Tag Archives: winter

Food Forests Are Fun- And Good For You!

Posted on August 17, 2014 | Leave a comment

cartoon-bugFor those of us in the southern hemisphere who are experiencing winter, you might be feeling those bugs dancing around you, waiting for an opportunity to make you sick. I’ve gone for whole winters without getting sick but nothing wrong with a bit of a workout for the immune system every now and then. And when you do need a bit of extra help you may look no further than nature where all kinds of fruits abound.

Juicy orange

I am feeling particularly grateful to the citrus fruits at the moment, lemon and orange juice brewed up with honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic and ginger. Add a good helping of some fine single malt whiskey once you have taken your slowly simmered medicine off the stove and the alchemy is complete! That’s my recipe for a hot toddy, I don’t remember who I got it from but I do know that it is wonderful for colds and flu. And the fine brew we made came from fruit on the trees here at our latest house sit, abundance comes in many forms and this is certainly bounteous nature at her best!

hot-toddy

I’m not sure about some of the garlic but the ginger came from a lovely lady at my Sunday market who sells strawberries, avocados and other yummy things. The honey comes from my local co-op and is raw, so my medicine for my cough was made with very fine ingredients! And when I sent my Beloved out for the whiskey I was happy when he came back with a good bottle, nice and smooth. It’s a funny thing but the only time I ever really want whiskey is when I’m sick with a cold or bug of some description. For me it really is medicine, does a wonderful job of healing and in winter it’s nice to be so hot, but you wouldn’t want to be drinking it all the time.

winter fruit

So if you are in winter at the moment consider whether your immune system might need a boost, when there is a lot of fruit on the trees sometimes even organic can be quite cheap, certainly no more than the commercial fruit. In fact whatever season you are currently inhabiting may well be rich with all the nutrition you need. Nature does seem to balance supply and demand quite well if treated with respect, if you have the opportunity plant a food forest where you live!

I like the sound of that!

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The Single Mother’s Club.

Posted on July 3, 2014 | Leave a comment
My very first Bliss Balls!

My very first Bliss Balls!

For anyone who actually noticed, big apologies for not offering my usual Wednesday post. I got up in the afternoon having done an overnight shift and I spent the day with my Beloved having cups of tea and making bliss balls and omelette stuffed with garlic and onion and turmeric. To say nothing of the pot of fresh lemon and ginger tea, I was very conscious of having food that suits the season. For us here in the southern hemisphere its full Winter and the fruit trees are groaning under the weight of lemons and oranges and mandarins, a good example of nature providing lots of support to the immune system at a time when people often get colds and flu.

Mama with joey in pouch having a well deserved rest.

Mama with joey in pouch having a well deserved rest.

Mama with joey out of pouch, if you can't see the little one click on the image to make it bigger.

Mama with joey out of pouch, if you can’t see the little one click on the image to make it bigger.

We also had some particularly good entertainment from the wallabies, there is a mother we have been watching for the last three months as the joey in her pouch has grown bigger and bigger. He didn’t have any fur at all when we first used to see him, just very pink and tiny. They decided to hang out in the garden yesterday and the little one is not so little anymore, he was out of the pouch and even grooming his mother at one point! It was wonderful to watch and my Beloved decided to say thank you by giving her some of the macropod pellets we give them every morning. We ended up with three mums turning up with babies in pouch and I decided that it must be a single mother’s support group.

The Single Mother's Club.

The Single Mother’s Club.

It’s so special to see the wallabies lounging around the garden as they often do here, apparently they are nocturnal and spend a lot of the daylight hours resting. There is nothing quite as chilled as a wallaby stretched out on the grass, and lovely to receive their trust as they make themselves so vulnerable to we dangerous humans. The most dangerous animal on the planet without a doubt, the animal known as man, but methinks we are learning to be softer and more pliable, prepared to be a part of our environment rather than lording it over everything.

Hope you enjoy the pictures, I don’t often wish for a good camera but if I had one then I could easily have enough great pics to start a career as a wildlife photographer!

Here are a couple more for you to have a look at.

Mama with joey.

Mama with joey.

The Single Mother's Club.

The Single Mother’s Club.

