Cygnet Folk Festival 2013

Venues on the school grounds

Venues on the school grounds

Hmm so much to see...

Hmm so much to see…

Slate sky but stayed dry!

Slate sky but stayed dry!

Town Hall was a beautiful venue

Town Hall was a beautiful venue
Southern Swanhomeopathics and lotions and potions

a rainbow over Southern Swan, quiet haven amidst the festival
makers of homeopathics and beautiful lotions and potions {Spagni Oils}

Perch Creek Family Jug band, the only gig I had my camera at...

Perch Creek Family Jug band, the only gig I had my camera at…

Perch Creek

Perch Creek

one day I'll play bass again...

one day I’ll play bass again…

Perch Creek

Perch Creek

Perch Creek Family Jug band

Perch Creek Family Jug band, all siblings

wonderful shadow puppetry

wonderful shadow puppetry by Jenny Ellis, Cedar was in hysterics

I became an instant groupie

I became an instant groupie after I joined the Stiff Gins workshop singing in {Indigenous} language

Stiff Gins clowning around

Stiff Gins clowning around

Mr Lily

Mr Lily

Bavarian folk dancing

Bavarian folk dancing

where did she go?

Excuse me

Have you seen January?

I seem to have misplaced her

While i

Neglected the blog/boggle

Spent a lot of time in the moment

Travelled as far south as we could go

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Caught the sky from the bridge

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fished unsuccessfully

Fossicked for shellfish and feasted

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she sang

cockles and mussels alive alive oh…

Wondered about the history of the place

Now called Cockle Creek

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Abundance food and wildlife

Whispers of grand old trees

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And strong people watching

Wails of whales as they where massacred in the bay

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A sad sad history to learn about

From humorous informative rangers

Learnt about our magnificent giants of the sea

And how to rescue a beached one or many

{remember, call for help, keep warm,  don’t breath in their blowhole, pilot whales are the most commonly beached in Tasmania, put a stick in the ground infront of live ones, keep their tails to the sea until you are ready to release them all at the same time, shade them}

felt impressed that my girl has this appreciation for whales and dolphins, experience and knowledge for the rest of her life now

felt on the right path of life

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Took a classic portrait of men and bones

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had a whale of a time!

IMG_0326 three month old southern right whale lifesize sculpture!

Enjoyed the sea air and the shelter from it

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i Got cold but

Jesse finally took the plunge

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while Lily had a nature drawing sessionIMG_0341 IMG_0348

I lounged in triggerplant bliss

My head amongst a million pink helpers

the medicine of rejuvenation and restoration

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Met young old friends

And had a date up a giant tree

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Lily had a lock on

Then we

Grudgingly left

Coaxed on by a berry  good carrot

Drove north

While I processed a myriad of thoughts emotions and responses

And gave thanks for a time of respite

Amidst the chaos of full days

Mostly joyful

With berry/cherry stained lips

Noticed the tiredness.depression link

And went to bed

xxx

 

Waking up to…

Waking up to a full day.
I have a few drafts of interesting thoughtful wordy posts, yet they will have to wait as here and now I am wiped out by the heat of the day, the long hours on a blazing highway (sydney to Melbourne) the crisp golden tortured landscape, glaring light and engine buzz, cranky hot kids and it’s just been one of those long travel days.
It’s forecast to be 43’c tomorrow so we have tried to position ourselves close to Melbourne so a little morning drive completes the trip. I will be putting wet tea towels in the fridge to cool us…
This day began so cool in Jugiong with a chill wind, deep shade and a patch of thick grass for stretching, I had a great session, so inspired by my days at mangrove yoga centre last week. Finding it has strengthened my ability to focus quietly inwards despite external distraction. Simply connecting with my own breath and being.
then Jesse was joined by Cedar who mimics our postures!

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Cutie boy had his second hair cut last night by his own insistence and was coyly hiding behind his big leaf for his portrait, also at his request…

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I had a sweet date with the two shorts at the cafe but the shots are on the other camera…
Anyway there was
Lots of kilometers …
Lots of gold, parched slopes…
Little water, yet lush willows are squatting down in dry gully’s so it must be wet sometimes…
Jesse and I are both revelling in the feelings such an expanse of vivid sky reveals…
He reminds me I originally wanted to call this blog ‘ under open skies’ which was evocative and original i thought, but turned out to be a famous song and used by various others for a myriad of causes already. Boo.

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And some swimming gratefully in man made lakes and then finally a halt is called and we spill outside as the sun finally lowers its invasive glare for the eve. Phew we survived.
This land is so crunchy underfoot , the fire hazard is extreme. I hope the rains come before any burning disaster.
Lily is showing a new found appreciation for food and commented today was a great eating day how do we do it mama?
Muesli
Eggs and sourdough toast with tomato compote( cafe)
Nori rolls with all the trimmings
Cherries and lychees
More sourdough loaf with goats cheese pesto and salad.
Mm simple and tasty and no cooking for me today! Yay!
What do you feed yourselves when in transit?

