It is harvesting time!!

The day of the Autumn Equinox (Friday) was simply stunning, the sun was shining brightly and it felt more like Summer than Autumn. I was fortunate to have a few free hours in the afternoon and decided to make the most of the weather and the Equinox and head out to Pleinmont and walk down to the fairy ring to give my thanks.

I haven't been to Pleinmont for some time and I was absolutely blown away not only by the views, as stunning as ever, but by the number of blackberries. I was in blackberry heaven and couldn't resist picking away! I don't know what it is, but I simply can't resist, I just love it.


Anyhow the fairy ring was as inspiring as ever. Again I don't know what it is, but I love sitting there taking it all in, the swell on the rocks, the Hanois, the pretty wildflowers, the clouds overhead, the whispering sound of the sea and the cry of the seagulls, let alone the energy of the fairy ring itself. You have to love it.

On Saturday I was blessed with 3 wonderful souls for a Level 2 Reiki attunement session. I thoroughly enjoyed the session, it is so refreshing to get the opportunity to spend time with 3 like minded women talking about all sorts of things and sharing my love of Reiki with them. Thank you ladies, may you continue to shine your light and open your hearts.


Today has been so warm for Autumn! I had to water the greenhouse for my parents and found it all a little challenging this afternoon, the sun was intense through the panes. It is so calming in there though, and I have this fascination with the tomato plants - I don't know whether it is their shiny and waxy skin, the contrast in colours or the aroma, but I just think they look amazing. It seems a shame to pick them!

In fact there was lots of to pick today. Not only the tomatoes but also some beans, mange tout, aubergines, peppers, courgettes (how does one make a courgette tasty????), asparagus (now this one blows my mind, this is totally out of season and I haven't even been watering the beds!), raspberries, strawberries and beans. My fridge is packed full of fresh veggies!



I managed a swim in the sea this afternoon, high tide at Petit Bot. It was the warmest it has been all year, I wasn't cold in the slightest, going in or coming out, amazing, I just wish it could stay like that all winter!

So now I am sitting here on the sofa, rather exhausted by all the activity of this weekend - when will I learn!!

xx

Mabon - the Autumn Equinox and the balance of light

Namaste!

It is the Autumn equinox tomorrow, 23 September.

In the Wicca calender the Autumnal Equinox is known as Mabon. Like the Spring Equinox, we have a time of equal day and equal night, although after this night the days grow shorter and the sun begins to wane in power.

This festival is also known as the Harvest Home as it makes the end of the agricultural year. By now all the crops have been gathered and harvested for the winter months ahead. It is a time to get stuck into the chutneys with that glut of tomatoes and all those other wonderful autumnal vegetables - our fridge is full of aubergines, courgettes, beans, courgettes and tomatoes at the moment and I recently made a batch of chili jam with my Mum - yummy!


So Harvest Home also incorporates the leaves turning colour, the birds migrating (all the swifts have now left the lane near our house, up high by the airport, where they spent the summer swiftly flying above the rising heat from the road chasing all the bugs that filled the warm air, the berries appearing on the trees (we are seriously in for a cold winter with all those berries out there), corn harvesting 9there is still some corn in the fields up by the airport so all is not lost yet!) and bonfires...

I have to say that I felt very autumnal today. There was that smell in the air and the light is really rather special so that the seagulls resting on the rocks down at Vazon this afternoon looked really rather special. The clouds looked incredible too, mind blowing in fact, especially over Lihou Island. The heathers are all out and the seagulls were all sitting on the rocks down at Vazon making quite a contrast for the eye. I love Autumn, everything just has a different energy to it.


So the purpose of celebrating the Autumnal Equinox is twofold. First to give thanks for our blessings and achievements but also to project for the ability to maintain that which we possess. It does no good to manifest a goal if you cannot hold on to it. So we give thanks for what we have received, and request for the ability to keep what we have created. Technically this is a time to give thanks for all the blessings you have received throughout the year.



I was sent a link to a wonderful summary of the autumnal equinox and its impact on us. As far as I can see it is all about letting go, stepping into our balanced and creative (and indeed feminine) power and allowing our own inner transformation. Change the mindset. Let go of behaviour patterns that no longer serve you. Embrace grace. Dance joyfully and take time to smell the roses.

Happy Mabon!!
xxxxxx

Changes in season and getting away from it all!

