Red arrows up high!

We went to watch the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain on Thursday from Ewan's Mum's rooftop. We have decided it is one of the best and indeed highest points in St Peter Port to watch such a display. And it while it is scary up there it is great!

I am of course totally ungrateful, not intentional as such, more so that I am rather bored by the whole experience, I have seen it so many times before - but I do respect the whole point of it of coure; my grandfather was one of the military police who stood on the Normandy beaches with a white arm band (how much of a bait was that, and indeed how brave) directing the troops onto the beach (thank you Papa).

For two days the skies over Guernsey (and we live near the airport) were rather heavy with the sound of aeroplanes and then finally the display, which was loud and drawn out. The red arrows were the highlight. Although actually the highlight was just being up high.



I have lived a strange week. That workshop last weekend ws profound in its effect and while Bo says not to analyse one's releases, I can't help but do that as I am fascinated by it all.

I admit it. I am my own research centre as are my students from time to time. I am fascinated by the relationship between body, mind and soul and the ability of people (on all levels) to heal.

Still, after a few turbulent days, the clarity has returned and I cannot wait to get back to Nepal in December to pick up where I left off over 18 months ago.




As for the red arrows, how incredible the speed of our modern life.

Thank you to all my friend's who have listened to me this week, I know it is hard work, but we all get there one day - and without you, it would be a whole lot moe complicated!!

xxx

Yoga workshop in London and more fun with H!

I just spent the weekend in London on a Yoga course with the inspiring Bo Forbes at Tri Yoga entitled "Yoga as mind-body medicine; a weekend of integrative Yoga therapeutics".

Bo is a clinical psychologist as well as a Yoga teacher and integrative Yoga therapist in the Boston area, and it was great to hear her sharing her wisdom and experience of working with people through Yoga on a therapeutic level, plus a little of her clinical background.

Essentially Bo confirmed a little of what I already know - namely that memories, emotions and experiences are stored in the physical body's tissues, written onto the nervous system, and encoded in the mental, emotional and deep visceral bodies. These 5 bodies form a nexus through which we can assess the nature of dis-ease, they also act as channels for intervention and healing.

I was particularly interested in the sessions about revitalising the lymphatic system and quietening the nervous system. Essentially the lymphatic system is part of an intricate web that has filaments reaching deep into the nervous system, emotional body and pain modulation pathways. Stagnation in any part of the lymphatic web can reinforce neuro-emotional patterns, including anxiety, insomnia, depression and chronics pain disorders. Stagnation can also leave us susceptible to emotional contagion and accelerate the aging process.

So a practice which focuses, or at least incorporates awareness of flushing the lymph will help to activate the parasympathetic channels, boost the immune system, calm the brain, improve sleep, strengthen positive emotional pathways and build resistance to negative emotions.

With regard to the nervous system, chronic hyper-arousal can lead to anxiety and insomnia (think of the term "wired") and this can compromise physical health, emotional well being and creative potential. Fortunately the neural pathways to relaxation and calm exist within everyone and we can use Yoga (asana, pranayama and restorative Yoga) to learn how to activate the neural pathways to relaxation and catalysing the emergence of inner potential.

Essentially the nervous system is the gateway to the other bodies. It is designed to maintain homeostasis but if homeostasis has become a state of anxiety then this is what it will try to attain...so we need to re-programme the nervous system to a calmer state of being. It is all about changing patterns...and there are many ways we can do this but pranayama and restorative asana seem the most powerful here.



It was a truly fascinating workshop and while we only practised a little asana and pranayama, what we did practice was incredibly powerful as I have not slept so well in ages, nor felt such a degree of clarity or inner strength since long before I got sick. Simply learning how to hold your nexck properly, let alone massaging the neck and the base of your skull, can all have such a healing impact, plus of course being present with the breath in poses and engaging root lock throughout to contain your energy. Got to love it. Thank you Bo!

Aside from attending the workshop I was also fortunate to have time to chill out with H again. It is funny, we have spent quite a lot of time together over the last year or so but we simply never run out of stuff to talk about. In fact the first night, sitting having a drink in her local pub, the wonderful Pineapple by the way, we became so engaged in our conversation that we almost missed the late showing of EastEnders...good grief, now that would have been a shame!!

