Hello Friends, How are you all? The last few months have been a bustle of activity, of generous moments with family and friends and of heralding in some change; I feel I’m only just catching my breath. On the home front we (mainly I!) have harvested and preserved a respectable amount of fruit and veg.… Continue reading Issachar Eyes – October 2025
Tag: self sufficiency
Shifting seasons and my ‘girl years’ – June 2025
Hello Friends, How are you all? As I write our green and pleasant land is looking somewhat brown and dry, but the clear blue skies and sunshine are very welcome, reminding me of those long hot summers days of my childhood. We began the month with a girls’ trip to the New Forest with my… Continue reading Shifting seasons and my ‘girl years’ – June 2025
Tea time and travels – April and May 2025
A writer does need to have a tremendous curiosity about everything and everyone…but this must go along with an honest commitment to and involvement in human nature… Madeleine L’Engle, A Circle of Quiet Hello friends How are you? Life has been fairly full over in our little corner of rural England and I’m needing to… Continue reading Tea time and travels – April and May 2025
Lent lilies and seed sowing – March 2025
I’m everyone’s darling: the blackbird and the starling Are shouting about me from blossoming boughs; For I, the Lent Lily, the Daffy -down- dilly, Have heard through the country the call to arouse” Cicley Mary Barker, Flower Fairies of the Spring Hello Friends, Greetings from a warm and sunny south west of England! The weather… Continue reading Lent lilies and seed sowing – March 2025
Fresh resolves under grey skies – January 2025
We aren’t the first people to live through trying times, and we can learn from what St Benedict….along with several other historic figures…did to preserve culture and faith in the midst of a chaotic time….each became an island of virtue, a refuge for culture and hope. Habits of a Sacred Home, Jennifer Pepito Hello friends… Continue reading Fresh resolves under grey skies – January 2025
Misty mornings and golden evenings- October 2024
The autumn, to a person in need of warmth, ties and affection proved a very heartening time. Because soon bleak winds would make the downside cold, villagers turned their eyes to home amusements…So as old man’s beard whitened the hedges and the scarlet of berries shone through the grey of misty mornings, committees…met again, and… Continue reading Misty mornings and golden evenings- October 2024
Waterfalls of wisteria and wild, abundant gardens – May 2024
Inside…the curtains of wisteria were the same, and beyond them the garden, green and wild. The Scent of Water, Elizabeth Goudge Dear Friends, I hope this finds you well, and for those in the Northern hemisphere enjoying some warmer weather. May finally brought an increase in temperature here in the U.K. and with it a… Continue reading Waterfalls of wisteria and wild, abundant gardens – May 2024
New beginnings against a backdrop of storm clouds – April 2024
“White flowers for Easter!” she announced triumphantly. … “It looks like a church at Easter time, doesn’t it?” remarked Jenny. As she spoke the sun rose behind the mountain and streamed into the room, blessing them with warmth and light.” Star of Light, Patricia StJohn Hello friends! I hope you all had a joyful Easter,… Continue reading New beginnings against a backdrop of storm clouds – April 2024
Feasting and fasting – February 2024
“Lent is a time set aside to reorientate ourselves, to clarify our minds, to slow down, recover from distraction, to focus on the values of God’s kingdom and on the value he has set on us and on our neighbours” Malcolm Guite, “Word in the Wilderness” Hello Friends! These are words I need to hear.… Continue reading Feasting and fasting – February 2024
Autumnal colours and good community – October 2023
Hello Friends! I wonder whereabouts you dwell in this beautiful world of ours? If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re in the middle of autumn, with all its rich colours, enticing fragrances and comforting tastes. In our little patch of England, I’ve been appreciating some warm sunshine alongside the mists and gentle rain, the hues… Continue reading Autumnal colours and good community – October 2023
Mothering through the seasons 