changing track. . .

yesterday I had afternoon tea with a friend who wants to organize a croning circle for me on December 1st.. one month before I made my way into this lifetime (I told you the croning was taking of like Topsy!). The cafe was called Mountain Magick and I had Apple and Rhubarb crumble - yum !

Then I went to the Post Office in Woodford - to get an idea of how much it will cost to send a charm pack for this ceremony.... hmm. the quote was quite alot so I am going to revise how I will organize it...... which is good news for those who missed out in the 'quota' -

if you want to be part of this 'coming of age' of mine then this is what YOU will have to do before December 1st:

post me some words of wisdom - they can be a poem, words of wisdom that mean something special or even your own thoughts....

plus a crystal or stone that is indigenous to your part of the world (it can be a bought crystal or one you find on a walk.. or even a shell if you live near the beach)... (the reason I am asking this is, that I want a little bit of each friends' world on the altar at my celebratory circle. there will be a few other things that I may request but I will keep the request small so that you won't need to get a loan for the postage. I will also need your birth date.

MY part of the bargain is to send YOU a package on your birthday next year. That way, I can make each little package specially for each person with a crystal that I believe will be the one for them...

so after all that, if you are still interested let me know. I will be putting a list in the sidebar of my croning blog of participants and there will be a cut off point for joining.. not sure when that will be (note - only open to those of you who I know!)

keep reading my croning blog ... there will be lots of little rituals for you to do and other stuff that I am discovering on this little sidetrack journey of mine

the Croning of miss*R

the month of Mary

on the catholic calendar, May is supposedly the month of Mary. And even though I don't consider myself a 'christian' in the real term - I do have a strong devotion to Mary..... gee, I don't really know what I am in terms of religion - I was baptised a Church of England, did one year with the seventh day adventists when I was 12. Confirmed into the catholic church at the age of 33 - tried buddhism and many other ways of 'believing' - have been a 'witch' all my life without knowing it....

as usual, I get off the subject - during May, I like to honour Mary - with roses - a bunch picked from my garden in front of one of my vintage statues....

this month I also hope to build a shrine outside in my garden - much like the one in Under the Tuscan sun. a place where I can go and put flowers whenever I need some extra *help*.





and did you know that lady beetles/bugs are really 'our lady's bugs'? tis true!


"In the olden days, British farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help with their crops. Then ladybugs arrived and helped the farmers by eating crop-eating bugs and saved farmers' crops. In honor of these bugs, the farmers called the beetles "Our Lady's beetle," which turned into ladybug."

ANZAC Day

above is a pot of Rosemary - for remembrance - this plant was taken from a cutting of a rosemary plant that is growing in Gallipoli - funny how our Anzac day falls just before Samhain, where we remember our deceased loved ones and rosemary is one of the herbs of this sabbat.

They shall grow not old....as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

"LEST WE FORGET"


today our nation pauses to remember this day - April 25th, 1915 - a day when Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed on the beach at Gallipoli.

"On a dark Sunday morning, 25 April, 1915, the soldiers landed in the dark and under heavy fire, climbed steep cliffs covered in prickly scrub and won a foothold on the plateau and ridges. The next eight months saw many feats of courage and bravery on both sides. Apart from the heavy casualties from attack and counter attack, the lines were so close that there was no respite from the heavy bombing, shells and mines. "

" 7 600 Australians and nearly 2 500 New Zealanders were mortally wounded at Gallipoli and 24 000 more were wounded. Fewer than 100 were taken prisoner. However, it was not so much that Gallipoli with all its hardships, heroics and suffering was any worse than the other wars that Australians have since taken part in, it was that this was the first real test of our country as a nation. And we did not fail!!! "

"So every year on April 25, we have a day of remembrance where we can express our gratitude to all those men and women then and since, who helped keep our country free from invasion; to acknowledge our debt to these men and women, their wives and husbands, mothers and children and our obligation to those who gave their lives to protect our way of life. "

this morning we attended our local ANZAC march and bought packets of ANZAC bicuits of the ladies in the war fund.... yummy. My heart swells with pride as I wave and clap at the old men who fought for our country. Whether you believe in war or not, these men are heroes. God bless each and every one of them.

a blissful & bright easter

wishing you the brightest of easter days - may the birds sing, may the butterflies burst from their cocoons and may the flowers bloom with joy.

Well, that is if you are in the Northern hemisphere.

If not and you live somewhere down under - I hope your easter day is everything it should be - cool, crisp & snuggly.... may your fires be warm, your leaves be golden, burgundy & bronze and may the laughter of loved ones be around your table -

blessings & bliss to each of you xoxo

I think I must be the only person in the whole wide world who got to sit on the easter bunny's knee. Yes, that is me - about 15mths old, dressed as a boy. Why on earth did my mother do that to me....

today, I hope to be going to the Sacred Lotus then out for coffee. family dinner tonight - lamb roast, vegetables & the chocolate pecan cake....

19 years of wedded bliss

19 years with my soul mate - how lucky am I? the man who held my hand every day at the cancer clinic for 5 weeks, who fed me my dinner as I lay in the radiation room, the man who moves the furniture around and then moves it back again *because it doesn't look right*, the man who sits and reads the paper while I spend hours in the Sacred Lotus, the man who accepts whatever belief I have this week, the man who loves me for who I am, the man I call my best friend - yep, I am one lucky girl!




I found this poem by Rumi, last week while I was on vacation in Internet world....it describes Joe and I, perfectly. . .

A moment of happiness,
you and I sitting on the verandah,
apparently two, but one in soul, you and I.
We feel the flowing water of life here,
you and I, with the garden's beauty
and the birds singing.
The stars will be watching us,
and we will show them
what it is to be a thin crescent moon.
You and I unselfed, will be together,
indifferent to idle speculation, you and I.
The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar
as we laugh together, you and I.
In one form upon this earth,
and in another form in a timeless sweet land.