I have to say, it's been a blast!
And thank you again to everyone I have shared the summer with :)
Pam and I went to see another Shakespeare play over in Glanusk - watching plays out of doors just adds to the whole atmosphere (and being out doors seemed to be the theme for this summer) - and we took a bottle of pink bubbly left from my birthday and sat in the sun and laughed a lot :)
The Girls were out and about with friends and sleepovers here there and everywhere and having almost too much fun too and that was a joy to see, and I must be better because they also began to squabble a bit too ;) And now D is in juniors and B had begun GSCE's, and M has finished AS's and left and gone to college to train as a nanny/nursery nurse and is much happier!
Coffees and chats and food and sunshine in my garden, under the one remaining gazebo after the party ... (it's still there now and has done us proud all summer!) ... with friends seemed to be the way to go and it's been bliss.
Then the run-up to the Green Man (GM) festi, people booking in and out of rotas and emailing arrival dates, all busy stuff. And although the weather was pretty good during the festival, because we had so much rain all year, as soon as the public descended, certain areas were just 6 inches of liquid mud haha! Hoorah for the new wellies standing up to it and Deri's wellies being *just* long enough to be able to trudge through it! Did some work for the GM admin and had a hoot every night back at the crew camping and sat round the fire - and walking home to my warm bed later ;) Deri stayed at my mum's Fri night, so I went back on site at 5pm and met up with friends and got rather merry and bumped into my eldest having a hoot with her friends and b/f, and I bought a silly hat (it is compulsory to buy a silly hat every year, preferably out of felt!) and then some friends left and we met up with other friends who were also crew and had a drink and a dance and more sitting round fires and then it was 5am and we crawled off to bed very merry and very happy after such a fun night!
It was like one big happy family and reminded me of things I have been aiming for and showed to me that there were certain things that will get done better if there is a group of you...
And made a New friend too. A tall, dark, drum playing, fresh food foraging, delicious meal cooking, gentle and funny, wild man of the woods, dog walking and interesting story sharing, wild man of the woods .... and we spent 2 weeks together, and maybe we will never meet again, but that time confirmed to me what could be done and where I wanted to travel towards ... and the crew also had certain women I met, some for the 2nd time, some for the 1st, who were an inspiration in many ways. And each one of them was so happy that I was there, well, and happy, and they celebrated that in different ways.
And this year, the Green Man statue that they burn at the end of the festival, had little wish tags inside that you could write on... and I wished hard when I wrote mine :))
So, gradually everyone packed up, some stayed longer than others, and my new friend stayed until I went back to work. Back to work!! Yet, it's not like work, because there are so many wonderful people there, doing a lot of wonderful things, and it's a joy to be part of that and to help do good things too, and yes there are other projects in life that I will take forward soon, but *this* is a damned good one too and one that I hope will be part of my future for some time to come!
I have been thinking too, that it's time to take up more opportunities that are offered, to move forward towards the goals that I really want, and to generally have more fun, whether in play or work or creativity etc ;) And I even mentioned to one friend that I could do with hiringa skip, so that I could properly de-clutter the house and sheds! haha! Now *that* would take some time! BUT, it needs doing, whether we stay here or not, so there's room for what's important....
When I have sat out in the garden, butterflies keep landing on me, sitting on a leg, or on my arm... and dragonflies keep being fund fluttering around the house, and a bat was stuck in the bathroom for a while until I caught it, and a robin flew in too .... so I wondered what they were all telling me, and looked it up!
=
Bat
A symbol of rebirth. It symbolizes the need for a
ritualistic death of some way of life that no longer
suits your new growth pattern. If you resist your destiny,
it may become a long, drawn out or painful death.
The universe is always asking you to grow and
become your future.
Butterfly
Is a very spiritual bug and represents the
resents of of good spirits. Butterflys signal
change, metamorphosis, balance, harmony, grace,
peace, beauty and spirituality. It is a good sign.
It is the mind and the ability to know how
and when to change.
Dragonfly
Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change,
the messages of wisdom and enlightenment,
and the communications from the elemental world.
This elemental world is made up of the tiny spirits
of plants,and the elements air, fire and water.
This world is full of nature spirits.
Dragonfly medicine always beckons you
to seek out the parts of your habits
which you need to change.
Robin
Brings happiness, good health, and love to families.
Robin is a proud bird, clean, and well dressed.
She is a good reminder of virtues worth emulating
and a good role model for humans.
Hmmm....... anyone else see a pattern there?! haha!
So then Kerry and I get to talking, more seriously than before, about actually doing something about creating the sustainable community that we have wanted for ages. ie: a small group of us, sharing land with our own private space and some communal areas, growing and eating our own produce, running workshops to create more income, keeping some or all of our current work depending on what/where it is etc, being able to create more of our crafts, those that do healing or therapies could have more space too, and generally creating a better environment for our kids. And we have found the first possibility of where we may be able to do such a thing, and looking into the others too! We don't want a commune, haha! But we DO want a better quality of life and a more natural rhythm too.
And then some fun things presented themselves too ... to go away without kiddies next weekend to a small festival, utilise the healing field, and have free entry by helping in the cafe for 10 hours, and have a lift with a friend! Up in Lincolnshire, a first for me! And the autumn equinox falls on that weekend .... a time of gratitude for what is, of re-balancing where required..
The next weekend is me and the kiddies and friends with theirs, all ages, off to the mini festival in the Forest of Dean :))
And this week, and again on the 25th, I had/am having bloods .... this week was at Nevill Hall... all fine! Same again at the Heath in 2 weeks one hopes ;)
It doesn't stop all the 'What-if's', or the occasional flash of guilt
that you're having fun and someone else is in the middle of chemo, or a
different crisis, but if you're alive, you have to make the most of it,
whether quietly, loudly, or in a busy way or in a studious way, or you
can laugh or moan or whatever you fancy.... AND you can help that other
person TOO ... anyhoo, this is the way *I* am doing it, and I very much enjoy spending it with all of YOU xxx
