Recipes, Cats and Ponds

First of all, the recipes have just been posted over at Bealtaine Cottage Kitchen on the Good Life website…and here’s a link:

https://bealtainecottage.org/bealtaine-cottage-kitchen/

Sammy-Bear is well and truly zoned out here on the sofa.

I was going to sit down, for I’ve been out most of the day at the pond, finishing clearing the pond-weed! Oh…at last…job done! I stood and watched his restful sleep and decided to sit elsewhere! He’s a lovely boy who deserves his comfort! The signs of season change and early autumn are now quite visible from the windows of the cottage, with lots of yellow appearing on the young Ash trees. By the way, there are lots of Ash seeds for sale and these trees are very, very easy to grow…even as Bonsai! Here’s the link to the seed site…

https://bealtainecottage.com/seeds-for-sale/

You can see from the following pics the amount of clearing I’ve done.

It was a mammoth task and I’m jolly glad it’s over! The next task involves continuing to clear around the banks and the woodland around the pond.

The water is cloudy but this should settle in the next day or so.Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. Buddha

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

John Wooden I have a mind to just get on with things…head down into the wind, not looking to right nor left and working until I’m exhausted.

This is probably why I have refused the help of others and never allowed woofers to stay here…I’ve always been stubborn!

However, it must be said that I love a challenge and hard work is good for mind and body, regardless of age. Rebellion against your handicaps gets you nowhere. Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world–making the most of one’s best.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

Frogspawn, Sunshine and a Walk in the Garden

Posted March 9, 2016

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, biodiversity, Birds, bog gardens, Country Living, Earth, frogs, Garden, Uncategorized

Went for a walk down to the pond and made a video on the way, as the sun shone and the birds sang…what a beautiful day!

The lower pond is filled with Frogspawn…almost heaving really…I’ve never seen so much!

Just recalling how a mere twelve years ago there was nothing here by wet, rushy ground that was impenetrable to the spade!

Now it’s packed with wildlife, young woodland, ponds, streams, orchards, soft fruits and vegetables!

There is even a Spring Well, dug out from stone, deep within the Fairy Wood! Bealtaine Cottage…from monoculture to permaculture in twelve short years!

Enjoy the video!

Those interested in the Fuchsia, Blackcurrant or Rubus cuttings need to hurry and order, as they are fast coming into leaf…another couple of weeks left to get them in the ground and growing…and they will grow very fast indeed! To place your order, click on the link below…

https://bealtainecottage.com/seeds-for-sale/

Follow Your Bliss and the Universe Will Open Doors

Posted May 2, 2014

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, Cats, Cottage, Country Living, Fairies, Garden, hens, Inspiration, Permaculture, Spirituality, Summer, Uncategorized, Wild Flowers, Woodland

Looking out on a May evening…

Making a decision is always the most difficult part of moving forward.

In deciding, one simply puts it out there, for the Universe to pick up.

That is what I have done here at Bealtaine Cottage…the next move comes from that energy.

Sammy-Bear takes a seat…

The sale may, or may not happen…but the planting of trees will move forward.

The feeding system I have devised and constructed for the hens…an old pipe and tin, firmly secured on the wall of the hen-house!

I have done what was asked of me and agreed to the sacrifice.

What happens next is synchronicity and the will of Divine Energy…The Forest of Bealtaine will happen in the same magical way as Eden emerged here at Bealtaine Cottage.

Food is poured in to the top of the pipe and emerges from the feeder at the bottom as the hen peck!

As my friend, Rosie, on Twitter, pointed out to me this morning…“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” -Joseph Campbell

Bealtaine has begun here in the west of Ireland.

Down the steps into the may gardens

Planting is under way of crops and even a few more trees, though mostly the trees are in pots awaiting a forest!

Sedge in bloom to the left of the steps.