And then I was so tickled by the beauty of the suns departure tonight!
I rarely see it set over lake water and tonight it really shimmered so peachily and peacefully
Ah sweet relief as the day cools
We are at lake nillahcootie, not an official camp spot but it seems quiet enough for an overnight stay.
Oh bed I love you! And I’m loving the new wool stuffed pillows I chose as our family Christmas gift!

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Goodnight
Xx
Ps my blogging/boggling may not be chronological or consistent for a while as I adjust to being a traveling lady again and work within the bounds of technology and time on the road, I do a lot of imaginary blogging on busy days so I hope you enjoy those as much as I’ve enjoyed composing the words and stories which you may never get to read…

Mullumbimby community gardens

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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

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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…

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Paper pentagon star lantern

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A traveling craft lesson
Some coming in time
Some quiet respite from windy seaside
Some beautiful adornment
For our housebus
A wish fulfilled

I’ve wanted to make one of these pentagon star lanterns for a long time.
Today it came about easily
Already we had been making little paper stars
So our hands where warmed and the star theme moved us.
Most lanterns I’ve seen are made with watercolor paper
We improvised with what we had
As we often do for these spontaneous craftings
(when we get home we will paint thick watercolor paper and make some for candles)
Today it was
One colored side origami papers
A rough pentagon template
Scissors and glue
An Online tutorial
Children sharing scissors and paper hooray!
Cedar chopped minuscule pieces which went everywhere, then he was happy to sweep it all up, hooray again!
It was a bit awkward gluing the last pentagons in place.
Easier next time for sure.
Lily hung the delicate lantern over a down light and even though it was not yet dusk we enjoyed the colorful cheering glow during our evening meal.
These small moments of creation and togetherness hearten me immensely.
This lantern shining spurred the first talks of the coming advent and queries of would we make our advent candles again? And where is the candle windmill? And where is baby Jesus? Can we fill star lanterns with advent biscuits to give our friends…
It was beautiful to realize how the ritual of advent has become a part of our family life and memories and is anticipated by L.
Blessings on our home and hands
Blessings upon yours too
Have you made these lanterns before?
Are you going to now?
Do you celebrate advent?
Did your family of origin have traditions for advent?
May each of our beautiful inner lights shine brightly
X

Glimpses of Outdoors

Glimpses of Outdoors

a gallery of outdoor moments from my visit to my family  in Western Australia

outside I love

the wind

and how I almost fly

I am enlivened and refreshed

by breeze from distant seas

rustling leaves and whispering trees

or thrashing branches and lashing stances

outside the space surrenders me

and my smalls are free

running flopping

stomping rolling

watching witnessing

finding

hiding

grace of equine gallops

echoed in shorter limbs

husky love song of long grass

shimmering godly sunsets

moon rise so graceful and silent

birdsong twittering or raucous

all makes me quieter within in wonder

attentive I am to

sky song

star song

goose song

garden song

planting song

digging song

children song

flower song

harvest song

my song

earth song

calling beckoning drawing out into

the springtime song

a great cacophony of lifes vital forces emerging

infectious energy and creativity

cousins make fairy homes in the grevillea

while plants stretch new leaves at the sun

and buds open to the breeze

a new home

 

 

sometimes transition is not easy for me

in birthing or in life

i can feel lost overwhelmed and unsure I can accomplish the task at hand

can i meet what is coming towards me

the immensity of change

in a breath i am very casual about it all

and sometimes it seems i will breeze through it cheerfully and singing

{this time i will apply all precious knowledge and it will be cake}

and in the next breath i am swamped

by emotions anxiety confusion fear

and helplessness may pop up to join the tea party

this lifestyle i embrace and choose wholeheartedly

has one major difficulty

which is presently with me

transition

finding my centre amidst the change of circumstance.

we are having a pause of some months from being on the road

and i am excited to nest and craft and garden and socialise and sing

and be part of our community

but

first i have to get back from my trip west

and then reintergrate family as we reunite with papa after a month apart

and then arrive in Bellingen

and get used to being parked up in the gloriousness of our friends property

and get into the rhythm of school and lunchboxes and bus stops

and get myself reintergrated and adapted to this next chapter

i think i am contracting inwards

and it hurts abit

i feel better when i go for a walk or a swim in the pristine clear Bellinger river

or when i load up the wheelbarrow and do numerous loads of shifting garden debris

or when i am held in my loves embrace

in moments i think i am really here

and then poof

i am not

this transition takes time

one week is not enough to get my head around it

and rediscover who i am and how i interact here now

i feel more ungrounded this moment than when i am actually in motion traveling

somewhere inside i trust i will come in and feel at ease

and centered and present again

somewhere i know the reality of jetlag

and climate shift

and daylight savings

and external influences

and somewhere i know its moving house again

we all know how incredibly trying that task is

once i wrote traveling is like mini moving house every day

yep

and i love it

once i had spilled all my tumultuous anxiety about this phase to a friend she asked

why do you do it to yourself?

i said

i love it

i love the adventure

the stimulation

the expansion

the freedom

the nature

the change

the time together

the discoveries

it’s worth it.