So, after finishing my contract in the office on Friday, I decided to treat us both to a trip to London to celebrate. One of my best friend's is moving from London to New York to work and I wanted to catch her before she left. One of Ewan's best friend's is, fingers crossed, about to sell his flat soon, so in many respects it is the end of an era for all of us, there have been so many happy times and memories in both our friend's flats in London.

It was a fantastic weekend, really easy going, lots and lots of walking so that my feet are covered in blisters - although that could have been from wearing high heels and dancing for hours one evening (!)- a night out in town visiting the free festival in Brick Lane and supporting a "trees for cities" event somewhere else along the way, going to a couple of Yoga classes at TriYoga in Primrose Hill and the new studio in Chelsea - we went to a particularly inspiring class on Saturday, Anusara-Inspired, and thankfully E loved the experience.

Anyhow so here I am back on Guernsey, the weather is not so good, lots of rain and drizzle, but not to worry, I have a few precious days to myself to catch up from the last few months before I begin as company secretary with Spearpoint Limited again and start to replenish the travel fund - there is a whole world out there, and so much Yoga to experience!

In the meantime there is so much to celebrate - Mabon and the Autumn Equinox is approaching on Friday and Autumn is certainly upon us again. A friend sent me a link
to this week's astrology forecast, which makes for an interesting read...
http://realastrologers.com/weekly-forecast-september-19-sun-enters-libra-fall-equinox?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Realastrologerscom+%28realastrologers.com%29

More soon.

xxxx

Autumn ramblings

Well the storm has arrived, later and not as strong as expected and coinciding beautifully with the full moon this morning - it always seems to be the way, so rarely do we get to see a perfectly shining full moon these days. I learnt a few years ago, with my Herm Yoga & Wellbeing retreat, never to organise a fair weather event on the full moon - the weather is simply too volatile.

My crystals are in the garden cleansing all the same, and I did struggle to sleep last night with the full moon's heightened energy and the brightness, despite the rain clouds and the stormy winds.

I am surprised I struggled to sleep as E and I had such an action packed weekend, all things considered. That is the joy of Autumn - well that and all those red berries!



I managed to get to Sheila's gentle/beginner's Yoga Flow class on Saturday morning - it is such a joy for me to be able to attend a class these days over here in Guernsey. It was lovely, thank you Sheila, just what I needed with my adrenal glands still recovering from exhaustion. Ironic really, that one can get exhausted from teaching so much Yoga, but that is what happened last year and it is a long and slow road to recovery. But more about that another time.

In the afternoon I worked and visited a friend. There is always so much to be organising for Yoga retreats and classes and trips away. At the last minute, E and I have booked flights to London next weekend to celebrate the end of my contract in the Bank, visit friends and for me to attend as many Yoga classes as I can...I can't wait!!

At high tide - 6.30pm - we headed down to Vazon and took great joy messing around in the shore break. So much fun. A quite night followed, well for me at least, hearing the rain outside was enough to keep me inside reading a fabulous book.

Sunday dawned bright and we walked into town to sit and drink tea and read the papers in Costa...we weren't the only ones, seems this is a popular Sunday pastime! E then went to visit his Mum while I stayed at home and practiced on my own before working some more, Reiki attunement manuals to edit this time and catching up on emails.



By the time E came home the wind had picked up and we decided to go out on our bikes and make the most of the wind pushing us along the coast road! So we headed out to the West coast, stopping at this view point I never knew existed, with fabulous views over the West coast and all the stormy seas, before heading down to Vazon and watching the surfers - wow so many in the sea - and me wishing I still had a surfboard I could use, but sadly they all have dings.



We flew with the wind to the Guet, which was incredibly calm, in between all the trees, and we searched for pine combs, but cheated a bit as E is a tree surgeon and likes to climb trees, so he climbed a tree and got some more pine combs for us that way instead!!! I love pine combs, they are super cool, I like to have them in the house, like an offering to the Moon and Nature, I guess it is all a bit earthy really. It is a bit like blackberrying. I just love it. But you don't see so many people doing it these days. Another week and the hedgerows will be purple rather than red, so many blackberries ripening but not just there yet.



We cycled home and got back in the car down to Vazon with the boogie boards for a play in the crazy shore break. Wow, the waves were strong and the undercurrent noticeable. Like Saturday, there were quite a few others in the water, just by the slipway. It is great to see, all ages, some in wetsuits and others like us, just enjoying the fact the sea is at its warmest all year, swimming as we do in our bathers. I had forgotten how exhausting it can be, battling the waves, but also how much fun, we laughed and laughed. I remember now, the reason I loved surfing so much.

