Playlist

Yay! I had a piece of writing published in The Guardian!  :)
Ok, so it's a reader contribution called "Playlist" they have each week in the family section, not like some professional feature article, but still yay! For the Playlist feature, readers are asked to send in a short piece about a song that reminds them of a particular event or time in their lives.

You can see it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/nov/17/family-photography   (scroll down the page a little; it's below the video) ♥

My Etsy shop is open again after my maternity leave. I'm loving full-time Mama-ing with my gorgeous little boy but it's good to have more crafting time too whilst Dylan and his Daddy have time together. To celebrate my return, I've made two treasury lists, Seaside Baby Boy (Dylan means "from the sea") and "Autumn Baby Boy". The second has a woodland theme as Dylan has my husband's surname which translates as "of the woods". Click on the titles to see the treasuries; so many beautiful finds from clever crafters!



I've got some new stock in my own shop too inspired by the world of babies. I got taken back to my own childhood using the remnants of the Beatrix Potter fabric my mum made my nursery curtains with. I adored the Beatrix Potter stories - I even went to a fancy dress party as Mrs Tiggywinkle once -  and look forward to sharing them with Dylan.

Take a look! http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartShapedHands

♥

Diwali

On dreary, rainy days like today has been in South West England we understand the cross-cultural prevalence of winter festivals of light. Jews will start their Hannukah celebrations on 8th December, with pagans and those leaning to nature-based spirituality welcoming the suns rebirth after the winter solstice, and Christians celebrating the birth of their light of the world on the 25th.

Light and warmth aren't just brought to us by the physical strength and hours of sunlight; my life feels brightened by (among other things) company of loved ones, a cosy home, comforting food and pursuits and general merriment. All typical features of the holiday season; falling in the season of nurture.

Ayurveda - stemming from the same part of the world as today's Diwali celebrations - aims to heal through regaining balance. So during these months, to rebalance the cold and dark of winter, we must increase warmth and light. I look to what represents this to me, perhaps by wearing gold jewellery and glitter, or eating an orange. I use what has a warming, brightening affect such as using spices like cinnamon and ginger, taking baths, lighting candles, going for a walk on one of those winter days where the air bites cold but the sun is so warm and feeling my skin drink that sun in and through all of my body.

Find what represents warmth and sunshine to you and, on days when family aren't coming around for a festival and feast, brighten your winter with it.

Happy Diwali!   ♥

Frost!

On Tuesday this week we were kissed by our first hard frost. Oh it was worth the numb fingers to go outside and admire leaves, grass, flowers and trees in their crystal finery! Childishly watching my breath and grinning like it was Father Christmas rather than Jack Frost who had called, I teetered on the pain-pleasure border as I took these shots. This is a thin, brittle line nature plots; beautiful in its sparkle but dangerous in its slipperyness. Slightly sadistically, I welcomed what this sharp glitter would do to the garden pests whilst nervously pondering what it will do to the polytunnel's inhabitants. This year has seen me become less benevolent towards slugs and snails, and a little obsessively overprotective towards the veg patch (which is currently looking its most productive all year).

I recently worked my first massage session following maternity leave. I encouraged each client to be aware of their shoulders in the cold weather; there's a natural tendency to hunch them up and curl them forward. It's like we're hugging that warmth in, that last scrap of warmth. Pulling ourselves in to keep us all together; nurturing, protecting our heart space whilst spreading our back as a shield. It's understandable. 

But to tense shoulders this hunching will probably lead! We need to circle, shake out, squeeze up and stretch; creating space between our bones and feeling it. We also need to wear long, chunky scarves, In this season, where we see our landscape harshly stripped back to its bare bones, we have the chance to feel space. Space that follows the busyness of springtime sowing, then the headyness of summer and then after the exhaustion of the rains, winds and/or work of autumn. November can seem such a miserable month; cold,wet,dark and – in the UK – with no festival yet to brighten and warm our hearts and homes. 

An alternative celebration can be to find and welcome that space; what has been lost or sacrificed to make way for the new? What can be created in these long evenings? What can be dreamt of for the coming year – and beyond? What can be nurtured, maintained or repaired so that it is ready to be reborn all freshened up and shiny? How exciting!

Stay cosy   ♥