the first owl

my best friend and i have been remembering the days we spent at a magical place down south in the summer. we slept over in a yurt at shadow woods and listened to owls tu-whit and tu-whoo as the dawn crept in and we became delirious with illness.

i watched our barn owl encircle a field with a horse in it as the rain lashed down and a family of field mice scurried underneath the slowly turning season's leaves.

i saw my first ever damson fly and i remembered oak trees from my past.

we will go back there and explore to our heart's content.

i'm sure of it.

weddings and wanderings

i'm off to celebrate the marriage of two wonderful folk tomorrow bright and early.
yorkshire trees, tunnocks, polaroids,a birthday, meeting lovely new people and seeing a boy and girl in love getting wed. can't hardly wait!

home bird

this home bird is flying to her real nest tomorrow morning and she is oh, so excited.

mamma bird, wee brothers and the colours of the night sky that i've never seen any place else.

oh, and st columb's park on a crisp, autumn day.

and seeing someone i've been missing for quite a while.

courage and veggie roast dinners.

a folk band of birds . . . .

i had my own food stall for the first time on saturday. it was at a beautiful venue, with magical people and sweet melodies. more on the event to follow. for now, here are some pictures taken by my lovely friends that helped out.

my stall is called a folk band of birds and i hope you will see it again some time soon . . .

ship-shape

the view is pretty great around here these days. fun, new and old friends and a fantastic festival.

the birds are loving august and colours are so bright that they are spilling out of folds in the planet so big you could build a wigwam inside.

the nights smell like summer and there is magic in the air.

times on our wee earth have been kinda hard of late and it's so easy to get caught up in the chaos, sadness and destruction she is suffering from.

but we live on a beautiful planet, and those of us that respect and love her need to keep ship shape in making sure we keep our eyes free of tears lest we miss the sea birds, wild flowers and red skies that she gives us . . .

reflections

this is the start of the rest of my life.

no more sadness, worry or isolation.

no more.

this planet is a reflection of this beautiful universe and i have started to see myself through the twinkling, now.

sunday morning

my space is made all the more special because of this wee man.

he just fits in so well.

the sunday sunshine this morning had he and i moving with it around the bed, finding the best place to bask like atlantic grey seals on an small, hidden rock.
summer is truly wonderful.

iceland

tobermory, isle of mull. april 2011



the sun had his hat on all day today. the air was like a maiden dance; light and pure.
i thought of brightly coloured houses and of my pappa.
i called him and we spent all night talking. of the war. of ireland and america. and of that wild and beautiful ocean in between.
i want to go to iceland and tell him all about it very, very soon.

freedom

' I crave the freedom that can only be found when stood on the edge of an isolated beach; listening to the wild and beautiful Atlantic play out its chaos.'

reflection

"Blue mountain river . . . i listen to your whispers, you dance in time with mine.
We'll stay awake together, watching silver in the sky . . . you're changing my reflection; and the seasons in my mind."

( photo from two sundays ago at colinton dell )

joyous summer solstice. the rain is falling down in lines that are slanted both ways due to the summer wind, forming triangles with the earth below. the triangle is the most spiritual of all shapes and we should hold it within us to forge our way through dark and troubled waters.

the air smells green, in spite of the grey.

the midsummer mist has hidden arthur's seat and the crags for the morning. a pity because i was going to climb it with a picnic on this long and magical day. hide and seek with mountain tops.

i am full to the brim with thoughts about mountain choirs, plays, exhibitions and togetherness.

self

i have my second year steiner teacher training graduation on sunday. we wrote our own play-the circle turns, exploring the stages of woman. i wrote a monologue as bride. it was a very difficult thing to do and that exploration has helped me so much with my own sense of self.

my programme summary is this;

The number of calls given by her first cuckoo tells how many years she shall remain unwed . . .
A reflection on birds, islands, the winter, folklore and the other.
This is a journey through dark, stormy waters towards understanding.

strong places

'fear is always found in strong places'

someone i hold dear once said that i do 'smug faces' well . . .

on friday i did something very, very brave.
i sent a letter to someone i love.
i have forgiven him and am oh-so excited to get to know him, finally.

happy father's day, dad.

sleepyhead

he is just the loveliest wee thing to come home to.

on mull

' A cuckoo was singing his spring song from a tree right beside the water.

He called and he called and he called so many times that I lost count . . . .'

bike rides this week have often needed a woolie jumper. the birds have been singing their wee hearts out, even though the sunshine has been hiding a bit. it's really lovely, in spite of the heavy rainfall.

albatross

an albatross is so much more than a bird.

he is a symbol in the sky.

summer

it's june, our star has been shining a wee bit brighter and the festivals have started.

summer is on her way.

this summer is going to be about family, birds, writing, camping, philosophy, markets, music, islands, seas, circles, colours, my banjo, folklore, friends, photographs, norse mythology, strawberry picking, seals, car boot sales, vintage dresses, pink lemonade, astronomy and braided hair.

i can't hardly wait.

the polish church

'i am singing and you are talking,
it's wonderful; walking with you.'

unweaving the rainbow

(photographs from march. i have lots of green leaves now.)

some days are so wonderful that you can't quite believe your luck. today probably shouldn't have been one of them because of stress, deadlines, sickness, tiredness and worry but in spite of all that it shaped up to be pretty magical.

now i am all freckly from studying in the sunshine for an hour and have thoughts of rainbows and our senses swimming in my head.

oh, and the sea birds outside my window are so close i think i can see their wings making tiny and ancient flight adjustments.

a beautiful circle . . .

the sunrises gaia gave me this spring were unbearably beautiful.

i live in a white room that overlooks the greenest of meadows with trees that sway and dance in the wind as the moon floats majestically at night time.
and in the mornings,as our ancient sun sends light from way back before we walked down here, the trees stand tall and strong so that the birds, those most magical of creatures, can sing and play in their own wee chosen places on our planet.

the seasons, our world, those that have chosen their own ways on earth outside of the standard squares of existence. we are all coloured circles spilling out over the squares that someone else has drawn. this summer is going to be about circles that soar way above the grey below.

my moon, my man

this was when my moon was oh-so close and the night was beautiful across the meadows.

waves

my wee brothers and i right after we watched a dolphin play in the setting evening sun last month. love is a strong, wild and ancient thing; like my great and deep atlantic ocean.