To my through the screen friends, please be introduced to my behind the screen friends

Written December 2020. A long time coming...!

I would like to introduce you all, my through the screen friends, to my behind the screen friends. Please meet our 2020 resident little pardalote family, who have been busy variously nesting, flying, perching, hatching, hovering, hanging, hopping, feeding and "whit-whit"-ing and "tsch-tsch-tsch"ing outside the window behind my computer screen. I have been very grateful for all of you this past year my friends, both through the screen, and behind the screen.

I decided not to edit this first video as an exercise in not pandering to our desires for instant gratification. (In fact I also waited significantly longer to catch this lovely little hover.) Wait for it....... Enjoy the breeze in the bushes, and the *ahem* steadiness of my camera work. Aaaaaaand... (There is just one hover, so you can stop watching after pardalote departs stage right (or is it stage left...?). Or you can continue to the end, and enjoy listening to the "whit-whit" and the "tsch-tsch-tsch".)

I believe our little friends are spotted pardalotes. In researching pardalotes, I found this beautiful and sad piece about the unique nature of pardalotes and the broken and disappearing niche that they are holding onto amidst the ongoing destruction of their environment - our environment. So I am glad that this family have found a niche near us.

It was lovely to spend some time to just focus on my little feathered friends who have been such constantly intermittent companions these days in my makeshift lockdown Zoom office in the "palace"*, rather than feeling like I should be attending to a million things on the to do list. It was also really special to have a chance to get an extended really good look at my mostly very fast moving flitting friends by snapshotting them in the moment. Sometimes it feels important to prioritise such things. Slowing down. Taking a moment, a pause. Directing attention and spending time in appreciation of beauty and life. Soul nourishment. Especially when life is especially crazy and hectic, chaotic or unpredictable, or missing some of the special things in life usually present like company and connection IRL...

It has been a crazy year, that's for sure. A year sometimes for hanging on, and for holding on, like my little pardalote friends.

Hanging on and holding on for things to settle down, a chance to catch up on what on earth is going on anyway. A year for hanging on and holding on to all that is dear and precious, to all that matters. A year for hanging on and going along with the ride and seeing where it takes us, as unexpected twists and turns just keep on appearing. Hanging on and holding on to hope against fear of insanity prevailing. Hanging on and holding on to the feeling that maybe, just maybe, the tide really is turning. Hanging on and holding on to the vision of all that is good, growing. And hanging on and holding on to the ever growing and strengthening networks of people that are all agents for change, in so many ways. Including you all, my dear friends through the screen.

I'm still kind of figuring out the "whit-whit". It feels protective of the young, still growing in the nest. It sounds like an alarm. Sometimes it is constant! So then I wonder if it means something else... Perhaps it means many things. Maybe it's about where to find good food, or heading back to the nest, or maybe it's just about keeping tabs on the family - "I'm here", "I'm here", "I'm here", "Where are you?" (Check out the close up video further down to see what you think.)

Humanity and communication

For the previous 4 years of living here in our beautiful, simple, quiet bush home in Lal Lal, we didn't feel the need to connect the home internet, and just used mobile data for our internet requirements, which for those previous years, was plenty. 2020, the year of COVID-19 and lockdowns, changed all that of course. Lockdowns and separation from loved ones haven't been fun, and the year has brought other challenges, but we have been overall relatively really very lucky here, while many in other places closer and further away have had a very much harder year in so so many ways. And it's not over yet.

It has been a year for allowing and practising self-compassion, when needed amongst the challenges the year has brought, and for always remembering the greater perspective and the many things we have to be grateful for, and for looking for ways to try to support others from afar, even when that has also sometimes been hard due to the limitations of lockdowns.

Here it's been a year of working through technology struggles amongst the other challenges the year has presented, and a year of much gratitude for same technology. We are so lucky.

