As we move through autumn and into winter, the robins arrive to foretell imminent snow. Freezing winds strip you to the bone no matter the layers but there’s still plenty of work to do in the garden and greenhouse… gathering in.
Two art shows have meant busy-busy times; one is still underway, so I feel safe to leave my studio work for a little while to finish off the harvest and to plant anew for winter – spring, crops.
Alpine Strawberries are a gift that keep on giving… cabbages, leeks, beetroot, lettuce and onion are developing rapidly now, followed by winter veg… brassicas and silverbeet, more beans have broken ground.
Post Samhain is a rather wistful time… four years ago our daughter passed away in her sleep… no illness, no warning and so the month of May, filled with family birthdays, including hers and my own, are overshadowed by grief and loss.
It’s easy to say that life goes on… and it does but we are all forever changed… a beautiful piece of us is gone.
Yule… Feast of Fire, flame and renewal… again the wheel turns and we gather for longest night… light will return, slowly, barely noticeably but underground, life stirs unseen…
I am the essence that lives, all unseen
I am found in all things
the world renews, clear and clean
I am the one you hear
under Lady Moon’s light
as my hounds run and bay
at the gathering night
Yule approaches and my time is done
but soon a new battle
will be fought and won
as the Oak King I’ll come
my vows to renew
while the veil is thin
and the Fae wander through
I hear all your fears
wipe your tears dry for you
so gather with me
at the first Feast of Fire
Light promises to return
and the flames leap higher
come to me in the dance
of the passing year
follow the sound of my horn
…there is nothing to fear
…to be continued…
Blessings from Beyond the Gate Farm and Studio… Penny
Penny Reilly Artist Beyond the Gate 