Shining sun for Yoga "class on the grass"

Well my prayers were answered, by 10am on Sunday morning the sun was certainly shining brightly in the sky.  In fact it as shining so brightly that I managed to get a little sun burned teaching the Yoga "class on the grass".

What a wonderful turn out this year, thank you so much to all who made the effort to attend, it was lovely to feel so supported and to see you all practicing in nature like that.  And how brilliant to have such a range of ages from Joe at 6, up to Val who turned 70 this year - for both of them it was their first ever Yoga class, quite an inspiration to others present.

So after lying on our mats and connecting with nature - the feel of the earth beneath us, the sound of the birds and the sensation of the heat from the sun and the breeze in the breeze in the air, we connected with our breath before coming into a more physical part to the practice.

Being grounding in nature, the emphasis was on the connection with the earth, so after a few sun salutations to give thanks to the sun, the provider of life, we practiced a few grounding and strengthening standing poses - virabhadrasana 2 and utthita parsvakonasana before opening our hearts to the world in utthita trikonasana, triangle pose, before seeing the world from an entirely different perspective in prasrita padottanasana, with our heads hanging lower than our hearts - before embracing a balancing sequence. 

I was impressed.  Often it can be challenging to balance outside, what with the breeze and a shift in one's sense of space after practicing for many sessions in a Yoga classroom, but everyone did really well.  There was ardha chandrasana, rather appropriate as a half moon was later visible in the sky, through to vrksanasa, the tree pose, virabhadrasana 3, the warrior pose, through to utthita hasta padagusthasana. 

We crouched on the earth and those who felt it appropriate were able to practice bakasana, the crow pose, safe in the knowledge that if they over balanced they would have a soft landing on the grass ahead of them!  There was the opportunity for some to practice their headstand, which is always a little more challenging outdoors, and through a back bending sequence so that the heart could truly open to the world.

So there was salambasana, the locust pose, rather appropriate for the garden, and dhanurasana, nice and softly with the grass under belly and hip bones!  After a respite in pose of a child, we practiced setu bandha, the bridge pose and for some on into urdhva dhanurasana.  Wow. 

There was the option for some forward bending, the sun shining brightly on people's backs and also a shoulderstand so once again the head was lower than the heart and another change in perspective.  We twisted too, both seated in ardha matsyendrasana and then lying in jathara parivartanasana.  We lay back and lengthened the backs of the legs in supta padagusthasana and we even toned the tummy in navasana, the boat pose and balanced in ubhaya padagusthasana with legs lengthening to the sky.

Quite a session which ended with a much deserved relaxation, lying on our backs, the sun warming our skin, the sound of the sea in the distance and the birds providing a soothing and grounding background experience, softening down onto the earth, surrendering and letting go of any stress, and being totally present in the moment of relaxation.

The class managed to raise an incredible £412, with more to follow from other Yogs students who were unable to attend the class.  Wow.  We are incredibly thankful to all of you who donated so generously, really incredible and so much appreciated.  All the proceeds will be going directly to the Lihou Charitable Trust, which Ewan and I are supporting by undertaking the Three Peaks challenge.

Essentially, this challenge involves climbing the highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland within 24 hours, on 16 July, to help raise money to assist funding the re-roofing of the Lihou Trust.  All of the proceeds from our fundraising efforts go directly to the Trust - we pay for all our expenses ourselves.

 

Lihou is a very special place to us.  We were fortunate to stay there when the snowy owl had first taken up residence and while we were marooned on the Island on our own with the owl, there were many bird watchers standing on the banks at L'Eree with their enormous telescopes trying to catch a glimpse of this bird.  Little did anyone know back then that the snowy owl would stay for many months feasting on the gull eggs and baby sea gulls that were hatched that year.  On our many walks around the Island we were lucky to come within metres of the snowy owl and found the whole experience incredibly special.

Since then we have stayed a few more times with various family and friends, enjoying the solitude of the Island, the opportunity to simply sit and watch the bird life, it is quite magical.   In fact there is nothing more wonderful than the tide rising and all of a sudden you have the island all to yourselves, no tv, no radio, no Internet, no traffic and no distraction from simply immersing yourself in nature.