On the Saturday I managed to do some brief shopping in Camden during the lunchhour and visited the wonderful Wholefoods - I know I am weird but I take such great delight in visiting this shop as it is just amazing, all those organic foods, plus of course all the fresh salads and stuff. I could spend hours just wandeirng around. And in fact I believe that that is exactly what H and I did last summer when we were driving between San Fran and LA, not only were we searching for Starbucks for morning (and indeed afternoon) tea but also Wholefoods for our dinner - makes me laugh now, I remember those places more than I do driving through Big Sur (where was that exactly?!) and Santa Monica!!!



Saturday evening and we managed a catch up drink in a beer garden near to H's house and found ourselves sitting about a metre away from a Guernsey guy who recognised H, not that she recognised him. Very weird. We got the bus to Camden that night and managed Tapas at a restaurant near Wholefoods, great stuff, but then had to go home and get to bed, clearly the workshop had affected both of us even if H had not been in attendance!

Sunday morning and H and lay around on the sofa chatting to H's housemates and watching Holly Oaks, which I must say is a strange treat for me these days as I rarely ever watch television on account of the fact I teach in the evenings, Ewan and I like different programmes and even then I have to really want to watch something to watch something, we only have terrestrial and I don't find his sofa very comfortable.

I was back on Guernsey by Sunday afternoon and then the reality of the weekend workshop as I have to face up to the clarity and the options available to me, which have become clearer as the week has progressed but it has been a muddy week, the dis-resonance between the old energy and the new...and trying to find a footing in the moment all over again. But ha, all good fun, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.

So a huge thank you to H again for shining the way, and to the angels too for making some things clear and leaving others to fate.

xxxxxx

The Guernsey cow!

I love cows, especially Guernsey cows. I must admit that I never paid much attention to cows until i first visited Nepal and was astounded to find them wandering around the middle of busy roads eating litter, or lying at the sides of the roads eating scarps left out by local people. You see out there the cow is held in high regard, if you kill a cow you end up in prison. So they just wander around. Great.

Over here the nearest you will come to finding a cow on the road is when they are being shepherded across one to go for milking. Instead they tend to be grazing or lying in green fields, and one of my most favourite views is driving to the Yoga centre past the little chapel with cows grazing in the valley there – you can’t help but notice the lovely contrast of the green meadow and their golden-brown and white coats.

I could spend hours staring at cows. There is something about their warmth, generosity, sense of peaceful contemplation and often dream-like state that fascinates me. I am weird. I know. My friends find it hilarious. Cows are curious creatures so the best way to get to know them is to be still and let them come to you.

They may be wary so be patient (see, they teach us patience!). Be relaxed and talk quietly (if at all). Keep all movements limited and always slow – nothing sudden. Let her sniff you. It is a great honour if she licks your hand but if you reach out your hand you will cause alarm – her eye is designed to be aware of approaching predators and an approaching hand could be mistaken for a predator.

Be especially respectful around cows with calves as the mother will be extra protective of her young. When you leave, walk, don’t run.

So go and enjoy the cow – call it cow meditation because watching them you won’t be thinking about much else and you may leaving feeling rather awe-struck and uplifted (or perhaps I really am mad?!).

Autumn approaching

Well is seems as if the season is really beginning to change, not only are the children back to school today, but my Mum has been making apple and blackberry crumble, there are red berries filling hedges and trees (the orangey-red berries on the Rowan trees are just incredible) and the sea was remarkably pleasant yesterday!

I guess - if I am honest - there is a sadness about the loss of summer, and yet, equally, a joy about the beauty and crispness of autumn. And I certainly can't complain, I have just experienced an incredible summer what with all the trips away and the adventures here on Guernsey. I feel truly grateful and blessed, sometimes it is easy to forget how privileged our lives are over here.

We spent the afternoon of bank holiday Monday down at Cobo listening to the live music and chatting with friends. It was a beautiful afternoon, the sun was shining, the tide was rising and it was lovely to see familiar faces having fun.

Tuesday and I started teaching up at St Peter's again. It was lovely to see so many children in the first class and so many familiar and smiling faces in the adult class - I really appreciate the support. I believe my teaching style has changed a little. Over the last 3 months, and in an attempt to heal myself, my own practice has changed, I have been incorporating more Kundalini Yoga exercises and lots of forward bends and inversions in an effort to rest my central nervous system, take the pressure off my kidneys and enhance my immune system.