Computers, phone, internet, Zoom have this year given me the opportunity to continue online (after some initial troubleshooting, let's call it) with my Ballarat Good Grief group, after we were no longer able to meet in person after our first weeks of meeting. I have been able to join in the weekly meetings of the awesome Act on Climate collective since they went online, and I have organised monthly meetings of the Ballarat Climate Action Network. After completing the 10 Steps of the Good Grief program with our Ballarat group, I was then able to run two more rounds of the program as a fundraiser for Act on Climate, and I'm now also currently undertaking the first extended facilitator training to further extend my skills of Good Grief facilitation. (Good Grief has been run online on Zoom since before Zoom was the big thing it has this year become!)

All in all, despite distance, restrictions, lockdowns, for me 2020 has been a year for making and strengthening connections. Perhaps the challenges to this have made it ever more important to put the effort in. And while online connection is amazing when that's all we have, it definitely also reminds us just how very special our connections in real life, in 3D, in close proximity, really are. 

So here's to keeping perspective and to keeping connected - however we can, moment by moment. Here's to hanging on and holding on, and to compassion - for both ourselves and for others.

And here's to keeping tabs on each other - "I'm here", "I'm here", "I'm here", "Where are you?"

Bless you all my through the screen friends. And my behind the screen friends too.

* PS Here is a mini tour of the nest spot from a few vantage points. Please enjoy our rather lovely "palace". Hehe... :-) Ah for the original bush shack on the block providing us with much needed additional lockdown space, for me and for our little pardalote family.

Plus, spot our dear friend "whit whit" bird in much lovelier surrounds, viewed instead while outside in the fresh air. Ah. Outside. Not to be taken for granted, being outside, in fresh air. Breathe it in.

This way, that way

And way up there.

Look up, look down, look all around

Look within and look without

See.

Love to all.

Magical fairy adventures "down the garden path"

Sometimes life just flows and synchronicity abounds. I love it.

Last Sunday afternoon was the last Sunday session of our Good Grief group program, ending on Step 10 - Reinvest into Meaningful Efforts. All the feelings flowed for me as we reached the end of the journey together. A journey it is, and a journey made together indeed. So much gratitude for both my groups (the Monday group finished up with Step 10 the following day). It is such an honour and a privilege to run these groups, with the program developed by the wonderful and wise LaUra and Aimee, the founders of the Good Grief Network, and the participants placing so much trust in joining, giving their time each week to show up, exploring some really big topics and sharing so much along the way. It runs so deep.

I finished our Sunday session with the group check out "what are you doing after this?" on the spur of the moment. My own answer to that question was that for a change I planned to leave for later the session follow up on the computer and head out straightaway to spend some time with my family and see my little girls both wearing the fairy wings I had just finished making for them the day before. I also said spontaneously that I would ask my older daughter to pick a fairy card for each person in the group. The next thing I knew, this intention magically morphed itself into magical adventures "down the garden path," led by my little fairies, and no cards were required for messages from the fairies to appear that day, that somehow just slotted right in to the flow of the afternoon.

We went to visit the Fairy Queen, in amongst the geraniums, and on wondering if the Fairy Queen might have a message for us, the elder fairy replied "Fa fa fa". Luckily, the younger fairy translated. "Quiet time" this meant apparently. And yes indeed.

As we sunk into our silence, we then listened to the birds, the little thornbills flitting about in the trees above us, bringing their joy, and their courage and their curiosity, and the whit whit alarm call of the nearby nesting pardalotes protecting their young.

We celebrated the achievement that I had completed 10 weeks of Good Grief facilitation for one of my two groups as we sat in a row in our garden. We read a couple of stories, bought that afternoon by beloved and the small ones from a local second hand book shop.

We were then inspired to head down the hill, and to see if Totoro (the earth spirit troll creature from the Studio Ghibli film of the same name), who eldest says lives in my favourite big old tree, might also have a message for us. Totoro was sleeping and didn't answer - but what a good message nonetheless - to sleep and to ignore unnecessary interruptions to that most important task.

Favourite big old tree, home of Totoro, is on the right

So, it was decided by big small that we must ask more fairies. Turned out the fairies hadn't come to talk though, they'd come to play. And the good ideas kept rolling! Play!

As we wandered on, the small ones decided it was time to pick some grass, weeds for the fairy to eat apparently, for afternoon tea, for breakfast, and for lunch. Another good idea, to harvest wild foods for nourishment. (And sticks for the baby fairies. Because they're babies. The grass is also made of ice cream, and good for goats too.)

