Any Witches Here? Part 21

[speakout]

Just settling into the new place, plumping the cushions and opening the windows. Welcome to n everyone, newcomers, old friends, the curious.
Wiccans. or Pagans? Or anyone who is interested in a magical path or feels some magical stirrings.
A place for support, learning, swapping ideas and magical inspiration..

So sorry @quirkychickhow awful. Lighting a candle for Nicky

How are you doing @quirkychick? I’ve been thinking of your poor friend this week, I can’t begin to imagine how it must feel to lose a child. So very sad.

I’m having a quiet day. I’ve been fighting a virus all week. I’ve been feeling exhausted so spent the morning sleeping. It feels like such a waste of a sunny day but it’s what my body needs.

The tree outside my house is about to burst into blossom. It will look beautiful in a couple of days.

@VioletCharlotte thank you that's very kind of you to ask. I'm feeling better thanks to a well-timed therapy session and lots of yoga. I still can't believe it, really. I think a celebration of her life is planned. It brings up feelings of loss as my relationship with dd1 is complicated and they were friends when they were young.

Your photo is beautiful - we have had such amazing blue skies. We've still got a cool wind today, but the birds nesting, trees budding and flowers are wonderful.

Evening, sisters, I’m just catching up on all your posts. Wishing you all peace and comfort if comfort is needed.

I’ve been emerging from my springtime torpor. The bright sunshine coupled with cold winds and the growth surge in nature seem to be extra taxing for my energy levels. I’ve been keeping note of all the things I see and feel glad about each day, and the flowering cherry tree outside our house is a joyful sight each year, lasting barely a week or so before dropping pink confetti in our path.

Greetings all. DD1 FINALLY moved put today! I thought it would never happen. Now to repurpose her room as my little sanctuary..

@Hedjwitch that sounds exciting! What are your plans.

That blossom is so beautiful, @Craftycorvid ! The blue skies and blossom have been really lovely this spring. I can really feel a shift in my energy with the change of seasons.

Her room is tiny,barely takes more than a single bed and a chest of drawers. Will put in a small futon chair/bed and my.mother's old writing desk. Plan to repaint it, add plants,mirror, candles...make it serene. It needs a damn good saging first though!

Just having a breather, this has been a busy week.
As too often happens I am overwhelmed with mental load, doing adult stuff, working, but really exploring my own mechanisms in terms of doing other people's stuff.
Just because I am fairly organised, have a good memory am failry clued up about money stuff and know the best way to clean cat vomit off a carpet doesn't mean I have to do all this for others.
So the clock in the kitchen needs new batteries, and some of my family have pointed this out to me on several ocassions this week( despite everyone knowing where new batteries are kept)
I just return with a " oh yes- I noticed that too" and walk on.
My elderly mother loves to feed the cats- only when it suits her unfortunately, but will give them large amounts of cat treats kept in her bedroom often when the cats have just eaten a large morning meal. The cats will gorge on the treats, but one of them has a tendency to vomit if given too much food. So there are random piles of vomit on the living room and stair carpet several times a week.
I let my mother know, but I am not wiping it up.

On a plus side I had a lovely day out in the city with DD yesterday, my birthday is next week, but she will be on holiday, so we had a fun day together.
Scrummy lunch in a mediterranean restaurant, a look around interesting shops, then back to her dance studio for my gifts.
She gave me some fancy cosmetics, tickets to see a contemporary ballet production in May - The Crucible - which we saw a few years ago, and I was blown away by the performance. The Scottish Ballet production has been touring the world for 4 years and back here in May for 2 nights.
I'm not usually a ballet fan, but this production is so powerful, I am really looking forward to it.
She also gave me a poem she had hand written and framed for me, which speaks of her love for me, her gratitude for bringing her up to feel self worth, trust her own judgements, how I have impacted her own self belief,how to her I shine like a million suns, how I am her greatest role model, how blessed she feels to have me as her mother.

We sat on the floor of the studio as I read the words, my tears started to fall sobbing with emotion, happiness and gratitude. I feel very loved .