 Life slows down again and by the end of the 24 hour stay, you feel so much more connected to the natural rhythm of nature, which helps one to feel so much more peaceful and calm inside, incredibly healing too.  I have always felt that spending time in nature makes us feel so much better.  It cleanses our energy and brings us back to earth, grounds us, centers us and slows us down.  you can't put a price on that sort of treatment - the ultimate healing experience!

So this is the reason we have been so keen to support the re-roofing project.  So many local children benefit from the opportunity to stay in the house on Lihou as part of school trips - for many it may be their first experience of having any sense of connection with nature and all the wildlife that Lihou provides.  Then of course there are all the adults who benefit too.  It would be very sad to think that this facility was no longer available for so many to enjoy. 

So it was rather appropriate that we should raise the funds for the re-roofing project by spending time enjoying ourselves in nature.  I suspect that most of those who attended yesterday morning felt as uplifted by the experience as I did - there were certainly many smiles by the end of the practice, and it was lovely that so many stayed to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and a bun, sitting in the sun chatting and taking a look around the greenhouse.

Thank you all again, we truly appreciate all your support.  With lover and much gratitude.  xx

After everyone had left E and I managed a swim in the sea at Vazon, Val paddling in the shallows.  I do love the fact that summer seems to have arrived, what with the sunshine and people going to the beach and the smell of bbqs in the air, plus the fact you can swim in the sea without hyperventilating.

After a few hours resting in the garden and chatting to Claire and her 18 month old daughter, Taya, I helped Mum and Dad lay piping for our outdoor watering system around the plants on the raised beds.  Gosh it was hot!  I watered the greenhouse too, the asparagus are still coming through and it won't be long - finally - until some of the Logan berries are ready for picking. All the berries are so late this year.  This hopefully means that once we have taken enough to make our year's supply of jam, we will be able to sell the excess at Yoga classes.  Fingers crossed in any event.  Nothing quite like eating organic berries the same day they are picked from the plant.

E and I cycled down to the GM for a swim in the pool at tea time, wow it was like a sauna in there, before cycling to my folks for our first bbq of the year, outside too, with the sun dropping in the west.  I do love being down on the west coast, you feel as if you are getting away from it all somehow.  We managed to cycle home before sun set and got to witness the sky turning this incredible red colour.  Wow. 

What an incredibly blessed day.  Thank  you Universe, ma the sun continue to shine on us all - although we will need a spot of rain for all the plants in the next few days or so!!

xxxxx

Keep grounding

It has been some time since I last wrote here as life has been rather busy.  There has been quite a lot of Yoga going on this week and lots of organising what with the "Get Active" free classes last night and the Yoga "class on the grass" happening tomorrow (fingers crossed).  Plus of course everything is growing down at the greenhouse and so I have put in a little bit of time helping Mum.

I do love it down at my parents' place, grounding and relaxing, plus a complete sun trap, which has been wonderful with this lovely sunny weather - hoorah it seems that summer is almost here, we have been able to lie in the sun reading books and weed and plant in bikinis!  I have even managed two swims in the sea at Petit Bot this week, rather pitiful compared to last year but better than nothing.  Still cold I am afraid!

So today we planted out the last of the raised beds.  We have quite a few kale, Swiss chard, sprout and tomato plants left over so we are hoping these will go to good homes tomorrow.  We are certainly going to be busy picking when it all comes to fruition.  Exciting stuff!  Hopefully by then the woofers will be here to help as there is already lots of weeding to be doing - far too hot in the greenhouse this week. 

The poor nectarine tree is under some stress at the moment due to blackfly.  We have used some organic stuff but it doesn't seem to be helping that much.  I hung a crystal from it and put more around the base of the trunk, will be interested to see if they make any difference.  I keep meaning to play some Tibetan singing bowl in the the greenhouse to raise the general energy - those fruit trees and vegetable plants will be super charged with prana!!  Let alone the Reiki we do on them, plus of course Mum talks to them all the time:-)

So at the moment we are going through some pretty powerful energetic changes out there and dont' I know it.  Admittedly I have not helped myself - in I have in the long term I guess - by indulging in quite a bit of reiki recently and also some wonderful reflexology so I have certainly been feeling and living through some stuff.  It all comes to a head on Monday 4 June and I must admit I am looking forward to that, plus the full moon a few days later.  So in the interim, make sure to ground - lots of feet on the earth and a spot of gardening, maybe even a swim in the sea or simply sitting on some rocks.

