I am not going to bore you with more bathroom stories, because the renovation is completed! It felt like a long, noisy and dusty few weeks but it was worth it.
One of the small beauties that came out of it was this; I have been keeping the windows open in the bedroom during the day to help clear some of the building dust. I also kept one of the bedroom windows open at night, however on windy nights it was blowing the vertical blinds around so much that the clatter of it kept me awake. The solution was to leave the blinds open, the bonus has been being able to lay in bed and look directly out of the window at the sky above the rooftops. It has provided me with some beautiful sunsets, sunrises and sky views.
January is usually a hibernation month for me, but this year it hasn't worked out. With the chaos in the house I haven't been able to spend much quiet contemplation time but I have managed to get some book writing done, Hedge Witch is nearly all down in print, it just needs a huge big sort out edit.
Podcast
The Pagan Portal Podcast has been extremely well received for which I am very grateful and we have had some amazing guests so far with plenty more to come. It is an honour and a pleasure to be a part of it.
Events
There are some exciting events coming up for myself and with the Kitchen Witch team, we both have 'what's on' pages on our websites now so you can see what we are up to.
Already?
And now we are already in February, how on earth did that happen? But you can feel it in the air, things are starting to move, particularly out in the garden. I can see the tips of the tulip bulbs peeping through the soil and the buds on the willow tree are forming. The ground still has a layer of frost on some mornings and I am still clinging to my hot water bottle most evenings. But Mother Earth is beginning to stir beneath the ground. In fact the hellebores have been flowering for weeks.
Ideas and support networks
With that spring energy comes action, my brain is full to bursting with ideas and things I want to organise and get down onto paper/computer/any other options. The problem now is prioritising it all and fitting it into my schedule. I do need to mention here, the Kitchen Witch team. They do a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to make Kitchen Witch what it is. The Kitchen Witch blog and YouTube channel would not exist without them as I just wouldn't have the time to do it all. They also now run all the branch classes on the Kitchen Witch School forum. They are an amazing team of minions...ahem...I mean colleagues ♥ And of course a shout out to my hubby, Pete (or to those who watch the weekly chats, 'the hand' that brings my coffee). He is the one that designs all the posters for events and my book adverts, he also posts them on social media. Along with our 'production meetings' which allow me to attempt at being organised. I will also add into that the fabulous Matty from Moon Books who runs the techie stuff for the Pagan Portal Podcast and does all the editing for each episode. Behind me or perhaps that should be beside me, is a great support network, for which I am eternally grateful.
Student blog posts
We are extremely blessed to have some amazing students at the Kitchen Witch School and every so often we get some fantastic ideas for blog posts from them. Often spells or meditations, we ask their permission and share them to our blog. Do hop on over and take a peek
It's vintage and shiny
A couple of years back when we had the downstairs of our house renovated, we lost a few bits of the original design such as stained glass windows and ceiling roses. I felt the need to bring some older energy back into the house and I did so in the form of vintage china/tableware and glass. It began a bit of an obsession. I now have quite a nice collection, particularly of vintage glass. I display it because it is pretty and makes me happy to look at it but it also doubles for magical use on my altar or in spell work. I love that each piece comes with a history, for me that makes it even more magical. I don't collect anything specific but I do have pieces from the 1930's/40's and 50's. If I like it, I purchase it although I don't spend huge amounts of money. Most of my collection has been sourced from charity/thrift stores, ebay or etsy. If the price is too high, I don't go for it!
Hair
A couple of years ago I made the decision to start growing the dye out of my hair and going back as nature intended. Having had a lot chopped off last year, my hair is now all natural silver grey and I must admit I love it. I have been colouring my hair since my early teens, there probably isn't a colour I haven't had. It has been blonde, brown, black, blue, purple, orange, red, even green once but that was accidental. I haven't loved all of the colours, and the image below is the one time (2016) and one time only that I went scarlet red. Goodness knows what possessed me to do it.
Now I am off to edit the book aided and abetted by a caramel latte and a slice of treacle tart...
