Looking ahead

Got talking about going camping this year and HES FES was mentioned, I would like to go but just looked it up and it’s 380 miles away. we had trouble entertaining the children for the journey to Beautiful Days last year! The AA route planner says 6 ½ hours ish, eeek not sure how we could manage that!
Beautiful Days I’d like to go again this year…… despite having distinct memories of my mini meltdown and stating I was never ever EVER going to a festival with my ‘delightful’ children ever again lol
Also The Artemis Gathering http://www.witchfest.net/artemis_gathering.htm could be interesting.
Not going to do Holifair this year unless the weather is good on the Sunday when we could just pop over for the day maybe.
Would also love to go to the Mercian Gathering (280 miles) but not many tickets left and no dogs allowed, I think I’d really like to go to this one on my own as well.
Maybe something non organised on Dartmoor or North Cornwall plus I'd like to go over to the Med to see friends (and for the warmth early/late summer but we'd have to get 3 new passports which would be £180!

Moot musings

I miss my old moot, it had faults but it was alive, vibrant and people wanted to discuss things. Admittedly it took some organising but there were lots of people who wanted to participate

Down here there is one about half an hour ish away and while I get to as many of the open rituals as I can I rarely make the actual moot so no relationship is built up with that group of people beyond the superficial, a shame as some lovely people there.

The one nearer to me is just not 'me', I don't really gel with anyone there and as I get to go out so infrequently I don't stand much chance of developing friendships with the couple of people I did get on with the last time I got out there.

The online pagan community doesn't seem to have the life in it it used to either, the last time I flew by it was full of 'does anyone have a spell for money/love/whatever' and more experienced pagans being quite superior trying to get one over on each other/newbies.

I miss my old moot, good friends some sparky conversations and support.

Not really sure how to move forward with this.

Stargazing

There's a tv prog on at some point but there are various real events you can participate in.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/features/stargazing/#south_west

We've got one close to us at Mabe but no babysitter, enjoy :)

Lots of walks on the beach and in the woods

Woods today and beach ones from 30th and 31st.

2010 in twelve pictures

January February - Edan supervising digging March (way too many lovely pictures to choose from there were lots of beach visits and birthdays and beautiful magnolias!)
April
May (the first strawberry of the year nearly got this slot)
June July - a little bumble bee colony took up residence in our hedge! August was the month of festivals and here is the stroppy teenager pose being perfected by a 4 year old, a sign of things to come?! September brought an injured paw and large vets bills meaning no new cooker! October - Two of our cats died and despite saying I would not get a kitten they seemed to appear from all directions and this little one came to live with us. November saw Kailen's 5th birthday

December - lots of sledging fun

t-rex

We had one of the home ed groups xmas parties today, I did face painting, K originally had a pretty uninspiring request for a pirate, on the way home he decides he wants to be a t-rex so I re did it and I did one that uses the mouth as the dinos mouth not perfect but OK for a first attempt, I have a feeling it will be requested again.
We then had to clean it all off to go to swimming lessons :)

Festively pimped gnome house!

Last night instead of doing the 500 things on my official to do list I decided to make a Yule tree and garland for the gnome house!

Kailen was delighted this morning when he noticed them, then this afternoon he made another garland and I made some glittery snowflakes for the roof :)

After I'd taken the photos I noticed the 2 gnomes sat at the kitchen table with the acorn cup, not quite sure what they had in there that was so strong to make them fall off their chairs lol

I think this goes some way to making up for the fact that we don't bring our Yule tree in until next weekend. He's seen friends houses decked out and is feeling most left out!

Spent Sunday afternoon at the wildlife trust doing a workshop on willow wreaths, they look so lovely no photo on the camera yet though.