Walking around the gardens this morning I snapped these pictures…

Through the Fairy Wood…

Foxglove in Spurge on the woodland floor…

Fairy Wood at Bealtaine Cottage

Sedge in the Fairy Wood

Stopping by the Silt-pond

Willow in the Bog Garden

A Year at Bealtaine Cottage…

Posted December 31, 2013

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, Cottage, Country Living, Ecology, Edible Gardens, Garden, Growing Food, hens, Herbs, Inspiration, Life, Lifestyle, Organic Garden, Permaculture, Self-Sufficiency, Smallholding, Uncategorized

Not in any particular order…pictures of the year that was…

With the oven hot enough to bake a cake…my beloved Stanley Stove in the kitchen…

Early morning mist sweeps up the valley…

One of the Plum Trees laden with fruit…

The moon rising over the gardens…

Salix Contorta, or Twisted Willow, with Hag-Stones hanging from one of its branches.

Nasturtiums by the veranda.

Back of Bealtaine, near the main production gardens.

The lower pond in the Bog Garden.

My darling Missy…gone from this mortal coil, but her energy is felt…

Firing up the Rocket Stove with a bit of an old fence post…wicked heat!

Early Spring in the gardens near the tunnel.

Washing in the wind!

Home made compost.

Apple blossom…a great apple harvest every year without fail!

The tunnel in May…seedlings in pots and trays everywhere!

Productive gardens, around the tunnel and herb beds, in May

The Hen house…I will definitely get some more hens in 2014!

I miss the girls…hens are very relaxing to watch.

Bluebells under the kitchen window…I shall post some more tomorrow

Happy New Year to you all XXX and Blessings from Bealtaine.

Bealtaine Cottage and Permaculture Gardens Photo Album 2012…February!

Posted December 29, 2012

Filed under Animals, Cats, Climate, Cottage, Country Living, Crafts, Food, Garden, Growing Food, Inspiration, Ireland, Life, Permaculture

Looking back at the year…February photographs

February was mild and the Daffodils in the gardens of Bealtaine came up without damage

Ribes bushes throughout the gardens filled the air with a heady scent, enticing the Bees out from hibernation.

Mizuna flourished in the tunnel, providing a green salad for the table throughout the winter months.

Missy showed her first signs of being unwell and began a course of steroid treatment.

We thought we would loose her, but her spirit stayed strong.

Weaving baskets from willow began in earnest at Bealtaine Cottage, putting newly acquired skills into practice.

The water barrels kept filling and filling as the rain poured from the skies…

We had sunny days too…all the more appreciated for the previous rain!

We went out walking and found old ruins from past lives, now stark and dramatic against the bright, February sky of 2012.

The greening of the Bog Garden started in mist and frost.

The heavily misted mornings were a beauty all of their own.

And the early sun of 2012 crept into the cottage…

Willow Fedges, Arches and Fairy Woods

Posted August 7, 2012

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, Current Affairs, Fairies, Garden, Life, Lifestyle, Permaculture, Thoughts, Trees, Uncategorized, Woodland

It’s evening here at Bealtaine Cottage.

The sun is setting in the west and there’s a mild chill in the air.

I have been cutting back some of the wild summer growth and the sunlight can now reach areas where there was only heavy shade.

The dappled light covers the standing stone on the bank under the cottage.

One of the big tasks is tying in the willow growth from this year into the fedges that cover the smallholding.

It’s a lovely task really, I can’t complain, as I work and listen to the sounds of Nature all around me.

It also allows me time to look at the way plants are developing and plan the next task, so there is an organic flow to my work.

This willow arch has many stems of Dogwood worked into it.

The fedge on the right was the first one constructed here and had developed well over seven or so years.

It looked odd at the beginning as it stood all alone on a rushy field.

An upside down vase covers the top of a stem from a Sitka spruce that I recently cut down.

There is a disease which is killing these trees off all over Ireland and Scotland and no wonder!

The plantations of these trees spread far and wide and are monoculture nightmares that blot the landscape in huge square planting schemes that allow no light or biodiversity into their space…it is purely for greed!

The bog garden has seen lots of work over recent days as I clear the edges of the pond and cut back willow and shrubs.

This is a lovely time of the year to work outdoors.

Autumn is my favourite season.

It is a time when the gardens start to look their best as the summer party ends and the tidy up begins…

I have realised the great value of Willow this year as a fuel for the stove.

Much of what I cut last Autumn made great kindling and small logs, giving a strong heat.

It also works well in the Rocket Stove.

When I had finished my work, I walked back up through the Fairy Dell Wood as the evening sun was illuminating the entrance, making it look magical.