I have already decided that I am going to retreat as much as I can in June and enjoy the training for the Three peaks with lots of outdoor activity and of course helping Mum with the growing.  Like an oak tree we need to take time to nourish ourselves, before we grow again.  Integration and synthesis I guess.  And that good old advice - look after yourself, so that then you have the energy to look after others.  Very true!

Anyhow in the interim, off for a quiet night, looking forward to the Yoga tomorrow.

With gratitude.

x

The light has returned again

What a stunning day!  Incredible weather, finally, perhaps, summer is on its way!

I have been very blessed today to have some degree of flexibility with my time, so that I was able to join Jane on the cliffs this morning and walk from Petit Bot to Saints Bay and back again.  To say it was stunning is an understatement, bright skies, bright seas and all those wonderful Spring flowers - truly the cliffs are at their finest right now.

In the later part of the afternoon I was able to spend 30 minutes sitting on the pebbles of Petit Bot bay.  This was my first official outing to the beach here on Guernsey this spring/summer, quite ridiculous seeing as it is almost June.  Still it was wonderful, especially as the tide was high and I got to have the beach to myself for a time.  I even managed to go for a swim and stay in the sea longer than a minute without hyperventiliating.  I know no one will believe me, but the sea is really not that cold at the moment...

I had a Reiki session today - where I received rather than gave.  I have been having regular sessions since I returned from Australia and I am finding it a joy in so many ways.  Not least for the opportunity to relax, which is not something I prioritise enough in my life, but also because I am getting to experience the effects of the layers coming off.  I have always said that we are a bit like onions and when we have Reiki, oftern a layer lifts off, presenting another one underneath.

 It is fascinating seeing what comes up in each session and then noticing my dreams the next few nights.  While the process is not always easy - sometimes I get to experience those wodneful healing crises when things feel worse before they get better, and sometimes you get to re-live the past a little, which is always a litle unsettling - it is well worth it in the long run.  At least, I can honestly say that since I began this recent course of reiki, I have started to feel lighter and more energised again, focused and incredibly passionate about the potential of Yoga, Reiki and energy-based healing generally, it is just so powerful.

Mind you, that lovely calm feeling I get at the end of a session, is quickly tested on the drive home.  oh my gosh,  the road works are ridiculous over here in Guernsey at the moment, I have never known anything like it!  I was at a crossroads today and noticed that each road had a yellow diversion sign pointing in a different direction.  I mean, how does anyone know where they are going.  Jane and I stopped to chat to 3 visitors on the cliffs today and their resounding memory of Guernsey is likely to be getting completely lost in all the diversions around Saints Bay hotel where they are staying.  What a memory to have of Guernsey!

Sitting here typing, I am reminded of a benefit of all the roadworks.  We actually have roadworks right outside our cottage here in a lane in St Andrews.  The guys have gone home for the day and while it is usually hectic around here with people speeding through the lanes to get home after work, right now it is increadibly peaceful as no one can pass through the lane.  Now that is a highlight of the roadworks, I would be happy if they kept this lane closed the whole time!  I have never really understood the reason people feel to speed through those lanes that are clearly marked "Ruette Tranquille" with a speed limit of 15mph!

I was sent an astrology update for this week and it fits in rather well with the general upheaval of all the road works over here...you can read more at www.realastrology.com

"The portal is open. The info is going back and forth fast and furiously this week, as Venus turns retrograde in Gemini and a solar eclipse takes place in the sign of communications.

Some of the synchronicities are astounding, and even the breakdowns seem to be part of the greater plan. More than ever, it’s important that you know where you’re headed, even if you don’t know how you’re going to get there. The “how” will come, but you need to be willing to change on a moment’s notice and to take a leap of faith.

