Greetings of the harvest

Here he is again, the Green Man, the face in the trees........... actually, I think it's another Ent.......

Grain harvest was Lughnasadh - in my part of Australia, the grain was flooded, after a long drought. There was a bumper crop. Apparently there was sooo much wheat, they didn't have enough silos to put it in, & now it has rotted.........
As a Druid, I reflect on what might mean for my inner harvest, & I think it means that if there is too much of the element of water, which represents the emotions, my harvest of what gives me strength is likely to be spoiled. I equate grain with sustaining energy food. So, if I allow my inner strength to be depleted, due to unchecked emotions, I could find myself in difficulty.

But on to sweet succulence! Fruit harvest is here, & it's almost Autumn Equinox, the dizzy, syrup of ripening, the time to harvest all that is sweet, & juicy & fragrant in life. The shockingly sweet-sharp berries are almost gone this year, but it is time for sticky, oozey figs, succulent plums & the first crisp apples that make your mouth water as you break their flesh with your teeth........ Oh, the joy of it! The first wines are being made, & the sun is golden......as well as pastel-coloured.....& we have thunder storms, & hot days & humid days & cold nights, & dewy mornings.
The leaves haven't changed colour yet, as the soil is still warm, but soon there will be a grand exhibition to enjoy as the world begins to turn inward, after its grand celebration............Ahhh, how I love the turning of the year!








With all this talk of harvests, & change & sweet things, please let me introduce my new assistant. Whilst nobody will ever measure up to the sweetness of my dear Mr Scampini, this little fellow has all the makings of a fine companion, a feisty guardian, & someone nice & warm with whom to snuggle when the cold nights arrive.............
I have a lot of work ahead, as he requires much training. Sadly, there are people in this world who don't appreciate the privilege of caring for a four-legged, & my poor young assistant in the making has suffered very badly in this, his first year. I have adopted him from Hotel RSPCA, and his story is a sad one, so we have many obstacles to overcome, & things to unlearn before he can be regarded as reliable, but I have every confidence that by the time he reaches the ripe old age of Scampini, although I hope he avoids the sizeable girth of his predecessor, he shall be as trustworthy, affectionate & loyal as any canine could hope to be. Meet Mr Harry Treadwell.
May he always tread well, wherever he walks, & may the rest of his sojourn on this beautiful Blue Planet be happy & comfortable.

Before I go, I want to tell you I have just been introduced to the joys of needle felting by a lovely friend who is a mistress of fantasy figures in wool felt.

I have since made more, but these are the first two ladies that have manifested themselves.

I am looking forward very much to be making many more felted things over the Winter, in front of my quiet hearth, as the mist silently veils the Mountain & peace descends once more.........
Although I am caught up in the chaos & hedonism of Autumn, I look forward to turning within as the dark half of the year returns.

Samhuin is the next harvest festival, & the last one of the Celtic Wheel of the Year. It is the blood harvest.......time to harvest anything that can't live through the Winter darkness & cold. I wonder what this shall be in my sphere of knowing? I wonder what you think about this most sacred of festivals, that has become known to the general populace as Halloween, when the veil between the worlds is thin, the ancestors are our honoured guests, & which mirrors Beltaine, the Spring festival of love .............