head sweat!

But once my car fails the MOT in March I'll HAVE to use my bike more, I want to be safe too and have vivid memories of that cycle crash years ago!

Sulphite Sensitivity

Since Yule 2008 I have been experiencing a strange phenomenon; about 15 - 30 minutes after eating a meal or drinking wine I have started to feel ill with the shivers, feeling faint, nausea and having an asthma attack.

It had become quite a regular thing too so I decided to mention it to my doctor recently.

I already know I have IBS but my doctor said it sounded like I have Sulphite Sensitivity.

Sulphites occur during fermentation but are also added to foods and drinks to help preserve them.

I have found a couple of good sites that give clear explanations and also list the Sulphite 'E' numbers to avoid: http://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_miscellaneous/sulphites/articles/sulphites.html

http://www.sulphite.ca/

If you have any other allergies another great website is:

http://www.sulphite.ca/

So now I'm on a mission to find foods and drinks that either don't have sulphites or that have a low level which do not make me ill.

It's all going to be trial and error I guess.

But my first step is to give up wine. I love wine (white) but I won't be able to drink even one small glass unless it's Sulphite free. I have discovered I can drink some other alcohol (certain brands of lager/bitter etc), but I will just be careful to drink in strict moderation now.

It's hard to know which foods contain sulphites as they aren't always marked on the labels.

I am going to try buying much more organic food (expensive but I have no choice) and of course, I shall be growing my own veg this year so it will of course be organic and I wouldn't grow it any other way!

It's going to be tricky to try and live frugally and sulphite free but I'm up for the challenge.

I've heard that 1 in 100 people have a Sulphite Sensitivity and out of those affected, alot are asthmatics! I have asthma and attacks are brought on by this Sulphite Intolerance for me. There is no doubt about that!

I hope to post a bit every now and then about what I'm finding triggers or doesn't trigger a reaction.

I think we'd all be healthier anyway if we reduced the amount of addictives we consume anyway.

Financial crisis

I have to admit I have been struggling lately. The last part of 2008 seemed a very negative time for me: doubting my path and having to let go of certain things so that I could just focus on individual things. I had not only lost my way with Witchcraft but also my Frugal lifestyle. It was starting to feel a chore and just a mere way to survive.


I know there is a major financial crisis now and everybody is struggling but to be honest, they are just experiencing now what i have been experiencing for many years. Living frugally was not a choice I made, it was a way of coping with what I have and finding ways to be able to afford to feed us and heat our home, ways to cut back on money, to save every penny, to deny myself of lovely items and clothing that others brought themselves on a regular basis. Since the credit crunch has hit everybody my life has basically stayed the same. Sure, certain things have gone up - my gas bill for instance and a few other bills but I just carry on doing what I do and trudging through it. My life is no different now than it was 2 years ago. In fact, I am better off than I was when I was married - but that was because my husband wouldn't work to support us and instead of paying bills he spent the money on cigarettes and Goddess only knows what else.


I pay my bills now, I feel a certain amount of pride in being able to pay my rent every week and when the other bills roll in they get paid. I might not have spare cash to treat myself with but I am happy that my bills get paid.


I know people who have lost jobs and yet they carry on as if they were still earning, burning money away on such things as gambling, annual tickets to regular sports events. I don't begrudge them these things as I know people need something to make them happy in life - some small vices but I do worry that one day their finances will dry out and they'll regret such expenses and wished they'd have been a bit more careful. I am not one to tell others how to live but I have lived in the 'skint lane' for some time and I just worry for those who are not used to curbing expenses and counting every penny.


I have seen how money can break people, how it can ruin relationships and people's lives. Some have massive debts and they know they'll never be able to pay these debts off in their lifetime! What a way to live - always knowing you'll never be free of it all. What kind of life must they have? The trouble is, some time ago people were giving money away - encouraging others to borrow and spend spend spend but look at where that has got us now! All those companies gave loans to people they knew could not afford them and so may be the current state of financial crisis is in part way their fault!


I never want to borrow money again, I know what it does!


I know money doesn't buy happiness but having enough to pay the bills and to be able to afford the nice occasional treat certainly is a way to happiness. So yes, some money can buy happiness. It gives married couples and those in relationships one less thing to argue about. Relationships that might have worked out had it not been for financial difficulties.


I am beginning to hate money.


It's not that I have no sympathy for those who now find themselves in financial crisis as I do indeed feel for them, but that is because i know what it's like and the existence they lead now is what I have endured over years. Sometimes it's good for folks to see things from a different angle.

Welcome to my world!

The snow cometh

I know the posting is a little late - due to camera issues but here at last are the pictures of our bout of snow recently. The picture below was taken by a friend who lives on my housing close. She took the picture from her house and is looking out at my place - in the corner. My son had left a green container in my drive because he was building a snow pyramid and using it to transport the snow about in! lol

This next picture shows the lovely big snow flakes we had fallen in my back garden. It was a total 'White-out' and not much could be seen.

A most amazing sunset (I have a real thing for sunsets! lol).

This was taken on a walk round the village and isn't actually snow, it was a really hard frost we'd had. But it looked so lovely I just had to take a photo!

Higher & Shadow Self

The Higher Self is a part of us which is connected to the Universal/Collective Consciousness. It embodies divine energy and connects us to everything and everyone. It can access universal knowledge. We can communicate with our Higher Self through meditation and divination. If you need answers to a question ask your Higher Self instead of rushing to the nearest book. The answer may lie within. Our Higher Self guides us. I believe that when we die our Higher Self is the part that moves on for reincarnation, however it can still be contacted by those who wish to contact lost ones. A part of the Higher Self remains accessible for that yet it can also move on. This might explain why some of us can remember past lives - our Higher Self was in that past life and yet it is within us now. It's all connected to the Universal Consciousness.

Just as we have a Higher Self we also have a Shadow Self. This is nothing evil or to be feared but is rather it represents all the things about us that we repress or dislike. When one is leading a life within the Craft you embrace both light and dark as essential components. But the more you repress your Shadow Self the more you are denying yourself and it will seek to emerge through angry explosions or even in more subtle ways through sly insinuation into innocent words and actions. It can also show as restless energy and make you feel incredibly frustrated. But don't fear it. All it seeks is acceptance and understanding. It is a part of you and as thus you cannot seek to change or exorcise it. Simply accept it. Remember it is not evil. It does not wish you rule you, it simply seeks to be accepted and to co-exist with your bright side, working in harmony with it. think of the Yin Yang symbol:
Dark is not the absence of light. Light does not equal good and beautiful or right and dark does not equal evil and amoral. Dark defines light, just as light casts shadow to create dark.

Notes taken and inspired from 'Solitary Wicca for Life'.

Nice pics to start the year & feeling positive

I just had to capture this moment - the sun setting on a cold winters eve - low over the Chilterns! I am lucky that my living room window facing the winters sunset so I get the best views ever!

This picture is of me and my S.O - our shadows in that beautiful sunset cast against the back wall where my altar sits. lol

There have been some really amazing cloud formations recently. I really get to feel and see the beauty of Mother Earth from my home.

Oh and here's my living room decked out in all it's Yulemas glory! lol Thought I'd take this pic before the decorations come down tomorrow and it's all over for another year!

This cute little Bugs Bunny was stuck into the fence like this when I found him on my walk recently. I had to resist the urge to bring him home and nurse him back to health! He is missing a foot and looks to be in a poor way. I just can't help feeling sorry for the little guy! lol

I have been thinking about this whole 'shaky' thing with my spirituality and I'm seeing it as a period of growth. I am Pagan, always have been and consider that I always will be but it's enlightening to dip my toe in the waters of other faith. I see it as an acceptance and showing my maturity and willingness to bridge the gap between faiths.

I am back on track and am going to be doing some more YouTube videos soon - hopefully one today!

I'm looking forward to posting some more theoretical stuff on the Craft here too. I've been thinking of changing my background here too - but I'd loose all my darn widgets - which I can easily put back on but it'd just take some time. But I see it that I should have a refreshing new look to my blog here. lol

Right, this is just a quickie to check in with you guys, I have to go and make some lunch now (French toast me thinks!) and this afternoons plans are to watch some sport on TV, do my Vlog on YouTube and make some bread. All that in one afternoon! lol

Blessed Be my online friends and hope you have a lovely weekend!

)O(

How was your Christmas?

So, now that it's over, how did your Christmas go?

Mine was a success! My parents came over for Christmas dinner and I was just so chuffed that the Sprouts came out absolutely perfect - not one pale or mushy one anywhere! lol

Everyone seemed to be pleased - of course it'd be too much to expect a 13 year old to get excited about Sprouts!

I have finally downloaded the driver software to enable me to put pictures back on the blog - so I'm looking forward to getting back into the way of things.

