Solstice greetings from Sheila

Happy Solstice one and all, I know it's the shortest day but it means that tomorrow daylight will be longer and we will be heading towards spring!

Sheila

More about painting and especially the Moon!

Hi all

I had wanted to try painting again for a while, so the chance to get a free lesson from an expert was brilliant! I just knew Sally would be a great teacher. It was lovely standing between you two as Sally first demonstrated and then guided us. I could feel the bond and energy between us all. I felt relaxed about the whole process; not worried and tense as I would normally feel in that sort of situation. There was no expectation, pressure to 'perform'; it didn't matter what happened - all in a goood way of course! I felt like a child again as we worked on our own projects. It was liberating, fun; getting in touch with part of me I had forgotten about. It was magical watching the paintings dry; nipping out in the dark and then seeing them in the morning. The final touches in the morning really helped mine come alive, thanks to all the advice and guidance from you two. I'm really looking forward to seeing it again!

Hugs

Liz

xxx

remember me?

hello...I've been a stranger here recently. A very busy time with my work and a very unhelpful computer that cuts out ...often.... has kept me away.
As Lindsey has mentioned she has picked up baton of the Celtic Year and will be reminding everyone of the upcoming festival dates.....but as ever its fantastic to see the varied contributions at any and all times. I'm sure Lindsey will make an excellent job of inspiring everyone into continuing to contribute to another wonderfully eclectic Celtic Year blog.
I am off on my travels later today...off to some very welcome sunshine in Australia and Papua New Guinea. I will be reading the blog as and when I can and hopefully contributing. As some of the places we are staying don't have electricity let alone internet this may not be often!
But I will of course be thinking of you all....lots of love...see you all soon,
Sally x


PS if you fancy a break in one of 'the last untouched wildernesses in the Pacific' have a look here

We Remember

Thought I would like to share - I have written a poem on the death of a singer. Katherine came with her Mum to our folk club and she had an amazingly strong voice. Although she was born with Downs Syndrome she so enjoyed joining in and often stood up and sang on her own. She died suddenly just over a week ago of septasemia and she will be much missed.
It's very short and I hope it means something to those who have lost loved ones at this time of year.


We Remember

For those who have gone before
We play this tune.
For those who have gone before
We sing this song.
For those who have gone before
We do what must be done,
We Remember.

Sheila

Painting fairies

Today I varnished 3 paintings. The first was a "master-class" from Sally that we all contributed to; the next two were what Liz and I produced as a result of Sally’s skilled tutorage. It was a fantastic experience to work with my Celtic sisters and I think that this shows. I hadn’t realized that we had been painting fairies and pixies, butterflies and moons but we were.
The birches, Beth, are bright, shining and feminine. They are magical trees, protective, creative and healing, I always feel cleansed and grounded when near any trees but I especially love the Lady of the Woods and the dappled whispering light around her.
So I have named my painting Three Sisters and for me it is full of symbolism at this time of change. Many of you will know that Sally has passed on the Mistress of the Blog’s green leafy hat to me and so for another year and a day (give or take) I will be reminding you of upcoming dates in the Celtic Year (this bit scares me – I don’t even remember my family birthdays!) and posting your contributions. I’ve been looking at the amount of work we have on the blog and am so impressed – there are pieces which make me laugh, cry, ponder, puzzle and I am in awe of the talent in our wonderful community! There is such a rich Celtic ethos running through the project with artisans collaborating, sharing or sparking ideas and simply celebrating nature.
Here, or wherever we are, on each of the festivals, solstice and equinox we’ll send unconditional love to you and drink to - The Celtic Year Project.

Love and light

Lindsey