In one of my synchronicities this week (too long a story to explain here), I found this remarkable video about Tom Kenyon. Among other things, it explains how we communicate with higher beings through sound. I have a feeling you’ll find something synchronous in it, too.

The latest issue of The Mountain Astrologer has a priceless cover, with road signs for the times head. One sign reads, “change required, no U-turns.” And that pretty much sums it up. There is no going back, no matter what the weather or road conditions are. The good news is that we’re getting new information, new contacts, and other necessary information to support us on our journey. It also has been my experience that any attempts to veer from our path or spend too long at the roadside rest stop will be swiftly rectified by circumstances “out of our control.”

Monday’s Mercury-Pluto trine brings deep insight that is also practical. Expect some of the “how” to present itself. There’s also a Sun-Saturn inconjunct, so be advised that some of what’s required of you may not be comfortable or easy. Indeed, “easy” isn’t happening for anyone I know right now. Opportunities can come out of the blue, but you have to be prepared to get out of your routine and venture into unfamiliar territory. With Saturn retrograde in Libra, it’s also likely that relationships are an issue. Some of the discomfort may involve working with people who for one reason or another make you uncomfortable.

Venus turns retrograde on Tuesday and will remain in “reverse” until June 27. With Saturn also retrograde and in Venus-ruled Libra, we’re in for a heavy dose of relationship school. Some of your lessons are likely to involve unresolved issues with past partners, whether in this lifetime or other incarnations.

Mars trines Pluto on Wednesday and opposes Chiron on Thursday. The first aspect favors result-oriented, material outcomes that require action and discipline. This is the third and final pass of a three-part alignment that began around Thanksgiving (late November). The second aspect is helpful for healing old wounds, in a surgical kind of way. In other words – as if often the case – you may have to endure temporary pain as you dig into old hurts in order to release the stuck energy. You may experience a “healing crisis” – a temporary worsening of symptoms while the healing is taking place.

On Sunday, the Sun enters Gemini and immediately aligns with the Moon in a solar eclipse. This is an ongoing series of eclipses, so you should know by now what areas of your life are undergoing rapid and deep change. This eclipse represents the next “installment.” Watch for stunning new developments, which will gather speed and intensity as we approach the Full Moon lunar eclipse on June 4.

As I wrote last week, we’re now in the most volatile and rapidly changing period of 2012. If you feel scattered and unfocused, give yourself some space while doing your best to keep your eye on your goals. I’ve suggested keeping an open mind, but with Venus retrograde, you’ll also need to keep an open heart. The portal goes both ways."

So it looks like the bank holiday weekend may be interesting, lots of fun ahead.  Hopefully all the road works will be finished by then and the roads will be running as smoothly as our lives - well we cna hope in any event!!

xx

The topsy-turvy world of raising our spirits

So finally the sun has been shining, hoorah!!  It is amazing how much better it makes us all feel, gives us a renewed sense of hope that we finally get to experience a summer this year!

We were fortunate to have a training walk for the Three Peaks challenge on Sunday so we were forced to spend the morning outside, oh what a shame!  We met at Portlet and Richard (the warden of Lihou and our group leader) decided it would be a good idea to walk on the rocks all the way from the beach at Portlet to Fort Peseries out by the fairy ring.  Not the easiest of routes at 8.30am on a Sunday morning to navigate, but novel and refreshing all the same - I have certainly never gained that perspective of Lihou or L'Eree previously and made for an adventurous start to the day.

It was a bit of an orientation exercise as Richard taught us how to use a compass and read gridlines and plan routes from A to B etc etc.  So we trekked around Pleinmont, clambering up the steep hill through prickly brambles (that was E's choice of route), up to the German Observation Tower and then from there a route out towards the Watchhouse and all the way inland to Le Coudre through all these incredible little lanes and wonderfully positioned houses with views of the beach making me wish I could afford to live in one of them, and experience the peace and tranquility of living so far away from the traffic- craziness of the rest of the Island!  Always good to dream I guess!.

