These moments
glimpses of our festive days
Happy days to you and yours
Author Archives: rosalindentree
mindful
Every day
I see or I hear
something
that more or less
kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle
in the haystack
of light.
It is what I was born for-
to look, to listen,
to lose myself
inside this soft world-
to instruct myself
over and over
in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,
the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant-
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,
the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help
but grow wise
with such teachings
as these-
the untrimmable light
of the world,
the ocean’s shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?
~ “Mindful”, Mary Oliver
Waking up to…
Beyond the stress and tiredness of these last days I have a great feeling in my heart!
We have completed our return to nomadic life and we left the farm on Friday.
Blessings to you and yours and mine for solstice. Here in mid coast Australia our longest day was overcast warm and gentle for me, well once I was finished packing and was able to sink into myself again…
On solstice eve I watched from dawn to a simple glowing sunset til late in the night by the glow of bonfire gold while red sparks adorned the moon.
More on solstice later.
My heart is full with the simple beauty of this mornings wake up, in a friends field by the NeverNever creek in the Promised land…
Last night we had a shared dinner cooked on the campfire. Yum
I am celebrating our return to being close together as a family in our bus home and our time in nature. Ah I love it.. I know on other days it will be so challenging and we will be on top of each other in irritation but today is good.
I stepped on a bee last night and my foot is swollen and sore… The chilly water is soothing
The irridescent morning sky fills me with hope, has that ever happened to you?
There is more, so much more
I must just hit publish now or i will miss the bus!
Xx
This moment
This moment
A friday ritual
an extraordinary simple moment from my week
in the glow of our solstice eve bonfire
Xxx
Advent adventuring inside
and then later again
making swiss biscuits on advent Sundays over the last few years has become
a simple joyful tradition for us
connecting me with my family heritage in Europe
we bake them, taste them, parcel them up pretty, then walk up the street to our nieghbours and share them
or take them to friends
this year i have lacked any christmassy stamina until four days ago {new flower essences have supported me to shift my mind and lift my energy YAY!}
{oh gosh thank goodness what a relief because i was feeling i could not pretend and i had nothing authentic i wanted to share or celebrate
i was planning on jumping ship and avoiding the whole thing ie. go camping alone
it is revealing how low i have been feeling this last month and now i am perking up a little again and i am grateful
and it would be a non event in our household through advent and isn’t that sad for the children {lily wants the full glitz and glimmer and festival felling}
and i honestly had only one gift and no inspiration to make any more {lily has made a basket full and keeps asking where i am hiding mine…}
and i was wondering if that’s ok, to not give gifts and how would that feel and would i be ashamed or embarassed or would i write letters
or… should i rush out and just buy stuff?
well, what would christmas be without the gifts, the advent rituals, the biscuits, the candles, the nativity, without Mary Joseph and a donkey walking across our house through december, without the singing and poems, the wreath, the secrecy and elving, the crafting together, the fun and wonder?
it’s great things to contemplate isn’t it? what do we give from our hearts? what do we hold in our minds and beings? what is the energy which enlivens the experience beyond the gift giving bit? do i just take it all too seriously and need to lighten up eat lots of bikkies and be silly? probably a little…
before the advent of jesus there are the festivals of the solstice and the return of the light and many other ancient traditions around the world at this time of year
in the last years i came to thinking of the birthday of jesus {who is jesus mama? a kind and good man who was a healer on earth a long time ago}
and found i could sit with the picture of the birthday of the light within me and within us all. the looking towards the goodness and love and kindness and generosity in all of us that we celebrate at christmas. and when i put that lens into my glasses, it makes sense again in a way it hasn’t since childhood.
the handmade gifting element began when i was 20 and i decided i would aim to hand make as many of my gifts as possible
they can be very humble offerings, but you know if you get one, i have thought of you as i stitched or wove or painted or preserved, i have held you in my focus and embedded my good wishes for you in this gift, i have enjoyed the making of the gift and reflecting on our relationship
there is no cold winter to bring us in to the hearth together here in the southern globe but we still gather with our families and friends inside and out at this time of year around candles and games and beaching and reading and costuming and eating and cooking together
i’m so grateful to my family of origin and my extended families for the brightness you all bring into my life and the forethought and generosity which you share with me and mine
for me once again in december i am seeking a depth of meaning in the festival/life
it doesn’t mean i am judging how you or anyone else does it
im on my personal quest to enrich the experience for me and my children
so i can cope with all the hoopla out there in the world
so we have made our first batch of advent Basler Brunsli
and it was really fun even though it was on a monday…
delicious chewy almond meal, cinnamon and chocolate biscuits
this year’s recipe i am trialling can be found here
i think it was a little sticky as i used big eggs
so we waited a few hours before cutting the hearts
messy
yummy, but too sweet for me with the sugar sprinkled on top
will remember to cut down the amount inside
{my family always complains i don’t put in enough sweet}
cute huh?
