Walk on the wild(ish) side

Let us continue our walk through the woods shall we?

 There are many paths we could take, some like this are not as easy if you have restricted mobility but nice to take a peek down.

 Imagine who or what you could meet as you meander down this lane.

 More apples ripening in the sun

More flowers for your viewing pleasure

 the Buddhlea is flourishing here, it loves waste land and will gain a toehold anywhere it can.

 there were hedges of it

 Rowan berries almost ready for collection for making jelly. Excellent with venison or cheese

 the plant below reminds me of one we used to take stalks of and suck, it was very sour like rhubarb and we dipped it in sugar. I don't say this is the one so don't try this at home:)

 Just look at this beauty anyone know what it is?

Comfrey or knitbone an old country remedy and one plant that the bees adore.

EDITED TO ADD the yellow flower is toadflax, thank you Jane:)

Banks of flowers

Today we had a little meander to a newt pond. We haven't been there since  very early this year and it has now been fenced off.Sadly dog owners were letting their dogs loose and they were trashing the pond as they went in and out. All the bank and marginal plants were destroyed.

The good news is that the fencing seems to be helping. while we walked around I took a few pictures. I love this walk as the paths are wide and wheelchair,pram and crutches friendly.

The crab apples are swelling nicely

 It almost looked like an old cornfield

 The Rosa Rugosa hips are massive, I wonder if they are any good for rosehip syrup?

 Lots of varieties of cranesbills

 and other flowers I don't know?

 We saw lots of water snails in the newt pond but couldn't see any newts.

 The colours were stunning and we virtually had the place to ourselves

 The seed heads are just as beautiful as the flowers

 Can you see one of my totems watching from the tree?

maybe here?

 I like this walk because there is such a variety of plants to be seen. It is close to a power station and the company take care of the site.

 Blackberries will soon be ready for collection and I can't wait. My freezer stock is almost gone.

I know convolvulus or bindweed is a pest but pictures like this remind me that there is beauty in everything.

 Isn't it gorgeous?

 Can you see the lizard in the above picture?

 A lushness everywhere I looked

 A man made stone circle

paths to who knows where?
Another post to follow as there are many pictures

Sunshine

A most glorious day today with sunshine and warmth. Does my bones good to feel the heat. Mr Mog is out in his shed playing, working on his train layout. I can hear him singing along to Status Quo and it sounds good.
Days like these are to be savoured, to be stored up against the unknown.
Thank you so much for the comments on my posts. As you can probably tell I've started to enjoy writing again. It helps to get the chatter out of my head. It has certainly made me feel much better about things. After all I remember a saying my Nanny had. "/The Goddess never gives us more than we can manage". So if you are listening my Lady please remember this.
This feels like a lull, a suspended moment to recoup energies, to be prepared. A week today we visit the oncologist and see how the tests are doing and if things have progressed any more. That is when we have to make decisions on Mr Mog's care. I say we but to be honest I can't make those decisions, much as I love Mr Mog and would do anything for him. This decision has to be his. It is awful to have to stand back, to remain silent. Obviously we have discussed things but that is all.
Mr Mog has a blood test tomorrow ready for next week, I've just rung the nurse to ask her to look at his body, there appears to be a rash, almost like lots of new moles coming. Now Mr Mog insists he had these already but he didn't. Yes he has a lot of moles but not these. I haven't argued but have asked the nurse to check it out, just in case it is something more.
I feel like a fussy hen worrying over her chicks, if I didn't love him I wouldn't do it.
But I do, so I do.

Lavender and bees

The bees and I have an agreement where lavender is concerned. I only take a small amount this time of year and I ask permission to take stems from the various bushes. I'd guess that there is less than 2% of the total lavender crop here. I take some now for drying and more later in the season.
While we cut the stems they buzz around quite cheerfully, even landing on the stems and me. Almost as if they are checking the quality and the ammount of stems we have.

