Morning light floods the kitchen.
The sky opens early revealing a mist over the valley.
It’s been very dry here in the west of Ireland, so morning mist adds a little dew to the plants and is very welcome.
I am busy writing my book, all about Bealtaine Cottage and how it grew from barren monoculture into Eden, with some permaculture magic!
As I write, I compare this ten year journey to that of my great grandmother, Mary Ann, who felt compelled to leave the comforts of a small town and re-invent her life, on a small farm, in the countryside around Omagh.
At the age of fifty four, during the great depression of the 1930’s, Mary Ann Baxter strode into a property auction being held in the town hall and bought, for cash, a small farm.
This swallowed up her entire life savings!
My great grandmother was a remarkable woman, for in the 1930’s, a woman in her fifties was considered old and good for little!
Not alone that, women did not do anything as bold and individual as buying property, on their own, at an auction!
The farm became her life and she slept for the next twenty years in a big brass bed in the barn…never in the little cottage which she kept pristine!
Her story is simply enchanting and I promised my father to write it…and I will!
In the meantime the story of this obsessive desire to live close to Mother Earth continues to be written.
The first four chapters are posted on this website and I would be happy to receive any comments you may care to leave…
Talking of which…I know there are many, many subscribers to this blog, running into the thousands and often wonder why so few use the “Like” button at the end of the blog.
It does my heart good to see that what I write is appreciated 🙂 and maintaining a spirit of generosity in photographing and posting regularly is helped by appreciation, so please take the few seconds to like.
sorry, Colette – I simply had not clicked on “Like” because it requires logging in to WordPress and giving passwords, etc. – I just subscribe to Bealtaine Cottage, and don’t usually see it on WordPress (and had forgotten my password!)
That’s fine Cindy…I understand now that there are problems with WordPress.
Blessings X
I believe ( or I have a suspicion) why not many people ” like” your blog. It is because when you “like it” you have to sign into your wordpress account! I signed in and liked your blog because I already have a wordpress account! I am assuming that those that dont have a wordpress account (and like your posts) are subjected to having to sign up for a wordpress account? Maybe if you want “likes” it would be easier to stick with Facebook? Just wanted to add…you journey has inspired me……
That is something that I wasn’t aware of…thanks for letting me know. It’s a shame because I know now that a lot of people will want to respond and at least let me know that they are there!
Blessings
I believe ( or I have a suspicion) why not many people ” like” your blog. It is because when you “like it” you have to sign into your wordpress account! I signed in and liked your blog because I already have a wordpress account! I am assuming that those that dont have a wordpress account (and like your posts) are subjected to having to sign up for a wordpress account? Maybe if you want “likes” it would be easier to stick with Facebook? Just wanted to add…you journey has inspired me……
Greetings from Canada…..I just discovered your blog a bit back…..I think there was link on Geoff Lawtons site to you….I do LOVE your blog, subscribed and follow it now…..I am so sorry it never occurred to me to go here and tap the “like button”……I am trying to catch up!!…will remember to come and tap the button!
Thanks so much for that X
Blessings
Reblogged this on Bealtaine Cottage and commented:
The farm became her life and she slept for the next twenty years in a big brass bed in the barn…
Love your little path into the Fairy Woods, you work so hard, I don’t know how you do it. Thanks for the sharing, I look forward to your posts and send them on.
Love to You!
On Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 5:50 AM, Barbara Miller wrote:
> Such beauty, Mother Nature unleashed! > > > ———- Forwarded message ———-
Thanks and blessings to you dear Barbara X
Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures, Autumn is my favorite time to. It is so perfect, rather bittersweet as it lasts such a short time.
I am glad you have found something to ease your distress, to hear about the agony of the earth’s inhabitants is so hard to bear. It brings one to their knees to pray to our Creator to intervene. The travail of our mother earth breaks my heart also, God bless you and carry the burdens of your heart, we weren’t meant to carry them all by ourselves.
Love to you!
On Sat, Aug 9, 2014 at 4:25 PM, Barbara Miller wrote:
> So beautiful, fall comes early there it sounds like! > > > ———- Forwarded message ———-
Beautiful words…I thank you Barbara and blessings X
My great grandmother farmed and tended sadly she died young and her daughters were taken into the ‘care’ of the church, as was one of their daughters. None of those women wanted or agreed to that. You often write about a connection to the land. I feel it.