It was a great morning, enjoying all that sunshine and being out with a group, experiencing new places and new perspectives of the Island, plus all that walking and grounding in nature again.  It made me think.  Earlier in the week I met with a friend who is experiencing a life challenge.  We went for a walk and there I was getting excited about the swallows and the pretty hedgerows and she admitted that with life being as it is at the moment for her, she feels rather disconnected from nature.  This too made me think because actually at times like this, when we do feel so disconnected and caught in our heads, sometimes the best thing we can do is get out into nature.

Not to say it will connect us immediately necessarily, but it may calm us on a level.  I remember when I was in Australia a few years ago nursing a painful heart and feeling rather depressed and fed up with life.  My cousin in the Uk was concerned about me and sent me an email asking me to email her every day with 5 positive things about that day, simple things she said, like the beauty of a flower or the sunset.  I remember feeling so disconnected that I could find no joy in the beauty of flowers or the sunset, whcih made me feel even worse, so caught up in myself I couldn't come back to earth.

However then one day something quite incredible happened.  I sat on the beach at tea time with the sun dropping in the sky and people walking their dogs along the shoreline.  I was awakened (in more than one way) from my thoughts by a dog coming up to me and literally planting a kiss on my lips before running off again.  I was so shocked that I couldn't;t help laughing (finally) to myself.  I emailed my cousin later that evening and she said the dog was my angel come to show me some love.  She reminded me that just being in nature can produce miracles.  that day was certainly a miracle for me, boosting my faith and making me feel a little connected to the world again.

After that trip I went to stay in a mobile home on my cousin's farm in North Devon for a few months as a stop-gap before returning home.  Here we lived in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields and views of more fields and trees.  I spent my mornings writing and looking out the window at her horses in the fields.  In the afternoon I would tend to the vegetable garden, which began my love of growing vegetables, and in the evening I would collect the horse dung from the fields, watching the swallows swooping through the skies and the sun setting in the distance.  While I arrived with a heavy heart, after a few months of such a simple and back to basics and nature lifestyle, I left with a lighter heart and a much stronger sense of self.  It was not difficult to identify 5 positive things about each day.

Recently I had one of those days when I felt disconnected again.  It doesn't happen so often anymore, but when it does, it reminds me how we can slip into a depressive state where we find no joy in what lies outside our window.  Often the toughest thing to do when you feel like that, is actually to get outside - but I have come to realise that for me, in any event, the best thing I can do is exactly that.  Nature is so wonderful at helping to bring us back to life again.  To slow us down, to energise us, to remind us of the natural beauty and simplicity of everything.  For me, it is a necessity in keeping my spirits high and my energy grounded and clear of negativity (well as much as I can!).  of course Yoga helps hugely too!

Talking of which, I really enjoyed the Saturday "Topsy-turvy World" class.  I mean I enjoy teaching all classes, but I do love inversions, they are my favourite poses and I love to share them with others as they so uplifting for the soul!  At the end of the class I read an extract from Cyndi Lee's book, "Yoga Body, Buddha Mind" and I would like to share it now, as I love what she writes:-

"Yoga asana practice offers us many opportunities  to establish balance in our physical situation - right and left, front and back.  But the deeper effect of letting go of fixed mind, of seeing the world from a different perspective, of calmly abiding in a topsy-turvy upside-down world - that may be the most profound benefit of yoga...

This means that we can learn to relate to things as they are, not as we wish they were, or as they used to be, but how they are right now...and now...and now as they keep changing.  When we are stuck on only one way for things to be, then we are truly stuck.  Then when our world shifts dramatically - which it will, through the death of a loved one, a change of employment, even falling in love - we will find that we are thrown for a loop because we have committed to our world being only one way and that way will have vanished.  Turning upside down is practice for this.  It offers us a fresh perspective.  When one can remain in this environment with calm abiding, it is the beginning of the ability to stay centered when your world turns upside down."

So if ever you are feeling disconnected, then try and get out in nature, try and identify 5 beautiful things in your world that day and perhaps try a headstand or a shoulderstand, or simply hold your head upside down and see things a little differently!

