Gillian Monks

'Making Fairytales Come True'

Category: Thoughts From My Fireside (Page 1 of 2)

Merry Midwinter!

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On December 21, 2024

In Musings of the Hearth, Thoughts From My Fireside

We have arrived! The tipping point between the headlong plunge into the Darkness and the long slow climb back up towards the Light.

Technically, the Solstice occurred at approximately 9.30. this morning… but before we can actually see evidence of the returning Light, with the dying of the day later this afternoon we shall enter into the very darkest time of the year which will only visibly come to an end with the breaking of the day on the morning of the 25th December. On this morning, the Sun/Son is reborn – the Light of the World returns to us and another year is assured.

Make good use of this precious, sacred time. Enter fully into the darkness… rest in the shadows and enjoy the synthetic light of candles and coloured bulbs, then glory in the return of the Light.

According to the meteorological forecast, we are in for some rough weather today. In years past we have gone down into the woods to keep the natural world company as the daylight dies, or up onto the hillside to witness the dying of the Light. However, today it will be more appropriate to withdraw into our homes and gather around the hearth… to light candles as daylight leaves us and hold the light and love of life in our hearts until the Sun bursts forth once more on Christmas morning.

My dearest wish is that you all make the very most of this dak time, not so much by nourishing and nurturing yourself within the warmth and safety of your own homes, (although that also applies), but by creating as much light within your own beings as possible. Allow your own very special and unique light to shine bravely and brightly out into the dark world by any and all means possible… bring smiles and laughter, bring kindness and compliments as you rush about preparing for your own celebrations.

I wish you all a very meaningful and positive Solstice as we wait with bated breath for the rebirth of the Sun/Son.

A very merry midwinter to you all… with my love.

All In a Jug of Lemonade

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On December 1, 2024

In Musings of the Hearth, Thoughts From My Fireside

I made my Christmas cakes yesterday… one for the family, two to give to friends and another to decorate and cut at New Year. Not ‘Stir Up Sunday’ you might say. No, but the nearest I could get to it considering my other commitments.

I ended up with a couple of lemons from which I had grated the zest but which still needed squeezing to remove the juice, and decided to make lemonade with them for my husband and I to enjoy hot before bedtime. We only tend to think of lemonade as a summer beverage served with ice to cool us down but it is something my mother used to make for us when I was a child, and stand on the hearth by the fire in a big glass jug to keep warm. (Never allow to boil, of course, as this destroys all the beneficial Vitamin C.)

As I wound down towards bedtime I sat clasping my steaming mug of pale tangy liquid, fragrant with the scent of citrus and it suddenly struck me just how lucky I am… lucky because we have access to such fruit which is usually grown so far away, lucky that we can afford to buy it, lucky that I have the knowledge and ability to make such a drink, lucky that I can see, smell and taste it, and so on. Most importantly of all, lucky that I have close, loving family with which I can share it.

As I sipped my warmly comforting lemonade, I felt a decided glow spread throughout my being which was attributable to more than just the heat of the liquid.

How had such a simple action turned into an activity of revelation and gratitude and become a precious and sacred occasion?

This is the miracle of Life, I suppose, the realisation that even the most mundane action or event when viewed in a certain way, can become magical… and that our whole life is actually amazingly magical when seen from a positive perspective… if we allow ourselves the opportunity to do so.

Perhaps the necessary ingredients for this happy outcome lie in taking the time to stand back and contemplate… to take in what actually is. Couple that to the joy of the moment and a grateful heart and it is easier to see how it might come about.

Recipe for Homemade Lemonade: Zest and juice of a lemon, a pint of water and honey or sugar to taste – you may also roughly chop up the flesh of the lemon and/or add a pinch of citric acid if you wish but it is not necessary. Place all ingredients in a pan and warm gently, making sure that all the sweetening has completely dissolved. Put to one side and allow the lemon to steep in the warm liquid for a while before reheating (remember not to allow to boil) before straining into a warm jug to serve or pour straight into mugs.

What better way to chase away those cold and ‘flu bugs, give your immune system a boost and lift your emotions?

 

Bucking the Trend!