My car was poorly before Christmas and it turns out it needs a little box of electrical tricks that will cost £300! I don't have that money so maybe the car will be off the road now. It's tax is due end of this month and whilst I might tax it (or declare it off road) it still means I have to save to get it fixed - but also bearing in mind that the MOT is due in March and it WILL need welding on the passenger floor area - is it hardly worth spending £300 on this other box thing it needs? I'm not sure. I don't know how I'm going to cope without a car because being in the village miles away from anywhere and not near a bus or train station then it's going to make shopping interesting! I can't walk 4 miles to the nearest town - not with my knees and then carry a big backpack of shopping home - which would take an hour to get home and all the shopping would have defrosted! Plus I can't possibly fit all my shopping into a backpack! lol

I have written down the train and bus timetables - I will have to walk a mile or so to the stops but that's not quite so bad and I really don't mind walking. But the price of trains and buses is ridiculous! The government expect us to save the planet, reduce carbon emissions by using buses and trains - but I hate to say it - it IS actually cheaper to take the car! It's a shame because otherwise I do think lots more of us would use public transport otherwise. I am looking into buying some pannier bags for my push bike now so I could cycle into the nearest town. Maybe i could get some shopping on a trip into the big town - about 7 miles away, put it in a back pack, train home then walk the last mile. Then on another day I could go into the closer town - 4 miles away and cycle there - bring home the other bits I couldn't get to fit into a back pack on the first trip. I do worry about the tyres on my bike being able to take the weight though! lol

Or maybe............... I could try Tesco's online shopping service! I did change from Tesco to Morrisons because the prices were so much cheaper and the whole in store experience is more civilized, in Tesco it's like a cattle market with people trying to kill you and push you out of the way up every isle! On line i guess I won't have that to contend with and I suppose on line it also means I only buy what I actually need without being able to browse the isles for extras. So maybe it might work out okay. Watch this space! lol

Just before Christmas my cat seems to have come down with a cold - sneezing and leaving little poo packages around the place - that seem to have fallen out of his bottom rather than a conscious poo effort!

I took him to the vets who said it doesn't appear to be serious but to bring him back after new year if it's still on-going. It doesn't seem quite so bad now but occasionally he sneezes.

Oh, I coloured my hair just before Christmas - blackest black by Loreal - I'll stick a picture with this post for you to see the result!

I attended Midnight Mass at church. It was a lovely experience although I still can't get my head around some of the Christian ways. I will post more on that soon. I have honest questions about the Christian faith but I can't understand some things at all. It seems very contradictory and puts a negative spin on things. It makes it sound like you shouldn't even be bothered because you'll never be saved no matter what you do - we're all born sinners and we're all responsible for other people's sins too. It makes me feel worse about life - not better. Anyways, more on that later. Wishing everyone a wonderful new year and may 2009 bring happiness and love your way!

Something to think about

I know I haven't been around for a while. Things have been hectic - what with the computer dying and now having to use the spare one which isn't set up for anything and doesn't have the software for me to upload photo's from my mobile phone. I've been busy trying to get ready for Christmas and it's only tomorrow and yet I have so much left to do! My parents are coming over for Christmas dinner so I want everything to be perfect! Really it's just an excuse to have a breakdown I think! lol
But seriously, I have been having some emotional problems lately. I've been thinking a lot about the horses I lost and about my marriage ending and all the feelings of not feeling wanted that it brings.
I have also been thinking about my faith - or lack of! I feel I am now searching for something, I don't know what and I don't know where I am going to find it.
lately The Craft has left me feeling hollow inside and very much alone. I have been Pagan for all my life and it has always left me feeling alone. I have never really been much into deity, It isn't something that has worked for me and therefore it is strange I find myself visiting the local church now and wanting to learn more about Christianity. There are so many things I can't get my head around with it though, many questions about it that are unanswered. I have a naturally enquiring logical scientific mind and so I seek answers to questions and sometimes this perplexes people because they can't answer the reasons why they do things.
I am not a close-minded Pagan and neither do I hold a grudge against Christians (even though my past with them is shady). I don't partake in all this religious bashing that I see so much on the Internet. I believe live and let live. As long as folks do what they do and it doesn't interfere with me - then So Mote It Be!
My S.O is Christian and attends church regularly. We get along fine - even though we're both from different sides of the coin as it were. It doesn't always have to be about fighting - about who is wrong or right, who was here first, who staked claim to which traditional festivity first. Some Christians can be tolerant and understanding, as can some Pagans but there are a lot of both out there who are dead set on making the differences between us a big public scene. It's all a bit like children in the playground to me. There are much more serious things to worry about than who is right or wrong. If only we could all just get a long.
Anyways, I am not sure what I'm seeking but I know I shall be on a journey. Next year is going to be a year of discovery for me.

Here's a little something to think about for everyone for next year:
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

Yulemas is coming!

Firstly, my computer isn't fixed yet. My lovely nephew is working on it and i hope it comes home to me soon and is raring to go! I am still using my sons computer and am very lucky to have 2 computers - in case one dies! lol.

I haven't been too well lately. Last month I had to have a mole removed from the back of my shoulder blade, which required stitches. Thankfully the biopsy results showed it wasn't cancerous but I did have to suffer with the stitches for 9 days. I can't begin to explain how much they itched! lol

Now the stitches are out I was looking forward to preparing for Yule, but now I have come down with a stomach bug and a cold! Luckily the stomach bug seems to be getting better - slowly but the cold is a stinker! lol

I know I haven't been around here that much lately, I seem to be spending more time doing my Vlogs on YouTube so feel free to pop over and see them here: http://uk.youtube.com/user/MysticRaven10

I have just done a recent vlog about Yulemas.

I am looking forward to Yulemas, as I like to call it. I celebrate Yule and Christmas. I would feel kinda bad for my son if I didn't celebrate Christmas. Anyway, to me Christmas isn't about celebrating the Christian birth, it's still a celebration of the sun and the hope that Spring will be with us once again as the days get longer again.

I always end up feeling quite stressed this time of year. I just want everything to be perfect, I want others to be happy and the feasts to go well. I am not so bothered about myself being happy but it is more worry about whether others are. Some of the pressure has been relieved by telling family and friends not to buy presents for us. Instead I am going to focus what little money I have into ensuring my son has a nice present or two.

My parents will be coming over for Christmas dinner this year - the first time ever! So, my task now is to plan the Xmas dinner!

I love a challenge! lol

Oh and I've also decided to colour my hair..... black! Will be doing it this week - so watch this space - or my YouTube space! lol

Why Me?!

Good grief, what a week I'm having! Not only is my car playing up but yet again my computer has died! So how am I managing to write this you're wondering? Hmmmm, well, I am using the spare computer - my son's one which used to be prone to crashing itself!

My usual computer crashed exactly the same way as before - there I was, on Second Life and it all froze up - upon trying to restart the computer I get the good old - System 32 is corrupt or missing message:

I can't even start in safe mode and neither do I have a recovery or Reboot disc. So his means my computer will have to pay another little visit to my nephew who is a whizz with computers to have it 'blatted' (wiped) and rebooted again. I will lose all my programs etc again. This only happened a few months ago and luckily my nephew managed to save important pictures that were of great emotional value, I am hoping he can do the same again.

So, obviously I have been a little sparse with blogging and also haven't done a Vlog on YouTube as it'd mean I'd have to download the driver for my web cam again and I don't have a disc for it - so it's a search through the Internet to find it! lol

Also, his week I had a mole removed from the back of my shoulder and am waiting for the biopsy results. So, at present I have some stitches in which are quite restrictive and itch like a bugger! They come out on the 27Th November - which won't come soon enough!

I haven't got round to blogging and Vlogging more about ethics and what it means to be a witch - which is what I wanted to do but as soon as things are up and running as normal I shall be doing those. I'm looking forward to Yule blogging and Vlogging too. This year will be an even tighter one than normal and gifts to Raven jnr will be more focused on items that are useful and will last - like clothes etc and not toys that he seems to get bored of within a month and then gives them to his friends!! Grrrr! He's also growing up and so he is at that age where appearance will become important to him. I will get him one thing he wants but this year it is going to be a tight Yulemas because my finances really won't stretch to much. I feel a bit of a failure as a mother not being able to buy my son what he wants but I still haven't replaced the cooker which is really on it's last legs and I am not sure the car will pass another MOT in March - it'll be lucky if it makes it to Yulemas!!!

Anyways, I didn't want to sit here and whine, just to let you all know where I've been lately and that I am not gone for good - but just waiting for my PC to get fixed. I will still try to keep up the blogging whilst waiting.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and you don't have any electornics die on you either!

13 Goals of a Witch

Know yourself

An important part of life is knowing who you REALLY are. How can you understand others if you cannot understand yourself. At times in our lives we all have to look within to discover who we are. What you have to do is a form of self-psychoanalysis.

Keeping a daily journal is a good idea. record your experiences and thoughts. record things of your magickal self, what happens during meditations and also things about your mundane life. Get to know the inner you. Keep a dream journal. All too often we think we've heard an important message in our dreams and after waking and laying there for a while the memory of the message dissolves into forgotten information. Keep a dream journal by your bed and write down your dreams as soon as you wake. Our shadow self communicates to us through our dreams and many of us who have premonitions often witness events unfolding in our dreams.

It's good to have these journals and once in a while it's necessary to stop, take a step back form life and go see who you are. reflect upon musings, writings that bare your soul. At times in our lives we often feel lost, not knowing who we are. We get caught up in the hum drum of daily living and forget our individuality (those little things that separate us from every other person we share our world with).

Know your Craft

There are many different paths. Explore all of them to a degree so that you know which path you are most drawn to. Do not feel you have to sit within a certain path, go with whatever you feel suits. there are a great many Eclectics out there and they do not feel any lesser because they are so - because they do not fit into a more recognized path.

Learn

To achieve any of these goals, you must be on a constant quest to learn more. More about yourself, your Craft and the world around you. You never stop learning and it's wise never to dismiss any knowledge as signs and information can be hidden and it is your quest to find it - it will not be laid bare for you to stumble upon, you must seek and find!

Apply knowledge with wisdom

Knowledge is what you have learnt and wisdom is a gift given to the wise. Just because you have knowledge does not mean you have wisdom. Wisdom can only be acquired through experience and CANNOT be taught.

Those who are most successful on their path do not apply their knowledge without wisdom, for that would be reckless and foolhardy. Every action has a reaction and causes ripples in the water that emanate out and affect a great many other things.

Knowledge should not be used in moments of hatred, madness and revenge. Be careful what you unleash and many actions are irreversible and harm may come to your own being in a moment of blind madness.