With love xx

Back to nature on Lihou Island

Wow, what a few days it has been!  On Sunday we had the full moon, not that I felt as connected as I usually do to it, I even forgot to leave my crystals outside to cleanse!  I did pop outside before I went to bed and managed to catch a glimpse of it rising on the horizon and then during the night I was aware of its light permeating the bedroom.  I hope for brighter skies next month so I can really bathe in its light.

This week's reading from Pat at realastrologers.com makes for interesting reading! Evidently this week is the Scorpio Full Moon, which means it is the festival of Wesak, honouring the birth, death and enlightenment of the Buddha.  Wesak is a major "download" time, when a portal opens to higher consciousness.  Apparently, we are also marching towards an extraordinary alignment of the Sun, Moon, Earth and Venus on June 4th and 5th, which Pat believes will trigger a giant leap forward in human consciousness.  Wow, so that could be quite some Diamond Jubilee celebrating, and quite a Coldplay concert I shall be attending!

Evidently we have solar flares and corresponding disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field.  Pat says, "I have no idea whether this phenomenon is affecting our consciousness, but I’m fairly sure it’s having some effect. Several people I know are experiencing extreme fatigue, elevated heart rate, and hot flashes. Is it related to solar activity? In astrology, the Sun is associated with the heart, so it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that there’s a real correlation here. I just don’t know how we’d prove it to the satisfaction of medical science.

Dancing on the boundaries of parallel universes is disorienting and possibly dangerous. No one would entertain the idea of surfing the big waves before learning the basics of the sport, and yet we may be doing the spiritual equivalent. What I don’t know is whether everyone is experiencing this shift at some level, or whether those who are sensitive to these energies feel it, while those who aren’t remain blissfully ignorant. I pass no judgment on which is better. Someone has to hold down the fort while a percentage of the population stumbles around in a daze.

I strongly encourage you to keep a journal and record any strange dreams, visions, synchronicities, or other unusual events in your life. At the same time, try to stay grounded. Fortunately, the Sun and Jupiter in Taurus are helping in that regard. If you find yourself mysteriously craving meat and fattening foods, don’t fight it for now. You can take off the excess weight as soon as the cosmic dust settles. I’m definitely of a mind that we have to trust our bodies and higher minds at this point to know what’s right for us and not try to overpower them by force of intellectual beliefs. It’s a leap of faith, really."

This all makes for rather interesting reading and I was rather fortunate to spend 24 hours on Lihou from 12.30pm on Bank Holiday Monday so that I was able to ground my energy in nature and make the most of the opportunity to rest - my body is certainly crazing quiet times and lying around on my bed!

Lihou is magical.  We hired the house to celebrate E's Mum's 70th birthday, there were just four of us, including our friend Mike.  Richard, the Warden, picked us up in the tractor and drove us over the causeway, thick with seaweed on the Lihou side.  E's Mum had already walked over and was in the kitchen boiling the kettle when we arrived.  I unpacked the food and realised that we had not brought any chocolate, a bit of a disaster as far as E is concerned!  E's Mum then realised she had not brought the bottle of bubbles as she had intended, quelle horreur! 

So it was the strangest thing really.  Within minutes of our realisation, Mike presented E's Mum with a belated birthday present, of lots of bars of organic chocolate!  And then minutes later my parents arrived with scones and jam and a bottle of bubbles!  How wonderful the way the Universe helps to deliver.  We were very grateful, even if we didn't need the extra excesses!

So we sat in the warm conservatory as the weather showered and then cleared again, leaving the Island clear of visitors, put off somewhat by the rain.  It was lovely sharing tea, scones and chatter while watching all the birds outside.  I have to admit I have developed a love of birds recently.  E thinks it is rather worrying and I will turn into one of those twitching types laying low with my binoculars.  I just think it is great. 

It is another one of those weird things.  Lihou related too really, because the first time we stayed on Lihou we were fortunate to share it with the snowy owl.  And then the second time sitting in that conservatory I couldn't help becoming mesmerised by all the birds flying in front of us, like a show really, a nature show.  Since then and I can't remember how it happened but I became friends on facebook with someone who used to attend the Grammar school with me, but I doubt very much we have ever really spoken all these years, let alone at school.  In any event, I am really rather pleased as he is a bird watcher and has been posting all these wonderful photos of the recent migrating birds, so that I have become very keen to see them for myself.

