It is Lughnasadh, the last great festival of the Celtic Calendar!
The year is tipping towards an end as Samhain marks the beginning of the new year… 
There has been much change here at Bealtaine Cottage as the canopy of trees has merged to form what is now truly a woodland.
This evolution has happened at just the right moment in time as we have witnessed a terrifyingly hot summer and drought…the woodland gardens have come through the worst unscathed…no loss on anything!
Beauty now lies between the stones of the great circle. I have flowers to plant here and many, many happy memories of this visiting soul who decided to spend time with us here at Bealtaine.
And so the wheel turns…
Jack is happy I am home from London and SammyBear sleeps on my bed. I wonder the woodland gardens able to breath once more!
For much of my time away I was very aware of my shallow breathing.
Indeed my face looked older and more stressed.
I am happiest here keeping care of this sacred place.
Much of my holiday was spent walking, something I love about being in the city!
To walk and be able to peer into other’s lives, through windows that are close enough to touch in the winding streets of North London.
I continued on my Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle while on holiday and was two pounds lighter upon my return home!
There are many more Vegan eateries and it was much easier to eat this way.
Rain had fallen in my absence and the Spring Well was refreshed enough to send water to the cottage down the hill…the tank in the loft is now full and filling!
I expected to see much more leaf drop, but as you can see for yourself here in these photos, the trees have come through unscathed!
The forecast for Autumn seems very much as it should be and may prove to be quite a spectacular colour show!
This website is now approaching two million views…wonderful to imagine all those who have stopped by and perhaps taken a little inspiration into their lives, shaking off the old paradigm of what a garden should be…
The gardens at Bealtaine are all dedicated to the Great Mother and thus are charged with her energy.
The energy of earth is healing, both of herself and all her life upon.
As I walked with Jack around the cottage I was stopped in my tracks by this image…that of a woodland cottage, for this year has seen the manifestation of my heart’s desire from fourteen years ago, that of a cottage in the woods.
One has an idea of scale when seen against the car…
Butterflies were out in force today, in time for the sweet flowers of the Buddleia!
I uploaded a video shot this morning showing some of the Butterflies feasting on the flowers!
I want to say a special “Thanks and Blessings,” to all of you who sent condolences for Beauty…such kindness and compassion, Bless you XXX
There is the beautiful month of Lughnasadh to enjoy and appreciate the changes as summer merges into Autumn.
The special offer on the books continues and prices INCLUDE postage WORLDWIDE
“A Cottage and Three Acres,” by Colette O’Neill
Please email Colette if you would like a particular inscription in your book. From a desolate cottage set in 3 acres of monoculture sadness, to a vibrant, thriving food forest of life…the journey back to Eden over 13 years… Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.
€27.00
Special Offer: Goddess Book and Midwinter Book
In Search of the Goddess Rising and The Bealtaine Cottage Guide to the Deep Midwinter…both books normally cost €36.00 but can be purchased together for for €32.00 which includes P&P Worldwide. Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.
€32.00
Magical Mythical Map of Bealtaine Cottage and Gardens
Beautiful map created by the artist David Gascoigne, especially for Bealtaine Cottage. The picture shows one side of the map…it is printed on both sides, see the photos on this page. The price includes all Postage and Packing to wherever you live in the world! Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.
€12.00
For more info on Bealtaine Books…
https://bealtainecottage.com/bealtaine-cottage-publications-books-and-maps/
Colette is now offering, for the first time, a series of week long, intensive learning programmes here at Bealtaine Cottage. 
ONE WEEK OF INTENSIVE PERMACULTURE
You will learn:
This will be a unique opportunity to learn, first hand, and with one to one teaching, all the skills you will need to set up your own Permaculture smallholding.
This 12 year old Permaculture Smallholding site is completely self-funding…no EU Grants, No Government Grants…No Diktats! 
Learn how to set up your own business in easy stages…independently and successfully!
Your week’s stay includes all food…Vegan/Vegetarian based on choice. 
Your accommodation is an independent Eco-Lodge with wood-burning stove and lots of room. 
This houses a double bed, so is perfect for a couple sharing.
Each course is 7 full days, which means 9 nights, arriving the afternoon/evening before and leaving the morning after the completion of the course. 
There will be one, seven day Immersive Course, per month, beginning in April…through to October 2017. 
Early booking is essential! 
…as well as home made liqueurs!
Dates are negotiable at this early stage. 
However, before I begin, I must say that I’ve been reading the comments on the Bealtaine Cottage Magical Gardens site on FaceBook and feel compelled to make a very important comment, for all to read… 
The lovely Bridget Birkner had this to say about her garden…
So in response… and for this valuable knowledge to reach the wider world…
Especially for Bridget…and those who are struggling with restoring fertility to soil…here’s a little secret…and what I have done and continue to do to restore health to the soil…
I pee in a bucket and mix it 10:1 with rainwater…it is marvellous liquid fertiliser and helps to get good bacteria developing in the soil. 
However if you are on serious medication it’s best not to use it!
Fresh urine is high in nitrogen, moderate in phosphorus and low in potassium and can act as an excellent high-nitrogen liquid 
Urine is great as an activator for compost heaps and, in highly concentrated form, as a weed-killer.
So, there you have it folks! No more supporting chemical fertilisers or paying extraordinary amounts of money for organic fertiliser…get yourself a bucket and a watering can and help Mother Earth the natural way! 
Now that’s out of the way, here’s an update on garden work today…this has involved an immense amount of cutting back. I have stacked all the cuttings and wood into various big piles to biodegrade naturally, whilst at the same time providing essential habitat for hibernators and small mammals. 
You can see from the followings pics the difference this has made in terms of light and space for the woodland floor to regenerate.
It’s always a strange time when the moon is full. 
This May moon has cast it’s brightness over Ireland, presiding over an extraordinary time of growth.
All around the cottage there are flowers opening, plants growing, seemingly overnight and trees now heavy with leaf and blossom. 
Where would an Irish cottage garden be without the beautiful and traditional Perlagonium?
And, of course, every cottage garden has a little spot for Succulents…I plant these in terracotta pots and here in this old planter. 
Always lots of tasks to complete as in painting the old Buddha, so he may survive another winter!
As in all cottage gardens, famous for their mish-mash of flowers, vegetables fruit and just about everything else, edibles share potager beds with their close relations!
I have had to move many plants from pots and plant them in spaces wherever I can find them. 
The nursery bed, essential to a cottage garden, is being cleared fast, with plants going into the long beds down by the road. 
Pieris and Poppies…as always, flowers are squashed in beside the most unsuitable bed mates…the Poppy is planted in with Flowering Currant! 
And sitting in my chair on the veranda, looking up…the classic cottage garden rose. 
The all-forgiving Cottage Garden will tolerate just about everything one wants to “throw out!” Except, of course, I throw little away, favouring a good old re-purpose, as in this old, but very comfy, fireside chair! 
And…the beautiful Wisteria…tougher than it looks and essential “cottage garden!” 
Nothing pristine here! 
Even Jack…unlike Sammy-Bear! 
Oh Jack, you are a little beaut! 
Opening my backdoor this morning I see the Fairies have tidied up again!
But, it’s not…instead it boasts food for all and more to come. 
These are the gardens of the goddess, Mother Earth in all her splendour and abundance! 