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On November 28, 2024

In Thoughts From My Fireside

Despite the whole of November now being referred to as ‘Black Friday’, on the eve of the real ‘Black Friday’ I am taking this opportunity to turn things around – I am GIVING AWAY instead of buying or selling.

I very much hope that you enjoy my free Christmas short story – let’s buck the trend and turn Black Friday into a SALES FREE day!

 

A LITTLE TALE OF CHRISTMAS MAGIC 

The woman stared at the cardboard box. I was about 30cms square and as light as a feather.

‘Order today and have the magic of Christmas delivered to your door,’ The advert had said. Well, they could all do with a bit if Christmas magic in this modern, harum-scarum life, couldn’t they? But what was it exactly? She shook it gently. Nothing. However, the red and white label on the side clearly proclaimed in large black letters, ‘The Magic of Christmas’. At least it hadn’t cost her a lot.

‘Not more on-line purchases?’ Her husband had spotted her standing uncertainly in the hall and sounded annoyed.

‘I just want it to be the best Christmas ever, Jim, after – you know – what has happened.’ Their granddaughter and son were coming to stay with them for the festive holiday, the first since their daughter-in-law’s death in a car accident.

‘Yes, but money is tight this year after all the lockdowns and furloughs of this wretched pandemic… what’s it supposed to be anyway?’

‘I… I don’t know.’ The woman looked bewildered and defeated.

‘What?’ her husband’s face took on an expression of angry incredulity.

Suddenly, his wife burst into noisy tears as her legs folded under her and she sank down onto the bottom step of the stairs.

‘Oh, Ruth, I’m sorry!’ the man hunkered down in front of her and tentatively slid his arm around her heaving shoulders. ‘You’ve been trying to do far too much, old girl,’ he chided her gently, ‘Come into the sitting room and put your feet up. I’ll put the kettle on.’ Clinging shakily to her husband Ruth rose to her feet. ‘What about asking Debra Rawlins from across the road to join us for Christmas dinner? She’s a jolly good cook and I’m sure that if you ask her, she’d give you a hand… she’s all on her own this Christmas, too, and would probably appreciate the invitation instead of being all alone…’ The harassed couple disappeared into the next room and the door closed softly behind them…

…………………………

At nearly eighty years of age, Mrs Twemlow thought that nothing could surprise her anymore, but watching her next-door-neighbour sneaking up her front path carrying a cardboard box with a large red and white sticker on the side had definitely intrigued her. By the time she had slowly risen from her chair and got to the front door, the woman had vanished, but the box stood on her front step.

“’The Magic of Christmas’. What on earth is this?” she muttered in consternation. Mrs Twemlow tenderly bent her rheumaticky joints and retrieved the box from the floor. Goodness, it was as light as a feather. She shook it gently. Nothing. How odd! The elderly woman didn’t like to open it. One heard such dreadful tales these days. Suppose it was a bomb?

I know, I’ll take it to Dennis at the library. It’s one of his volunteering days. He’ll know what to do with it, she thought. Hastily, the elderly lady prepared to leave the house. The winter sun was shining weakly and a little walk in the fresh air would do her good; the library was only at the end of the next road.

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Going Crackers… Again!

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On October 2, 2022

In Thoughts From My Fireside

These are quite small crackers and each one contains a ‘prediction’ for the coming year and a sweetie.

The beginning of October and yes, I am already planning my Advent, Midwinter and Christmas celebrations. No, it is most certainly not too early to be doing so. It is only just over two and a half months to the Winter Solstice and Christmas Day, with most of the celebrations actually taking place beforehand in the month of Advent. As I like to make most of my own foods, treats and surprises, it is never too early to make a start.

This autumn many of my ideas are revolving around crackers – the ubiquitous table decoration which frequently yields hoots of derision, laughter or groans of despair as images of paltry plastic tat, brain-cringing jokes and wayward paper hats spring to mind. Yet they are an integral part of our Christmas dinner fun.

Harking back to the original crackers which were developed by Tom Smith back in the 1840’s and 1850’s, crackers can be used for any occasion – not just Christmas – and can contain anything you wish from love letters to very expensive gifts. They can be colour/decoration co-ordinated with your surroundings or with themed contents for lovers of books, the garden and so on.