So after the tea and scones, our visitors scooted back across the causeway as the tide was rising to cut us off from the mainland.  This is such a wonderful experience when you are staying on Lihou and all of a sudden have the Island to yourself, truly, for the rest of the evening and the next morning.  The weight just lifts form the shoulders - no traffic, no email, no internet, no telephone, no tv, no radio.  No contact with the outside world unless you bring your blackberry or mobile.  I just love it.  makes me realise how much all those other things simply add more stress to our lives.

We went out for a walk and were amazed by all the sea gulls nesting all around the Island.  Really incredible.  In some instances we found ourselves rather close to nests without realising we were close to nests.  The herring gulls were fine with this and we even managed to get a photo before respectfully levaing them to it.  Not so the lesser and great black-backed gulls.  Phew, that was close.  We were following the path but one of these gulls had laid just next to the path and as we got closer it got very agitated, and without much warning starting swooping at us from above, which is what they do when the nests are threatened. 

The thing was E's Mum was totally disorientated and had a gull swooping down at her as she ran closer towards the nest, without realising it.  I had retreated completely, totally scared by the whole experience.  E took control, directing his Mum away from the nest and thankfully the gull left us alone after that.  It was funny after the event, all of us running in different directions but Richard, the Warden, tells me that they do actually make contact and he has had to use his first aid on people who have ended up with a beak grazing  their head.

The island is stunning at the moment, full of sea pinks, more than Richard has noticed on the Island previously.  It just makes it seem so incredibly beautiful.  There are violets and bluebells and sea campion too.  You have to love Spring.  On our ramblings we passed shelduck (the largest duck in the world, with red markings), oystercatchers and lots of swallows and swifts.  We also came across a razorbill, dead sadly, but a razorbill nonetheless, a relatively unusual visitor to the Island, sad really. 

I missed it as I was on a marathon sleeping session, but the rest of them witnessed a marsh harrier coming down and taking an egg out of a nest with a group of seagulls going crazy overhead.  It is sad as the Societe Guernisiase are encouraging marsh harriers on the marshland at L'Eree, without perhaps considering that these harriers are popping over to Lihou for quick feed on eggs and, shortly, new chicks, and yet the Societe are also trying to encourage the breeding of more gulls.  Someone hasn't thought that through properly.

E and I managed a couple of swims.  Well the first one on the first night, at high tide not far from the house was more of a dip as the sea was full of seaweed, not so great!  The second one the next day on the low tide was at the Venus Pool, a first for me and quite refreshing jumping into that big pool of cold water!  We have been in quite a bit in May and I have to say it is really not so bad!  Aside from a bit of a ramble and those swims, I spent a lot of time sleeping and watching the birds from the conservatory - it is fascinating watching those gulls protect their eggs.

We ate dinner together in front of the wood burning stove that evening.  I prepared lots of different salad dishes so we could simply help ourselves.  It was wonderful, there is nothing better than good food and good company, and especially when you are on your own island with the background sound of the sea and the birds and the smell of seaweed! 

Needless to say none of us wanted to leave the next day,  twenty fours is not really long enough, but better than nothing.  I just felt so much more grounded and connected to nature than when I arrived, calmer therefore and lighter.  I can only imagine how you would feel spending a whole 5 days of neap tides on the Island when the causeway never clears...one day, will be much better for the environment and the soul than trekking all the way to some other secluded part of the world.  I can't wait to return in the next couple of weeks to see the hatched baby seagulls, let us hope the marsh harriers leave them alone!

Now back on Guernsey it is Liberation Day, reminding us of the sacrifices made by our ancestors so that we can continue to experience freedom today.  Of course we always have the choice to experience freedom of mind, we choose our thoughts after all, but there is a lot to be said for living with so much freedom in our lives.  With this being the time for looking forward and grounding our new year resolutions, I can't help thinking how lucky we are that these days we do have that opportunity, that we are not simply focused on surviving.  So I hope this finds you all well and happy.  Keep practising for all comes to those who practice.