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The Howling Winds Of Winter.

Posted on June 27, 2014 | Leave a comment

Horses at the waterhole.It’s transition time for me again as my Beloved and I are coming to the end of our idyllic house sit in the bush, knowing that we will be gone soon sharpens my appreciation of the beauty we are surrounded by here. I will miss the wallabies and the birds and the horses, although I won’t miss having to feed them every morning at 8am! Once again I have another piece of the puzzle that is making up the picture of where I will eventually settle, being in the bush seems like an essential part of that.

wild wind

As I sit here writing the wind is howling outside and winter has finally closed her cold fist over the landscape, moving back into town into a brick house might not be such a bad idea after all! I spoke in my last post about the immediacy of nature that we experience here in Australia, the wind is practically yelling and it is a little bit unsettling to say the least. I have learned to like winter but at this moment I’m longing for that summer warmth to return, makes me a typical human being, always wanting what we don’t have.

fireplace

So it’s time to focus on what’s good about cold weather, sitting in front of a roaring fire and snuggling with my Beloved would probably head my list.Two hot water bottles in bed also used to be a winter essential but now I have a human hot water bottle, nothing like cuddling up with a fiery Leo to raise the temperature! Hearty soups with yummy gluten-free toast dripping with organic butter, woolen hats and gloves, and of course sexy long boots make the season much more fun. And finally simply surrendering to the fact that its bloody cold and there ain’t a damn thing I can do about it!

 

 

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Winter Holidays.

Posted on June 6, 2014 | Leave a comment

maleny mistWe’re all going on a summer holiday, that’s me except I’m in the Southern Hemisphere, we’ve just gone into winter proper by the calendar but you wouldn’t know it by the temperature. Some of the days have been crazy considering the time of year and the fact that I am up in the mountains where it is generally colder even here in sunny Queensland. You never completely know what’s coming next and this blog is no exception to this general rule of life!

holiday

So I’m taking a friday holiday but will endeavour to come back with a little more focus for your sunday serving of whimsical, strange and sometimes erotic meandering, through this grand journey known as life!

Ah ho!

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A World In Transition.

Posted on August 30, 2013 | Leave a comment

My next toning circle is going to be on 31 August, so we will be marking the transition from winter into summer, feels like we are jumping into the heat early this year. There will no doubt be some spring like weather too, but for me it’s the summer time that is almost upon us, and time to reap the harvest for whatever we may have sown, over months, years………… I think there might be a big transition occurring on a cosmic level at the moment and it’s being reflected in the lives of many as we respond to that energetic environment. A lot of readings that I am doing certainly reflect the huge shift that is happening in the world, for each of us the actual circumstances may vary but the essence is the same.

The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27, pumps out infrared light in this image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

The Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27, pumps out infrared light in this image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.

So the question is how to travel through the shifts and changes with ease and grace, and I guess the first part of that is the act of bringing awareness to whatever is happening in your life. This is where the observer comes in, stepping back and actually seeing what you are doing, the behaviours that are creating what’s going on. This can take practice but it does get easier over time, and once you can see with that kind of clarity there is a sense of liberation that comes with achieving a deeper knowledge and understanding of yourself.

compassion2

So when the changes stir things up for you bring that clarity of mind to the situation, and ask yourself what might help with moving the energy along and out of your organic system. Keep the energy in your body flowing as much as possible and you will manage smoother travelling on the roads of change, staying grounded in everyday practicalities can also be a huge help in remaining positive about your experiences. And sometimes there are pot holes on the road of your journey and you simply have to surrender to a bumpy ride for a time, just keep your safety belt on and know that it won’t last for ever.

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Sweet Dreams.

Posted on July 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

As the clear winter water

Nourishes the seed within the earth

I am nourished by new-found awareness

of who I truly am.

This awareness has not yet fully matured,

Which will reveal all wisdom

In its time,

the Power of the unmanifest

Even now works within my spiritual heart,

And I am at peace.