In the past, I have tried the better type of cracker with nice hats, good jokes and mottos and expensive gifts, but discovered, to my great disappointment, that they were still regarded as no better than the cheap, gaudy ones, and were largely discarded on the dinner table with little thought or consideration.

Now, my focus for Midwinter festivity is always inclusive communal activity and suggestions and encouragement as to how everyone might join in and give rather than passively sit back and simply receive.  I make my own crackers and fill them with interactive gifts, suggested activities, impertinent questions to ask fellow diners or philosophical suggestions and sweets. Sometimes there are no hats included; instead, revellers have to make and decorate their own as a pre-dinner activity – and the more sherry consumed the livelier the creations produced!

Making your own crackers can be a communal activity – just leave one end open to be filled and sealed later so that only you know what is actually contained within them. Crackers can be a little fiddly but are not difficult to make. Nor need they be expensive – you can make crackers form sheets of discarded newspaper (a ball of colourful Christmas twine and a length of tinsel cut up to make glittery pompoms completes the decoration) and fill them with jokes downloaded from the internet (or copied out of books from the library – get you kids to help you with that one!). If you really aren’t that ‘craftily’ inclined, buy a box of crackers and carefully open the end of each and insert a better gift and extra jokes. One of my favourite inclusions in crackers for any dinner table is a question to ask your neighbour – or to ask the assembled company as a whole – this can stimulate lots of interesting discussion and laughter and is a good ice-breaker for multi-generations of one family or people who don’t already know one another.

Crackers can be made and used for any season or occasion throughout the year – try making them from pale yellow or green crepe paper and decorating them with silk flowers for your Easter Sunday lunch table, or similarly themed for summer… try deep yellow, brown and red for autumn decorated with bunches of berries – real or synthetic – and filled appropriately, or orange and black ones for Hallowe’en… the possibilities are endless.

The key tip here is to make them well in advance, while you have the time to feel inspired and enjoy the process, then pack them away well covered and protected until they are needed so that they don’t become damaged, dusty or tired-looking in the meantime. It is absolutely no pleasure to anyone if you have all these wonderful ideas and then leave them until the last minute when they can become a horrendous chore to all concerned.

Have fun! Planning and plotting surprises and joy for others doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy ourselves too. If something doesn’t bring you some measure of satisfaction and pleasure, then don’t do it – find something (or someone!) else instead. Living our lives should be as nourishing and enjoyable as possible – why not? But that is a topic for another post another day!

If you would like to know more about the history of the cracker, click on the link below to read an excellent article produced by the Victoria and Albert Museum.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-christmas-cracker#:~:text=The%20Christmas%20cracker%20was%20invented,a%20twist%20of%20tissue%20paper.

Please note, ‘cracks’ for crackers can easily be purchased on the internet, and although they might initially cost you several pounds for the old measure of a gross (144), kept somewhere dry they will last for many years. 

Happy Valentine’s Day In Lockdown!

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On February 13, 2021

In Thoughts From My Fireside

Daffodils at Fron Goch

Picture taken at my local garden centre last year, only weeks before we were all plunged into lockdown – they truly lift the spirits!

One doesn’t have to confine Valentine celebrations to those who are a couple/in a relationship. I have always liked to surprise my friends and family with little (home made) cards and treats at this time of year. It is a chance to also honour love and  friendship in its wider sense. Perhaps this year, while we are mostly in lockdown and with not much chance of fine wining and dining and treats outside the home, it is especially appropriate to remember and contact loved ones we are currently isolated from – and to cheer up those whom we are in close contact with.

To this end, I am planning a little family tea for tomorrow afternoon – Valentine’s day – just for the four of us and our dear friend and neighbour who we have been in a ‘bubble’ with ever since this whole rigmarole began. So my Saturday afternoon has been largely spent in the kitchen.

Well, we all have the best of intentions and we all have ‘one of those days’. This was certainly ‘one of those days’ for me! I have two bottomless heart-shaped cake tins which simply sit on a baking sheet. I planned to make a pink cake and ice it with buttercream and decorate with silver balls. True, I have never tried this before and should probably have looked it up somewhere first, but, hey, what the heck!