Achieve balance

Embrace and acknowledge the light and the dark. As you cannot have ups without downs. We are children in a playground sitting on a seesaw. We sit in the middle and balance ourselves but as we slide towards one end it tips and the opposite end becomes higher. we are therefore aware that to remain balanced you have to sit in he middle - aware of what is out there, aware of Yin and Yang.

We must also balance our own lives. We all have responsibilities and most of us are very busy but you need to balance out the hard work with the play. A time to press the stop button, take time out and breathe.

Create balance in your life. Spiritual, emotional and physical.

Keep your thoughts in good order

This goal links directly to the next one. As a witch, your thoughts manifest reality in accordance with your will. Once you have reached a level of magical development you can set events in motion without even realising it. A disciplined mind reduces those occurrences and aids in magical works. Your thoughts manifest before words are even formed.

Keep your words in good order

As thoughts manifest reality in conformity to your will, so do words. Words are the verbalisation of your thoughts and therefore carry power. To not mind your words is the same as spreading chaos magically. Discipline in minding your words adds meaning to what you speak and enhances their effectiveness in magical workings as well as the mundane world.

"Speak little, listen much". "Think before you speak".

Celebrate life

This one is self-explanatory. Live your life to the fullest and make every day a celebration of life. Don't be afraid to enjoy your life, it is a gift given to us. Celebrate the little things as well as the big things. Waking on a frosty morning and peering from your warm round to gaze upon the white crisp freshness of the world, as if it were reborn. Waking in the arms of your lover and gazing deep into their eyes, glimpsing their soul. Simple things such as embracing a warm mug of coffee on a winters day as well as big life events such as the birth of a baby or your vows to a partner.

Attune with the cycles of the Earth

It can be hard to find the time to attune with nature and connect to her. But it is important to make this time, you will feel grateful for it and it can refresh you and make you feel that connection that you hadn't realised you were missing.

Our ways follow The Wheel of the Year, living in harmony with Earth's cycles and seasons. We have to be aware of these things and connect to them. You have to experience nature to realise you are indeed a part of it.

Breathe and eat correctly

This one is self-explanatory as well. We are to eat the proper foods and practice our breathing. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the food we eat or occasionally indulge. What it means is that we should eat a proper diet because it will help to make our bodies healthy. A healthy body not only makes us feel better and live longer; it aids us in our magical works and makes the mundane tasks easier. Learning to breathe correctly aids in the raising of energy, focus, stress relief and meditation. You should breath from your stomach but many women learn to breath by moving the chest alone, they hold their tummy's in tight and taught in order to try and make themselves appear thinner - but this is incorrect breathing - you should lay on your back with a hand palm down on your tummy and each breath should raise and lift your hand, take in deep lung fulls of air - use your lungs to full capacity. For it is well known that humans do not use all of their lungs capacity. this breathing exercise was taught to me by a physiotherapist, so I can vouch that working on lifting your hand from your tummy is a good way to encourage correct breathing.

Exercise the body

This is tricky, we all would love to have nicer, more toned, thinner bodies and some aspire to be like the models you see on TV. Which is sad because these women are not healthy. You have to accept who you are and how you're made but there are things we can do to help improve our muscle strength and to make our lives easier, not just in the mundane world but when it comes to performing magickal practices too.

Simple things such as using stairs instead of the lift. Parking further from your destination so you have to walk further, or better still, use a bicycle or walk there in the first place.

If you care for your body and make some minor changes you will feel benefits and not only will your health improve but you might live longer and be less prone to diseases which affect the overweight.

I lost 3 stone in weight and dropped 3 dress sizes, all within 6 months (in 2007) and do you know what the most valuable change i made was? It was taking up swimming and also cycling 3 times a week. I didn't really change what I ate as I already consider myself to eat quite healthily but by doing more exercise I lost weight, felt healthier and it improved the pain I was having with Osteoarthritis.

Meditate

Meditation is a key skill in the working of magic. It allows us to focus our thoughts thereby focusing our will. It also helps us in our mundane life as well. It reduces stress and helps us get through our mundane tasks by being able to focus and think clearly.

Honour the Goddess and the God

To those who walk the path with deities, honour the God and Goddess in everything you do. They are a part of us as we are a part of them. We are all connected. By honouring them we honour ourselves and our fellow humans. They also honour their Gods through rituals and celebrations.

This last one is more applicable if you follow a path which is Deity orientated but as mine is not I do not follow this last one. However, I thought to post it here for all to see.

These were featured in Scott Cunningham’s Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988

My Samhain

Here's my Samhain altar and now I face trying to get the melted and dried on wax out of the silk altar cloth! lol. A good technique is to place a tea towel over the cloth where the wax is, then to place a heated iron carefully on top and hopefully the heat will melt the wax back out again. I've used the technique before - but you just have to be careful that you don't get the silk altar cloth too hot! Don't hold the iron on for a long time! lol

Here's Mr Outdoors Pumpkin. On my outdoor altar. Must say he glowed tremendously and looked just stunning in the black of night. (as you can see below - without flash on the camera!)

Here's my table setting after our feast. I should have taken a picture of everything laid out - but forgot about taking pictures at the time!

You can see my 3 candles lit - one black, one orange for the colours of the season and the white one in the middle was lit in honour of our ancestors and those that we have loved and lost.

The Story of Jack O Lanterns

Jack O Lanterns History

The original Jack-O-Lantern was not a pumpkin. The Jack-O-Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down. Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was too mean and too cruel and had led a miserable and worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter heaven. He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his "Jack-O-Lantern". On all Hallow's Eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original Jack-O-Lanterns. In the 1800's a couple of waves of Irish immigrants came to America. The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that Pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. So they used pumpkins for Jack-O-Lanterns.

(Old Irish Fable)

New Plot

I was down he allotments the other day - digging my original plot and thought I'd take the opportunity to take some pics of my 'new' plot - which I will be taking over this weekend! YIPPEE!
The first picture is the best - the plot right in front is my new one - it has those mini beds which look like graves. There are two rows of mini beds then on the right are some tiny fruit bushes and strawberry patch - just down from the shed.
The wee shed will be mine too! There is a rather messy compost heap by the side of it - which I'll have to tidy up if the old owner doesn't.


This second picture was taken from the short end by the shed. there is a bigger bed which is actually a nice size really. Can't wait to start digging and turning the plot into my own! Am wondering what to use as a boundary line though as the current owner is taking away his chicken wire! Guess I'll have to try and find some cheap wire from somewhere.
Hope the weather holds out so I can make a start on the new plot this Sunday! Looking forward to taking more pictures to show you the new plot!

New plot!

Oh wow! I guess I should be careful what I wish for! Well, for the past couple of weeks I've been thinking of asking for an additional half a plot as I'm not sure I will be able to fit everything in down the allotment on just the one plot. I have always dreamed of having a shed as it's becoming a drag to load the car and carry all the tools down to the allotment. Plus I wanted to just be able to cycle or walk down to the plot and not have to rely on the car, which I haven't been able to do because I have no option but to carry all the tools down in my car!
Anyway, the excellent news is whilst down on the plot yesterday erecting my raspberry supports the secretary came over and told me that one of my neighbouring allotmenteers will be leaving next week and would I like to take over his plot! I didn't have to be asked twice! I asked if the shed was included and he said yes!!! Oh wow! I'm soooooo happy!
This does mean lots more digging work for me though as the new plot is awash with weeds! The current layout is of small beds. Which I will probably keep to and maybe join a couple together to make a slightly bigger bed but with this plot I will try smaller beds and reduced the need to have to stand on the soil and squash it down - therefore also reducing the need to dig it too much - hopefully I will work it as a 'no dig' plot and just hand cultivate it instead.
I haven't got any pictures of the new plot properly yet, I'll try and get some today or next weekend when the current allotmenteer actually leaves. But here's some of my pictures from my current plot and you can just make out my new plot in the background!
Luckily it joins my old plot on the short side - so it's only a small walk away.
In this picture you can see the shed - it's the first shed from the left - the small one. The plot spreads downwards towards the middle right of the picture. It's current boundary is a lot of long grass which has grown up the chicken wire around the plot - unfortunately the guy is taking the chicken wire so I'll have to get some more!
Directly above my fork handle you can see some of the weeds on the new plot! I am also inheriting the nearest compost bin too! Hopefully a lovely garden seat outside the shed too! lol

In this pic you can see that the new plot is nice and close to my current plot!

Not quite sure how I'm going to number the beds though - it could all get confusing! lol

I can't wait to get on there and get started! I want to make it all neat and ready for Spring sowings!

Samhain

This is the beginning of the Celtic and Wiccan new year. Samhain is Irish-Gaelic for 'the Summer's end', and is pronounced 'sow-in'.

The Celts celebrated the new year on 1st November marking the end of the summer and the harvest and marks the beginning of the dark cold winter, a time of year that in those days would have meant death to humans if they were weak, vulnerable, sick or didn't have enough food and warmth to survive.

Celts believed that the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead were at their thinnest at this time hence it is also an ideal time for divination. The Celts communed with their ancestors for advice on the future and how best to ensure their own survival for the coming months.

Samhain Altar

This is my Samhain altar at present. I love the cute little Munchkin pumpkins! lol I am going to get a medium sized carved pumpkin on their when it's closer to the time.
The brown 'thing' with a face on is a candle holder and the face glows with a candle inside - kind of like a pumpkin!
It feels nice to actually have my altar set up properly - for the first time ever!

Pumpkin Soup

PUMPKIN SOUP

Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time 1 to 2 hours

Ingredients

1 x 4kg/8lb 13oz pumpkin

125g/4oz butter

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 cinnamon stick

freshly grated nutmeg

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.7 litres/3 pints chicken stock (vegetarians may substitute vegetable stock)

3 tablespoons sherry

Method

1. Cut the top off the pumpkin and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and fibres from the middle and discard.