With love and much gratitude.

x

May Day and Beltane

x

It was the first day of May yesterday, although of course we don't get to celebrate that until Monday over here - what a day it could be with the full moon the night before and us on Lihou. Traditionally the actual celebration took place on 30 April and is called "Beltane". This is primarily a fire and fertility festival and the time of the May Queen, when a young woman was chosen from the village to represent the Earth Goddess and reflect the transformation of maiden to mother. This was also the time of the kindling of the need fire, when all the fires in the village were extinguished and then ritually re-lit the following day. Fertility plays an important role in this festival too. The principal symbol of this Sabbat was the Maypole, also known as the axis mundi, around which the universe revolved. The pole personifies the male forcfe while the disk at the top depicts the receptive female. There were 7 ribbons ties to it, which represented the seven colours of the rainbow. Beltane is when we actively begin to pursue our goals on the material plane. Now it is the time to take action and physically put effort into the goal you began to think about at Yule. All very exciting times. Especially with the sun shining and that holiday energy starting to permeate the air!

The calm after the storm

So it seems that the storm has passed revealing calmer and brighter skies, hoorah! Wow what a weekend. I went down to Jerbourg yesterday and was blown away by all the debris, so many pine combs had fallen from the trees and still the wind was whipping around the point so the sea looked incredibly rough and uninviting. Mind you the rain has been most welcome. Indeed I can't help thinking that the April showers are an incredible invention of mother nature to help the seddlings to grow and bring more life to the landscape - it is certainly very green and lush out there at the moment and so many beautiful wild flowers, especially all the blue bells everywhere. I have finished reading Paulo Coelho's "Aleph", which was a fabulous read. Rather horrible at times, chatter of burning witches at the stake and all the terrible torture that went with that period in history. Makes me so pleased that we no longer live in such a world, at least not here in Guernsey fortunately. It is quite mad to think that there was a time when it was felt that Paganism, a belief in past lives, an interest in astrology and the mysteries of the spiritual world could result in a women being deemed a witch and literally burnt at the stake. As in other parts of Europe, Guernsey is steeped in legend and witchcraft was believed to be rife in the Middle Ages. Guernsey convicted on average one witch a year for 150 years and one Bailiff, the feared Amice de Carteret, was responsible for sending 35 women to their death in a thirty five year period up to 1635. In 1640 a woman said to be 80 years old was burned at the stake. The last witch trial in Guernsey was as recently as 1914, but the sentence thankfully was eight days hard labour. The belief in witchcraft was very strong over here - the white witches who helped other people and the black witches who cast nasty spells on people. At one point it was considered unlucky not to have ledges built into the chimney stack of a house. Here, passing witches could rest on their travels and you can still see such ledges on old Guernsey farmhouses - in fact the best-known example of such a ledge can be seen at the Longfrie Hotel in St Peter’s. I met a Guernsey lady living in Australia who had left the Island as soon as she was able. She still visits family here from time to time but I remember her saying to me that she never feels comfortable on the Island, and there are some sreas of town she has to avoid simply because they bring back some memory in her as being persecuted as a witch in a previous life. It sounds ridiculous perhaps because witches don't always look like the stereotype, but there was something about this lady that made you in no doubt that she had been a witch in a previous life - a white witch no-less. It makes me think how many of us would be burned at the stake these days simply for believing in the healing power of nature, for celebrating the full moon, for taking herbal supplements and for indulging in an esoteric Yoga practice!! Thankfully the consciousness of society has increased considerably since then. So Paulo's book had quite an impact on me and I am still digesting the historical content. On a lighter note, E and I managed a walk around Petit Bot the other day - it ws truly stunning, well worth a trip out to the Cliffs this weekend if you get the chance. I am hoping to get back into the greenhouse now we don't have to fear the glass panes falling on top of us with all that wind! plus we are booked to stay in Lihou on Monday night which is so exciting, I do love that little Island - regardless of its darker association with the whole back witch-ing days! It is a full moon this weekend too, so let us hope the skies are bright and we are able to bathe in its energy and give thanks to the Goddess without fear of being arrested, tortured and then burnt at the stake! With gratitude. xx