This will hang in Mr Mog's new workshop for a few weeks then most will go in the incence cupboard for mixing with other incense ingredients and for lavender bags for the fibre chests to help keep moths at bay.
The next lot will be dried for cooking and some used fresh.
I love lavender in biscuits, cupcakes,scones, sugar and lemonade to name but a few.
You can also infuse it in oil, make soap with it ,or my favourite, fizz bombs for the bath. The list is endless. Give it a try.
I never take too much at this time of year, or indeed any time. I leave a lot over the autumn as it still receives lots of  visits from the insects around at that time.
The house and workshop smell delightful with this fresh picked harvest.

Positivity

It is hard to remain positive when you feel your world has been torn apart. You wonder how you will get through the next minute, the next hour.
Your heart is full to bursting with all the emotion.
Some part of you rails at the injustice, why us?
But,
Your heart stops pounding, you take a deep breath and move on. It might be tiny steps, it might have a lot of stops in between but you do move on.
You start looking for the positive side, you explore the options.
Yes there are options.
After all you can sit and feel sorry for yourself every day, no one will stop you. It is your life.
Or, you can look on it as a new beginning. It jerks you out of the day to day and makes you appreciate what you have got. It makes you see the world differently. It gives you hope..
You got through this day and it was fabulous. What has tomorrow in store?
You are with someone you love very much and who feels the same about you. What's not to enjoy in that?
Sometimes I think that this cancer has been a good thing, it made me appreciate things more.
And that can't be bad, can it?

Holly spindles

There is something about wood. It has a vibrancy all its own, an energy, an inner spark.
All wood has it but we can pick up on that energy more in some than others.

This new drop spindle that arrived yesterday reminded me of it.
It has been cut, seasoned and shaped into the item you see before you.
It has had characters marked into it. It has been waxed or varnished. I'm not quite sure without checking with its maker.
And yet,

When I opened  the packaging  and lifted it out I felt the energy of this piece of holly.

When I wrapped fibre to make a leader for spinning I could almost feel an eagerness in the spindle to begin.

The first turns of a spindle are always an experiment, when you have purchased without trying.
You don't know if you and the spindle will click.
I am a new spindler, I've only been spinning this way for just over a month.
It is totally different to wheel spinning. In this instance it is as if the spindle and I are joined, one being.
United in a purpose. A very strange feeling but very exhilarating.

The spindle came with 2 samples of fibre cushioning it. I've spun the first offering and it flowed on the spindle beautifully.
It will make a tiny skein when plyed with itself. Not enough for a large project but perfect for something special.
A gift to be cherished and enjoyed.
The spindles first offering. What will it turn out to be?
Holly is a hardwood and tales of its uses within magic abound. It equates with fire energy and its evergreen properties signify continuing life as it survives year round. A good omen ?
It is a witch tree and a joy to behold both with and without berries.
In pagan beliefs the Holly rules over the dark or waning half of the year. Are we seeing synchronicity here? It arrived just past the Summer Solstice i.e. in the waning part of the year. There are no coincidences are there? I thought I chose Holly because I like the tree, I am seeing now that the Goddess had more in mind when the idea came into my head.

Holly stands also for warrior magic and spiritual strength, do you think it is nudging me again? Perhaps we will need that strength in the months to come.
It does however push me towards balance. I think I now may need an oak spindle , what do you think?

Oh and for those interested the spindles come from here.
Not cheap but I got a piece of magic so what price that?

Of altars and spindles

I have a book called Little Altars everywhere by Rebecca Wells. She also wrote Divine secrets of the Ya Ya sisterhood. I've had the books for quite a while now, I first bought them when I was doing paper crafts and mixed media.It came to mind yesterday when I was thinking of faith, beliefs and practices.
I know, I know such a weighty subject but stay with me.

I have many little altars around my home. They are on windowsills, fireplace,on chests, in the garden.
They all contain things that mean something to me and are special in one way or another.
There are statues of Bast, Anubis and Buddha. ( I told you I was an eclectic shaman:) ) There are Goddess figures, green men here and there.
Crystals, hag stones and pieces of wood are on there also.
Things that came into my life  by various means and they stayed.
They all have meaning, all with a memory attached of when I got them , where and why.