2. Using a sharp knife and a spoon, carefully hollow out the pumpkin, removing the flesh and setting aside. (It is imperative that you do not cut right up to the inside of the skin or pierce it. Leave 2cm/1in of flesh all around the inside.)

3. Roughly chop the scooped-out pumpkin flesh.

4. Melt the butter in a large pan with a lid over a low heat and add the onions. Cook the onions gently for about 15 minutes, until they are softened and golden-brown.

5. Add the pumpkin flesh, the cinnamon and nutmeg, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium and cover with the lid. Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the base from burning, until the pumpkin is cooked through.

6. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the soup to a food processor in batches and blend until smooth.

7. Return the soup to the pan and bring to a low simmer and cook for a further half an hour.

8. Forty-five minutes before eating, preheat the oven to 170C/335F/Gas 3.

9. Pour the soup into the hollow pumpkin shell, add the sherry and stir to combine.

10. Place the reserved pumpkin 'lid' onto the pumpkin and place onto a large baking tray. Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, to bring the soup up to temperature.

11. To serve, carefully remove from the oven and serve the soup in the pumpkin at the table. Ladle into bowls and serve.

The wicked recipe above was recommended by Valentine Warner on his BBC show "What to eat now".
I am seriously going to have a go at this recipe (looks easy enough!). I am going to see what other interesting pumpkin recipes I can find and have a go at them too.
I am feeling in pumpkin mood with Samhain (Halloween) just around the corner and pumpkin is in season now so I want to really give pumpkins a shot this year!

The Kitchen Witch's Creed

The Kitchen Witch's Creed

In this pot, I stir to the sun

an' follow the rule of harming none.
Banishment of bane when goin' widdershins;

an' with water and salt negativity is cleansed.
Household duties are more than chores.

Magick abounds when mopping floors.
With this broom, I do sweep

to clean my house and safely keep.
Marigold, Basil, Thyme, and Yarrow

my spell is cast for a better tomorrow.
Lemons for joy and apples for health

the pow'r within brings great wealth.
And, in this kitchen I do pray

To truly walk the Witches' Way

Copyright 1998, 1999 E. Zeigler

Leek Rust

After a visit to the allotment yesterday I was gutted to discover I have the dreaded Leek Rust!

A fungal infection caused by the wet humid weather we've had this year. Luckily it isn't a severe attack so after removing the worst affected plants and burning them I am now going to remove leaves from the other lesser infected plants.

The plants can still be eaten if the disease doesn't get too bad.

Don't worry though - the picture here isn't actually of MY leeks, it's one I managed to find on the Internet.

I've heard there has been a lot of Leek Rust this year so I'll try not to take it personally.

Next year I will try to get rust resistant types. It just so happened that this years leeks came from another allotmenteer.

In various books they advise different things in regards to planting leeks and onions again. I am not going to panic and assume my onions will get it as the RHS advise that yes onions do get onion rust but it's a slightly different strain of the disease and it can't pass from leeks to onions.

I will however plant leeks further away from the infected area next year and thus not plant in the same spot next season.

I'm not going to start spraying my plants with chemicals either. It's just not the thing for me personally and if I can avoid chemicals then I will.

New phone and a bit of this 'n' that

Well, I haven't been very well lately. I've not only had an awful stinking cold, which is typical because we're going through a change of seasons and I usually end up with a cold during this transitional period. But also I've had yet more 'issues' with my Mirena coil. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I really do but because of a condition I have it makes it more prone to dislodging - which is what it has done. It's back to nightmare stomach cramping and all that goes with it whilst my body heals from the damage it caused. I shall have another fitted in mid October but first I have to heal.

So I have been feeling quite under the weather with the cold and the coil issue.

I haven't done any more digging down the allotment because of the latter issue and having to take it easy now for a while but I am looking forward to getting my onion sets in very soon - maybe today?! I've also been offered some raspberry plants from another allotmenteer which hopefully will find their way to my plot next week!

I have been suffering with my temperamental Nokia (wasn't temperamental until I dropped it - I hasten to add!) so I finally managed to upgrade it. However, it's more of a downgrade and I'm not best pleased with the camera. So I shall keep using my old camera on the old phone for all my pictures and am trying to save to buy a proper digital camera. I enjoy taking pictures and the sharpness I get with the old phone but the new one just doesn't seem to be that good. I do like my new phone - but only as a phone. It's a Samsung G600. My old phone was a Nokia N75. I would have liked to upgrade to a Nokia N95 but it would have cost me nearly £300!!!



Finally the farmers round here are getting their corn in - although it's late and I am certain most of it won't be any good for human consumption and will just go to make grain for cattle/animals. The weather has been so wet that farmers have been unable to get out into the fields to cut it and hence the crops have been ruined!
Saucy has been having his mate Jeanie round. Jeanie seems to appreciate the catnip I grow too! lol. It's so nice my cat has his mates round to play! lol

Harvest Moon

Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is: the full moon closest to the fall/Autumn equinox. The Harvest Moon was thus named because it rises within a half-hour of when the sun sets. In early days, when farmers had no tractors, it was essential that they work by the light of the moon to bring in the harvest. This moon is the fullest moon of the year. When you gaze at it, it looks very large and gives a lot of light throughout the entire night.

One (Wo) man went to mow, went to mow a meadow...

Finally after months of trying to decide which mower to buy - I have gone and brought one!
I know it's a bit late in the season but I have been financially strapped for much of the year and having decided that I didn't want my dads petrol mower (would rather have electric) and with the dad now giving his to one of my brothers next week, I needed to get a mower pronto to finish off the rest of the cutting for this year. On the particular day I went shopping for one I had £90 to spend on one. I originally decided to buy the cheapest rotary mower I could find, which was about £50 but realising that after acquiring more tools etc from my dad, my shed was going to be a bit packed now and so I was tempted by the Flymo Pac-a-mow. It's an electric rotary mower with box and roller (I wasn't fussed about the latter but is an added bonus!) and the best bit is that the whole darn thing packs up so small and neat that it hardly takes up much space at all!
I had toyed with the idea of a hover mower but my lawn is uneven. I just fancied standing there and swinging it from side to side but after much consideration a hover was out of the question - so in steps the rotary!
The Pac-a-mow has a metal blade - which surprised my father as he seemed to think that modern mowers would have a plastic blade.
Up until now, my dad has been coming to my place, bringing his old petrol mower up in his little Clio with the boot wide open and I have felt very guilty about him doing it. But now I have my own mower I can go round first and trim up with my electric strimmer (which by the way I got for free from Freecycle!) and then afterwards I can go round with the mower and pick up all the clippings too.
I'm chuffed to bits now and eagerly await for my grass to grow after it's last cut with my dad so that I can mow my own lawn!
LOL - how sad am I?!
Right, it's off down the allotment this afternoon to do some much needed digging, cutting back of strawberries and general tidying up.
I have drawn up a massive list of veg seeds for next year - bit of online window shopping at Mr Fothergill's website. I have to decide exactly which ones I want now as I wrote down all the varieties I couldn't' make a clear decision on - and hence my estimate came to £150!! LOL
I have about 6 varieties of beans and cabbages etc so I know the list will be trimmed by a lot!
That's the way I do things though: first I decide what I want, then I go through the catalogues etc and write down all possible varieties and then go back over this list and whittle it down to the exact ones I do want.
I really do want to have quite a lot growing next year so it will be busy down on the plot.
Hopefully soon I might find out what number my plot is as the secretary is currently drawing up a diagram of all the plots.

Autumn Equinox (Mabon)

MABON

The Autumn Equinox divides the day and night equally, when we take a moment to pay our respects to the impending dark, giving thanks to the waning sunlight, as we store our harvest of this year's crops. The Druids celebrate and honour The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer are appropriate at this time. Wiccans celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and her consort the God as he prepares for death and re-birth. A festival to wear all of your finery and dine and celebrate in a lavish setting. It is the drawing together of family as we prepare for the winding down of the year at Samhain. It is a time to finish old business preparing for a period of rest, relaxation, and reflection. Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries. A time to honour aging Deities and the Spirit World. Considered a time of balance, it is when we stop and relax and enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether they be from toiling in our gardens, working at our jobs, raising our families, or just coping with the rush and toils of everyday life.

Mabon is a time to consider which aspects of your life you wish to preserve and which you would prefer to discard. It marks a time of thankfulness, equality and balance when you should try to appreciate and enjoy the fruits of your labors. The dark half of the year brings a greater emphasis on reflection, rest and planning, and Mabon is the point at which these influences begin to be felt.

The Equinoxes. These are the midpoints between the solstices, when the length of days and nights is changing fast, yet they are equal in length, sunrise to sundown. These are times of transition and release of rampant change. At spring equinox the restraining influences of winter give way, and plants, animals and people take it upon themselves to go forward pursuing their individual interests, mutating and growing as each they can. At autumn equinox, individuals, somewhat tired of vying for their own rights and position, begin to join together and work as more of a wholeness, in pursuit of more shared interests, relationship and togetherness. This annually alternating current of energy, in which we seek to find ourselves, then seek to find our place in the scheme of things, only to find out that we again need to find ourselves, is the very stuff of life experience.
Thus, while the solstices mark pauses in the life cycle, at which times it is auspicious to take stock, and to orientate on coming developments, the equinoxes mark midpoints in the action, in the movement toward becoming-something-else, times of transition. The equinoxes are high points in the tide of change, realignments from living out the effects of past states to moving into potent future-unfolding states. Solstices are times of potential, of seed-laying and course-adjustment, and equinoxes are times of action, movement and germination along paths already set. Yet solstices are times also of completion and fulfilment, while equinoxes are times for releasing past ways, in order to make space for what is to come.
Often, things are too busy at the equinoxes for the same kind of seasonal observances that the solstices allow: it just so happens that, in the natural scheme of things, there is little to be done at the solstices, while at the equinoxes, things are moving fast. They are times of gear change, of engagement in the life-process, stepping out.