lily’s teachers gifted her with the cookie cutter for a farewell gift
perfect.
wow end of class two already!
i know we spend a lot of time away from school anyway
but really that has come way too soon!
anyway enough rambling
blessings to you and yours
xx
what are you doing in preparation for christmas {if anything}?
what does it mean to you?
what stands out from your childhood christmases?
what is special to you at this time of year?
Waking up to…
i have become quite attatched to these animals
the hens and Mr Pantaloons are so amusing
as anyone who has spent time with hens knows
in that slightly daft and theatrical way which they behave
he really is very beautiful, a storybook rooster
with a fantastic crow
and he takes good care of his ladies
i’ve been playing farmgirl these last months
and it is sweet simple tasks which brighten the morning
and encourage one to get up early before it is hot
animals who love to see you every day consistantly boost one’s self esteem
{even if deep down i know it’s the one with the bucket they love….}
i have gained more confidence with these goat girls and can milk with a
great Heidi-esque splash now
i still cannot yodel, surely there must be a you tube tutorial on it…
must look that up
they are mischievous and daring
cheeky and personable
just like a story one girl turned around and started to nibble my hat
really! goats don’t really eat hats do they??
and then later i morph from farm mama into crafting mama
i had some lessons on setting up a table loom in WA
i never did post the photos… another day yet again
{do you wonder about behind the scenes and all i don’t share?
some of it is simply beautiful and disappears in the motion of the days of wonder
and some of it is the most ugly parts of my life which i hold tight to me in fear of what you or i might think or they are simply too raw to reveal on this medium}
anyway weaving.
lily received a great loom from aunty J for her birthday,
instructions in German where too complex
but yesterday i did it! {thanks mama}
success and away we went
the three of us a weaving team, the rhythm of our tasks helping something wondrous and special come together
for papa {shhhhh}
this moment…
this moment
{a friday ritual}
a special moment from my week
i want to savour it and cherish it and paste it in the pages of my memory
a simple sweet moment to share with you
the law of des glaneuses
in the field
under the gaze of the mountains
in the deep verdant grass and flowers
lies our stinky bounty
the treasure we hunt
with joy and exclamations of success
there in the garlic field
after the harvesters have been
and tirelessly pulled tonnes of perfect garlic heads
we are free to forage
delightful abundance
food for free
following the legal art of gleaning in France
as our french guests have enightened me
we gather
a years supply of pungent organic garlic
grown 300m from where we sleep
blessed are we
when hands are put to work
and a little effort and a group of willing children
it’s fun for us all
and then a mad dash home hysterical
high on garlic fumes
the rain chasing us
thankyou to the growers who water mulch weed harvest and share this beautiful crop
xxx
Shaye, Lee and Wala
I spent a few delightful hours with Shaye and Lee and Wala after the Mullum Music festival
and spontaneously took some joyful photos of them together!
a musical genious with an excellent array of jokes
{that’s why we’re all smiling}
an inspired and inspirational artist
and the cutest little cheeky pixie
thankyou beautifuls
i look forward to coming to your rainbow house one day
Mullumbimby community gardens
amidst the forest of edible green
little hands and big hands alike are foraging
a tomato wrapped in sweet basil
and popped and spurted between sharp teeeth
a joyous exploration of tasting leaves and petals
pure vitality and nourishment
flavours piquant and bright
a chile which made me cry
a haven of play for my tired little ones
a carpet of lush green to flop onto in mama exhaustion
a quiet place for us to be together
nurtured by vibrant life
the rustle and whisper of food growing
glorious food
abundant food for all!
gratitude
i’ve said it before and i will happily say it again and again
Mullumbimby Community gardens are fantastic
and if you can go there you are sure to be inspired
and feel happy simply by being with all the good growth
and feel connected with the ladybirds and the caterpillars
and come away well fed body and soul…
RosaLindenTree 