The Essene Book of Days by Danaan Parry: http://www.earthstewards.org/ESN-Danaan.asp

My last toning circle was all about planting seeds, then watering them and giving them a powerful loving focus, and of course juicy frequencies through our sounds. It may sound a little strange to be planting seeds in winter, but it is the inner garden that I am referring to. The stillness that may come with the cold winter months draws us into ourselves, so it’s a perfect time to be tending our garden within.

planting-seed

This strong focus on the seeds I have planted helps to keep me from straying back into old patterns, that still beckon me with their siren song. How addicted we can be to things that so obviously do not serve us, how hard to let go of dreams that never truly held the promise that we so desperately tried to see in them. I am so very tired and that makes me particularly vulnerable to regret, when weary one tends more towards negative self-talk, feeling rejected in this moment, even the cat has left the room!

Don’t worry, it’s nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix, as my mother reminded me tonight, I have been subject to a kind of psychic attack  for a number of months now and that is the sort of thing that tends to wear a girl out! Sounds dramatic doesn’t it, but having an energy vampire playing with your heart and your emotions is no fun for anyone, it’s pretty much over now and I am stronger and wiser because of it.

Energy-Vampire

The cat is back and she is purring, this is a sign that all is well in my world, my inner garden is planted with the most amazing seeds and I have the strongest feeling that some of them may practically grow overnight! The world is a wonderful place and I belong in it, the morning will be bright even if it is still raining and after my morning yoga class I will be ready to take on anything.

Carpe diem! (Seize the day).

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Eat Everything In Sight!

Posted on June 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

The cold has really arrived and the danger that that brings is already playing havoc with my diet! Yes, it’s the eat everything in sight so that I will have plenty of fat on this fleshly vehicle and will be able to make it through the long hard winter months syndrome. What is it about the cold that does this to us, all year-long I resist eating bread and enjoy the wonderful state of health that comes from listening to my body, then all of a sudden it’s winter and all of my willpower is simply gone.

breadandsoup

I’m going to have to come up with a system for this, putting on weight for winter might be ok if I had lost it all again come summer but somehow it never seems to work like that. The first step is to start making my almond meal muffins again, I leave out the sweet ingredients and just make them plain so you can have them with soup or as little sandwiches. And I am sure there are other good alternatives that will assist me in keeping my wonderful figure as we go through these dark months.

But I keep thinking that the place to truly effect this change is inside my head, it’s my thoughts that have shifted in response to the changing season and so to get a different outcome I need to change the thoughts. Mmmmmmm this is going to take some reflection, I can feel a sense of unworthiness swirling around inside of me which is definitely a part of this whole thing. Time to dive into myself and see what I can find in this ever-moving journey of discovery, slowly evolving into a better version of who I am……………..

I will keep you posted on my progress, hopefully with tips on how you too can stay slim and warm for winter!

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Namaste.

Posted on May 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

Sometimes you just have to have that bit of naughtiness, winter seems to bring that on for me, the season where I have to watch my weight. It can creep up on you, so better to keep track and get off the sugar or grain wagon and go back to being pure. What is it about the cold that makes me want to eat and eat! Putting on a layer of fat to get through the winter months I suppose but that’s hardly necessary, I am getting a bit trimmer these days but there is still plenty of padding to get me through the cold.

Time of Entertaining rolling into the second half of the journey, what will have happened to our cast list, many new and masculine energies coming in, going out, trusting the process………..  I am so much in my power and to be in partnership it needs be with one who can hold space for that in a life, not just in the classroom. Time to forget about the practice and to just do it, take what you think you know and go off and test it in the experiential realm.

shiva-and-shakti-grey-dancing

He is straight forward and our communication is honest and transparent, we like each other and don’t play games unless for fun and agreed upon! I am met in my fullness and inspired by his expanded and awakened masculine, even more of the woman I be is drawn out as the energies move between us in the eternal dance of Shiva and Shakti. We dance, we play, we sing, we tone, we have as much fun as we know how to with, as often as possible, healthy ingredients.

shiva-shaktionacid

This is my time here at the last, the end times………..transformational, inspiring…….loving even those who cannot love themselves, staying in my heart even as I set firm boundaries. Greetings my Beloved, your coming is divinely inspired and I am so grateful for your presence and your love.