My first problem was with the food colouring. It simply didn’t want to turn my cake mixture pink. After using at least a quarter of a bottle of the stuff it had only managed to make the mixture an odd off-orange colour (which happily disappeared when it was baked) so I gave up and tipped the mixture into the baking tin. In cooking, about a fifth of the mixture decided to escape through the tiny slit along the bottom of the tin where it had fractionally warped and puff itself up in all sorts of fantastic – and useless – shapes, rendering the main cake skewed to one side.

Then I thought that I would make my darling husband some hand dipped chocolates…. perhaps I should have quite while I was ahead?

But tomorrow we shall gather around our hearth and our tea table; there will be hot buttered crumpets and chocolate ‘tiffin’ and a lopsided heart-shaped cake filled with home made jam and butter cream and decorated with pink icing and silver cashews. We shall each bring to the table poems, readings, songs or stories which reflect the themes of springtime and love. And we shall make a Valentine garland of loving messages and quotations to hang across our chimney breast, to inspire us and remind us all in days to come of this occasion when we sat together and lovingly listened to and appreciated each other’s company. Hopefully, no one will notice the wonky cake or the wildly formed chocolates!

With our human commonality and mutual connection in mind, I send my love out to all who read this. Let’s celebrate our care, understanding and – yes – love for each other. Let’s all try and spread a little love around our world. Have a very happy Valentine’s Day!

 

 

‘If It Were Done When ‘Tis Done’…

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On January 9, 2021

In Thoughts From My Fireside

Drawing Room Christmas Window…’Then ’twere well it were done quickly’! So the quotation from Shakespeare goes. In other words, don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do now, this minute, today.

As January progresses our family Christmas unfurls into more general winter celebration with a couple of birthdays of close family members, Distaff Day, Plough Monday, the wassailing of the land on the 17th of the month and then, of course, a celebration of love on the 25th with Saint Dwynwen’s Day. Who said that there is nothing to look forward to after Christmas?

Yesterday afternoon, at the end of the first very sporadic and half-hearted working week  after the Midwinter holidays, the family gathered around the hearth to enjoy afternoon tea – a simple process of eating up the last of the stollen, spice cakes and mince pies. We shared our news of the day and then got down to singing some wassailing songs in preparation for next weekend. Many people sing these old carols as part of their Christmas activities and in some places the blessing of the land is done on New Year’s Day, but we prefer to follow the old calendar and celebrate it as a completely separate event.

None of us can ever remember the words of the old songs by heart, regardless of the fact that we sing them many times every year, so out came our Christmas carol books where the words to various wassails are also kept. These large plastic folders with individual pockets where sheets of paper can be slid in (or out) have been in our family for nearly 15 years and during that time each family member has added songs, written their own alternative words or collected variations which they liked/preferred. We also have carols in three different languages; German, English and Welsh… with the odd bit of Latin thrown in.

The result is that the original sequence and numbering of the sheets and pages is completely jumbled and a general consensus and quick reference of page numbers now almost impossible. Nor does everyone always have the same words either. Each year the chaos grows worse and each year we all declare that we really should do something about it.

Frustrated, my son suddenly decided that enough was enough and organised us into an impromptu song sheet sorting work party. How it is that four reasonably intelligent and well educated adults can find such a simple and logical activity so complex and difficult is beyond me, but it all suddenly became very complicated.

“Where did you say the Somerset Wassail was?”
“On the back of the Gloucester Wassail.”
“So where should I put the Ancient Lord Of The Dance?”
“I haven’t got A White Christmas!”
“Well I printed one out for you…”
“Oh. yes, it’s here behind the teapot…”
“The Holly And The Ivy?”
“And the alternative words for it with Herne off hunting in the woods…”
“There is also the version with stars shining and longer winter days.”
“Can I slide We Wish You A Greener Christmas in here?”
“Just how many versions of the Holly And The Ivy have we got?”
“Listen, I can easily go and print some more copies.”
“Has everyone got Jackie’s Bleak Midwinter?”
“No… yes! It had fallen on the floor…”
“What about Mother’s Night?”
“No, but I have three copies here of God Rest Ye Merry, Druid Folk… one in larger print…”
“I haven’t got Jingle Bells at all!”
“Look, I can bring the printer down here from the office…”
“Can anyone tell me where I should stick the Boar’s Head?”