I have always believed in Fairies…

A Walk in the Permaculture Gardens Makes All Better!

Posted May 2, 2012

Filed under Current Affairs, Garden, Inspiration, Ireland, Permaculture, Politics, Spirituality, Trees

After listening to the radio this morning, which I should not have done, I had to seek solace and sanity in the gardens.

I will not go into what it was that upset me, but like most of you who read this blog, you can put a fair guess that it had something to do with the establishment…government, church…that measure of hierarchy!

So, off I went into the gardens to shake it off!

Most of us know right from wrong.

Why is this so very difficult for governments and churches?

Here is today’s video…just a walk through the gardens…click on the link and enjoy…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4UZMObLSIc&list=UUHkXJ9wsrdPEpzb-KMgmt-A&index=1&feature=plpp_video

Earth Day Photographs of Bealtaine Cottage

Posted April 21, 2012

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, biodiversity, Country Living, Ecology, Garden, Smallholding, Uncategorized, Wildlife

The Water Garden at Bealtaine Cottage

Posted March 31, 2012

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, biodiversity, Country Living, Gardening, Inspiration, Orchids, Organic Garden, Wild Flowers

Just pictures today…of the Water Garden here at the permaculture smallholding.

This is the Lower Pond in the Bog Garden.

It is a haven for wildlife…sitting by the Lower Pond on a summer evening surrounded by dragonflies is one of the pleasures to be enjoyed after work.

The ponds, for there are two, are filled with Wild Mint and Watercress, among other delights.

Buttercups, Celandines and Meadowsweet abound.

This is one of the grass pathways leading down to the Bog Garden and the ponds.

It is planted out with Willow, Yellow Loosestrife, Monbretia and the weeds are all really flowers as you can see!

One of the wild Orchids growing in the damp ground of the Bog Garden last summer.

Gunnera Manicata growing beside one of the ponds…

There are many wildflowers that can be included when planting an informal pond to attract wildlife.

It is important to include Native plants as these provide a vital food source for many insects, which then encourages more birds to your pond and garden.

Many Butterflies will visit your water garden if native plants and wild flowers are allowed their domain!

Butterflies that are first to hatch here at Bealtaine Cottage is the Orange Tip, and though it will feed from a range of plants it only lays its eggs on Ladys Smock.

Ladys Smock is one of the wild flowers that grace the wet conditions in the Bog Garden.

It is really vital that we do all we can to protect native habitats, for as these are threatened it becomes more important to provide alternative safe havens for birds, insects, Bees and native plants within gardens.

Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 120 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.

Bealtaine Cottage Calendar 2020

This calendar celebrates the magic of Bealtaine and the evolution to a Sanctuary for Life. The Hare was viewed by the ancient Celts as being the link between this world and the Otherworld-a supernatural world which is directly linked to nature. The Hare is known for being able to run between our world and the 'Otherworld'. Shapeshifters are widely known in Ireland to take on the form of the Hare. This is told in the famous story of the Celtic warrior Oisín. The Hare guards both the entrance to and exit from, the Fairy Wood at Bealtaine. The Calendar, which features over 50 photographs and all the Celtic festivals, includes Postage and packing WORLDWIDE and can be posted on your behalf as a gift, from Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland. (Pre-orders now accepted)

€16.50

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Aug
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

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Went for a walk down to the pond and made a video on the way, as the sun shone and the birds sang…what a beautiful day!

The lower pond is filled with Frogspawn…almost heaving really…I’ve never seen so much!

Just recalling how a mere twelve years ago there was nothing here by wet, rushy ground that was impenetrable to the spade!

Now it’s packed with wildlife, young woodland, ponds, streams, orchards, soft fruits and vegetables!

There is even a Spring Well, dug out from stone, deep within the Fairy Wood! Bealtaine Cottage…from monoculture to permaculture in twelve short years!

Enjoy the video!

Those interested in the Fuchsia, Blackcurrant or Rubus cuttings need to hurry and order, as they are fast coming into leaf…another couple of weeks left to get them in the ground and growing…and they will grow very fast indeed! To place your order, click on the link below…

Share this:

Like this:

Making a decision is always the most difficult part of moving forward.

