day of the dead ~ celebrating the ancestors of this land

getting into the spirit of Halloween at this time of year, is difficult for me.. our wheel is at Beltane.. a time of gathering flowers and making garlands, a time for listening for bells to herald the arrival of the Faery Queen, a time for tying ribbons in trees and attuning to the spirit of the tree...It is the time when nature comes alive and the Spirits of Nature are most active. but it is also a time when the veil is thin between worlds..

to celebrate Día de los Muertos - I thought that I might share some more of my neighbour hood...not far from "Avalon".....

to commemorate the traditional ancestors of our land.. and those who came from afar & who forged ahead to make a way over the mountains....


[please click on this to enlarge and be able to read..]

that was yesterday

today, dark storms loom over Katoomba.

yesterday, sirens startled me out of a reading quiet.. urgent.

I looked outside and not far from Avalon, dark smoke billowed up out of the bush near by. near my much loved Katoomba Falls... men in orange suits, the firies.

police blocking traffic - foot and vehicle. smoke. cockatoos flew over, screeching in fear. I could feel their panic. their spring babies most probably still in the nests deep in the rock faces that make up this area. tourists ran up the road. evacuations took place a block away. embers flew. helicopters flew over, dropping water urgently on bushland that has not been burnt since 1958. the year I was born. it was surreal.
I feel fear or is it sadness, that my beloved bushland will not be the same. will not have the same wisdom that it has shared with me over time. will my friend the coachwood be burned? a tree of unknown age. I pray that she is saved.

Joe and I walked last night, in the thick smoke..

chatting to our fearless fire fighters..

you can see the intensity of an australian bush fire. fueled by layers of fallen leaves and eucalypts

[photo courtesy of Blue Mountains Local area command]

today, I woke to a cooler day & rain clouds over head. please God, let them spill over the fire. & bless our firies.

the currawongs still sing. [and as I finish this post, the rain starts to spill from the sky]

surviving & healing

I believe that Katoomba & Avalon are healing me. Peace fills my soul. Deep, long held grief makes it's way to the surface.. tears spill. I sit under my apple tree, surrounded by crystals and feel embraced by Mother Earth...I don't feel panic or fear.. I still feel soul loneliness but that will heal, I know it.

Long term grief and angst from my cancer treatment is coming to the surface - dreams at night and tears during my day....

no counselling back then, no-one to share my pain and fear with except Joe...
today, I have been offered a place at Cancer Help.. a place for cancer sufferers and survivors - a place of counselling, massage, reiki, healing. a place where I hope to find peace with this - a place where I can find that surviving is a blessing and not feel guilty about that. a place where I can honour my cancer and accept that it was just as horrific experience as those who don't make it.

it is windy today at Avalon.. I heard an owl in the distance early this morning.. the lilac and irises are finishing, the apple tree is dressed in new green leaves and apples and plum are forming in readiness for a summer crop. last night, we walked to Echo Point and watched the sun set over the mountain. this is pure bliss.

time spent at Avalon

Joe & I have been spending alot of time in our new garden.
working out where our new chooks will live, hanging garden ornaments, setting up tables.. weeding and mulching. I plan on planting a whole row of Rhododendrons along the front path - there is lots to do here at Avalon. The irises are blooming - a beautiful pale, soft mauve. I see the small fruits of the apple and plum. I hope to be able to harvest without having to fight the birds.

the days are brilliant.. sometimes misty & soul filling, others sunny, clear, blue skies but always a breeze. sometimes I feel I must pinch myself to make sure i am really here. other times I feel as if I have died and gone to heaven. the currawongs stir my soul with their song, every single day.. flying from tree to tree - mostly ancient pines planted long ago by early settlers to the area. the sun rises over those ancient pines, giving them a golden glow. but still allowing those deep shadows within the branches.


Charlie & I in the middle of the rose quartz spiral. fantastic energy for us!
we had a lovely break away up north to visit my daughter.. we went walking on the beach, farmers markets, organic food and a visit to the Crystal Castle for lunch and a walk around the grounds.. gorgeous, divine energy surrounded by crystals!

an introduction to my neighbourhood

I woke this morning to currawongs singing in the old pines, across the road. their song takes me back.. to somewhere very familiar.. not sure where..

today I began the garden. weeding out old spent lavenders and a multitude of weeds, along the front fence. In their place, I planted some ballerina apples - apple trees that grow upwards, instead of out. the garden has such a lovely energy about it.

"Avalon" is situated in the heart of Katoomba..two blocks from Echo Point.. a world heritage area. in what is known as an Heritage Precinct.
which means that any modifications that we do must be within keeping of the buildings... we are surrounded by lovely old homes.. some grand old dames.

but others, like ours, simple cottages of various styles.. most have been or are in the process of being 'fixed up'






[Joe and I are trying to decide what colour to paint outside.. I am leaning towards a light purple with turquoise & cream trims.. but there is also a gorgeous dark salmon colour that I like.. with this I would put dark grey and cream.. and then there is the decision of what colour doors.]

we can go walking....

along beautiful paths..

and past gorgeous gardens.. inspiring..

my kind of people.
just up the road is a home called St. Austell... some of my cornish ancestors came from a village called St. Austell... another coincedence perhaps? or just the Universe telling me I am in exactly the right place?
we live on a road that leads to a scenic lookout, and all day, tourists wander past.. some nodding hello, others just looking, some stopping for a chat. Katoomba is on the Rainbow Serpent Line - connecting me, via the Earth Chakras to Glastonbury, Bodmin Moor & Dartmoor... funny that.. because those places are places of my ancestors.