You get my drift?

It took about forty minutes to get it all sorted out. Now, all I have to do is type up an alphabetical index. Thank heavens I shall be doing that all by myself! But at least we shall all be literally singing from the same hymn sheet in future.

And the moral of this little tale? Use some if this slower time in January – and in lockdown – to sort out stuff that otherwise keeps getting put off. Don’t try to do everything on your own – aim for assistance and teamwork where you can – it might not always make things easier or quicker, but it can be a heck of a lot more fun.

Happy ‘untangling’!

Who Or What Is The Sprit of Christmas?

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On December 11, 2020

In Thoughts From My Fireside

Christmas ElfWhen we are children, we talk about Father Christmas. Who is he? A sacred being? A god? A real person? A figment of our fertile imaginations? Contrary to many varying – and sometimes quite outrageous – suggestions, it is most likely that this figure of sacred folk memory has evolved out of an amalgamation of northern deities such as the god, Odin, and the Wild Man of the Boreal Forest of Eastern Europe.

Knowing what incredible effects the sheer power of thought can have upon creative energy, I am very willing to accept that the mass consciousness of humanity has by now very possibly actually created Father Christmas or Santa Claus. (We should all be very careful what we think! Our kindly and benign festive old elf is lovely, but not some of the other monsters we niaevley give credence to.)

As we become adults, we begin to refer to the ‘Spirit of Christmas’. What is that? And how does it differ from Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

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Cerridwen’s Cauldron

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On October 7, 2020

In Thoughts From My Fireside

Ancestor TableOctober is upon us and deepest autumn has arrived. This is the month of the goddess, Cerridwen, Welsh deity of endings and death, but also of rejuvenation, rebirth and hope. The Celtic year ends at Nosen  Calan Geaef on the 31st October with the completion of the harvest as winter closes in. In this month’s Walking With The Goddess, experience for yourself the magical, transformative journey to Cerridwen and her mighty cauldron and what it might bring you for your ‘new year’.

This time of year is also when we remember, acknowledge and celebrate the Ancestors; those who have lived, worked and worshipped/believed as we do now, as well as those connected to us genetically by blood. As part of our endeavours to heal our society and our world, I invite you to also heal your ancestors with kindness, remembrance and love. Many of us unwittingly carry the results of the efforts – and mistakes – of our forebears, buried deep within our genetic code. On the other hand, we are also now struggling to live in and come to terms with a flawed world which our ancestors helped to create. There is much to understand, to forgive and to now change.

This month, Walking With The Goddess also asks you to turn your hand to doing something practical to change this faulty world of ours – from adopting unwanted, derelict or abused land, forming action or community groups, or inspiring a lot more outdoor communal activity as a way of us being together safely, read some of my suggestions on how we might all become more pro-active or think up your own ideas of how we might support others to get things moving in the right direction.

We all have the capacity to work some ‘magic’ in our lives. We are all responsible for our world. Come Walking With The Goddess – our own sacred planet Earth – on an adventure of discovery and creative inspiration and begin to make things happen.

Each monthly module only costs £5 with a sliding scale for those who are experiencing financial hardship.

To find out more or to purchase, click on the link: https://www.earthwalking.co.uk/walking-with-the-goddess/

We can formulate our plans for a bright new future around the rim of the cauldron, and we can bring them into being through our own endeavour.

With gentle blessings of the dying year,
And my love.

Access, Honour, Celebrate!

By

On September 5, 2020

In Thoughts From My Fireside

View from Caer EnganYou can do something life-changing and life-affirming today. You can improve your life. You can change the world. It is really very simple.