In deciding, one simply puts it out there, for the Universe to pick up.

That is what I have done here at Bealtaine Cottage…the next move comes from that energy.

The sale may, or may not happen…but the planting of trees will move forward.

I have done what was asked of me and agreed to the sacrifice.

What happens next is synchronicity and the will of Divine Energy…The Forest of Bealtaine will happen in the same magical way as Eden emerged here at Bealtaine Cottage.

As my friend, Rosie, on Twitter, pointed out to me this morning…“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” -Joseph Campbell

Bealtaine has begun here in the west of Ireland.

Planting is under way of crops and even a few more trees, though mostly the trees are in pots awaiting a forest!

Walking around the gardens this morning I snapped these pictures…

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

February was mild and the Daffodils in the gardens of Bealtaine came up without damage

Ribes bushes throughout the gardens filled the air with a heady scent, enticing the Bees out from hibernation.

Mizuna flourished in the tunnel, providing a green salad for the table throughout the winter months.

Missy showed her first signs of being unwell and began a course of steroid treatment.

We thought we would loose her, but her spirit stayed strong.

Weaving baskets from willow began in earnest at Bealtaine Cottage, putting newly acquired skills into practice.

The water barrels kept filling and filling as the rain poured from the skies…

We had sunny days too…all the more appreciated for the previous rain!

We went out walking and found old ruins from past lives, now stark and dramatic against the bright, February sky of 2012.

The greening of the Bog Garden started in mist and frost.

The heavily misted mornings were a beauty all of their own.

And the early sun of 2012 crept into the cottage…

Share this:

Like this:

It’s evening here at Bealtaine Cottage.

The sun is setting in the west and there’s a mild chill in the air.

I have been cutting back some of the wild summer growth and the sunlight can now reach areas where there was only heavy shade.

The dappled light covers the standing stone on the bank under the cottage.

One of the big tasks is tying in the willow growth from this year into the fedges that cover the smallholding.

It’s a lovely task really, I can’t complain, as I work and listen to the sounds of Nature all around me.

It also allows me time to look at the way plants are developing and plan the next task, so there is an organic flow to my work.

This willow arch has many stems of Dogwood worked into it.

The fedge on the right was the first one constructed here and had developed well over seven or so years.

It looked odd at the beginning as it stood all alone on a rushy field.

An upside down vase covers the top of a stem from a Sitka spruce that I recently cut down.

There is a disease which is killing these trees off all over Ireland and Scotland and no wonder!

The plantations of these trees spread far and wide and are monoculture nightmares that blot the landscape in huge square planting schemes that allow no light or biodiversity into their space…it is purely for greed!

The bog garden has seen lots of work over recent days as I clear the edges of the pond and cut back willow and shrubs.

This is a lovely time of the year to work outdoors.

Autumn is my favourite season.

It is a time when the gardens start to look their best as the summer party ends and the tidy up begins…

I have realised the great value of Willow this year as a fuel for the stove.

Much of what I cut last Autumn made great kindling and small logs, giving a strong heat.

It also works well in the Rocket Stove.

When I had finished my work, I walked back up through the Fairy Dell Wood as the evening sun was illuminating the entrance, making it look magical.

I have always believed in Fairies…

Share this:

Like this:

After listening to the radio this morning, which I should not have done, I had to seek solace and sanity in the gardens.

I will not go into what it was that upset me, but like most of you who read this blog, you can put a fair guess that it had something to do with the establishment…government, church…that measure of hierarchy!

So, off I went into the gardens to shake it off!

Most of us know right from wrong.

Why is this so very difficult for governments and churches?

Here is today’s video…just a walk through the gardens…click on the link and enjoy…

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Just pictures today…of the Water Garden here at the permaculture smallholding.

This is the Lower Pond in the Bog Garden.

It is a haven for wildlife…sitting by the Lower Pond on a summer evening surrounded by dragonflies is one of the pleasures to be enjoyed after work.

The ponds, for there are two, are filled with Wild Mint and Watercress, among other delights.

Buttercups, Celandines and Meadowsweet abound.

This is one of the grass pathways leading down to the Bog Garden and the ponds.

It is planted out with Willow, Yellow Loosestrife, Monbretia and the weeds are all really flowers as you can see!