Tomorrow I have a morning yoga class and a full moon women's circle, held around a firepit in woodland if the weather stays dry.

May the energy of the earth hold you sisters.

@speakout I don't blame you taking a breather. The mental load can be overwhelming. Dp is not perfect, but is organised and helps with a lot of the mental load with dd2, luckily. Can't cook, though!
Your dd sounds lovely.

I've had a couple of quiet days, taking a chance to get stuck into an assignment. I've got a busy week coming up, so am trying to balance appointments, work, yoga and social events. I'm enjoying the spring weather, blossom, violets, primroses, swans on the river and rabbits in the park.

Can I pop my head back in to see if there’s room by the fire for an old friend? I was on the first few threads (quite probably under a different username which I will try and remember!) then life has completely fallen off a cliff and I have lost touch with most things. It’s lovely to see you all still here

Hello to everyone, welcome to newcomers and previous visitors, hugs and comfort to those injured and troubled, plus a nice cup of tea (or coffee) for those who need a few minutes to rest and regroup. Sorry I haven't been popping in much recently.

Life is busy in the MD household right now with the return of our gorgeous but challenging adult autistic daughter for a long Easter holiday. Let's say feet and floor haven't made much contact recently 😉It's been very busy with trips to the seal sanctuary, several trips to the beach where she loves swimming, also gardening, shopping, baking and cleaning. She loves cleaning but isn't terribly good at it - our bathroom is currently looking like a talcum powder snowstorm has struck, it's in every nook and cranny including coating the few houseplants I have on the windowsill. I have to keep going in and wiping off their talc-encrusted leaves so they don't suffocate.

Hubby's birthday was this week so she insisted that we bake a chocolate cake, double layered with strawberry jam and topped with a thick layer of his favourite buttercream. Then she gets to decorate it with a whole pack of M&Ms and a whole pack of white chocolate buttons. It's a sugar rush on a plate! But we have enjoyed it (back to 'sensible' eating when she leaves ...)

It started raining late morning today, hasn't stopped yet and is now due to continue for the next TWENTY FOUR HOURS! eep Weather warning for heavy rain in south west UK. Please, someone send an ark 😂

@speakout I love reading about your relationship with your DD, it’s beautiful. She sounds so caring and considerate, a real credit for you. I don’t blame you for taking a break from dealing with the mental load at home. It’s so hard when other people expect you to think for them, as well as do everything! DS has a tendency to do this, it’s exhausting.

@quirkychick I’m enjoying the spring too, seeing the blossom, flowers and lambs in the fields has given me a much needed lift. I’m going to a tulip festival on Saturday, so really looking forward to seeing them all in bloom. I’m also hoping to get out to the forest to see the bluebells if the weather stays dry.

@Objectionhearsayspeculationwelcome 😊 I’ve been hear since the first thread too. I think to the threads are at the top of this one so you may find you can look back and find your old name.

@MistyDryadthat cake looks amazing! I smiled at your post, my young adult DS is AuDHD so I recognise many of the traits you’ve described! It sounds like you’ve had fun, but you’ll also be relieved to have the house back to yourselves again!

Ive been focusing on self-care the past few days. I hit a wall Saturday and spent most of the day in tears, just ready from sheer exhaustion. When I get really low, I find all my past trauma comes to the surface again and everything becomes totally overwhelming. I have a couple of days pff this weeks so have been doing yoga, walking in the sunshine and resting. Today I’m going for a sauna and swim in a lake so I’m sure that will give me a much needed boost.

@MistyDryad my thoughts are with you and your daughter, I know how challenging it can be. We are visiting dd(15) at her residential home on Easter Sunday. The cake looks great!

Shitshow here. DH has fallen and broken his hip. Our long awaited interrail trip of a lifetime due to start Monday now cancelled. I KNOW it was an accident and he is as gutted as I am, but I'm angry and resentful and utterly pissed off. Shame on me I know,but there we are.
Needless to say fibro has flared and I am struggling.