Herbs
Hazel, Corn, Acorns, Oak, Wheat Stalks, Cypress Cones, Pine Cones.
Incence
Myrrh, Sage, Pine.
Colour
Orange, Dark Red, Yellow, Brown
Decorations
Acorns, Pomegranates, Pine Cones, Baskets of Fallen Leaves.
Foods
Breads, Corn, Cornbread, Beans, Squash, Apples, Roots (Carrots, Potatoes, Onions), Cider.

Allotment AGM

Well, last night saw the gathering of allotmenteers for the the Allotment AGM.
It was my first attendance at such a meeting and I just thought it'd be interesting to find out what goes on, what is said etc etc. I had no expectations and honestly just thought it good manners to show my face and thus prove to the 'serious folk' that I might be serious too.
I have to say that some take it more seriously than others and I do find it hard not to burst out with an impromptu giggle here and there at the 'seriousness' of some.
The meeting started with the last minutes of the last gathering, a list of up to date rules and regulations were handed out and then it was on to the meat of the sandwich (in my terms!).
The first issue was 2 committee members leaving and thus needed to be replaced.
Hmmm, yes, the thought bounced around there in the back of my mind but I've only had my plot for a year and I certainly don't profess to be knowledgeable and to be honest - i am the type of person who sits in the corner and hides and does as she's told. I am not the law making or enforcing type!
The keenness to fill the 2 places was as expected - NONE!
Reluctantly one man took one vacancy and then it was suggested a woman should fill the next. Unfortunately the only woman offering wasn't actually a member and therefore it turned out she couldn't have the job. At which point the meeting shed became quiet and folks started looking around at their neighbours. Not wanting to do the job themselves but wishing someone else would offer so they aren't thrust into a position of responsibility..........
And then it happened!
The secretary (who has known my family for many years) looked directly at me and pointed an authoritative finger in my direction and said "What about you?!"
I felt all eyes fall upon me and perhaps I heard the holding of breath whilst people urged me to agree to it and thus save their necks!
So I did it, I agreed and became a committee member!
I could have sworn I heard a sigh of relief echo round the meeting shed! lol
It's not that I didn't want the job but I don't think I am a confident enough person to handle that kind of responsibility. But later on after talking with the secretary he explained that I wouldn't really have to do much and that only 3 or 4 committee meetings are organized a year and I'd just have to vote on things, I felt much better.
So...... now I will expect offers of veg and people chatting to me in their efforts to win favour with a committee member! lol
Only joking (of course!).
But at least I have a good excuse to waddle round all the plots and get inspiration for my own now!
Talking of which, that must mean I have to keep mine in tip top shape and it must be an example of what fellow allotmenteers should aspire too. Plus it wouldn't look too good if at the next AGM a committee member gets told off for an untidy plot now would it?!

The Hidden Path Oracle

Following my recent trip to 'Mysteries' in London I emerge with yet another divination deck! But this one is different, this one I feel is THE ONE!
I know we all have this nasty habit of accumulating Tarot/Oracle decks in our never ending search for the 'perfect deck'. But at last I truly think I have found mine!
The Hidden Path Oracle is a most wonderful deck with easy to interpret cards. It comes with a great book but honestly you won't need it! The cards speak clearly to me and I can interpret them so very easily.
The deck is basically designed with Wicca & Witchcraft in mind so if you know about The Craft then these cards will be so easy to interpret.
There are 40 cards in this deck but you can buy 'The Well Worn Path' deck as well (which is another 40 cards) and add it to this one. The designs on the back of the cards are the same (a lovely looking door way) and the styles in which they are drawn are the same, so are perfect to compliment each other. Yes, I WILL be saving up to buy the latter deck too!

My trip to London went okay, although I had a bit of a phobic attack during and after the Tutankhamen event at the 02 Arena and the tube afterwards wasn't a pleasant experience. But I loved the 'Thames Chipper' ride which is basically a boat style taxi service up and down the Thames! It was a wicked experience and we had a lovely day for it!

I have been quite busy lately with getting Raven jnr ready to go back to school and my parents going through the moving process. I am also trying to work on a blog posting for Mabon/Autumn Equinox and have spent hours trying to do my Vlog on YouTube. Talk about a pain in the proverbial; my web cam is rubbish to say the least, the quality of the picture sucks and it's not the simplest thing to use - it's also stuck onto the top of my screen with blue tack! lol
So I'm hunting around on a certain auction site trying to find a new one and am finding myself drawn towards a Logitech one!

I wish my life could slow down a bit at the moment as things seem to be rushing by and I'm not achieving goals and getting things done.
It's now been a year since I've been in my own home! It's actually a year to this very day since I moved in! But alas I still have not decorated! I feel drained and tired at the moment. So run down and also have some kind of bug. But I'm trying not to let it get to me and am putting on a brave face with everyone I know - when in reality I feel like I just want to curl up on my bed and sleep all day long. I feel so tired and drained that preparing dinners is a real chore at the moment - especially when I don't feel all that hungry myself.
Everything seems a chore at the moment actually - I think I could do with a holiday! Next year marks the 20th year since my LAST holiday! Goddess, I really could do with another after everything I've been through. I need some breather time, some space and just to relax on a nice hot beach and not have to worry about anything, no meals to prepare, no washing to be done, no worrying about Raven jnr's school and all the mundane things. I need time to get away and distance myself from my ex and the divorce I went through this year. I seriously need that time and the break to heal. Life has rushed past me and it's one thing after another.
trouble is, I need to decorate here, I also need a new cooker and I need to get my name changed back so I'll never be able to save for a holiday at this rate.
Of course, I am not moaning - just wishful thinking and I am grateful I have my own place now.

Parents moving

At last 'things' are happening for my parents! They had the news last week that they were offered a 1 bed flat in an elderly warden patrolled housing community so they went and viewed and although I don't think it was the 'ideal' home they have accepted it and next week go to pick up the keys and will be moving in during September!
It's happened all so fast and now there has to be lots of sorting and going through things. They have to decide what they can take - as obviously, living in a big farmhouse and going to a 1 bed flat there will be plenty that they simply cannot take. I admit I also have a few possessions still at the farm and hopefully dad will be letting me have some bits and bobs of the things he can't take.
I can't believe it's actually happening. After them living in the farm for 50 years it will no longer be!
It will be strange driving past everyday, seeing the farm (no doubt fall into disrepair) and to not be able to drive in there - to 'pop' in to see mom and dad.
It'll be a sad time for me. To see my folks move out of my childhood home, the place where I grew up - and a safe-haven for me to return to when my marriage fell apart.
I hope whoever has the farm will look after it.

I have to reorganize my green shed to fit things like the ladders dad is going to give me and other tools: the mower and hedge trimmer etc.

I can't get over how much things have changed in he past 3 years!
10th September marked the end of my marriage when my ex left - but he returned to kick my son and I out of our family home at the end of September 2005, so I moved back to my family home ta the farm with my parents at the end of September 2005, my horse was put to sleep on 26th September 2005. My tenancy of my own home started on 3rd September 2007 and now my own parents are moving in September 2008!

It was nice getting my own home in the same village as my parents and will seem weird that they won't be here with me anymore. Our family have been in his village for over 300 years and I kind of feel sad that my folks won't be here no more. It's where my dad grew up. But they wanted to move into the town and they needed somewhere smaller and more manageable and the rent contract is due to run out soon anyway so they would have had to move sooner or later.
I'm hoping to go see their new pad next week and shall offer my help with the moving and sorting out etc.

Image Dolls

Just thought I'd add some pictures of the image dolls my mother makes. All handmade and can be changed to suit the individual requirements.
They are used for healing too - just in case anyone thinks image dolls are just for anything Voodoo! They are also used for bindings and for doing spells for individuals such as good luck, love, health etc etc.
At the back of each one there is an opening, usually secured with Velcro so that any herbs and crystals can be added and also so that any written spell and the name of the individual can be added too.

Winds of change

Can you feel it? I can. A sense of something coming, a shift in our lives. When I go outside the air smells different. It's fresh and no longer do we have days of clear blue skies. We didn't have much of a summer this year - much like the last (is it the way of things to come?).
I feel the change within our earth. I have felt quite tired and when I go to bed lately, I wake up just as tired. My motivation to do anything has dropped and I am finding myself wanting for a jumper.
It's strange because it feels early for me as the plants are still growing, I am still waiting for my Cucumbers to reach their potential as well as my Chilli Peppers.
I feel an urgency to finish odd jobs and to complete projects not done (or ashamedly do I admit - start those that I never got round to starting!).
We are closing in on the Autumnal Equinox and boy do I feel it!
I have a feeling that the winter will suddenly be upon us and once again we'll find ourselves wishing for summer and wondering why we didn't have much of one for the second year in a row.
I am angry with myself that this year seems to have passed so quickly and I haven't done the things I promised myself that I would and I haven't ventured into the woods to ground myself and to connect to the Earth as much as I want to.
There are rituals still not done, cards and Runes not read. Meditation and grounding not achieved.
Where is this year going?
Things changed during Spring for me when I took on further commitments and I never seemed to get myself into the right frame of mind or find a routine I could work with. I hope Winter will be different, a time to look back at the year, to reevaluate it and to plan for the next one, to find a way to move forward in my life instead of sitting stagnant.
See, I told you I could feel the shift within - it's got me into heavy thinking already! lol

