Christmas overwhelm is a real thing. Ever found yourself hiding the bathroom for a moment’s peace? Or pretended to slip outside to take a phone call just so you could escape for a while? It’s okay to want to escape, to need time on your own. It’s normal to need this and you don’t have to feel guilty about it. Since learning I have ADHD, I found the words to understand and express this to myself and others. A blog about emotional self-regulation and managing your energy during the busy Christmas holiday festive season.
Read moreChristmas & Winter Book & Podcast Recommendations
Photo by Madara Parma on Unsplash
Reading is such a wintertime activity for me, and adapting to that energy is what seasonal living is all about! Rather than fight it, flow with it and get cozy - embrace slow and seasonal living. Here's a list of my top reads - books and also some podcasts to help you while away the Christmas and Winter days.
Read moreMy Top 10 Winter Book Reads
Winter is my favourite season in which to read. Enjoy my top ten winter book recommendations. A mix of memoir, fiction and non-fiction and heart-warming tales, perfect for seasonal escapism. Enjoy on cozy winter evenings and nights by the fireside, or for rainy days curled up on the couch. Listen as audio books on winter walks, nestled on the sofa or tucked up in bed to help you fall asleep. Add them to your seasonal reading list, your winter book club recommendations and save to your favourites.
Read moreIt started with a promise to my dog
It started with a promise to my dog….
I promised my beautiful dog Molly, that she would be able to run free. I breathed my dreams into her velvet soft ears that one day when we had more space, she would have a brother or sister dog to keep her company. I swore I’d have more time for longer walks, that I’d choose to play ball over answering emails. That we would have a different life, one in which we wouldn’t feel like this was all there was.
Read moreHarvest Time in Ireland & Lughnasa Celebrations
Photo credit: https://beafordarchive.org/archive-image/untitled-3364/
The celtic festivals provide an opportunity to connect to spirituality in our modern day lives, to align with nature and her seasons and to pause and reflect on our own lives. Memories of the harvest as a child on a farm in rural Ireland and some modern day ideas on how to connect with Lughnasa or Lughnasadh in your own life today and mindfully celebrate the abundance in your life.
Read moreHow to slow down time!
It feels like summer time is flying by, the days slip away like sand grains from between my fingers. I can’t quite seem to catch it and hold onto this precious time as it eludes my grasp. Here are some of my latest blog ideas on how to slow down time, to savour the summer.
Read moreHow to mark the Summer Solstice in Ireland
Summer bonfire: Unsplash: Kimson Doan
The Summer Solstice on 21st June heralds the annual zenith of the Sun and there are the most hours of daylight and least hours of darkness of any day in the year. This is one of the power gates of the Wheel of the Year. It’s also the International Day of Yoga. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate and honour the Summer Solstice here in Ireland.
Read more'Twas the night before Christmas...
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through my little white house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse. The room is lit only by firelight. Beside the Christmas Tree, I sink deeper into the softness of my armchair, my body relaxes and my mind begins to play a reel like an old picture house, of Christmas eves gone by… A memoir blog post about some of the Christmas Eves in my life and how they have changed over the decades.
Read moreMy Favourite Winter Books, Poems & Podcasts
Image credit: Manon
Reading is such a wintertime activity, and adapting to that energy is what seasonal living is all about! Rather than fight it, flow with it and get cozy! To help you pass the languid days over the festive holiday season, I’ve gathered my favourite Winter books, poems, reflections and podcasts to share with you. Perfect books for Christmas, a gift or to treat yourself as a little act of self-care this Winter. I hope they help you feel very hygge!
Read moreStuck or Still? Reflections from icy winter days
With subzero temperatures creating an icy wonderland all around us here in December, I've been stuck at home for the last 2 days here on the hill. Stuck, that's the word that popped into my head today. Being stuck at home can feel frustrating, an inconvenience even or can we perhaps reframe it?....Am I stuck or can I embrace being still? A blog about slow & seasonal living.
Read moreLove & Gluhwein
The smell of cinnamon, star anise and cloves cast spells in the air as passersby clutched steaming mugs of mulled wine or gluhwein in their mittened hands. It was hot, spiced and potent! It was a magical time of hope, love and gluhwein. And though I could never recreate the same magic that sparkled around us in Salzberg, I recreated gluhwein many times since. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Read moreThe Good Witch Escape
I’m learning to find solace in my own company again, to be at ease with myself once more. Ive had to learn to look forward to coming back to my quiet home on moonless, inky black nights after work, how to entertain myself when it’s dark early. Relearn how to comfort myself when I need a hug and there’s no one here to wrap up in. Alongside all the deep & meaningful stuff I’m doing for myself, I’ve also found huge comfort in something frivolous. When I need to check out mentally for a while, it’s given me great comfort during the darker nights - escapism in the form of…..The Good Witch. A blog about a season of personal wintering, self-care and escapism in the form of The Good Witch TV show!
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