Relieving stress, depression and anxiety seem to be my main focuses right now. We live in such a fast paced, pressured and demanding world and it is incredible the effect this has on our bodies as much as our minds. Having gone through it myself (and still so to an extent), I am keen to help others to find a way to manage it. Yoga can help, there is no doubt, and Reiki too, plus a good diet, aromatherapy oils, swimming in the sea, getting out into nature, turning off the phone and email, learning to say "no", spending time and laughing with good friends and family, to say nothing of just taking a few deep breaths, lying down and resting for a good 10 minutes or so!

Teaching has given me more energy. I was actually awake for sunrise this morning. And what a joy, the first one up on the house (we have Chris staying in the wing at the moment in between his travels), so I made a cup of green tea and sat outside, over looking the quarry, appreciating the stillness to the air and that autumnal crispness.

I am off to London tomorrow for a Yoga workshop at TriYoga on Primrose Hill with Bo Forbes - "yoga as a mind-body medicine: a weekend of integrative yoga therapeutics". As luck and indeed timing would have it, this course is all about using Yoga to help to balance the nervous system, deepen the relaxation response, soothe the emotional body, reduce anxiety and stress, improve depression, stimulate restful sleep and enhance immunity. Perfect.

So on that note I shall take myself to my mat for some relaxing breathing and asana with Ylang Ylang burning in the background and Jami Sieber playing on the stereo, it doesn't get much better than that!!

Have a great weekend.

xxxx

France - part 2

H and I met Ewan and his Mum, Val at the port in St Malo - Ewan had spent 4 days running around with his Mum who is more active than he, they even managed a spot of country dancing - and there was H and I, the opposite end of the equation, trying our best to be as inactive and stationary as possible. So while Val and H headed back to Guernsey, Ewan and I headed off to Dinan for a spot of lunch...

...I am sure Val mentioned something about a lovely picnic in the park with a bottle of sparkles, well at least this is what i had in mind, nice picnic rug, lovely fresh French salad, sun overhead, flowers around us...hmm, one must learn never to have any expectation as we ended up - admittedly - in a park, but squashed to the side of the path sitting on roll mat between two benches with lots of caged birds and even deer within sight - Ewan tried to convince me that they were happy birds and deer but I don't think they looked really happy, more so bored to tears with the limited amount of space they had to move, let alone fly.

Being an increasingly strict vegetarian now on an increasingly ethical basis as much as the fact I don't like the taste and texture of meat, nor the energy of eating a dead animal/bird, I found the whole experience rather stressful, to say nothing of the fact that all the other visitors to the park were walking within 50 centimetres of where we sat and clearly thought us most crazy when there were benches either side (you daft English, why do you sit on the floor...) and stared at us eating our feeble attempt at a picnic. Still, on a positive note, the sun was shining, we were surrounded by trees and flowers and we were together, in France, hoorah!!

From Dinan and the not-quite-so-romantic-picnic (and yet it was in its own way, thank you darling...but what did happen to the bubbles???!!!)we laughed our way out of Brittany and into the wonderful Normandy, I love it over there, the light really is different, the clouds really are more magnificent and the green landscape is really rather beautiful. We stopped for a drink on the way, sitting outside a Tabac in a little village with traffic passing us by, the French really have done much to simplify life, it doesn't get much better than this. I am being serious.



Finally we made it to the Mason's farm, well Tessa and Carl's farm to be exact where they live with their lovely children, Evie (5), and Ollie (9). Ewan met Carl when they both studied arboriculture at college and they met Tessa around that time too. Tessa and Carl "opted out" of conventional living in Reading about 7 years ago and have been establishing their wonderful farm ever since. They now have a plethora of animals and really do live the back to basics good life. I have visited with Ewan a few times and absolutely love being there, it is always a totally grounding, relaxing and inspiring experience. The views are great and it is peaceful and natural.

We were visiting to celebrate Tessa's 40th birthday together with other friends and family but we were the first to arrive s took great delight in choosing our tent pitch with good views into the distance, flat ground and good feng shui, Ewan is a bit of a tent specialist and all aspects were considered before we actually hammered a tent peg into place! We were just finishing setting ourselves up when Nige, Ewan and Carl's other best friend (Nige also having trained as an arborist at college with them) arrived with his 3 children, Jacob (16), Ferg (14) and Millie (13).



The next day we were joined by Tessa's brother and sister with their respective families and by Kate and Andy, Ewan's sister and brother-in law, so the campsite began to fill up quite quickly. Very wisely - and because their drainage could not cope - Carl and Ewan had, a few weeks earlier, installed compost toilets for the campers and on that Friday when everyone was arriving we all helped to establish outdoor solar showers - basically a wooden structure with a plank of wood across the top on which sat a bucket with a black shower bag inside and a shower head dangling from it - the shower bag designed to heat the water by the sun...to an extent! All very clever really.