Connection to the land is what we all should feel intuitively, though sadly, many do not. I hope these small writings and photographs go a little way to encourage reconnection…I’m glad you feel it too X
Blessings X
Following along with you…. like you are kin…and you are a kindred spirit to me and many others
who feel close to the Earth. You say and do what we think and dream. Many thanks for your example of living in connection with nature. Write on! ~Adrienne
Blessings Adrienne XXX
I also read in the browser and so have never clicked a “like” button. However, your blog is the only reason I check my email most days, Even if you are moving on to other things, i hope you’ll keep posting on your blog. Inspirational
Sheila
As my life continues, so will my writing and recording of my journey with Mother Earth…in her honour!
Blessings X
Always enjoy the pictures and your commentary. Has inspired me to do more around my house, both inside and outside. Blessings sent to you.
Thanks Irene…Bless you XXX
Hello Colette, thankyou for the tweakings, I can leave a comment now! much appreciated!
i too love your blog, you are an inspiration to so many. The world needs many more with good souls like yours, People who truly do respect Mother Earth, thankyou for opening peoples eyes..
love, light and blessings, Leanne x
Beautiful words…I thank you Leanne X
Blessings XXX
A like button is no good Colette, i need a love button! So looking forward to the 19th of July 🙂 x
christine x
Hope the weather is good on the day!
Blessings X
…………………It worked!!
Luv Maura xx
Blessings XXX
Hi Colette,
Inspiring and beautiful post as always, I too would ‘like’ if I could, but not being a blogger, facebooker(er) or twitter(er)!!! it’s sometimes difficult to do so, I shall see if this “leave a comment” works (last time I tried it didn’t) I’m not really pie hot on the tech things! Off to get a cuppa and have a look at your book.
Maura xxx
ps: The seeds you sent are growing healthy and strong.
Wonderful to hear from you, Maura and the seed progress! I have tweeked the settings on the site to allow everyone to comment with conditions such as belonging to WordPress etc…this has helped!
Because I am a writer with very little time, I never anticipate any book arrivals, until this one. Blessings to you.
I feel honoured…thanks and blessings XXX
I always enjoy your blog and the beautiful pictures but my email doesn’t have a like button.
Very much looking forward to reading the book,
Good to hear from you XXX Blessings XXX
love your blog and it often puts a perspective on things.keeps me grounded.Thank you.Greetings from Tasmania Australia
Blessings from Bealtaine Cottage and thanks XXX
What an amazing family story! Best of luck with the book – I’ll be looking forward to locating those first few chapters and reading them.
Thanks Trilliam…you will find them in the right hand column…just click on the book cover. Blessings XXX
I do not “like” – I LOVE your posts! I do not hit the button because I usually read them from my email (where there is no button) – and I have forgotten my WordPress password to log in – but I know what it is like to pour your heart and soul out on the page and then wonder whether anyone even reads it, much less connects. I am taking this opportunity to let you know, clear over here on the northwestern edge of the U.S., I look forward to your posts on the magical place you have worked so hard to create. I am working on our own little garden of abundance, in all forms, and find great inspiration in your words and beautiful photos. Your posts bring a calmness to the day and often give me something to think about. You write about the things that keep us grounded, and remind us, who are we if we do not help one another and make the world a better place. Thank you.
Once again, such wonderful sentiments expressed…thank you Blythe and blessings XXX
Dear All, I am in the same position with the like button….but I also LOVE the blog and its author:-) I live on the edge of a desert! and am of Irish descent…my heart aches for a wee corner like Bealtaine Cottage. Huge hugs to those who are my kin in spirit. Kathleen
And there are many, as all these comments and likes have shown! Blessings to you Kathleen XXX
She was VERY unusual….. obviously where your pioneering spirit comes from. Thank you…. I repost these to my soul sister whose heart, if not her body, is in Ireland
Thanks and blessings to you, Hilary-Fay XXX
In my ignorance I never realised that there was a “like” button at the end of the blog. I will ensure to click each time I read a post now. Since I discovered this blog at the beginning of the year I have found each post inspiring in their own way. Your generosity in sharing so much is greatly appreciated. I log onto your website everyday, while in the office, looking forward to a new post as they are always interesting and the mindset from which you are writing always resonates with me.
That final photograph with the bowl of salad greens looks so good. Verdant is the word that springs to mind! I have a tiny garden at the back of the house I am living in and I am continually trying to apply some of the knowledge I have acquired from your blogs and from visiting your gardens at the beginning of May. (This is Peter, I use my Irish name for my posts 😉 ) As another poster mentioned, the idea of storing heat in rocks around beds is one that I have learned well 🙂
Finally, I wish you all the best with the writing of your book. I am sure there are so many people interested in reading it. I can think of quite a few.