Back home it was crash out time. Walking, cycling, swimming and Yoga ll in one day. I finished my book lying on the sofa before watching a TV programme about driving in Nepal, which made me laugh out loud, and reminisce about the beauty of the country and its people. Oh well. We'll see what happens next on the river of life.

With love, gratitude and thanks to the Goddess of the Moon.

xxxx

The calm before the storm to blow away the cobwebs!

It feels like the calm before the storm here in Guernsey. Not that it has been calm all day. In fact it has been rather odd, bits of light rain here and there, then the sun shone for a while this afternoon, rather brightly too, and there was a definite swell on the rocks on the West coast as I was driving to a friend's house and I was aware of flocks of birds flying together, and then a few hours later the wind picked up and the sea became choppy and rough, and then as the moon rose this evening, it all became rather calm again.

E and I managed a swim at Vazon at high tide this evening. It was windy and a little rough at the time and I was amazed how many other people were down there swimming and messing around in the waves. Great to see and so worth the effort - the sea is warm at the moment.

I am looking forward to the storm as we need one to blow away all the cobwebs from the summer (and we literally have tons of cobwebs around the cottage and garden at the moment, E tells me it is spider season and he's not joking, there is something about older cottages that really attracts them too) and just clear the energy. I always think storms help to release all that pent up energy and cleanse us somehow. Plus we have the joy of the full moon on Monday, so the energy is really heightened right now.

You have to love autumn. Have you noticed how many berries there are on the trees at the moment? I am blown away by the beauty of all the red hawthorn trees everywhere, they are simply stunning. And then the leaves on the trees are changing colour too, which is really pretty, and of course many are losing their leaves too. The sycamore in our garden is almost bare already, really strange. And then of course the blackberries, love it, we are on our third apple and blackberry oat crumble now!

Happy storm!

xx

Normandy for the soul

Last weekend E and I visited France with my parents so I could introduce them to the wonderful region of Normandy where I dream of one day owning my own spiritual retreat centre.

I have said it before but there is something about Normandy that I find incredibly special, uplifting and energising. It is something to do with the light and the sense of space, plus of the course the fact you are literally surrounded by nature - trees, fields, animals, flowers, plants, birds - essentially it is farming land and clearly something about farming land resonates with me.

We spent the first night in Ducey, this really pretty town about a forty five minute drive from St Malo, where there is this really pretty river and the hotel was set along its banks so after a wonderful meal at one of the local restaurants, we were soothed to sleep by the sound of a weir. I haven't slept so well in ages - in fact there is something about Normandy that just soothes all the stress away and makes me feel incredibly tired and take everything at a very slow pace and sleep, lots of sleeping!


On the Saturday the four of us went for a lovely walk along the river side and through the forest in a 6km loop. The walk was stunning. So tranquil with only us on the trail the whole time. This is nature at its best. A lovely gently flowing river, a reminder to go with the flow, and river banks laden with trees and flowers and blackberries and slow bushes. We were treated to Peacock butterflies and dragonflies, goats, cows and even an otter although Mum was the only one who saw it before it got scared away.


It was just green everywhere, and the sun would shine through the clouds from time to time brightening the whole scene, stunning absolutely stunning. We followed the path away from the river and inland in to a forest full of oak and beech trees, where there were also loads of mushrooms and slugs. There is something really uplifting about forests, I am not sure whether it is their grounding nature, or the fact they are so alive with tree energy, but I love them, so cool, and we collected some beech and oak tree cuttings to plant back at home so we will always have a reminder of the walk and our special Normandy weekend.



After a lovely picnic lunch at this wonderful spot that E found quite by chance, we drove to our Carl and Tessa's farm where E and I were staying for the night while my parents returned to Ducey and had some peace and quiet!

I love the farm. It is set in such a beautiful location, and Carl and Tessa have given it their own magical energy, living their dream with their lovely children Ollie and Evie. Some of the sheep have been sold since we last visited and now there are 5 ducklings and a wonderful goat called Deborah who provides all their milk. There are still some sheep plus lots of cows and free roaming chickens, bee hives, the cats, horses, dogs and guinea pig. There is never a dull moment on the farm, I can just sit watching it all unfold around me for hours.