Dogs v Cats

A controversial topic maybe but it's one of life's little debates that will go on forever - which is better - dog or cat!
I can say that I have seen BOTH sides of the story. I used to have a dog and I had 4 cats - now I only have one cat.
The dog thing....... Hmmmmm... well, I have to say it was not an enjoyable experience: my dog ate everything - including car speakers, contents of the bin, his wicker basket. He crapped everywhere, all over the flat I was living in at the time and inside my car! He also puked quite a bit in my car too! He couldn't control his bladder, he barked incessantly and should you ever make the mistake of letting him off the leach he would run off across the horizon never even turning back when you called his name! Not to mention the barking - it never ended and I'm not surprised I didn't get a warning about noise where we used to live!
I was also heavily pregnant and he had a bad habit of throwing himself at me with paws landing in my belly region, so unfortunately for the health and safety of my baby he was re homed.
I miss taking him out for walks, although he pulled like a steam train! He was quite a big dog - an Alsatian x collie - so he was big yet rather hypo and a young dog who I rescued from a bad past. He was re homed and am sure he is happy and no longer has all his little issues. lol
But cats, that's another story, I love cats! I am quite similar to hem: independant and you have to win my trust too! I don't give it easily and if I don't like a situation or something then I'm outta here!
The big bonus with cats is that you don't need to walk them which has become an issue now because of my deteriorating Osteoarthritis. My cat is a loving little fellow, he greets me when I get back form going out shopping or wherever I've been! He sits in the bay window waiting patiently for me or sits out by the front of my home where I park my car and as soon as I return he swaggers up to me all purring and loving and follows or often leading me to the front door!
He jumps onto my lap (well, more often my S.O's lap!) when we watch TV and he licks, nuzzles and is incredibly friendly and soppy. It is not true that cats are NOT affectionate. I know that cats are individuals (as are dogs!) and my current cat is a house cat - he isn't a very good hunter, so all wildlife is safe in his presence. I have bird feeders and a variety of lovely birds come and visit my garden so the excuse of birds/wildlife and cats not being able to live together isn't fitting here.
As there is a dog for every owner, there is a cat for every owner.
I do find that dog owners can be quite horrible and vocal about their hatred for cats and I have encountered a few lately who without knowing I am a 'cat person' put forward their forthright view on dogs and cats and one woman in a garden centre was overheard at the till when buying mouse killer poison to say that she would never have a cat, they are disgusting, nasty vile creatures! Takes one to know one I thought!
It just appears that's one folks don't think before they speak and don't mind if hey offend anyone else. I mean, I didn't turn round and say "Ohhh, I'd never have a dog, they are nasty vile creatures". I would never dream of openly offending anyone like that.
Oh and before all you dog lovers mention about cats pooping in your garden - you know what the answer is don't you - get a cat - then others won't poop in your garden! ROFL
My cat has a designated area for his toilet activity - one inside the house - his cat loo and one outside - a garden area just for him - which includes nice lovely chipped bark to be scratched around to poop on and catnip to encourage him to the area, as well as lots of yummy high oil cat grass to help his digestive system!
I wish dog owners would all clean up after their dog poops on the paths and along bridleways! I know lots of dog owners do - but country folk don't seem to be that much on the ball and if they should happen to put the poop in the bag - what do they do with it? Leave the bag and poop on the side of the road or path! It's a plastic bag and will take centuries to rot down as well as looking unsightly.
However, all this said, each man to his own and I do like dogs, but I personally prefer cats. maybe one day I will have another dog but for now I am a cat person.
Blessed be all you dog lovers (no offence intended by my post!)

Chopped down the hedge!

Finally the hedge has gone! The picture below is the 'before' pic and shows my mish-mash of a back hedge. It isn't a hedge really, it's a mixture of trees that have been cut to about 7ft tall thus forcing them to grow unevenly and untidily. To be honest, I just can't keep on top of this type of hedge and the fact that the top was a condensed mass which was wider than the bottom was a big factor in the realisation that it had to go! Anyway, if it didn't work it'd all soon grow again. But I was tired of not being able to look out and see the lovely view - the hedge was making me feel claustrophobic!
The picture below doesn't do it justice as the light was fading fast! But the tree hedge has been reduced and now I can see out! The next step was to purchase a climber to grow up the wire fence behind the remains of the tree hedge. I figured some beautiful flowers would further enhance the view, fill in the wire fence and give me something pretty to see without restricting he view of the hills!

I spent quite some time eyeing up larger Clematis and Jasmine plants but I needed two really to fill the gap along the back row and my bank account was more than happy when I managed to find two small Clematis plants! I got 2 contrasting colours: a lovely purple and a vibrant red. Both bear large flowers and bloom from early Spring until Autumn! PERFECT!

My plan now is to pot them on into larger pots and let them establish themselves a little more before they are due to go out as I'm worried the slugs and snails will finish them off! I have another plan to prevent this and it will be revealed when the Clematis are due to go out!

Here is a wonderful little gargoyle! In fact, I got two! They cost £1.00 and are adorable little chaps!
My cucumbers are growing okay. I am a bit disappointed that they are taking so long and only hope the weather warms up for them a little more! I have lost about 4 smaller cucumbers at the lower part of the stem - which is due to over-watering (my mistake!). The little baby cucumbers turned a yellow/pale colour and shrivelled up! They were promptly removed. I have stopped watering the plant and wait for it to dry out! Further up the stem I have two 3 inch sized baby cucumbers who seem to be progressing okay.



Here is the latest harvest from the allotment. Actually, I can't take the glory for the Courgettes as they were kindly given to me by a fellow allotmenteer - seeing as I failed to plant any courgettes! DOH! But the beetroot are all mine!

Another wet weekend!

I realise I haven't posted much lately - been a bit sporadic!
Anyways, here I am!
I have been thinking quite a bit lately about things - all sorts of things and especially my 'Craft' and the fact I haven't devoted myself to it as much as I'd like to. My life still seems such a muddle after moving in here and it shouldn't be because in September I will have been here one year, but I still haven't put 'my touch' on the place and redecorated!
There are things I still need to buy before this year is out - like a water butt - which is important as the back end of my garden gets boggy and the shed is down there, therefore I don't want all the water running from the down pipe into the base of the shed, I need a water butt and to attach another pipe to take overflow water away to the field. Then I need some stepping stones as the grass is wearing away and by the time winter is here I'll have a very muddy garden path to my shed - again not helped by the boggy-ness of my garden!
I also need a new oven, I have my sights set on a specific one but it's way out of my pocket and I can't seem to save for it. I have to get Raven Jnr new uniform and stationary for the new school year - at the end of the day I always seem to be spending money on things for others and not necessarily being able to save for the big things we all need here.

I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the fact I can't seem to find time for my Craft. I can't blame anyone else as I know it's up to me to make this time.

I find it hard to focus on my Craft when most of my supplies are still stuck in boxes in the bedroom and I'm unable to get to them!

I want so much to redecorate this place, to make it MY home and put MY touch on it. But again - that means buying paint! I have however made a small start and brought paint brushes and rollers etc. Maybe next I'll buy filler as the plaster comes off my walls whenever I try to put screws etc in the walls!

I will have to decide where pictures etc are going to go, drill in the nails etc and hen plaster it up again and then repaint! Can't be dealing with plastering and then repainting if I already repainted once! lol. I'll have to make sure I have paint left over in case I need to touch up any bits that I have to do at a later date - say I need to put a nail in for a new picture or a clock! lol. Apparently the problem is that when the house was built the plaster was made up too dry and hence - it cracks!

As for the great British summer - well, I guess it's as predictable as ever and we've had so much rain recently. It's been impossible to get down on the allotment and with all this rain my lettuces have gone mental and have gone vertical - yes vertical - they're about 2 ft high!

There will be lots of crops to dispose of this year due to not planning the planting properly but I know better for next year and things will be much more organized. If I were to be honest I'll tell the truth and say that I am surprised anything grew at all! I think I may have OD'd on the radishes and am sure some will have 'gone over' but at least I have runner beans to look forward to and am sure that by the time the rain stops and I can get back down there that I will be able to harvest them! I am considering saving my most successful broad beans and am saving some seeds from sunflowers this year too.

I'm trying to focus on the next Sabbat, the Autumnal Equinox and will be hoping to write something about it. I know, I missed writing anything about Lammas and haven't really gone into much detail about any of the Sabbats but things will be changing!

I am also in the process of doing regular YouTube Vlogs - just wish I had a half decent video camera though! lol

Right, lots to do, must get on!

TTFN!

Which supermarket?!

Years before Frugality was on my mind I used to shop at Tesco all the time. Since moving into my own place in September 2007 I have had to live a more frugal lifestyle and I don't seem to mind but I found Tesco were becoming increasingly bad value - despite the money off vouchers I received once in a blue moon.
I try to shop on a budget of £40 (recently has been increased to £50) and that money has to cover food, clothing, sundries etc etc for me and my son. I seemed to be coming out of Tesco with not much in my trolley and over my budget!

