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 the Bees are soaring around its topmost branches.
I know that I have posted this quote before, but it speaks loudly and will not be quietened…
“Wherever forests have not been mowed down, wherever the animal is recessed in their quiet protection, wherever the earth is not bereft of four-footed life – that to the white man is an ‘unbroken wilderness.’ 
But for us there was no wilderness, nature was not dangerous but hospitable, not forbidding but friendly. Our faith sought the harmony of man with his surroundings; the other sought the dominance of surroundings.
For us, the world was full of beauty; for the other, it was a place to be endured until he went to another world.
But we were wise. We knew that man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard.”
― Chief Luther Standing Bear
“Kinship with all creatures of the earth, sky, and water was a real and active principle.
In the animal and bird world there existed a brotherly feeling that kept us safe among them…
The animals had rights – the right of man’s protection, the right to live, the right to multiply, the right to freedom, and the right to man’s indebtedness.
This concept of life and its relations filled us with the joy and mystery of living; it gave us reverence for all life; it made a place for all things in the scheme of existence with equal importance to all.”
― Chief Luther Standing Bear
And so wherever we allow Her, enable Her and protect Her, abundance flows…
It’s humbling to witness…
My Goddess helps me to keep in mind the great Life Force of the Great Mother, for I, as a human need symbols to ground me and remember that She is not just a life-force, but an intelligent sentient being.
Symbols have always resonated with us.
We possess an innate ability to read and understand symbols, for they transcend language and culture.
Yet even as I walk back along the veranda towards the door of the cottage, I see the abundance.
This time in a recently re-potted tree…lots of tiny Parsley seedlings. I have no idea where they have come from, except to add that I used home made compost and these are from the seed-heads of last Summer.
“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.
€25.00
In Search of The Goddess Rising
This is the second book in the Goddess Permaculture series from Colette O’Neill at Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland. In this book I explore the ancient landscape, mythology, literature and life around Bealtaine Cottage… in search of the Great Goddess. The price of the book 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.
€19.00
Bealtaine Cottage Guide to the Deep Midwinter
A little Yuletide book filled with colour photographs, recipes, reflections, lore, poetry and mirth to guide you through the wonderful days ahead. Fifty pages of sheer delight from Bealtaine Cottage to you. The book is fully bound and can be posted direct as a gift. Price includes P&P worldwide. Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.
€13.00
Special Offer
In Search of the Goddess Rising and The Bealtaine Cottage Guide to the Deep Midwinter…both books normally cost €32.00 but can be purchased together for for €28.00 which includes P&P Worldwide. Bealtaine Books and Maps are printed in Ireland and posted from Ireland to support the people of Ireland.
€28.00
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.
€10.00
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.
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 from falling off the board. 
All these photographs were snapped today, the first day of July….a few last night!
A little record of a simple life… Enjoy!
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, our home, our future. 
Humankind’s greatest priority is to reintegrate with the natural world. ~ Jonathon Porritt 
If we are to use our tools in the service of fitting in on Earth, our basic relationship to nature–even the story we tell ourselves about who we are in the universe–has to change. ~ Janine M. Benyus
Our little Spaceship Earth is only eight thousand miles in diameter, which is almost a negligible dimension in the great vastness of space. ~ R. Buckminster Fuller
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction. ~ Rachel Carson
The world of life, of spontaneity, the world of dawn and sunset and starlight, the world of soil and sunshine, of meadow and woodland, of hickory and oak and maple and hemlock and pineland forests, of wildlife dwelling around us, of the river and its wellbeing–all of this [is] the integral community in which we live. ~ Thomas Berry
We can do nothing and keep revolving, remaining perfect fodder for governments, corporations and empires, or…
we can connect with Her and begin to evolve into what we are meant to be…part of Her.
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 furniture or resources one has. 
A cottage is never in competition with the big, new house down the road! 
It’s more of a “make do and mend” kind of home, where anything goes, be it period or modern, or just recycled, as is the case here at Bealtaine. 
As I snapped these photos this morning, my gaze was being continually led outside…and so it should be, for that connectivity is immensely important. 
I recall living in an old house in Muswell Hill in London and how I loved tending the window boxes beyond the old sash windows. 
How just the simple act of pushing them up and the outside coming in provided a kind of release of energy both ways! 
The connectivity of life!
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. 
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 dense mulch. 
I am now tackling the long grass area that is the frontage of the gardens onto the road. 
Planting is diverse and from my own Nursery where I grow trees, flowers, shrubs, herbs and vegetables. 
It has always been important to me to keep this neat and attractive as it is an encouragement to passers-by to consider Goddess-Inspired Permaculture in a positive light! 
This is the stage I am at today. I simply strip back some grass and turn the sod upside down behind the strip…then plant! 
The end result will be that there is about half the amount of grass to mow…so half the amount of fossil fuel used! 
That’s what I call a result!
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, refreshing and renewing the earth.
The same has happened here for me on the website…I feel a sense of renewal and excitement!
To be honest, writing and photographing Bealtaine Cottage and Mother Earth constitutes my first love!
Much as I love the interaction on social media, it can be very time-consuming and ultimately takes away from the work I do here!
The payment of an extra 200 Euros was necessary for the extended plan, but this liberates me from the strictures of what I can put out there for everyone to enjoy.
I will continue with the Bealtaine Cottage Good Life website and am working on a plan to do a sort of “joined-up”daily blog…watch this space! 
And so the story of Bealtaine Cottage continues, moving onwards and upwards!
“Country things are the necessary root of our life – and that remains true even of a rootless and tragically urban civilization. To live permanently away from the country is a form of slow death.”
And so I hope to continue bringing the country to you!
Sharing this little sacred space in the west of Ireland, with the world…
The seasonal changes, garden, wildlife and Mother Earth…
The song of the Goddess and her inspired Permaculture…
Thanks for staying with Bealtaine Cottage…
