I am very lucky!

 

To have such a beautiful, playful, joyful and FUNNY daughter!

Guided Meditation

I am so enjoying doing guided meditations and I would really like to do get to a point where it becomes part of my daily routine. I found this meditation on Dr. Northrup's site. She describes it as a healing exercise through Channeling in the Divine Feminine. I like her voice, it's soothing and strong and I just like the way you go through your body and send love to all the different body parts. I did it last night before I went to sleep. I was in such a deep state of relaxation as I drifted off.

Image by Shiloh Sophia

A Rainbow for me

I was driving home from work the other day and was totally lost in my thoughts, thinking about creative endeavors. A thought came out of nowhere about writing an inspirational book for children with real life stories about children that have demonstrated creativity and innovation and shared it with there communities. I was so deep in thought and when I came close to home, ready to turn into our road, I looked up and saw a rainbow just behind our house! It didn't rain but there were huge clouds in the sky with this rainbow. I couldn't believe it. It really felt like the rainbow was just for me, as if the universe was saying to me:"' Feel the love, trust your heart and amazing things will happen."

Michael Oak Waldorf Annual Fair

 

I am grateful for all the love, care and community spirit of all parents and staff that has gone in to this years fair that will be on this Saturday.  Our class has been busy crafting all year, butterfly, fairy wings with hand beaded felted centres, crowns, capes, bunny hoods, staffs, wands and wizard sticks.  it’s been hard work but amazing in that such a community all has worked together to contribute to this event which is not only about raising funds for the school.  In addition it helps parents in a class to bond and get to know each other, it is great for the kids in that they see us working together with a common goal and observing us creating things as a team from natural resources, and it brings together (at the fair) a larger community of  people who end up supporting us by buying handmade craft, receiving gifts from of love (be it food, gifts of action (reiki, henna tattoos, massage, etc.) All to  promote care of the environment as well as sustainable living and community living.

Having said all that, I am also grateful that my work sewing 27 bunny, dragon, donkey, bear,mice hoods is done and dusted.  They will sell for R110  and are 100 per cent cotton.

 

Creative Inspiration

 

I fell in love with these amazing  hard cardboard wall decorations in a place called Guadalest in Spain.  Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could make a life size one for our girls?

Being able to Read

I have been reading so much lately and it just all of a sudden struck me that being able to read is such a privilege. It is definitely something that I never think about, the ability to read. How very different my world would have been if I couldn't read beautiful poetry, uplifting stories and every thing in between. Can you imagine not being able to read?

So many Teachers

I am incredibly grateful for the many people in the world teaching what they are passionate about and know to be true for them. It feels like I have grown so much in the last two years and having life teachers out there, speaking from the heart and sharing what they have learned and what they have struggled with just fills my heart and help me to learn the lessons I need to learn.

I have three and a halve days left at work, and I am tired to my bones. I think I have neglected myself for such a long time that body is just saying: "NO MORE!" I am looking forward to many things once I stay at home but what I am looking forward to the most is taking care of myself, giving myself what I need. I really really need that. I need to fill my cup to the brim. I now understand that what I need, I can only give myself.

Coming Out of the Rabbit Hole

I've been underground for a while. :-) Grateful to see the sun again. Found this in my inbox last night, very appropriate.

Flamenco Dancers

 

We saw some live flamenco in Spain – there is a lot more to that story – anyway – Julia fell in love with flamenco.  When one of Petes guests at a dinner party fell in love with Julia and knew she loved flamenco (a Spanish local) she raced off and gave her this gift the very next day.  I don’t think I have ever seen Julia's face light up as it did that day with the surprise of it all. She just loved it – especially the shoes (another sad story, but will chat later).  I got all emotional seeing her in her heels and dress – a sign of the future years ahead, looking so grown up.  Her and I are going to explore flamenco dance lessons together – I bought castanets over!

Natures Gifts

 

 

One of the things I love most about Julia is her love of nature and the joy she experiences when giving me gifts from nature like this pine cone in Spain from Finca el Otero which she decorated with red petals that had fallen on the ground – very rarely will she pick a flower – she uses what she finds on the ground – whether it be stones, shells, feathers, petals that are shrivelling up – I always bring them home and put them in water in a little egg cup or Chinese teacup!

So much for detoxing

 

I’m meant to be detoxing and before this trip had been on a strict no sugar, no preservatives, limit on a glass of wine 1 or twice a week and basically being pure and true to my health.  Well, that all went out the window on the aeroplane really.  I packed a whole lot of nuts for my bag and fruit to avoid the terrible plane food for most of the way here. My efforts continued until arriving at Finca El Otero where Pete served us breakfast most mornings ( we have cut down now as it was just too much). Breakfasts there consisted of a starter, fruit and yoghurt and freshly squeezed orange juice, followed by something cooked – tortilla, salmon muffin, etc.

Dinners we have only been eating very late – around 9pm to 10pm – way too late for me – but after the guests have been served starter main and dessert, only then can we sit down as a family together and chat over a meal.  Running a B & B is not for the faint hearted.

So there's has been, too much meat, home baked breads, local 70% chocolate, desserts every night.  Having said all that – the most wonderful food has been at Finca and the lunch we were invited to at Riola San Gabriel.  Other than that the local ‘tapas’ and food in restaurants has been very disappointing – maybe its because I live with amazing cooks around me right now – but it also seems to be a theme in small town Spain at the moment.  The bigger more populated cities I’m sure will be much better.  Right now I am snacking on a pre dinner snack of soft goats cheese with marinated Pimentos – dinner is being concocted as I write, baby calamari and baby clams in a tomato sauce to be served with some sautéed potatoes and watercress!

Fans

 

There are fans all around in Spain to buy, symbolic of the nations famed Flamenco I would imagine, we bought a lovely one in a gallery in Cuenca to take home and frame in our new house.  It has a poem beautiful written on it by Pablo Neruda (the poet) which we will translate when we get a chance from Spanish to English – Julia wanted it to play with, but it was not a toy for her.  Walking the streets today on our first day here in Granada, we walked past an art shop that had blank white fans and asked Julia if she would like that to decorate in her own way instead of a floral one that she could choose if she wanted later.  She chose the first option!  The result is a beautiful rainbow fan – one of a Julia kind!

Travelling

 

Plenty of gratitude to be had on this holiday….especially to my brother in law and his partner in Alicante who have been perfect hosts at Finca el Otero www.fincaelotero.net  – their boutique B and B which is world class I might add.  We were also invited to an out of this world lunch at a palace like residence which just opened for guests this year – but the owners were away, so one of the 2 guys that managed the place invited us to lunch with about 18 guests in total.  The place is on the internet and you can check it out at www.riosangabriel.com – truely amazing and so inspiring – def will send and post photos on this blog.  Thats all for now  Adios xo