In Walking With The Goddess this month we shall be working with the energies of Math ap Mathonwy who will provide us with the key to access our memory codes stored within our DNA. We have memories of all the life that we have ever lived stored within it and in challenging times such as the pandemic has produced, we need to remember how we have previously faced and successfully got through similar experiences. We need to call on our strengths and courage to discover the inspiration to formulate a new way of living – one which does not replicate our old, destructive and dysfunctional ‘normal’ from before Covid-19 but a bright new future which encompasses a nurturing and loving community and nourishes and honours all life on the planet.

There are many ‘keys’ to achieving this. A major necessity is to harmonise our lives with that of the natural world and to reconnect to the rhythms and cycles of the Earth. The first steps we may take to do this is are to literally become aware of the Earth we stand upon and to notice, acknowledge and celebrate what is going on around us in nature. This month there are suggestions for gathering the natural bounty of the wayside and woodland to bring into your home to decorate and enjoy at this time of year.

Hand in hand with this is an active participation in cleaning up and eliminating from our lives activities and substances which are damaging to the environment – and, in a roundabout way, damaging to us too. This month we take a look at the fabric we use to clothe ourselves and decorate our homes with. This needs long, hard consideration and sustainable long-term action – new habits forming and definite decisions making.

Every good thought, each small action does make a difference. We can make a difference. Together, we can achieve a great deal. So why not come Walking With The Goddess today? Each monthly, on-line module contains around 7,000 words (or 24 pages) of background information, inspiring ideas and practical tasks and challenges, as well as a 20 – 40 minute audio guided meditation for you to listen to and join in with. It only costs £5 – and if that is financially too challenging for you, just get in touch with me and we can make some other arrangement. Just click on this link for more information: https://www.earthwalking.co.uk/walking-with-the-goddess/ or this link: https://www.earthwalking.co.uk/checkout?edd_action=add_to_cart&download_id=576 to purchase the September module.

May you be safe and well in these difficult times.

I look forward to hearing from you,
With my love.

Looking At The World Through A Chocolate Wrapper

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On January 21, 2020

In Thoughts From My Fireside

Quality StreetDoes the world around us really change, or is it just the way we perceive it that alters? In other words, what do we really see? What is real and what is illusion?

For instance, after the past glorious days of pale spring sunshine, clear blue skies and dramatically clear mountains we are once more plunged into a grey and weeping landscape. This morning, the low cloud has completely obscured Mount Snowdon and the craggy Nantlle Ridge, mist in the valley has blurred all the edges, lack of light has robbed what is left of the vista of its light and skewed what were bold spring colours to paler, washed-out shades.

Yet the landscape itself remains the same. The mountains are still there behind the cloud, the natural world is still beavering away preparing to raise new young and burst out in growth and blossom… it just looks dead… and ultimately so much more depressing. But nothing has really altered… just how we are seeing it today through a different colour.

I always have great fun with this concept at Christmas and Easter or any time I come within range of some Quality Street chocolates. Ever since I was a child I have loved choosing my chocolate, carefully unwrapping it, luxuriating in the sweet creamy confection, and then gently smoothing out the coloured plastic wrapping and looking through it, delighted and intrigued to see how a different coloured filter makes my familiar surroundings suddenly appear so different.

Gazing into a newly opened tin of chocolates is a feast for the senses in itself – the deep jewel colours are glorious to behold – like a chest of pirate’s treasure – and that indefinably enticing scent of… chocolate! Since Christmas I have gathered a little collection of six coloured cellophane wrappers; peering through the blue, purple and green makes everything look cold or as if I was suddenly living in an underwater world. The pink, red and yellow transform everything into an intriguing, enticing, warm or sunny environment. But it is, after all, just the same room or view from my window – it is how I am choosing to see it that is different.

Try it for yourself next time you have access to coloured plastic. It works best if you have several colours so that you can compare the differences… and also compare how your mood also alters with each colour.

Next time you don’t enjoy what you are looking at, aren’t happy with the life that is yours, perhaps you might like to try changing your internal filter. The places around us, the people, the situations we live in, do not change from day to day… just the way we perceive them. Therefore, you have freedom of choice; you are in control – do you put in a nice rosy coloured filter or do you opt to depress yourself by insisting on glaring out on the world through blue or purple? Don’t blame the world you live in – it is your choice – it is entirely up to you.

Today I am definitely drawn to pink!

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