So Grateful

Mother Earth is thriving. Her abundance is nothing less than magnificent. Everywhere on this land She thrives. I have found a great many Cherry Trees She has seeded and grown over the past two years, but have remained hidden in the general mayhem of Spring and Summer, only to be discovered this year as Spring seemed to struggle and lag behind, so allowing me to see. It is simply delightful to behold. The mother tree was planted by me a mere 13 yrs ago and already she has brought forth abundance. This Field Maple is bearing fruit this year and…

Kitchen Garden in May

May 22, 2017May 22, 2017 Categories: Bealtaine Cottage · Simple Living · Sustainable Living · vegetable gardenTags: carrots · cauliflower · grow vegetables · kale · organic · peas · Permaculture · potager · tunnel · veg garden8 Comments

Between the Potager Beds, shown here, and the tunnel, there’s lots of food being harvested, even in these early days of Summer! Masses of Carrots here in the shelter of the tunnel and thinning them out is such a tasty task, as I get to eat the smaller ones, complete with vitamin B12. Maybe that’s something you didn’t know…but B12 is found in the soil and why red meat has it in abundance, for cows and sheep are herbivores! If we ate more homegrown veggies, lightly rinsed and raw, our B12 intake would be taken care of! I ran out…

2nd One Day Workshop at Bealtaine Cottage

April 28, 2017April 28, 2017 Categories: Bealtaine Cottage · Permaculture · Sustainable LivingTags: Bealtaine cottage · bees · food for the bees · Food Forest · regenerative · sustainable living · workshop3 Comments

The second one day workshop of the year at Bealtaine Cottage is happening on Saturday the 17th of June. There will be a maximum of four people only accepted for this day. The day will begin at 10am and finish at 4pm. Tea/coffee and home made vegan cake in the morning and afternoon, with a full lunch in the middle of the day. This workshop will cover all aspects of sustainable and regenerative living here at Bealtaine Cottage. We will also look at planting and maintaining a Food Forest. You will have the opportunity to ask all the questions you…

Free For All!

August 1, 2016August 1, 2016 Categories: Bealtaine Cottage · care for the earth · Country Living · Inspiration · Organic Garden · Sustainable LivingTags: compost activator · cutting back woodland · free fertiliser · good bacteria · natural fertiliser · pee in a bucket · soil enhancer · urine as fertiliser · woodland regeneration19 Comments

It’s been a long and lovely day, filled with wonderful garden visitors, followed by some serious cutting back and clearing over near the tunnel. 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… “Colette, my dear sweet friend. You know I started this year as my first year with Goddess-Inspired Permacultre Gardening and Food Forest since moving here some months ago, but being…

Simple Life ~ Bealtaine Cottage July 1 2016

July 1, 2016July 1, 2016 Categories: simple life · Simple Living · Sustainable Living · UncategorizedTags: cottage · easy living · garden · Ireland · simple · simple life · Simple Living · simplicity22 Comments

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.” ― John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril A simple life is not impoverished…it’s knowing what is enough! Here I made a board for jigsaws…something I love to do. It’s simple…look closely and see how it was made…wood, glue and edging strip to keep the bits…

Evolve or Revolve…It’s Time to Choose

June 29, 2016June 29, 2016 Categories: awakening · Earth · Gaia · Hope · Sustainable Living · ThoughtsTags: community · destruction · earth · energy · evolve or revolve · future · governments · Ireland · Janine M Benyus · Jonathan porritt · mankind · mother · Mother Earth · Permaculture · planet earth · R Buckminster Fuller · Rachel Carson · spaceship earth · Thomas Berry · universal force5 Comments

I don’t know about you, but for the past decade or so I have felt a powerful force at work all round me. I have seen it too! It is a Universal force of such incredible energy that at times, I feel overwhelmed by it. This force has made governments tremble and grown men cry. It is unstoppable, all-consuming and, at times, can appear very frightening indeed. Mankind has tried to tame it, harness it, even destroy it. All to no avail. She abides… Have you heard her call? Are you listening? Her name is Earth. She is our Mother,…

Simple Living

June 22, 2016December 1, 2016 Categories: Lifestyle · Permaculture · Recycling · Sustainable Living · ThriftTags: Asia · Compassion · connecting life · cottage · energy · garden · Ireland · Jane Wilson-Howarth · London · Muswell Hill · period home · Permaculture16 Comments

“We’d incorporated Asia into our bones – its colours and laughter, its smells, its rhythms, its tolerance and patience, its compassion, its lack of ageism.” ~ Jane Wilson-Howarth Colour is important to me, as you can see from both the cottage and the garden. I am led to infuse it into my daily life, as in the tie-dyed sheet that hangs as a curtain on the old doorway. Sometimes it’s all too easy to go to the shops and buy what is deemed suitable for covering a doorway…usually a door! But, as always, a cottage can be very forgiving and accommodating to whatever…

Creating Environment and Powering Down!

May 20, 2016May 20, 2016 Categories: beauty · Bees · care for the earth · sustainable gardens · Sustainable Living · Trees · Wild FlowersTags: Bealtaine cottage · creating bee-friendly gardens · fossil fuel dependency · goddess · Ireland · Permaculture · power-down · sustainable garden · use less fossil fuel9 Comments

Most of the energy we use at home comes from burning fossil fuels. Using less energy means burning fewer fossil fuels and putting less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Over the past twelve years I have endeavoured to reduce not just my own carbon footprint, but that of Bealtaine Cottage and gardens. When first planting the forest gardens it was important to keep the paths open, so mowing once a week during the growing season was a huge task! That issue is now almost resolves as the trees have shaded the paths… and dropped lots of leaves to create quite…

A New Beginning for Bealtaine Cottage!

May 17, 2016May 17, 2016 Categories: Permaculture · Personal · Smallholding · Sustainable LivingTags: Bealtaine cottage · cottage · earth · garden · goddess · Ireland · Mother Earth · nature · new beginning · Permaculture · photographs of gardens · photographs of permaculture · smallholding · trees39 Comments

Today is an exciting and very uplifting day for Bealtaine Cottage and me! For the past year or so it’s been utterly frustrating not being able to share on this website. Restrictions were placed upon me in relation to upload space for photographs, as I had used up virtually all of the allocated space of 13GB, which is that allowed on the Premium Plan from WordPress. Well, today I paid for an upgrade which allows me unlimited upload space…a treat for myself and, I’m hoping one for you too! As I type there is a lovely soft rain falling outside,…