My Favourite Winter Books, Poems & Podcasts

December 16, 2022 Maeve Ferris

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!

Rest is NOT optional

December 11, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Rest is NOT optional. Its not meant for sliding it around the to-do list like a chess board, strategically trying to outwit our own body, pushing and attempting to outsmart it like some kind of game. We all know how sick stress and constant busyness makes us. And yet we plough on, as though busy is a badge of honour.

Stuck or Still? Reflections from icy winter days

December 11, 2022 Maeve Ferris

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.

Love & Gluhwein

December 11, 2022 Maeve Ferris

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.

Eco-Friendly Irish Christmas Gift Guide (2022)

December 4, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Eco-friendly Irish Christmas Gift Guide

It’s Christmas and so naturally most of us will go and buy gifts for others, it’s a lovely thing, it’s admirable. But perhaps this year I invite you to do so with a little more care and thought for our planet and its finite resources. So here are my suggestions for some plastic-free, eco-friendly, sustainable Christmas gifts this year, all from Ireland.

My Homemade Lemsip Recipe

November 28, 2022 Maeve Ferris

My homemade Lemsip recipe, the perfect natural cold and flu remedy. To help boost your immune system and stay healthy this winter.

My thoughts on Black Friday and where they led me to....

November 23, 2022 Maeve Ferris

My thoughts on Black Friday and where they led me to…

I also understand that this year perhaps more than ever we are all feeling the pinch. We are being more cautious about how we spend and what on - that's good! We should be more intentional about how we spend our money, money is energy and the process of giving that to another is the transfer of energy, you are right to think it through. This blog is all about black friday, its impact on small businesses and the pressure it places on consumers.

The Good Witch Escape

November 16, 2022 Maeve Ferris

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!

Best Autumn / Winter Walks to see Autumn leaves in Kerry

November 12, 2022 Maeve Ferris

tree lined lane ground covered in autumn leaves as winter arrives

In Co. Kerry, we have the best of both worlds – the sea and rugged coastline and expanses of beaches but also treasures like Killarney National Park. This time of year is perfect for watching the changing of the seasons’ guard as we move from Autumn to Winter. So I thought I’d share my favourite / best places for Autumn / Winter walks to watch the leaves change and fall in Co. Kerry

My top five cozy (hygge) things to do in Autumn

October 24, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Coziness is "Teolaí" as gaeilge. Isn't that just a lovely word to say - teo-leee 😍
Its more commonly known as the scandinavian concept of Hygge, the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though “cozy” comes close. Journalist Helen Russell, defines it as “taking pleasure in the presence of gentle, soothing things,” like a freshly brewed cup of coffee and wool socks. For me it's about embracing autumn and winter coziness so as to ease feeling blue about the darker days. Here are my top five cozy things to do right now that are helping me enjoy this autumn season.

Vegan Baileys Recipe

October 24, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Enjoy my homemade, vegan baileys or irish cream recipe. The perfect drink for cold winter evenings or nights by the fire. Great as a Christmas cocktail too!

My top 5 Halloween / Samhain reads

October 24, 2022 Maeve Ferris

My top 5 Halloween / Samhain Book Recommendations
I'm on a total Autum vibe, trying to slow my pace of living to match the energy of this season and I'm spending lots of time in my cozy new home. Its the season for a good book by the fire, as the evenings darken so much earlier now (7.30pm last night!) so I thought I'd share my top 5 favourite samhain season reads with you.

Do you remember your first time?

October 11, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Memories of my first Yoga Retreat in Ireland. Clearest in my memory, is the craic – the holding my tummy because my face hurts kind of open mouthed, body shaking laughter. The sense of adventure, of going to do this thing just for me, somewhere new, with people I didn’t know and new things I’d not yet tried.

A memorable October

October 1, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Welcome to October, Deireadh Fómhair as gaeilge, which translates as ‘end of harvest’.

As the leaves continue to liberate their grasp and cascade back down to the earth, it serves as a reminder to us to release what no longer serves us too. “It is a cycle, not a descent”. It is not a descent into the darkness, but merely a normal, natural, annual cycle, part of creation. My musings on the month in question and some ideas for making a memorable October.

From ordinary to note-worthy, why intention matters

September 27, 2022 Maeve Ferris

From the ordinary to the note-worthy - why intention matters

When we decide to do something, focus on it and set a purpose or intent behind it, it elevates the ordinary to the note-worthy. Humdrum actions into little acts of self-care or kindness and contentment.

Balance at the Autumn Equinox

September 22, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Balance at the Autumn Equinox

The Autumn Equinox takes place on 23rd September 2022. Equinox means equal day, equal night. A time to find balance after the busy summer. An opportunity to stop and adjust. All our celtic festivals were a time to gather together and celebrate the season and the fruits of the earth at that time. I find it very grounding to connect to these gateways of the year, to pause and check in.

This year I’m celebrating with a gathering at my new home….

Transitioning to Autumn

September 6, 2022 Maeve Ferris

For that's what the turn of the seasons is, it's not the end, nor a dramatic beginning, but simply a new page turning to tell stories of a time full of its own beauty and blessings.

In our Slow & Seasonal programme this month, I shared some reflective journaling prompts. One was similar to this.... What step(s) can you take to make a current or upcoming transition in your life feel more easeful? For one my own transitions, I went from blonde to silvery grey in a few hours…..

If you were born in a time before now.....

August 2, 2022 Maeve Ferris

If you were born in a time before now, then you might well be celebrating the Harvest, at a big oul hooley perhaps?! Or maybe you'd be getting married? Or perhaps you'd be showing off your skills and prowess in races or games? Or perhaps you'd be dancing around a fire in praise of Lugh the Sun God?! Either way, you'd be celebrating the festival of Lughnasadh, feast of Lugh the Sun God and the start of the Harvest season. Read all about this ancient celebration and how you can connect to it for yourself in modern day life.

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

July 24, 2022 Maeve Ferris

What would you do if you weren’t afraid? For most of my life I've avoided competition, I didn't play sport because I didn't believe I was good enough to. I was so afraid I would make a fool of myself, be laughed at and let everyone down (including myself) that I just didn't take part. I told myself I didn't like it. It was easier than face failure and shame. I exited before I ever had a chance to fail. I told myself I wasn't competitive so it didn't matter. Except, it did…

It snuck up on me every year....

July 17, 2022 Maeve Ferris

Every year it snuck up on me...Autumn I mean....

I LOVE summer, I crave the heat, the long hazy evenings, the piercing bright morning light that fragments the curtains and the sense of possibility in the air. Over Summer I'm normally quite busy flitting around from place to place, weekends away camping, festivals, meeting friends, packing and unpacking my little caravan. From June to August, I was always cramming things in, racing to the next adventure before the current one even finished.

This year it's different…