Happy First Birthday..........

 Happy first Birthday Charlie Cricket.

Life certainly has been a challenge for this precious little guy, having survived a horrendous dog attack in the first few weeks of his life, to me finding my way to him just a week or so later, I remember going to look at Charlie and his brother, his brother and I didn't seem to fit and I recall looking down at Charlie sitting on the floor wondering how bad the wounds were, and Charlie just looking at me begging to be picked up, I placed his brother down and gathered him into my arms and Charlie curled up beneath my neck and went straight to sleep, and did not move, purring his little heart out as if to say get me out of here, and so the choice was made.

Taking him home and immediately having to deal with the flea problem he had and tending to his wounds, the first few weeks were pretty intense as I did not want any of the wounds to become infected.

Weeks of cleaning the wounds twice daily and lots of love and tenderness nursed him through these first few weeks.

Charlie immediately fell in love with Miss Bear and the two became best friends almost instantly, when Nala appeared I think Charlie thought all his Christmases had come at once, he now had  two sisters to snuggle and play with, sharing his love so openly, he is such a giving little boy.

Charlie is still on medication for the sideways head issue, and I trust this will rectify itself soon, figure he has been through enough for one year of life and trusting that full health returns to him.

His playful and gentlemanly nature has brought such a lot of joy to the house and  I trust will continue to do so for many years to come.......

We are all connected with nature: Nixiwaka Yawanawa at TEDxHackney

The Pursuit.......

My Daughter In-law

My daughter in-law captured this discovery perfectly, it is not the blue banded bee she first thought it was,but rather another species of native bee.

Already after only a few months of transforming their back garden into a mini native retreat for the local wildlife in their area they are seeing an huge array of insects and birds come into their garden.

Like me they are forever outside, tending to the plants and simply enjoying the abundance of life that is visiting each day, content to sit and watch the wonder of creation.

Miracles abound in each moment of our lives if only we are awake enough to see.

We have to relearn to live in the moment to see the miraculous in nature if we are truly to live an inspiring and balanced human life.....

Charlie Was....

 Charlie was interrupted from a peaceful catnap yesterday morning by me surrounding him with cushions as I was on a mission of clearing the cottages energy.

As is my habit a good clean of the house means that everything that is not nailed down is moved.

With the house in a rather chaotic state while I moved things around Charlie did come reluctantly out  from the fortress of cushions to see what was going on.

 Miss Bear and Nala were investigating the shifting stuff in the piles placed out of the way so I could move the daybed.

Charlie discovered the vacuum and gave me the look of "oh on not this again!"

Having such a tiny home, four rooms in total and no storage cupboards I need to keep things fairly ordered.

Coming from a much larger house I have already shed so much as it simply did not fit in the cottage.

Once again boxes of "stuff" made their way to the car.

Being really mindful of what I actually need and what is simply dust collectors.

Gone is the room which once had many floor to ceiling bookcases filled with books I had collected over the years, also gone is the television I had to watch DVD's as well as all the DVD's I had collected over the years.

Shedding the old so that I may grow, clearing the space so that new energies may enter.

Shifting the energy in the cottage is something that I am constantly doing, and the more I discover about myself and the more dedicated I am to my own unique path in life, the less material stuff I require.

I do love the quirky space I have created with my nothing matches way of decorating, but to me it really feels that everything just works, and there is no one else I have to consider about my decorating taste.

Less is definitely more in this small home. 

As the dreaded vacuum machine came out, three little cats headed to hide under the safety of the bed until it was safe to come out and snuggle in their favourite napping places once again...... 

  

An Australian Ringneck....

 An Australian ringneck parrot enjoying some acacia seeds for breakfast this morning.

Normally these birds come to the garden in large groups, this morning though only a couple were enjoying the seed pods.

They are striking birds, and I use to think that they were quite destructive in the garden, often pruning things that I didn't really want to be cut back.

However the parrots will tend to prune plants they feel need to be pruned snipping off bits of the plant here and there, having noted over the past few months the way that they tend to the snipping of plants I realised that they maybe doing me a favour.

A few months ago they pruned all of the coleus plants in the garden, they touched nothing else just the coleus, at the time I was a tad miffed as a few of the plants were young and just beginning to settle into the space where I had planted them, now though all the plants are thriving and have bushed out, so I am thinking, leave nature to take care of nature......

An Inquisitive Maple....

 An inquisitive Maple came to check out my cup of coffee as I sat enjoying the dawning of a new day.

She seemed intrigued by this strange object, she circled it for several minutes before deciding to move on to more suitable chicken delicacy's......  

Charlie and Nala.....

Charlie and Nala striking a pose.

Not too sure what I interrupted here, apart from a vision of cuteness.....

A Handful....

 A handful of perfection.....

Bringing Home.....

Bringing home new smells today after assisting  friends make repairs to their pond had the kitty kids sniffing away for a good half hour at my flip-flops....

With The Weather...

 With the weather warming up I seeing the duck folk less and less, but still enjoy their presence in the garden when they do appear....

Someone Was....

 Someone was hiding in a box and was after my toes each time I walked past.....

This is What 13 Years of Permaculture in Ireland Looks Like!

Gaia Was...

 Gaia was a chirpy fluffy bundle of cuteness when I went to change the water and clean out the box this morning.

A lot more active today despite the heat, Brulee constantly communicating with her as she explored her surroundings and had a drink of water and a even tried a bit to eat.

She definitely is a strong minded little chick and seems to be happy enough to be picked up, much to mums annoyance......