Thanks Peter…I am feeling so very uplifted and inspired to write… beautiful sentiments, bless you XXX
love coming across your emails, i click & am transported to my grandmothers house… peace and quiet and home. sanctuary from the meaningless chaos of modern life, thank you for your emails
Thanks and blessings to you dear Colena…your words are appreciated XXX
I love, love, love reading your words whenever I get the chance! It seems to move me into a magical space, slows me down, and speaks to the heart. I love what you are doing/have done….and now there is a grandmother! What a legacy she left you!! Inspiring and hopeful!!! Love and Blessings always to you and thank you for all you give!!!
Thank you so very much…thanks and blessings to you Linda XXX
I would happily tap the “like” button but because I am not a member I cannot utilize that option. But I do browse your posts as they arrive, lingering over the words as much as the images. Your words give me moments of serenity. Thank you.
I am so inspired and energized by all these wonderfully uplifting comments…and I thank you Lisa…blessings to you XXX
Colette, as my little grandson says when he gets some of my apple pie, “I dont just like it, I love love love it”, same goes for me and your blog.I think you are amazing and look forward to buying your book in whatever form it is published. Eileen
What lovely words! Thank you Eileen and blessings to you all XXX
Dear Colette, You will never know how many people you have touched and how many you have helped along their way. We may be quiet, but we are many and we accompany you each day in thought and planting. So glad you’re getting on with the book…s. You have such a beautiful turn of phrase. Sorry for not commenting more, but we often talk about you and share postings here across the border (in Mayo). Take care, Marian xx
I really never expected such a huge response…and it is overwhelming! Thanks and blessings Marian XXX
I am lucky that my email does contain the like button–which brings me here to your site to read all the other comments. We love learning more about Beltaine Cottage and watching the seasons through your perspective, and would love to buy some seeds from you one day. We are in the midst of moving and are hoping to find a place with land where the seeds can be used well. Many thanks for all you do!! ~ Blessings! 🙂
I am collecting lots of seed this season…there will be a good selection in the months to come!
Thanks and blessings to you XXX
Me again. Colette, I really like the suncatcher in your kitchen featuring lady with fruit. Is it widely available, do you know? I have bought a renovation project in Normandy with a little bit of land. Have already planted my three rowans, and have some oaks and silver birch to follow. Fills me with such love and a sense of purpose. I am sure the oaks will outlive me, but feels good to be giving something back to Mother Earth. Blessings to you for brightening my days x
Tree planting is a great legacy to give to those children whose faces we will never see…
The stained glass is a one-off piece as far as I know…sorry!
However, it would be wonderful to commission a small piece by a local artist!
Blessings XXX
I, too, love your words and pictures that pop regularly into my inbox – but no ‘like’ button to be seen. So, I am making the effort to not just enjoy but to appreciate too. Thank you for your inspiration and sharing your beauty with those of us who aspire to follow.
Thanks and blessings to you Christine for taking time to comment XXX
Like your blog? I totally, totally love it! xxx
Blessings to you Ally XXX
I also look forward to your posts ..am irish and live in the beautiful Adelaide Hills Sth Australia ..winter here now and been lucky to have had good rains …harsh climate in summer ,hot & dry …with a special beauty ..lot of work just keeping birdbaths full each day …but so worth it …so love the lush garden you have ..my fav poet is Yeats which is why I find your work so lovely…
Thanks Rosanna…and mine too…adore Yeats!
Blessings XXX
sorry, i DO like, but do not see any place to click “like” on the site… would do so if i could find it.
thank you for your posts. a moment of sanity in a wild, wild world… 🙂
And thank you for taking the time to let me know XXX Blessings XXX
Because I can’t find a ‘like ‘ button, or I can assure you I would have pressed it. I love your blogs.
Thanks Jackie..I did not realise that the like button does not come through on the email, but is only on the actual site!
Blessings XXX
I too am obsessed with living close to Mother Nature. At 48 I ran away from an abusive marriage of 25 years and found my farm 2 years later. A blank palette to work with, I’ve built a farmhouse, chicken village, 2 high tunnels, apiary, shop and greenhouse, and many gardens, along with an orchard, berry patches, and in the works is an arbor with muscadines and kiwis planted underneath. CSA and farmer’s markets provide my income. Mountains of leaves are piled on the ground every season and the soil just gets better every year.