I don't have a regular daily religious practice as such. I try to live my life mindfully and honour and follow the turn of the wheel and the seasons journey around us.

But these little altars jog my memory. They help remind me of places and times, they give me a focus to give thanks. To just be glad to be here in this now.

To be, not just to exist in a pattern of every day habits and deeds.

To sometimes stop what I'm doing and breathe.

We all do things from habit or routine and yes that is necessary sometimes.
We do however need that time of mindfulness, of being in the present.

For me, those little altars link me to that.

A space for oneness.

A silence of the babble within my mind.

We all have it and it is hard to stop, even for a second.
Those moments of silence help.

The journal and the morning pages do the same for me.
Anything that empties the clutter from my mind. To allow time for the day, for creativity. For my muse to visit.

I often add to my altars things that come my( our ) way. I also send others onwards when the need arises in another person. They are flexible and not set in stone.
Currently the main altar has a collection of cards sending healing and best wishes from all around the world.
People who also took a moment and in that space thought of someone else. They sent those thoughts for Mr Mog and I.
A magic all its own and very much appreciated, especially as quite a number of them are cyberspace friends and we have never actually met in person.
That doesn't matter though, we are all linked by the webs of kindness and small and large deeds.

On another note but linking in,
This arrived today from the US, a Jenkins spindle made of Holly that I had ordered. I almost dropped it when I opened the package there was so much positive energy within this small item. I tried spindling with some fibre they packed it in and Wow, think electric shocks running through the body, a tingling of old earth energy given by the Holly to me via Ed who turned it into this beautiful piece of working art.
I shall enjoy using this spindle and will honour the tree that gave it to me.

Femmes for Macmillan cancer support

I meant to add to my blog post yesterday that if you would like one of the femmes then I am asking for donations for Macmillan Cancer Support. As you can appreciate a cause dear to both Mr Mog and I . You can either send cheques to me made out to Macmillans or Donate direct , more information is here
Can I ask for a minimum donation of £20 please? I will cover postal costs worldwide.
Thank you

Midnight's femmes

These have been a long while in the creating. Started almost 8 months ago I think.

I think they were worth the time though, I feel such joy at seeing them completed. I don't know where they will end up living but that doesn't matter. It was the making that was important.

La Mariposa or lady of the butterflies. She brings the gift of inward travel . Her robes flutter in the breeze and through her graces we find the ability to travel the psychic planes using the butterfly wings of time and space. When a butterfly lands on a person her touch is barely felt. The journey we all travel sometimes needs this lighter touch. She tells us to be more playful, more in tune with our inner self.

Cailleache Goddess of the elements, weather and the sky. The charm she wears reminds us that we all contain the 4 elements within us. Earth our body, water our blood, wind or air our breath and fire our spirit. She reminds us to ground and centre before we do rituals and to balance all within us.

Uttarawaya lady of luck and fortune. In our home as children we always fought for the chicken wishbone and if we were lucky enough to win it we left it to dry for a day and then made a wish. We took one end of the wishbone and someone else took the other, as it cracked whoever got the larger piece their wish would come true. I don't say this would work with Utta's metal charm but the magic is still there for you to channel should you wish.

Melissande lady of the bees. She wears a charm that depicts a cross section of a honeycomb with a bee attached. Some of the cells are full, some empty, signifying the potential within us. Do we use it or leave it fallow? Bees are a favourite of mine. I have always talked to them and told them my news. As you can imagine the airways have been pretty busy lately:) Bees are symbols of fruitfulness and prosperity, the honey so golden and so life enhancing.

Aranhodd is the lady of rebirth, fertility and  she weaves our cosmic fates and sands of time. Her name is a derivation of Arianhod which means silver wheel or round wheel and reflects the circle of life. She wears a silver charm containing zodiac symbols and the sun and moon.

