Happy Birthday Age!

After a rowdy bringing in of the new year, much chatting and dvd watching, our house fell to silence till 8 am this morning... then it was on again for one and all - and happy birthing day Adrian!!

I set about making an Indian feast for lunch. With the amount of food piling up around us during lunch, Age wondered who else was invited! It was great to smash all the herbs and spices up in our morter and pestle allowing the fresh aromas to waft thier way round the kitchen. While we were in the UK we either cooked or ate a fair amount of Indian - especially after I did a ten week cooking course at night school. The smells really brought me back to those days and those classes.....I took some happy snaps of lunch - here was the menu...( and excuse my spelling on the Indian words..)

Entree - Onion Bhajis, Riatta, lime pickles

Mains - Steamed rice, popadom, dosas, Saag Beef, Chicken Tikka Masala, Kashmiri Lamb Chops, Takar Dhal.

For palate refresher I made Rose Sherbert and Rose Lassi.

Suffice to say - it was all yum....

Blessings for the New Year.

With the house quiet and the time nearing midnight, I set my space carefully. Although the noises of the DVD and murmur of guests chatting in a nearby room initially intruded, they too fell silent as the candles spluttered and flickered in the breeze and an air of reverence descended.

A lesson I have taken from 2009 was to listen to the voices. My Generation Dolls - the motherdolls I created during the Mothersong workshops needed to be involved - so I took them out carefully and placed them in a semi circle behind my birthing candle. This blood red candle had been a gift to welcome in Lilly as she was birthed - but things got a bit crazy and it remained unlit until tonight. It seems that it was the right choice, given my death/rebirthing experiences of 2009.

In turn I greeted in turn the spirits of my foremothers and welcomed the spirits of present and future women of my line. I asked for guidance and blessings from my motherline and gave thanks for my gifts and support I have had in the past.

With the Gaia cards I had been gifted, I lay them in the pattern my dear friend Karen had always placed cards. the coloured stones from Mothersong also demanded to be lain as influencers over certain positions.

Certainly no surprises from the cards and their meanings as I carefully looked at the influence each had over the other within the positions they lay. Without betraying the reading, I can look forward to a time of rebirth and appreciation of beauty.

I wrote some of the states, emotions and believes I have held onto which no longer serve me - onto a slip of paper. using the birthing candle flame, I set the alight, thanking them for protecting me and releasing them. On a separate sheet, I inscribed states I welcome in and set them alight.

I’ve not set my yearly theme or goals for 2010. With the reading I gained, I have a clearer idea of some of the things I will pursue.

Happy and prosperous new year everyone.

Urban Warriors

For Christmas - along with the usual water bombs and water pistols ( thats a different post all together) - the kids got Nurf guns... boy they have come along way..

Adrian has a revolving machine gun type, Morgan has one with a sight and lazer and Lillys has a pump action and all the sounds.. ( its bad for stealth though)

They sure can fly a long way as well.

So - with safety glasses on - it was on... the urban war. It ended in the hallway as a shoot em up. Lilly has a scary ability for accuracy - and no fear. She pops round the corner and shoots - and usually hits in a vital place. Where Morgan is very cautious and takes his time to aim before shooting...

With both teams loaded up with plenty of bullets - and no mercy for the poor photographer.. it was a great time - only wish I'd filmed it...