I never miss one of your blogs, am very much in awe of your ability to be so faithful in posting most every day, and am guilty of not pressing the “like” button–there’s not a “love it” button! My blog is called “The Farm Life Adventures of the Happy Hoer” and it’s more about what’s going on here on the farm (in Tennessee in the US), but not nearly as pretty with photographs and your wonderful way with words as your blog. Please keep up the inspiring words–
Oh, thanks so very much for writing and letting me know…it’s good to hear from so many who follow Bealtaine Cottage…I sometimes feel quite on my own!
Blessings XXX
I look forward to your blogs so much, that I feel that something is missing in my life if more than a day or two goes by without an email appearing in my inbox with your comments and insights into your thoughts and life at Bealtaine Cottage, My daughter and I refer to you as ‘the bealtaine woman’ I hope that doesn’t offend but we regularly discuss how you live and view life, and try to emulate your lifestyle as much as we can. We not only ‘like’ your blog we are inspired by it and will try to remember that appreciation can be shown by the click of a button.
Thank you for your inspiring life at Bealtaine Cottage and I look forward to reading more of your story and that of your great grandmother.
How enchanting…I am more than happy with that title! Bless you both XXX
I love every thing you do and you always inspire and make me think . Thank You xoxo
Bless you X
What a remarkable woman but you are obviously following in her footsteps as I find you the same, I cannot wait for the book and one of these days I will visit on an open day. I would love to visit your magical place.
I keep the gardens open all year round, so every day is open day now…and you are very welcome!
Blessings XXX
I don’t see a like button anywhere on WordPress email, but I want to tell you I love this and I forward it on to others. It is all beautiful and I can’t even imagine all the hard work you have put into your Eden, I really admire what you have done. I wish the whole world knew about it and how you did it. Thank you for bringing beauty into barren places and giving hope for those who desire to do the same thing for our Mother Earth.
Beautiful sentiments Barbara…I thank you most sincerely!
Blessings XXX
Like, like, like,…..much appreciated!
Your’e selling the Cottage??? When? 🙁 Absolutely love your words and pictures. It’s the only blog I never miss!
To plant a forest…whenever a genuine buyer comes along…my love affair with Mother Earth continues…
Blessings XXX
My husband and I have talked about coming to see your cottage this year if he can finish his project before our first grandchild arrives in Sept. I was going to contact you a couple of weeks ago but everything is still up in the air. I hope we can make it. Will you be planting an edible food forest when you move on? Will it be in Ireland? Thanks x
Planting in Ireland…as Ireland has the lowest tree cover in all of Europe! Please, do visit XXX
I spend my weekdays in a cubical in the windowless basement of a hospital and the photos and words you send from your cottage are like a bright fushia flower blooming against a gray brick wall – as melodramatic as that sounds! I gather details and take instruction from your photos as I plot my own back yard’s permaculture transformation– from lining the veggie beds with rocks to learning to appreciate the aesthetic of chop and drop. I admire (probably more envy lol) your abilities to simplify and reduce waste. And I caught myself a few days ago thinking, “There is no away!” with a sigh as I took out the garbage. Don’t underestimate your influence on those of us who read your blog in silence! =)
Lovely to hear from you and many blessings XXX
Mary Ann would be proud of you X
Bless you X
I get your posts via RSS feed in my email browser, so no “Like” button, but I read every one avidly, and constantly tell others about it, as a friend once told me.
Thanks and blessings to you Peter XXX
I am brand new to this site and I LOVE it! You are living my dream!!! I was sad to see that you will be selling the cottage.
All in a good cause…Blessings X
I love reading your blogs and they give me comfort and strength in my own little piece of heaven here in France. I am retired and my husband and I look after a plot on which we grow many fruits and vegetables which sustain us through at least 6 months. I grow many herbs and let many plants self seed, grow sunflowers and sage to encourage the bees, as well as hollyhocks.
More power to your growing…blessings to you Barbara X
Beautiful story of your Grandmother I wish I had the guts to do the same 🙂
It only took me a mili-second to hit like 🙂 is this cottage the same one your awesome Grandmother bought? What a strong and amazing role model! But hey, why not sleep in the cottage?
My great grandma’s cottage was just outside Omagh…this is far from there. Mary Ann worked as a servant for most of her life and felt more cosy in the barn. It was warm as my father recounted to me, so no hardship. XXX
😊
Love your pictures and comments. Looking forward to your book.
Thanks and blessings to you Johanna XXX
Love reading all about Bealtain……an absolute inspiration!!Thank you, and please keep them coming!!xxx
Wonderful things are contained in your writings. Thanks you for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks and blessings to you, Virginia XXX