That same day the marquee, bar and dancing area were set-up with a music system and everything, nothing like living in the middle of nowhere and not really having to worry about disturbing neighbours with any loud late night music. I have to say it was impressive stuff, very organised, amazing how quickly it came together - the campsite, the facilities and a social area together like that. Well done guys, and indeed Tessa, much appreciated. Without realising it we had all helped in one way or another to establish our own little community and as we all know, community is the way forward in this disintegrated (and yet global) world we now live!



So with the majority of the campers present we spent Friday night testing the music system, catching up, drinking wine, eating food, the children playing on the trampoline...actually hang on a minute, even I managed to get on the trampoline although it was a touch scary as one of the sides of netting is broken and there was a moment when I was a touch concerned I may fall off the trampoline...or alternatively fall onto one of the children...incredible how one becomes a touch more fearful as one ages! And we danced too. Lots of dancing, bare foot, on the grass, there was even a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. We all love to dance.



Saturday was the day of the main party and Ewan and I set off early to go and pick up Charles, another of Ewan's friends, from a nearby train station, before stopping for a cup of tea at a local Tabac and then searching for a petrol station (why is it that when you desperately need petrol you can't find a petrol station) and stocking up on supplies at a local supermarket before heading back to the campsite.

A few hours later Ewan and I managed to sneak off to the local outdoor swimming pool for a much needed swim (the sun was intense those first few days and there was very little shade on the campsite!) and a much, much needed warm shower, not to say the campsite showers weren't up to scratch, just that you can't beat a proper shower from time to time!! Actually the camp site showers reminded me a little of Nepal. I gave up on the shower bag itself and opted for filling up 4 bottles of water from the outside tap and pouring them over me in the shower cubicle instead - actually washing my hair was easiest done by literally crouching down directly under the cold tap...like I used to do in Nepal!



So Saturday night was the main party night and we were joined by yet more people, I forget the term but a few English families who now live in France, plus some of Tessa and Carl's French friends and neighbours. A sheep had been slaughtered for the occasion (I chose to ignore this fact as I probably met that sheep last time I visited!) and was set to roast on the spit while yet more meat was cooked on the bbq. Tessa had very kindly prepared some vegetarian quiches and veggie kebabs with the veggies grown in her veggie garden for us veggies so all in all it was a bit of a feast.



It was a perfect night, the sun set was stunning and the clouds incredible, I even managed to capture this strange energy thing going on over the veggie patch, and the moon was 3 nights away from being full so it cast a lovely glow and I bored poor Millie with my tales of the moon's incredible feminine energy and the benefits of dancing naked in its glow, to say nothing of charging one's crystals and letting go of the old to make room for the new.



We danced for hours, Ewan was the main DJ and did a fantastic job, Millie and Jacob taught me many a dancing moves, they ar great groovers, barefoot dancing with the impending full moon, surrounded by friends, on a farm in rural France, I feel it is fair to say that Tessa thoroughly enjoyed her birthday party! As it happens Ewan and I managed to stay up with Carl and Tessa until 5.30am - see this is what drinking green tea all night does to you! I haven't ever done that before in my life and while it felt very strange going to bed when others are rising to meditate, it was a special time as it meant I not only got to see the moon rise but also set, the full cycle. If there is one thing I have learnt these last few months (and there have been many things believe me), flexibility is an important thing!



Sunday passed in a haze of tiredness yet we all managed a trip to the nearest beach an hour or so drive away for a much needed swim in the sea - there really is nothing like clearing your energy and waking yourself up than submerging yourself in sea water. It was warm too which is an absolute bonus! We even managed a game of beach cricket, I was useless and was out on my first bat but it was great fun all the same. We got some food on the way home and needless to say I was in bed rather early that night!!



Monday and our last day. After another lazy start we all headed off for a walk at the Little and Great Cascade, a local network of waterfalls, really beautiful and reminded me of walking through the jungle in Nepal, especially as Rhododendrons blossom in the Spring. From there we headed off to the local swimming pool where the majority of the group played a rather competitive game of water polo while I swam widths with a few of the women, great to submerge the body again!