So I changed and tried Morrisons
I seemed to find better food in there - less expensive and not processed rubbish that looked like it was made up of 90% water.
So I've been shopping in Morrisons for quite some time now. I figured the savings I'd make every week would work out better than the periodic vouchers from Tesco.
But last week I found myself back in Tesco and whilst it was nice to have a change I still don't think I can buy as much for the same money. However, their potatoes did look better than Morrisons (I shall be growing my own for next year though!).
So, maybe next week I might try Tesco again. I am not sure I'll be a regular and I may well go back to Morrisons.
I also noticed the shopping style varies in different stores. In Tesco there is a much more yobbish mentality amongst shoppers. I got shouted at by a woman whilst I loaded my shopping into the trolley again whilst at the check-out. She seemed to think I was in her way but as far as I could see there was plenty of room!
I agree that there isn't as much room for trolley packing at the check out at Tesco as there is at Morrisons (well, not in mine there isn't).
As we went round Tesco people are either barging around or standing in the middle of an isle cooing at their grandchildren in the trolley seat and therefore making it impossible for anyone else to get past.
For want of a better phrase I do believe it's more 'Zombie Shopping' in Tesco.
Morrisons to me, seems to be more of a pleasurable experience.
I like to browse, seek out a bargain, go back a couple of isles if I change my mind or decide to buy that item.
However, morrisons DON'T have online shopping and I find it kind of nice to go through the Tesco website to decide what I want. I guess doing it online would reduce how much I spend as I can decide for definite what I want without browsing and buying extras, online I won't get all the argy bargy of store shopping in Tesco and having it delivered is better for the environment as the vans have more than one load aboard and therefore it's better than me throwing my petrol fumes into the atmosphere.
I haven't tried online shopping yet. Maybe I will..... one day.

Meet Sally & The Hedge

I have been toying with the idea since moving here to cut my hedge down a bit. I live in a bungalow and am surrounded by hawthorn hedges which must be a minimum of 8ft tall. I have one on the right of me that runs down the side of my garden and one at the back - which blocks my view of the countryside and the big open field at the back of my home. I have a small wire fence between myself and my neighbour on the left.
Anyway, in winter the wind, rain and snow comes belting across the massive field at the back of my home - which is a cornfield at present and I wonder if taking the hedge down in height would expose my place too much too the elements, however, it is a Hawthorn hedge and therefore in winter doesn't give much protection anyway!
I guess it gives some protection but it wouldn't be much really.
My back hedge is a collection of Hawthorn and trees - all the trees have been cut down to the height of the hedge - which is a shame. There is a nice Silver Birch which I'd like to let grow but it's going to be tricky to separate the tree from the rest of the hedge!
Amongst the hedge is a 6ft wire mesh fence secured in with concrete posts. I am toying with the idea of at first, cutting the hedge down to the level of the wire fence, if it's not too bad and I like it then I can always take a bit more off.
What i'd REALLY like to do is cut the hedge down to about 4ft and then plant some rambling roses to cover the exposed wire fence at the top of the hedge. It would be pretty and smell nice.




This is the view from my living room window - excuse the Honeysuckle on the left - I am playing with training it towards the house at present to give me more of a 'cottagey' feel. My daunting hedge can be seen in the background.
Here's a clearer view. My neighbour has a much nicer hedge - his is more 'proper hedge' of some kind of privet which is easier to cut and keep tidy, whereas mine is part of the original hedge that was here before the houses were built - as it was all part of the big cornfield in those days. But as you can see, it grows quickly, is a bugger to keep level as it is full of trees and you can see my Silver Birch in the middle.
It's nice to have an enclosed private garden but being in a bungalow my views are restricted by such a large imposing uncontrollable hedge. Plus it's so hard to trim up with hand shears and impossible to reach the top without the fiasco of steps and going into the field itself!
So watch this space - a plan may well develop sooner rather than later!

Here's Sally - my little Sunflower! She was going cheap at the garden centre so my S.O bought one for me and one for him - his one 9Sid) has gone out into his sheltered front garden and mine was put into a bigger pot and on my windowsill in my kitchen. Sally is going great guns, has about 5 flowers open now.

Changing weather!

The two pictures above show some lovely balloons flying over my place on a hot summers eve.

A very different story from two nights ago when we had the most violent storm of the year so far! It included orange lightening and horizontal lightening. Lightning which was above the clouds and lit the clouds up, making it look like scenes from the film 'War of the Worlds' (which incidentally was on TV recently too!) lol.

I tried to take some pictures with my camera but it has a slow response time and actually takes the picture 3 seconds AFTER pressing the button (wish I could afford a new camera!).

So here's some pictures from the Internet to give you examples of the type of storm we had:

Being out in the countryside I have a pretty good view of surrounding areas without lots of buildings blocking my vision. The storm had been with us for much of the afternoon, but just as a faint rumble but by the time light was failing a large cloud loomed from over the Chiltern Hills. I could smell rain in the air as as the cloud encroached upon our village I lost sight of the Chilterns which were obscured from vision by torrential rain. the rain was in the distance, like a big band creeping across the countryside.

I stood outside and watched the storm, the powerful lightening which at one point just seemed continuous.

The lightening seemed to skirt around us - not directly overhead and later on in the night the heavens opened and the torrential rain came down!

Good for the allotment me thinks!

In the morning my check on Bill & Ben (the sunflowers) showed they had a good 2 inches of rain in their tray (have resorted to standing them in a water filled tray as they're so thirsty!), but even this amount of water was too much for them!

It really felt fresh and the air clear after the storm, I just wished I could have taken a picture of the dramatic storm to show you.

Allotment Queen!

I am dancing around with the tune of Abba's 'Dancing Queen' spinning round inside my head, only the words are different, they are: "I am the Allotment Queen, Tony's quit and I'm on my own, woooo, wooooo ooooooo. See me dig, see me hoe, it's all in the days work down on the plot, ohhhh Oh Ohhh Ohhhh"

(I know - I admit, I'm a bit barking!)

Let me explain!

As you know, I took on the allotment plot with my darling older brother. At the time he was 'between jobs' and had time to help 'dig dig' but now he is working again and his job seems so hard (poor boy!), he hasn't managed to find the time to do anything much at all on the plot and I've been keeping things going and putting in LOTS of hard work. I did ask him a couple of weeks back if he wanted to carry on and I wouldn't be offended or anything if he said no. I reassured him that if he wanted to talk about it I'm open and it's no problem at all.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, he rang the other night and admitted that work is keeping him so busy that he doesn't have the time any more for the plot.

Whilst I am sad for him I am also happy for me. It means I have complete freedom down there and can go ahead and make my grand plans for next seasons growing.

I hope that he does find time at some point in his life to take on another plot - I am sure there will be empty plots when he does.

But for now, I am THE ALLOTMENT QUEEN (Oh yeah yeah yeah!). lol

Now onto the serious stuff!

My cucumber plant is going seriously well and is healthy! I have minute baby cucumbers making an appearance and the picture of the one above is the biggest one so far!

As you can see - he has lovely big healthy leaves too and seems to be thriving in the conservatory shed. There is an Aubergine plant in a pot in front of him in the picture above. I have two aubergine plants and this one is sited out of the sunlight and in a bigger pot.....

The one above - on the right hand side in a black pot is in sunlight and a slightly smaller pot - but he's thriving too. He was actually a smaller weedier plant but seems to have caught up. I am trying and experiment with growing condition to see what they prefer - sunlight or not.

The two plants on the left (Orange pot and the black pot) are both Chilli Peppers. The black pot is the runt who I also pinched the tip out of much earlier than the bigger plant. Again - was an experiment of mine.

As you can see, the orange pot is growing VERY well and has baby chilli's starting to appear, whilst black pot isn't doing quite so well, I am sure he'll get there eventually though! lol

Above in the big black pot are my Purple Haze Carrots. They are doing well for themselves and have now moved outside onto the shelving. I am hoping they won't grow too big. I will pull them if I should see any signs of them growing too big in the pot. I got a nice big pot for them so fingers crossed!

Scardy Cat

Okay I have given up - resorted to serious tactics!
The problem is.......... Saucy - my darling little feline poops in my garden, all over the beds, digging them up and plants galore as he goes! I have tried covering the beds with netting but after a couple of months it gets unsightly and I'd just love to have my beds looking nice. Saucy (bless him) has a proper cat loo and he isn't an outdoorsy cat either.
The neighbours love him as he doesn't poop in their gardens, oh no, but he'll poop in mine!
Of course I wouldn't be without him but I am going to have to come up with a plan of action for this!
First I tried old tea bags covered in 'Vicks', which worked okay for a couple of days - but you need a lot of teabags!
Then came the netting which has worked well but now he's taken to climbing on the netting to do his business! I have little cane spikes in my front/side bed to stop him climbing onto the chipped bark (spikes are harmless but I only have 10 little ones put at the end where he climbs on. The spikes I will point out are not sharp - just 5" long cut off canes stuck into the ground close together to stop him from finding somewhere to put his feet - of course I never want to hurt my cat!).
But now it's time for heavy artillery - in comes 'Scardy Cat'. A plant I have found which to be quite honest - STINKS!
I have 3 little plants and will put them in the most troublesome area in hope to drive him up to the end of the garden where I have his own garden area - with fresh chipped bark, catnip growing and cat grass (spoilt kitty or what?!).
This is a variety of Coleus in the Plectranthus family that has compact vigorous dark green foliage, lavender flowers on a spike with a pungent (to the animals) odor that deters dogs, cats and rabbits.
It can grow quite big - well, a couple of feet maybe and is quite a prolific grower, but it's not hardy!
I am going to take some cuttings from my plants as a back up and also to enable me to grow more for next year. I will probably try covering them up outside with little fleece jackets to prevent frost from killing them off.

It looks a bit like mint really - doesn't smell like mint though!
So watch this space and lets see how this trial goes!

Full Moon Ritual

Friday 18th July marks another full moon. I admit I haven't put in as much effort into my Craft as I am supposed to. I seem to have been distracted by various things and in my effort to ensure love and happiness in other areas I have let this one important area of my life go a bit.

I need to dedicate myself to my Craft more; something I am always promising to do. But I also realise what my 'Craft' isn't. It's not a dogmatic religion, there are no hard and fast rules as to when and where I should worship and it isn't meant to be separate from my life. The Craft is within in and is part of me; it's in everything I do and I make choices about my life and the things I do which reflect this. So in essence I haven't shunned my path. It knows there may be times when I am too busy, too sick, too distracted to be able to perform regular ritual but it's all still there - in my heart and soul.