Quercusta is the lady of the oak and wears a golden leaf of autumn. Oaks are a long living tree and she brings with her the majesty of their life cycle. She reminds us that there is no rush to do or be anything. To take time to reflect on where and what we are. To use the power of the oak to centre and to ground us.

As always if any speak to you feel free to get in touch, they all await new homes. I am always glad to trade them

Creativity and Cancer

I have found that Mr Mog's cancer returning has affected both of us and our creativity.
Part of the reason I think was the suddenness of the return and the severity of the return. No half measures for us, all sweetness and light then wham 12-18 months to live.
So it became the reason for being and the only thing on our minds. Well that didn't leave much time to play or have fun.
Then it changed, don't ask me why I really don't know. Maybe it was the thought that we had to savour each day and live it to the full. Enjoy life and say to hell with cancer. After all it is saying the same to us.

So gradually light came back into the world. Having good friends and supportive family helped a lot. The fact that good friends are also creative helped even more.
We had many cards and gifts sent to let us know we were in peoples thoughts. Most of them we had never met in real life. So many offers of help, a voice on the phone or an email address to write to if we felt low and lost.
Tears on many days and total despair but with the joy that being together gave us.
Knowing that we were in this together, wherever the journey took us.

Mr Mogs new workshop was erected, not without its own problems.That is worthy of another long post but I will wait until they have finished the final tweaking before I say more. We had problems with new electrical items, one word of warning don't think buying local is a good thing. For us it most certainly wasn't.

Then came the day Mr Mog went in his workshop to tidy up, cue several hours later before he surfaced for a cuppa.
A smile on his face and plans for the new model railway that is going in there. Work benches built from scratch and cupboards fitted and filled.
Lots of " what if I build this, put this there, make this?"
It rubs off on a girl you know:)
I couldn't stand by and not play, after all the muse came knocking most firmly on the door. She told me to get the art stuff out. It lifted my spirits, it made me feel alive.
So what if Mr Mog has cancer? So what if they give us a time span for his life. They can be wrong and we are determined to prove them so.
None of us know if we will make old bones, we can't see that far ahead.
Cancer has done us a favour in many ways, it has taught us that yes life is too short. We shouldn't waste it. We need to grasp each day and make it ours.
Life is so sweet and is there to be enjoyed.
Cancer go to hell

The muse came visiting

The Muse came visiting this week and for the first time in many a while she wanted to play with fabric. I was so pleased to see her as it has been a pretty dire month in oh so many ways.

Her first project was this:-

Titled When moonbeams reached the ocean they turned into pearls.

This has been languishing in a cupboard for a year I think since I last did anything on it. I dyed the fabric several years ago and did a combination of machine and hand stitching on it. The mermaid is a Laurel Burch print. I've added  moonstone beads for the pearls and touches of crystal glitter here and there.

I really love working with fabric and had forgotten how much fun it can be.

This crown is made from a piece of knitting that I felted several years ago. It was Colinette point five I think. I cut the heart below out of it and the pieces left suggested they could be a crown.

All it needed was a little tweaking and a crown it is.

Quite a few months ago I started on some more femmes and then it didn't seem the right time to finish them. The time is now as the saying goes and several femmes now have shoes. There will be pictures when the shoes are dry and painted.

The heart is for a friend of mine, made from the same piece of felted knitting, stuffed with lavender collected from our garden last year.

A blog post would not be complete unless knitting showed its face. This shawl is called Into the green, named after one of my favourite author's books.The yarn is Jawoll Magic, pattern Shaelyn.

So what else is happening chez Moggies?
We have to go back to Oncologist in a couple of weeks and decide what treatment, there are 2 possible trials. One is unnamed treatment, 50% chance of placebos and we would not know what Mr M was on.
Second is chemo plus a n other drug and we would know. Think that is the more likely option. I don't personally think it right to give someone hope and only give them placebos.

Mr Mog looks really well and is enjoying long days playing in his new shed. You wouldn't think that his bones were riddled with cancer:( Long may this last.