A little spider web also sent a reminder to weave dreams and stories. Always.

Spot the web!

We continued down the back to walk our labyrinth. 

In the centre beloved found that the message there for him was just to relax, chill, to enjoy the nature, enjoy the blue sky, and, he pondered, to contemplate, or not to contemplate. :-) Well, sometimes, that is the question. Meanwhile, enjoy the nature. In particular, some of our beautiful spring time flowers that just keep appearing in their many forms.

Now you see it, now you don't...! (Spot the difference)

So the most magical thing about all this, along with just some generally lovely good ideas, was that in fact many of the messages from fairy folk and more were repeats of the discussion of our Good Grief session for the afternoon (though not the part about grass made of ice cream also good for goats). So indeed!

Let's always remember the importance of quiet time, listening to birds and their messages of joy and delight, curiosity and courage and protecting our young. Let's celebrate, let's read, let's have good uninterrupted sleep. And let's play - yes, let's play! Let's nourish our bodies with wild food from our gardens and beyond. Let's weave stories and dreams. Let's relax, chill, enjoy nature and the blue sky, and contemplate. Or not. And repeat, as required. 

And let's always remember the magic of intuition. Of asking for the messages we need to hear, and listening for the answers, however they come. Let's know ourselves, observe ourselves and trust ourselves. Let's set our intentions and let our attention, focus and actions follow to open doors to possibilities we didn't even imagine, because everything is possible. And magic happens! I do believe in magic! And fairies. And children. And aren't children just so good at all that. Bless their little cotton socks.

Labyrinth in the Light

Over the days following finishing our Lal Lal Labyrinth, as the moon waxed to the quarter and continued on towards full and now beyond, many feet big and small already have walked the labyrinth and shared energy, added sticks, and embraced the walking, the winding, the within and without.

The next day we had our bush play friends come to play outside and experience walking the labyrinth. Later I went down to walk yet again, with my little family. I, erm, gracefully climbed a tree to take photos from above. (Photos of my graceful ascent at the bottom of this post so as not to distract.)

Freshly cleansed by the rain, and alight with muted sunshine filtered through clouds, the labyrinth from above, in its quiet stillness of presence.

And speaking of grace, we were graced again by the presence of another rainbow. 

And by bird song resonating through the wet hills and vales. A video of that birdsong is below if you would like to enjoy it too.

I am feeling so much calm, balance, stillness inside me, in my core, from this practice of ritual walking. Mmmmmm...

Still around that centre, I dither, I frizzle, I race, I run, I grump, I laugh, I stress, I cry, I worry, I work, I wonder. I am human after all. But all the while in my centre, the stillness is quiet, and strong, open, clear and grounded, and connected, and warm; nurtured by the walking, the space made for silent presence, and the intention for balance.

Last time I shared a walking video, and I didn't yet mention that the inspiration of making a labyrinth walk video was from the wonderful and magical Wendy Rule, who previously shared a video of herself walking a very different, desert located and rock constructed labyrinth. Wendy is a visionary songstress, a well of deep wisdom which she shares through monthly Full Moon concerts and Dark Moon meditations and other sharings in between. I have learnt so much since first meeting Wendy at the Glastonbury Goddess Conference, through these sharings and also her Lunar Magic course as well. I had already begun to explore the seasonal celebrations, the cycles of the waxing and the waning moon, the magic and meaning of possibility and ritual, but connecting with Wendy has definitely brought many new depths to this learning. Find her here if you are interested, and if you sign up to her Patreon from only $2/month, you too can listen to her lovely Full Moon concerts monthly and enjoy the immersion in musical magic and soak in the learnings as you go. We all need more music and magic!

Meanwhile, some more photos, and another walking video below. The Labyrinth in the Light.

Labyrinth in the Light - walk with me

 

Labyrinth and birdsong - listen in presence

And just for something a little less serious.............. Yep, it's been a while since I properly climbed a tree...!

These faces say it all really...

I did get there in the end...

And to finish... Back to that stillness and grace of presence, a rainbow, and the labyrinth in the rain.

(And look closely for me in the tree) :-)