I am not Wiccan, I don't believe in all this 'labelling', I am who I am and I do what I do (So mote it be!) and if there are Wiccan rituals and ideas I like the sound of then I use them.

I have nothing against anyone of any path and I am interested in how all paths work.

I have seen recently on YouTube much 'flaming' of our individual paths and it's just turning ugly. Arguments and folks going round trying to justify their way.

It's a shame everyone just can't be happy within themselves and learn to rise above the temptation of flaming and having the need to have the last word back.

Accept that we are all different and let it be.

This life is too short to hold onto that kind of anger and persecution. Enjoy your life and forgive and forget those that seek to ruin your enjoyment.

They only harm you because they know you can be harmed!

Below is a Full Moon Ritual - can also be used for New Moon

Here is a solitary Full or New Moon ritual written by: Ellen Reed, Coven of Sothistar.

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This rite may be used for either New or Full Moon. The difference is in your meditation and mental attitude in preparation. Remember that the New Moon is a time of outward work and thought, building to the peak which is the Full Moon.

At the Full Moon, you should be preparing to lessen the outward flow of energy, bit by bit, until the period before New Moon, during which you are passive, building a pool of energy within you, in preparation for the New Moon.

The altar should be placed in the center of the ritual area. On it should be placed a rose or stick of incense on the eastern side, a red votive candle to the South; a cup of water on the West, and a bowl of salt or living plant on the North. Around your ritual area, you should place an unlighted candle at the cardinal point of each direction.

To begin your rite, enter your darkened temple, carrying one burning candle, white or lavender, with you. Place it on the center of your altar, sit, and meditate on the meaning of the rite. When you feel the time is right, stand, and go to the eastern point, carrying with you, the burning taper. Light the votive at the eastern point and go to the southern, picturing, as you do, an arc of pure strong light curving from one candle to the next. Continue to the West, and then to the North, lighting the candles as you go, and then walk to your eastern candle again, having formed a circle of protective light surrounding the area in which you worship. Return to the center of the circle, replace the candle on the altar, and say:

"My Lady of the Moon, who is called Diana, Artemis, Levanah, Isis and by any other names, I come to you to bring you my love and my devotion. May you grant me the joy of your presence."

Mentally divide the room into four quadrants by visualizing a line of silvery moonlight from the southeast to the northwest, and from the northeast to the southwest.

Go the East, taking with you the rose or incense. Say:

"Sweet Goddess, the gentle breeze is the touch of your loving hand, the wind of storm a reminder of your strength. The sound of the trees in the wind is your voice, and the fragrance of flowers borne on the wind is your gift of beauty."

Place the rose next to the votive candle, then stand there as you picture the quadrant filling with moonlight. See the moonlight streaming quietly and gently into the room, filling the quadrant from center point to the edge of your circle. When this is complete, take the red candle to the South.

Place the gift and see the quadrant fill with moonlight. Say:

"Most loved Lady, the light of the candle is a guide along our path leading to you; its warmth the reassurance of your presence and your love. The light of the Sun is the knowledge you impart to us, driving out ignorance and those things which can survive only in darkness."

At the West:

"Lovely One, the quiet pool is the serenity of your being. The vast sea where life began on this planet is the vast sea of your being whence all life came; its waves are the ebb and flow of the universe you rule."

At the North:

"Goddess of all, the fertility of the earth is a sign of your fertility, whence all life rose. The solidity and permanence are still of it are still less than yours. The Earth's fertility feeds our bodies, and your fertility feeds our souls."

Go to the center of your temple, which is now filled with moonlight. Everything in the circle is touched by it, blessed by it, including you. Sit down and feel this moonlight around you. Know that it is the Goddess. Realize that you are in the center of a sphere of light that is half above and half above and half below where you sit.

Begin to breathe slowly and evenly, deep breaths that penetrate your whole body. When this rhythmic breathing becomes natural, imagine that the moonlight by which you are surrounded enters you, fills you entirely. With each exhalation of your breath, some of the essence of yourself leaves your body, and with each inhalation, the light enters you. You are being filled ever so gently with this beautiful light. This light, which is the presence, the being of the Goddess, is within you as well as without. With each breath, you are less yourself and more the Goddess. When you are filled with light, filled with the Goddess, the shell of your body fades away. You have no body; there is nothing to separate you from the entire being of the Goddess. Nothing exists but the being of which you are apart. You have ceased to be a separate entity. You are nothing and everything. All that was, that is, and all that will be, you are. Enjoy this feeling as long as you like.

When you feel it is time, picture the outer shell of your physical body reforming, becoming solid again. It is being built out of the Universe of which you are a part. Now, as you continue your slow deep breathing, see the moonlight flowing out of your body, as gently and slowly as it entered. As it flows out, realize there is a difference. Because you have become one with the Goddess, with the Universe, your being has changed. As the moonlight flows out of your body, it takes with it a part of that which was yourself, now part of the Goddess, and leaves behind a part of the Goddess, forever now part of you. You become yourself again, solid as you were, but changed. You are surrounded by the presence of the Goddess, which now contains a part of yourself .

Move again to the East. As you speak, and after, picture the moon- light in that quadrant flowing back to its source, leaving that quadrant as it was. Do this at each quadrant, until all the moonlight has returned to the Moon.

At the East:

"My Lady, guide my thoughts. Let them lead always closer to you."

At the South:

"Gracious Goddess, guide my actions. Let them always help and never harm others or myself."

At the West:

"Lovely One, guide my emotions: Let them be healing and touched always by you."

At the North:

"Sweet Goddess, let my mind always be fertile and strong, that I may grow always toward you."

Return to the East to complete the circle and say:

"Queen of Heaven, I thank you for your presence, both now and always. My love and devotion are yours. Blessed be! All spirits who have joined me tonight may depart, with my love. Return to your proper places."

Walk again around your circle, but this time counterclockwise, extinguishing the quadrant guards as you go, and at the same time, mentally erasing the white line which surrounded your circle. When the candles are out and the circle gone, rap on your altar and say:

"So mote it be!"

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Car is poorly - again!

Once again my car has to make it's regular trip to the garage to be fixed. It has become a standing joke that my car breaks down every month and has now become a bit of a 'regular' at the garage.

I am lucky that the car was given to me by my father following my marriage break up (which left me car-less as well as home-less) and funnily enough, the car never went wrong whilst he had it but from the moment it was given to me it has been one big problem after another, and we're not talking little £30 bills to fix it - I am talking one's in their hundreds!

This year it failed it's MOT yet again and required welding (expensive thing that is too!), last year the catalytic converter burnt out (due to that 'bad fuel' issue) and it failed on emissions.

This month's 'issue' is leaking break fluid! The estimate to fix it is: £130 (if it's just dripping down the back of the break cylinders) but £260 if it has leaked onto the break cylinders and will then require new break cylinders! You can almost guarantee it will end up being the latter!

The problem I have is that I can't keep throwing money at the car, my oven is also poorly and I need a new one, I still haven't got a lawnmower and a water butt and when will I ever have enough money to redecorate my home?!

I am fortunate that my S.O helps me out in times of crisis with the car but I don't feel good about it and I'd rather not take his money as I never have the means to pay it back.

The thing with my car - so EVERYBODY tells me is that it is 'old'. It's only 10 years old and it's the youngest car I've ever had. Do people not think that if I could afford a younger model I would pop out today and buy one? lol

I know I dish out a lot on the 'old one' but I don't have the lump sum required to buy a new car.

I would love a new car but it's like my dream of a holiday - it'll never happen.

Next year will mark the twentieth anniversary of me NOT having a holiday. I really feel I need to get away - to spend a couple of weeks on a white beach with waves lapping at my toes. To swim in crystal clear blue waters and to not have to worry about anything at all.

I need a break in my life but I don't think it'll ever happen - not unless I win the lottery of course! lol

So anyway, the car goes into the garage today and I probably won't see it again until next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Tour of the shed and home plants

Here's the view inside my new shed. Hmmmm, I know, not very organized but I have just basically plonked everything in there as time was limited and needed to get seeds started before it was too late. Seeds/plants happily growing away on the shelf. Have decided to grow two large pots with Purple Haze carrots in them. The pots are quiet deep so I hope to be able to get at least 6 inch long carrots out of them!A better view - not quite a full length view of the potting shelf!These pictures were taken a few weeks ago and some of the seeds are now little plants and are happily growing away. I planted radishes in the long planter on the right - they're not through and it won't be long until they're ready!
Trying out the 'close up' setting on my camera. Am impressed with the detail it caught with this flower!

My little baby tomatoes!
This is the staging I got from my dad, The two units were actually one long one and there was another in the middle. It ran the entire length of my parents greenhouse - yes, they have a big greenhouse! lol Anyway, they were all unpainted but I gave them a couple of coats in the same green I used on my garden gate. I'm really impressed with them - they look 'GRAND'.

I like to use a sawn up pallet which was made specifically for holding a grow bag as it allows drainage underneath and helps prevent pesky pests decimating your crops! The shelving units are now full of little plants growing their hearts out!

Ahh - I too am human and have a clover ridden lawn! I shall sort my lawn out at some point. The best time to sow grass seed is October or March, so I might have to wait until them to try and get rid of some of the weeds amongst my grass and to lay down some more grass seed on a couple of worn bare patches.
My cucumber plant! He's trebles in size since this pic was taken - again only a couple of weeks ago and he now has a bigger support cane and is in a new position.
Spinach, lemon balm and rocket all coming on in individual tubs.
These are all bigger and outside now - on the shelving units.

I should really have taken some more up to date pictures!
Will get right on it!
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