Namaste

Namaste

 605 up, 144 down
an ancient Sanskrit greeting still in everyday use in India and especially on the trail in the Nepal Himalaya. Translated roughly, it means “I bow to the God within you”, or “The Spirit within me salutes the Spirit in you” – a knowing that we are all made from the same One Divine Consciousness.
The more formal greeting Sanskrit Namascar pronounced NAH-mah-scar is also used in India, though less frequently in Nepal.   The Hindi “Jai Bhagwan” is also in common use, and carries the same meaning

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The Father Weeps.

Posted on May 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

raintrees

Winter descends with a grip grown icy, and begins to weep and weep, mirroring my own deep sadness, gentle, but pervading my entire being, soft and spiraling down. Every new beginning contains the end of all manner of things, as I move through this transition with as much grace as I can muster, almost gliding along at times.

The death of a small animal that was mine to care for, the death of a dream that was never actually mine, the shifts and changes in relationship and the opening of new doorways. What seemed exciting the day before is hollowed out by nature’s sobbing, the deep relaxation found in the meditation at the end of my morning practice is still there inside me, a huge white space that holds the promise of freedom, yet feels cold.

This is not misery nor despair, it is not loss nor is it abandonment. The truth is that this is not completely mine, I take responsiblity for the emptiness for that is where I source my true power, ’tis where my fullness lies. But the sadness comes from another, a deep connection that does not want to be severed, it fears to embrace the glory of the fullness that was open to its seeking tendrils, yet neither can it let go. Attraction and repulsion playing an inner tug of war beneath the level of conscious awareness, am I perhaps going into madness, and yet my intuition is quite sure of what it knows.

From Oracle of the Dragonfae by Lucy Cavendish.

From Oracle of the Dragonfae by Lucy Cavendish.

Before I sat down to write I took a card from Lucy Cavendish’s Oracle of the Dragonfae, Gwynne and Elluish, which told me that my connection to nature is getting stronger and that my intuition is growing with it, and that I will be receiving messages from my own inner knowing that I can trust. So I tend to believe what is coming to me in the way of that knowledge and I break that deep connection with much love and great respect, there will always be love, after all, where could it go?

And as I do this the sadness begins to lift, leaving only the emptiness…………..pregnant with the dawn of a new day that is almost ready to peep over the horizon………..my inner smile grows……as Father Sky continues to weep and weep.

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Snuggle Into Winter.

Posted on April 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

More developments on toothy conundrums later, tomorrow is my two hours in the dentist’s chair, this afternoon I am sitting and reflecting on the changing of the seasons. The temperature dropped from one day to the next and inspired my ode to summer, now it’s time to begin the slow descent into winter’s cold grasp. ‘Twas never my favourite season, but I made peace with it some time ago, it’s an opportunity to go within, to be quiet.

After many years in Darwin and then Brisbane, I found the southern winters hard to take, I hated it actually, and lived in a state of denial which included not wearing warm enough clothes and not heating the house. After a few years like this I began to see that my attitude was what was giving me grief, so I made a conscious effort to find things to like about winter. Hot showers, snuggling under the doona, warm jumpers and hot water bottles were some of the yummy cold season attractions I came up with, and low and behold, all sorts of stuff started coming my way. I found warm snuggly jumpers for ridiculous prices in garage sales, worked out that I could just heat the room I was using to conserve energy and electricity costs, all simple common sense once I let go of the denial.

It comes back to the premise that you might as well surrender to what you cannot change, in that letting go transformation becomes possible, and change does happen, inside of you. When you shift the perception of your inner eye, the world becomes a different place, the snow may still fall, but all of a sudden you receive the gift of a warm coat, you are invited to a sumptuous meal in front of a glowing log fire, your heart glows with the warmth of your friendships. Not that we get snow here, the winters in my little country town are not that cold, or perhaps it’s my acceptance of the shift of the seasons that makes it so, anyway I can now say in all honesty even as a summer girl, I really do like winter!

fireplace

Winter Inside

Douglas Florian

Winter is cold. Winter is ice. But winter inside Is cozy and nice.

Winter is snow. Winter is sleet. But winter inside Is fireplace feet.

Winter is bitter. Winter is biting. But winter inside Is very inviting.

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