Dreams and Wishes for a New Lunar Year.

What are your hopes and wishes for the new lunar year?

One of my dreams has always been to live on a smallholding. But where do our deepest dreams come from?

My wish stems from happy memories visiting my Grandparent's smallholding near Castle Ashby in Northamptonshire. The end of a lane of traditional estate cottages.  Door in the middle of four windows, two on each floor, an image from a child's drawing.  I remember the joy of the adventure of our visit, a bus ride, arriving after a long walk from the bus stop along the lane beside hedgerows, in the warm summer sunshine.

One garden was a traditional cottage garden, billowing with tall frothy blooms. The rooms of the cottage were decorated simply, embroided slip covers on armchairs, a scrubbed pine kitchen table, a range and the smell of homemade bread baking and a large shiny brown teapot on the table. The door from the kitchen lead to the working garden which was divided into vegetable beds and enclosures for goats and chickens. To the side was a field, the butcher's white horse resided and my grandparents cared.

The excitement tinged with fear of entering the chicken house to hunt out their ovate treasures, sticks with me still. My Nan's leading me in by the hand and showing me how to gently pick up the warm eggs.

We returned to the cosiness of that kitchen and Nan cooked us egg on toast for lunch.

And we have found it... our very own smallholding, a serendipitous find, within our budget and still in our local area! Our house wasn't on the market but with encouragement and support from our nearest and dearest we put in an offer. Our house went on the market and sold within the first 24 hours!

It has a name and is pretty wild and is the end cottage of a row of Victorian cottages. It has a chicken coop, pigsties, raised beds, trees, a kennel (future shed), a pond, and a woodland. It has a beautiful space which will be my studio. It is small, and is just right for us, a tiny smallholding, which is not too isolated. We will still have neighbours.

We have kept this quiet so far, housemoving can be a slow process sometimes.

I am trusting that if this is meant to be in our future, the Universe will deliver at the right time. There is no need to hurry, everything is occurring in perfect timing. I am learning patience.

Mandala Tent Painting - The Lost Blog Post

Today I found an unpublished post on my blog from March 2013...

Easter weekend means its time to check our festival cafe tents.

Our trip to Disney gave me lots of ideas for painting our tents. But in the end I decided against these and decided on something I have doodled and hennaed lots of times... beautiful mandalas.

My original plan of bright colours also went out the window. I started by painting white ornate frames around our blackboard painted menu wall and then added more frames to lots of new blackboards.

I started the outside by priming the mandalas and Kindred Cafe sign white, with the plan to add bright car spray paints for the colour details. The first tent was complete and left overnight to dry at our friend's garage.

The following morning the vintage effect of the Kindred Cafe sign really stood out and was enough for me to completely scrap the bright colourful plan. Just tidying and edging and fixing a huge drippy mess and we began again on the second tent.

The final tent has a fireplace and candlesticks. There'll be 3 low tables in here, painted with blackboard paint for children to draw on here inside the play/crafting area of the cafe.

Fruity Flapjack

Today, I tried making Nigella Lawson's, Soot's Flapjack recipe and Rachel Allen's Date Slice.

Not too happy with the cake iness of the date slice I decided I'd try making up a fruity flapjack slice recipe of my own.

Heat oven to 180 degrees.

My fruit filling
2 apples peeled and chopped
150g chopped dates
1 Tablespoon currants
9 fl oz Apple juice
1 Tsp mixed spice
1/2 Tsp natural vanilla extract

Heat apple juice and add all the above ingredients. Stir over heat for about 5 mins.

Flapjack
450g oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
75g soft brown sugar
300g butter
50g golden syrup

Mix oats, walnuts and sugar in a bowl. Slowly melt butter and stir in golden syrup.
Add the golden liquid to the dry ingredients and stir.

Add half mixture to 20x20cm square cake tin or circular cake tin. Press down lightly.
Add the fruit mixture and spread over the base. Finally add the rest of the flapjack mixture and press lightly again.

Place in centre of oven for 30 mins or until golden brown.

Blackbird Visited on the Last Day of Winter

Yesterday, the last day of Winter 2013, I sat listening to blackbirds singing outside in the garden. The window framed a view of a crumbling stone wall and snow was trying to fall slowly amongst the rain. I sat quietly sipping coffee and smiled to think of the longer days to come and sunshine warming my body.

Soon the boys were busying themselves with preparations for their days at their schools and THUD!

I jumped wondering what sight would shock sleepiness away and was quickly surprised to see two male blackbirds fighting over a female, who had just attempted to swoop away from them and had hit our window loudly. Whilst her mate saw off the rival, she could not get her balance, let alone fly.

Middle and youngest sons came to see what had happened and commented on her strangely outstretched wing, and why were her legs not working properly? "Lets just wait and see." I said, the male blackbirds had gone, no cats were nearby and my husband was out walking our two dogs.