(A lone crone emerges from the trees and pauses shyly on the edge of the clearing. She looks across the well-kept garden to the cottage. Its door is ajar and the sound of rattling teacups and laughter mingle with the birdsong and the lazy hum of the bees. They're still here!
She wipes away tears of relief, hitches her bag a little higher, and steps into the sun.

She pauses at the door, her hand on the knob, wondering what to say, how to explain the past five years. Will they even remember her? Will she fit in?
Maybe she should slip back into the woods unseen, come back another day.

She can hear their old familiar voices clearly now, some new ones too. Recipes, springtime in the garden, family joys and sorrows, sisterhood and spells.
It's as she remembers. It feels like home.

With a smile, she knocks three times and pops her head around the door.)

Hello!
Is there room around the fire for one more?
I used to come quite often but life got complicated and I couldn't find my way back through the woods.
I've thought about you all often though, wondering how you all are.
I'd love to come and sit with you for a bit, and maybe start coming back more often if that's OK?

@TheSameSunShines your post made me smile, it's very vivid and it's how I often am too! Come and sit down, the kettle is on!

Flying in on the way to an eye test this morning and utterly overwhelmed by life as usual but the sun is shining so one step at a time, right?!

Oh, thank you @hilariousnamehere !

It feels good to be back😊

(Takes out a well-worn note pad and hastily notes UtterlyOverwhelmedByLifeAsUsual as potential future username)

And yes, the sun is shining, is always shining somewhere, above the clouds in fact, and one step at a time is all any of us can do.

Hope your eye test goes well.

Loved that image @thesamesunshines.
Welcome back. Tea?

Thank you @Hedjwitch

I'd love a peppermint tea. 🙂

That's lovely TheSameSunShines, thankyou.

I have been a little absent too of late, adult life can be so demanding, and just when I think I have a few hours for tea and a catch up, some situation flares or needs to be dealt with. Life is more struggle than fun right now.

@TheSameSunShines Welcome back from a newbie to the gathering. Peppermint tea already brewing - care for a home made granola bar? @Hedjwitch I am so so sorry to hear about your DH's broken hip and the bitter disappointment of your cancelled interrail trip. Sending much love to you at this difficult time of fibro flare-up and to your DH for a quick recovery. Hopefully your holiday insurance will cough up for the unavoidable and unexpected cancellation. @speakout adult life is definitely demanding, sometimes it would be nice to just step away into a more peaceful place. But reality has a nasty habit of biting us on the posterior, doesn't it? Sending hugs and strength to overcome the struggle and get back to the fun. @hilariousnamehere I hope your eye test went brilliantly.

Our daughter has been Jekyll and Hyde today which has meant some tricky navigation because we were due for lunch with friends at their beautiful property in a deep green valley in the wilds of Cornwall. We got up a little earlier than usual to allow extra time to shepherd her through her routines. She happily watched an hour and a half Tweenies Make Music DVD then played on her computer tablet for an hour. Then it all went south when her tablet froze and she was angrily stabbing the screen with her finger trying to bring it back to life. It took a good fifteen minutes before I managed to coax the da*ned thing back to the land of the living and she savagely jammed the charging cable into it (we do actually have a reserve tablet exactly the same already set up .. just in case ... so I'm charging that this evening in case we have a repeat tomorrow). She got cross over putting her lunchtime meds into my rucksack, changing her scruffy 'at home' clothes, putting her favourite toys, pens and some paper into her bag .... we suspect she had an attack of 'The Hangries' but we didn't want to give her anything to eat before we left.

She calmed down considerably on the 25 minute drive, arriving at our friends' house as a charming angel full of laugher and smiles. She enjoyed the big salad buffet lunch and the cheesecake dessert then happily donned her wellies and waterproof for a walk through the woods to their neighbour's field to feed apples to two characterful hairy pigs. Even though it was raining when they returned, she was still happy and settled down to draw at the table, demand a mug of tea and coaxing a Cadbury's creme egg out of our hosts.

