Wow, the weather is gorgeous today – there’s a bumblebee just outside the office window, the chickens are getting excitable (they even came to hang out under the kitchen table at lunchtime) and it’s time to get planting. It feels as though Spring is already here, though it doesn’t officially start until the Spring Equinox on 20th March.
I’m very excited about the garden and all the edibles that I am planning to grow. My current gardening bible is Food Not Lawns by Heather Flores. It is a amazing resource, full of ideas and inspiration, with a permaculture approach. It is unlike many other gardening books in that it is not so much about what to plant when, as a chunky guide to getting involved with your community, growing things for free and how to support the current ecosystem in the garden. Brilliant!
We have just this moment finished another edition of the magazine which will be available in a few weeks time. It was great fun to put together and is packed with articles. Jez has gone to have a lie down in the sun, having not slept for two nights. We have sunk into a funny rhythm the last week or so and I am looking forward to straightening that out and getting back to ‘normal’ life again!
I did a radio interview this morning with a local London station about attachment parenting, peak oil, food systems and the magazine. It was good to debunk a few myths such as washable nappies are hard work and it’s tough being green in today’s society.
Right, am off to sow some seeds…
I just wanted to post a short note on Imbolc, the feast of the Goddess Brigid, which takes place tomorrow. It’s a time to celebrate the rebirth of the sun, an opportunity for new beginnings and purification using fire. Today’s snowfall has created a beautiful setting for this ancient celebration.
We have celebrated in various ways over the years from dressing all in white and going for a woodland walk to taking it in turns to wear a crown of candles. We tend to have a celebration meal with lots of candles and circular food like pancakes to represent the sun and lengthening days. When everyone else is in bed I will pull my cards and do a spiral spread for Imbolc and the coming months for a greater insight on what I have to work on in my life.
No matter how you celebrate Imbolc, the focus for this time of year is new beginnings (both literal and metaphorical), the blessing of hearth, home and crops and purification (by means of fire). As well as a chance to honour the rebirth of the sun, it is a favourable time to celebrate creativity, ignite passions, and to harness the power that is created in the turn of the season.
Hope and anticipation abound and and encourage us to gather our thoughts and prepare for new creative projects and activities. If you haven’t started a journal this year or created goals for the months ahead now is the time to focus upon your hopes and dreams for the coming year. They may be physical, spiritual or emotional, but you can be assured that now is the time to lay the foundation stones of your dreams. This needn’t be a new dream, it may be something that has been a longheld desire. Be safe in the knowledge that in beginning this process you will be communing with, and at one with the universal force, limitless potential and bounty of nature. As the earth is awakening, so can we harness this period of aspiration, fulfilment and creativity that lies ahead.
A candle ritual is particularly appropriate as Imbolc is a fire festival. Take a white candle and carve into it a picture or word symbolising your goal for the year ahead. Place the candle in a heatproof dish and light it. Allow the candle to burn right down. You can do this in three or four sittings so as not to leave it unattended.
Happy creating!
NOTE: This beautiful painting was created by Wendy Andrews – you can view more of her inspirational art at Painting Dreams
Hey, we have completed the first week or buy nothing month and all is going well. I expect the real challenges to come in a couple of weeks time. I am carefully rationing food items and it is making me more creative in the kitchen. We are going to a party tonight and I am planning what to take with me as a gift – will probably make some edible treats and maybe something from the garden, like a bunch of carrots, in place of flowers!
One pleasing aspect is the reduction in the amount of waste that we have created over the last week. So far we have accumulated half a carrier bag of rubbish in just over a week. I know that we have further to go on waste reduction so I am aiming to cut this as we progress.
I haven’t travelled further than we can cycle over the last week so have enjoyed more time spent with close neighbours and people in the local community, which has been another added benefit. Next week we have a couple of home ed trips planned and I haven’t yet worked out how we are going to travel and pay for these, if we go. I am sure that there is some creative trading that could be possible. I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, off to make something to rival a box of organic chocs…
Tomorrow we begin our Buy Nothing Month (BNM), an extension of Buy Nothing Day, which takes place on 29th November. We will not spend any money for a whole month. We had a BNM last year and it was rather successful – a chance for us to explore our relationship with money and really assess our needs and wants. Last year we experienced more time together as a family and a greater sense of resourcefulness, especially in the kitchen. Given that my biggest financial indulgence is good quality organic food I am hoping to be able to take this resourcefulness a step further this year. So what are we going to do without?
• No food purchases apart from our standard family-sized box of vegetables and fruit that is delivered every week. We will use the last harvest from the veggie garden and clear our storecupboard items. I will get more creative with food that we have foraged for and will probably spend a good proportion of my time in the kitchen!
• No newspapers, books, magazines, or similar items. We will make our own family news for a month, concentrate on reading our accumulated library rather than buying more and spend time trusting innate knowledge rather than looking to books, etc for answers.
• No clothes purchases – easy one really since we only shop in charity shops and with ethical clothing brands periodically. However, I will make more of an effort this month to repair clothes rather than giving them away or textile recycling them. These will become last resort options.
• No trips out that cost money – this will be quite tricky as part of our home education schedule is a day out every couple of weeks or so, either up to London to the museums or to local historic sites. I expect to use the bikes to explore deeper into our local area instead.
• No gift purchases – there are a couple of friends’ and family members’ birthdays coming up in November. We will be making presents and cards for all the lucky gift recipients!
There are probably other areas too – I shall cover those as they come up during our month of freedom! Hope you enjoy reading about our experiences during the coming weeks…
And if you fancy joining us, I’d be delighted to hear from you.
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