That evening we sat and watched the swallows swooping around the land, and a flock of gulls flying over head, and butterflies fluttering around. The clouds finally cleared so that the stars were shining brightly over head. That is the joy of this place, there is such little light pollution so the stars can be incredibly bright.

I slept so well that I really didn't want to get up the next morning, but was encouraged to do so so I could have a try of milking Deborah. My gosh Tessa makes it look so easy but really it is quite a skill, which I don't yet have! It is actually rather mesmerising watching Tessa milk away. E had a go too, but he was equally as useless as me!!



I managed to practice before a long lazy brunch, where I took great delight in eating a couple of the eggs from the chickens on the farm, which have the most amazingly yellow yokes and now make it very difficult for me to eat any eggs, which have not been laid by such well loved and free roaming chickens. I don't care what anyone says, it really does make a difference to the taste and the energy of the egg.

Early afternoon and with my folks lazing in Ducey and rather happy about it too, the rest of us headed to Domfrom, this medieval town close to where Tessa and Carl live. It is a lovely town with the remains of this beautiful old castle on top of the hill, offering fantastic views across the lower land. I could have wandered around for a while but we were due to meet my parents at the farm and didn't have very much time, but it certainly somewhere to investigate if you are ever passing.

After saying goodbye to the Masons again - I always find it really sad leaving the farm, I just love it there, but I know we will be back again sometime this year - we headed back to Ducey where E and I pottered around the town looking at all the beautiful flowers and views of the river, before enjoying another wonderful outdoor meal with the folks - very civilised!!



After another restful night's sleep we headed back to St Malo for some last minute French shopping before getting the boat back home.

A huge thank you to Mum and Dad, we thoroughly enjoyed the weekend with you both, and a big thank you to Tessa, Carl, Ollie and Evie for putting up with us again!!

xxxxxx

Vale Earth Fair rocks!!

Wow, how cool was the Vale Earth fair yesterda? We are seriously lucky here in Guernsey to have had access to such great music in such a wonderful setting in the sun yesterday.

Whoever came up with the idea of holding an Earth Fair at vale Castle, is just a genius, it really is an amazing place.


We took a picnic to the Festival, making sure we got there at 2pm in time for the wonderful Big Sheep who were as fantastic as ever - those Sark boys and girls are inspired.



The sun was shining and spirits were high as we were treated to one band after another, an eclectic mix of music, some I liked more than others. But of course there wasn't only the main stage but also a number of other stages with DJs and different scenes, some with views towards Bordeaux and others with views of Herm, Jethou, Sark, France and Jersey.



It was great to see so many people having so much fun, lovely to catch up with students and have a chat away from the studio, great to have a few drinks and let our hair down, dancing our socks off, laughing, chatting in the sun and generally absorbing the whole energy of the event.



Well done to all of those who gave their time and energy to make the Fair such a great success - a highlight not only of this weekend, but of the summer generally.

With love and gratitude

Emma

Jill's seasonal recipe - butternut squash & calabrese

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into smallish cubes 1 – 2 cm
1 head of calabrese, cut into small florets (big ones will need to be at least quartered).

Vegetable or sunflower oil – about 1 tablespoon

• Fenugreek Seeds – ½ a tablespoon
• Black Mustard Seeds – 1 good tablespoon
• Curry Leaves (dried is fine) – about 12
• Garam Masala – 1 tablespoon
• Coconut milk – 1 tin
• Vegetable stock powder – approx 1 good teaspoon dissolved in a mugful of hot water
• Fresh Coriander – handful chopped
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Steam the butternut squash and calabrese until just about cooked (not too cooked). I use a two tier steamer and put the squash in the bottom for about 10 – 15 mins. This can be done in advance just don’t overcook the veg!

Put a large frying pan to heat and when hot add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and, as soon as they start to pop (not long so don’t go off), add the fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, coconut milk and vegetable stock. Stir well.

Add vegetables, stir so that the veg are coated in the sauce and simmer until well heated through. Add garam masala, stir well again, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with chopped coriander on top.

You can eat this on its own, or with bread, pitta bread, rice, quinoa etc. Depending on appetites (and it is yummy) it will serve 2 – 3 as a main dish or 4- 5 as a side dish

It is an Ayurverdic recipe, so is vegan as well as vegetarian and beneficial for the digestive fire, plus of course broccoli and pumpkin are renowned as superfoods in Western nutrition.