It was a long visit from 1pm till 6pm and it was pouring with rain (again!) when we left. She was laughing and happy on the drive home. Then switched abruptly when we set foot in the house, kicking up a fuss over putting her stuff away, having her teatime meds, loudly demanding the computer so she could print some pictures of alphabet characters and Thomas the Tank Engine. She initially refused to come for a light supper of home made soup and fresh bread that I made this morning (but did come after about ten minutes). Again, we suspect it might have been partly The Hangries. She slammed doors when she went for her shower and did a lot of shouting about having her nails done tomorrow at a salon in town as one of her pre care home return treats.

Once done, she came back into the lounge and sat with me on the sofa for a long cuddle and cup of tea with her favourite toys, back to her usual happy charming self. She had her bedtime meds, read a bedtime story with her Dad, crossed off Friday from her printed chart (an essential tool for helping her understand what is going to happen and when) and then hopped into bed. She went to sleep almost immediately after a busy day.

Hubby and I are feeling a little frazzled though and are crossing our fingers that the next three days aren't too challenging ...

@mistydryad what a wonderful parent you are! That sounds exhausting. Puts my struggles into perspective.
I began today on repurposing dds bedroom now that she has finally.moved out. It's only tiny..8 feet by 8 feet with a sloping wall under the roof so not much to work with but am determined to create a sanctuary for myself. It hasn't gone well...the sage green paint is not an attractive colour and the old lumpy walls are so porous that they are just sucking it in. I gave up and need a rethink. I can't put 4 or 5 coats on,I just don't have the energy. I need a new plan.
But,it now houses my mother's old writing desk,an aloe plant and two tiny Chinese figurines so that's a start!

@Hedjwitch Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad that her visits home are usually three weeks now because I honestly don't know how we managed until she was sixteen and at home all the time. Covid was a bit of a curate's egg, fabulous a lot of the time but she was extremely unsettled at being brought home at short notice (2 days) and staying there for five months during the first lockdown with a repeat performance less than six months later when the second lockdown arrived. I don't know how we survived .. but we did!

Your dds bedroom sounds lovely and what a dream to now have it as a sanctuary for yourself. I love green, we chose a soft Wedgewood green for our bedroom in our first house and it was lovely. Maybe pop into a local decorating centre and ask their advice about the lumpy porous walls? There must be some kind of treatment you can apply to make it easier to paint.

I hope everyone is enjoying this Ostara weekend, even though the weather has been a bit mixed. You can almost hear the plants growing in the garden!

@TheSameSunShinesyour post made me smile, it was so beautifully written. There’s plenty of room by the fire, it’s lovely to have you. Come sit with us and soak up the energy.

@Hedjwitch I’m so sorry to hear about your poor DH. What a shame, horrid for him of course, and so disappointing that you had to cancel your trip.

@mistydryad you sound exhausted, what lovely parents you and your husband are. I’m glad you got some cuddles with DD and some laughs in between the tricky bits.

I went to a tulip festival yesterday, it was a really lovely day and uplifting to spend time amongst the tulips and other spring flowers. Today I’ve been invited to friends for lunch, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it when I’m there but it’s a big group and I’m feeling a little anxious. I think I’d prefer a day at home to just potter!

Long springtime weekend blessings to one and all! @Hedjwitch so sorry about the cancelled trip! I do hope you can manage to go at some point when your DH has recovered. @MistyDryad you have a lot of patience and understanding. Planning everything to allow for avoid problems is exhausting and nerve-wracking. It’s by no means the same situation as yours but I have to plan the s**t out of every trip with Mr Crafty these days in order to avoid disasters. We usually have a good time on our travels but I’m invariably worn out when we get home. The thing that’s hardest to predict is environmental noise - since his stroke, Mr C is now very sensitive to certain sounds as well as busy places; I’ve had to figure out ways to bolt from situations before now.

I’ve been catching up on a few chores and painting some kitchen chairs. @Hedjwitch I had a similar issue of paint just sinking into wood and thought I should have used a primer. Old plaster can be incredibly porous. The colour may well dry a lot lighter though.