She was just 50 centimetres away from our French doors and it didn't look good. I made the boys stay still and partly hidden and we watched painfully as she turned in circles on her brown belly, tail feathers in the air, eyes unblinking.

I picked up my phone to take a photo but my 5 year old said "no!" and I agreed it didn't feel right photographing a dying bird and explained to our 12 and 5 year old that she looked in a bad way. She stopped spinning and started a strange rocking, seesawing motion, then found her feet again and tucked in her wings and stood frozen.

We continued to watch as she seemed to fall into a sleep with her eyes open. I got down onto the floor and watched sadly as her eyes began to close.

Time was ticking by and the dogs would be home soon. I went out to the utility room and checked that the cat was in, and the wild thing was, thank goodness.

As we watched, and wished her better again, Louis asked "Shall I get a shoebox?" "Good idea!" Max replied. I grabbed a tea towel. I told the boys that we'd move her to a spot where she would be a little safer and warmer?! (I think my logic was maybe she was in shock?)

The boys watched while I slowly opened the door and she then blinked at me (a good sign!) but she did not move at all.

I lightly covered her with the tea towel and gently cupped my hands around each side of her delicate feathered body and lifted her into the box.

We could observe her and she could see out of the box too. She'd be safer if it snowed harder and could stretch and escape when feeling well again.

My husband returned home a few moments later. The dogs completely unaware of why we were watching an orange Nike shoebox with Just Do It! appropriately written on the side.

We weren't doing much about getting ready and within minutes she moved, and as if she had just woken up, hopped out of her sporty bed across the patio and onto a bright red football!

She was blinking at what seemed a normal speed for a blackbird, peering around getting her bearings. She sat for another little while and then flew up, up onto the roof of my studio, gave us a one second blink and flew off in the direction of my mother-in-laws cottage next door.

Gratitude for 2011

It's been a great year and I am so grateful for 2011.

I learnt a lot.

Change - brings new opportunities.

Slow down - notice the beauty in the smallest detail.

Be brave and try new things - you might like it.

Mindfulness - enjoy now.

Fulfil your wishes - Do you know what you want? Make a list.

Meditation - create a clear mind space.

Declutter - Create space.

Happiness - You can have your cake and eat it - yummy happiness.

It's OK to be different - be you, you are uniquely amazing and special.

I just know 2012 will bring more great opportunities, adventure, health, wealth and happiness.

Wishing you all an amazing 2012 xxx

Dreadlock Journey Update

Why is hair so important?

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=9,1452,0,0,1,0

My dreadlocks are changing.  I was struggling with a few narrow ones along my hairline that really pulled.

I still love dreadlocks but I have favourites and some I really did not like!  All their own characters and lumps and bumps.  Great during a summer on the road. Then the weather started getting colder it took much longer to dry.

I was really worried when the ends started to break off some of them!  In fact, it felt shorter than when it began in July 2010.

So, I unpicked the uncomfortable ones that had begun to hurt. The relief.

A few weeks passed, I decided the ones I didn't like had to go. Different style.

So a few more came loose. The process is a bit painful and takes a long time.  Each took between 20 minutes and an hour to unlock. I covered them with conditioner, then untied and combed, losing handfuls of hair.

Next the scissors came out and I added a layered fringe to frame my face and stop the slick-over.

I now have 9 dreadlocks dotted around my head.  I don't know if they'll stay or go yet.  I might add more thicker dreadlocks, I might shave my head on one side, or crop it completely! I just like having the freedom to do what I want with it. Perhaps raise more funds for Downs Syndrome or another charity in the New Year.

What are your hair stories? Why is it important? Worst and best styles and cuts?  Tips and Tricks?

Dreadlocks for Down's Syndrome

I finally did it! Two more of my list of 40 things before I turn 40 next May.

1 Get dreadlocks.

2 Raise money for Down's Syndrome.

This charity is very close to my heart as my 3 year old niece has Down's Syndrome. In fact, it was a little girl with Down's Syndrome who I met on junior school work experience, made me realise I would love to teach.

The Down's Syndrome Association help provides information for people with Down's Syndrome, their parents and carers, and those professionals who work with them.

What made this so special is that my sister, Clare (Mimi's mum) is also a hairdresser and with some persuasion, agreed to do my dreads.  She is so strong and balances being a mum to two gorgeous girls, aged 2 and 3 with work and riding. I have been so inspired and proud of her strength, as she recognised Mimi had Down's Syndrome and brought it to the attention of maternity staff.  She battled to get all the support she can for Mimi and herself.

Perhaps I can persuade her to join me in a 5k run next?!!! And get our other sister Zoe involved in that too.

Taster for next time:-  I have lots more creative ideas to blog about.  I am sure these dreads are like little creative antennae.