Back at the farm I managed a Yoga practise while everyone else pottered. There is nothing quite like practising outside like this, reminds me again of Nepal when I lived in a rural village and every day would take my mat out onto the grassy patch below our guest house with views across the green valley and only the sound of nature filling my ears. Here too on the farm, looking across the valley and during the balancing poses focusing my eyes on a tree in the near distance, standing alone in the field as I too was doing, holding tree pose.

I have even mastered practising in the tent these days too, thankfully Ewan's tent is big enough for me to stand up and even stretch my arms up if I am practising sun salutations, amazing how we make do, even on the trek up to Everest Base camp I somehow managed to practise in the tiniest and coldest of places, dressed in my mountain gear, an altitude-induced headache banging my head, yet there is something so comforting about setting up one's mat, I guess it is the familiarity of it all, the fact that people leave you alone, the fact that you have come home, to this space, where you know all there is you need to know to feel safe and secure, in yourself. Hmm.



Anyhow our last night turned into a spontaneous 80s night. Another bbq (thank you to Andy for cooking Kate and I a much loved veggie dish on his camping stove), more music, more laughter, more trampolining and, I do believe, I even managed a game of snap with the children in the house (I gave up on the scrabble, I simply don't have the patience) and a huge amount of crazy dancing. Oh yes, we were all dancing queens that night, everyone let go to some well known and horrible enticing music, got to love it. I had to be encouraged to bed, once the dancing feet are out - and bearing in mind it was the night before the full moon thus everyone was a touch moon-wired - it is difficult to put them away to sleep!



Tuesday morning and time to take down the tent, packing up our stuff, a final trip to the compost toilet, lots of hugs and goodbyes, a few tears (I became rather attached to everyone and rather sad to leave as we really had a good go-with-the-flow energy going on out there) and talk of returning again soon, and then we were off, down the road to Mortain with Kate, Andy, Nige and his children, Charles, Ewan and I, for a quick cup of tea and a picnic in the park before heading the scenic way back to St Malo for our boat home.



All good times must come to an end, otherwise we'd take them foregranted and they would stop being anything other than ordinary...I have fantastic memories, fabulous photos (thank you Millie, Jacob and Ferg for taking some for me, you really captured the essence of the trip)and a sense that everything is okay, see, back to basics, living in the moment, day to day, surrounded by nature, with old and new friends who accept you just as you are...well this is the very essence of life surely.

xxxx

France - part one

Well I have just returned to Guernsey after an incredible 10 day holiday in France.

I spent the first 4 days with my friend H in Brittany, we took my car and drove to a campsite near Erquy, up on the coast. We managed to put the tent up within 20 minutes of arrival (no mean feat, helped of course by a glass of celebratory holiday sparkles) and were soon settled on our rug outside the tent, citronella burning and the stars overhead.

The weather was a touch temperamental but we managed an afternoon on the beach and another beside an estuary (note: do not bother attempting to swim in an estuary when the tide is going out as you can be walking for hours and still find that the water only comes up to knee height, plus the sludge under foot can be very sludgy and you never know what you may stand on next...not for the faint hearted!).

The rest of the time we just pottered around. The purpose of the trip was to completely relax and both of us found this rather more challenging than we expected - how difficult can it be to lie around reading books, eating salads, drinking tea(and indeed boiling the water on our little stove), chatting under the stars at night over a few glasses of sparkles, and sleep?

Well harder than you can imagine, especially the sleeping bit, I have a feeling we had the feng shui of the tent all wrong, we clearly should have given more thought to the placement of the door and the general slope of the ground as I am sure we would have slept better if we could have slept the other way around - head away from door and perhaps facing East - oh well never mind, we were just lucky (and I mean lucky as no thought went into it) that we pitched the tent under a tree, affording us some shade on the days that the sun blessed us with its presence.



Last time H and I travelled together with a car we drove along the Pacific Highway from San Francisco to LA and used the Sat Nav to find us Starbucks on route for our much needed tea fix. This time around we were using the Sat Nav to find us supermarkets, how times change. I find this difficult to admit but we actually spent over an hour looking for one particular supermarket as the Sat Nav, signage and indeed the detour around a particular town made it near on impossible to find it - and what a relief when we did, although I am not convinced it was ever worth the effort as it didn't sell humus! Ah the trials and tribulations of looking for a veggie-protein fix!

Still the whole trip was thoroughly enjoyable, the coastline around the area is stunning with all the different coloured ferns and there are lots of different coloured cows to look at too (you know me and my fascination with cows!), plus I always find you get this real sense of space driving around France, the clouds seem bigger and the light is different.