 

 

once someone wise taught me a game to play at stressful times where

i imagine myself into the future

i am asking myself

“so Roselinde, how did you cope with that challenging time?”

and often the qualities i need to embrace are revealed to me

“well, i made sure i ate and slept well, i reminded myself it’s a temporary situation, i tried to maintain my humour, going for walks,

i asked for help and kept on deep breathing and i used my flower essences

 

it is so so pretty here in the valley in spring

the beauty of nature helps

how do you help yourself get through challenging phases?

what helps you transition?

when do you feel centred?

 

glimpses of indoors

This gallery contains 54 photos.

Glimpses Of Indoors a gallery of moments from my month with my extended family in Western Australia a chapter of time many shared moments centered around the hearth and the heart centered around all the activities which have their place … Continue reading

all in one day

our last day on the farm or was it days?

entailed lots of outdoorsey horsey time

and lots of quiet knitting sitting with my mama

{see how fancy she knits}

i said to her

“when I grow up I might knit fancy socks too…”

she replied in the vein of

“when do you know you are grown up?”

“when i knit fancy socks of course”

on the winding deck on the eastern house side you can chase the sun all morning long… and maybe have a spontaneous yoga session…

after babies sleep we went to a friends stables and Lily got to groom, ride and feed a placid freckled nana horse…

I got distracted by the divine golden blooming wattles… mmmm… i wish i was a beethen after lunch off down the field to see aunty’s horsies

we all sat about and watched her give her horse Bowen and then work with another naughty pony which did not want to be caught

photographed cute baby instead of horses

no big trees to climb here yet, so miss monkey goes up other obstacles…

they are growing though… i remember a certain cold day with a very little Lily,

hands cold in the earth and mud planting some of the sheoaks and melaleuca ‘s at the bottom of this little forest

and now a date with the long oatey grass and my little ones

i was captivated by the sound of the wind in the long grass, i felt very still amidst the sea of green, the scent of sweet oats,                                                 children’s giggles and calls and falls,

memories of making grass houses just like this with my best friend of childhood, rolling about flattening rooms, making oaty meals, looking at the sky and feeling hidden and safe

i was trully enraptured by grasses again, this was the golden glow of my day, here simply laying in the grass, a truly happy simple moment to savour

it certainly sweetened me amidst all the weeping and longing of leaving…

then i managed to convince Lily to shoot me

in my newly hemmed more complicated than it could have been pocketed mama cheerful springtime skirt

really digging the clash of blue prints and red boots…

what do you wear on the farm?

goodbye to this part of our travels

filled with sweetness and mama love and family closeness

thankyou all of you who enrich my life and cradle me in the family nest, help me, encourage me, tease me, put up with me, hug me and love me

Port Douglas Markets and more musing s…

Port Douglas Markets and more musings…

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We have been away for three weeks now on the West Coast.

I’ve just been editing photographs from our last weeks in Far North Queensland.

those beautiful waterways! the warmth and fresh fruit! being outdoors…

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i mean really, look at me in swimmers and being painted by a little angel with river ochre!

less than a month ago!

In my bones until next time…

It’s hard to fathom Jesse will be playing his last set for the year at the Port Douglas markets today.

followed by a sunset dinner by the sea probably.

We are in such different realities at the moment, when usually we travel life together.

I’m only just starting to miss my companion and dear friend…

i’ve been wrapped up in the joy and busy-ness of family time and the enjoyment of space from the relating ship,

which is still happening, but I’ve passed half way of the trip and I think my soul is

preparing to travel East again and thoughts are coming in about my friends and family there.

It makes me aware just how difficult it is to simply be present!

Without anticipating the next chapter of life, or even the next moment of life.

How much of my day am i just trully being in the moment?

I know I relish it when I notice i have come in for a time, and feel the richness of the moment.

it’s not that often, when I really reflect on it! neither is it always comfortable moments mind!

I’m practicing though.

When I go through a phase of doing a daily practice of meditation or yoga or somesuch I notice

my awareness is more centred for the rest of the day.

I tend to put good excuses or futurisms on why I’m not in regular practice of some time of

stillness and centering.

Like, when I have a house I will set up a space or when I’m not so tired or when I wake up tomorrow or when I am enlightened or when I grow up….

{my sisters say I was such a procrastinator as a child}

How about right now?

How about you?

What do you tell yourself, which stops you from doing some helpful practice of meditation, stretching, exercise, centering, movement or so on?

or what do you tell yourself which gets you going with it again?

well that was not what I’d been planning to write about! but reading back I enjoy the surprise of it!

I had been wanting to belatedly post these photos of some of the beautiful produce and handmade crafts from the

Port Douglas Markets!

I think I’ll put them at the top of the page now…

Enjoy your spring/autumn equinox

are you celebrating it in any way?

it happens to also be Uncle D’s birthday so we had

decadent gluten free chocolate cake with cream after breakfast…

Peace