Camping is great fun too of course, offering a back to basics and an incredibly grounding experience, no electricity, no tables and chairs, just us, our tent, our blow-up mattresses, a rug, a cool bag and a little gas stove to make tea. I must admit we did get tent envy, it is quite incredible how much stuff people bring with them, and very clever too, hoovers and washing lines, let alone washing up bowls - now why did we not think of that, would have made the washing up far easier!

I like to think it was a restful break although H may disagree as I dropped her back at the boat looking more tired than when she arrived - a bout of my snoring (do I really snore?!) had kept her awake and when she had finally managed to get me to stop (I was oblivious, obviously!) she still couldn't sleep. Lucky old me though as I had a further 6 days of holiday to go...



Thank you H, great trip, just what I needed, hope you have caught up on your sleep since!!

xxxx

Our own Island - retreating on Lihou for a night

What better way to enjoy Friday the 13th then to spend the night on Lihou Island (http://www.lihouisland.com) singing songs and reading poetry around a blazing fire on the beach with friends, the moon shining in the background and the stars overhead.

There were 6 of us staying overnight, Ewan, his Mum, Val, Hayley, Carol, Mike and I and while we had not all spent time together before, it worked out very well. The tide covered the causeway about 5.45pm and we were then marooned, alone, on our very own Island for the night. I mean how many places in the world can you do that without it costing you an absolute fortune. Lucky us!



Ewan and I stayed on Lihou on our own in the winter of 2009, the same weekend that a snowy owl had taken up residence and we had such an incredible time, accidentally walking within a metre of the owl during one of our rambles and having the fortune to watch it flying away from us and sitting up on a rock at the far end of the Island.



This time there was no snowy owl but the Island was still as magical as ever. We cooked some food on the bbq and sat outside and shared salads too, views of Guernsey one way and the sun setting the other. We went for a walk and watched the seagulls flying off for the night before we settled on the beach at a spot chosen by Mike for our evening fire. Ewan, Mike and Val did a grand job of collecting driftwood and before long we were sitting together enjoying the heat, energy and light of a burning fire.



Mike made some improvised musical instruments by filling bottles with stones and knocking other stones together, we had a little sing song before we Hayley read us some of Hazif's poetry. The moon was shining in the background and we could see a cruise liner sailing past on the horizon.



I slept better than I have slept in a long time, there is something so relaxing about watching a fire, like tantrak, I guess it helps to release melatonin, the hormone that induces sleep. The tide was rising when we did wake up and it was raining and overcast, what a change form the day before. Still this did not deter us. Hayley and I practised Yoga together in the lounge with views of the sea and the Hanois lighthouse in the background, while Ewan and Mike cleared up the fire from the beach.



The 6 of us then sat around together in the conservatory eating breakfast, drinking tea and watching all the birds flying around and others resting on the rocks in front of us. The house does not have a TV and nor does it need one, there is nothing quite like watching nature, it is simply mesmerising.



Despite the rain Ewan and I went for a high tide swim and were amazed that the sea felt as warm as it did (as warm as the sea ever feels!). We were also amazed to find the beach littered with green pebbles, I have never seen pebbles that colour before, it must be a special Lihou thing. Warm sea or not, it was rather lovely to enjoy a warm shower afterwards!



After lunch we went for a walk. The Island is simply stunning, the grass is coated with tiny yellow, purple and pink flowers and there are birds everywhere. The light feels different somehow too, it really is a perfect place to connect with nature and retreat from the hectic pace of modern life. It was almost a little sad when the tide dropped and the causeway opened again and I was a little surprised how quickly people started waking across to visit what had been our own little Island!



Thank you to the Universe for making this such a magical 24 hours and thank you to Ewan, Val, Hayley, Carol and Mike for providing such great company with much laughter and merriment.



I am off to France with Hayley tomorrow for some camping fun and games before meeting Ewan on Thursday and heading to Tessa and Carl's farm in Normandy for Tessa's 40th birthday party - this is certainly an abundant Summer for us!

Simple August beauty

While it has been sunny on and off the last few days, I can't help feeling that autumn is in the air. There are berries everywhere and the hedgerows are particularly stunning. I have a particular favour, a very unassuming hedgerow in the lanes of St Andrew's that you could easily miss if you were in a hurry. Blackberries, red berries and honey suckle are all growing together around a cycling sign, a kind of back to nature combination, it made me smile and feel thankful for being alive...hoorah, it seems the darkness has finally lifted and I am noticing the simple beauty in life again.