Townlands Carnival 2015

After the success of last year's festival we were super excited when the day finally arrived and we set off for the Townlands Carnival, a music festival held relatively locally.

To be honest getting ready was stressful. 

We planned to go for 4 nights, with the trailer tent, a new baby and an extra child. I felt like we spent the week before preparing, days of washing and packing and checking lists. 

I felt anxious about camping with Ena, knowing it would be fine really, but a fear of the unknown. 

Finally we were ready though and set off. 

We decided to arrive the day before the festival and leave the day after it finished minimizing the stress as much as possible also making the most of our time away. It was a good move. We left home much later than we had expected and arrived around dinner time, tired, hungry and still with lots of unpacking to do, none of which I could help with as Ena needed me. 

Still I was glad we did it that way because it meant we were set up and ready before the festival began and we could relax and enjoy it.

It was so full, every moment filled with excitement and adventure and newness. We made so many new friends and tried new things. Heard great music and danced in the mud. 

There were pockets of calm, lying in the tent with Ena and Joa, reading stories or playing. There were lovely moments around the campfire toasting marshmallows. There was the camaraderie in our little group of tents, huddled under awnings and around the campfire, sharing meals and washing up and child care. There was much laughter, and play, and friendship, and dancing and rain and shouting and smiling and eating, too much to even remember all in one go.

So I will let the pictures jog our memories...

before

Alan and Steve

our camp

badminton

beginning

shop

communal meals

pocket money

Add caption

music

evenings

mornings

devil sticks

friends and circus

spotlight

festival baby

blue-tonged skink

crafts

wishing line

Sibin Stage

starwars

waiting for pizza

pizza and pimms

and then the camera ran out of batteries and my phone ran out of batteries, so I will use single words instead to jog more memories...
Alan, sausages, devil sticks, sparklers, candle making, puppet show, rain, wind, porridge in cups, dancing competitions, stilts, parade, umbrella jelly fish, horrible loos, nettle rash, meeting old friends, funny little dog, blacksmith, Alan, raincoats, Heavy Billy, marshmallow burns, fetching water with the wagon, face paints, rain....Alan

It was great, Ena was a brilliant festival baby. At times I felt a little jealous of the beers being drank and found it difficult needing to sit in the tent at times to shelter and rest with her while others were out partying. But it was better than I thought it would be and easier than I feared it would be and we made wonderful memories and had great experiences and made brilliant friends. It would have all been easier if the weather had been on our side, but thanks to slings and babywearing raincoats and the helping hands of everyone around us, we truly enjoyed it.

the tree and meeting santa

Last Saturday we had such a lovely day. We decorated the tree (well the kids and Garry did while I took pictures and supervised from a restful place on the sofa)

it's so lovely to find favourite decorations again

the angel on top and a few silly poses to finish off...

 Then we wrapped up warm and headed to the lovely little cafe in our village to meet Santa.
There were lots of other people waiting to see him, lots of our friends and neighbours to chat with.
Mrs Claus was in a tent with a little heater reading stories to the children...

 We sipped on some mulled wine (non-alcoholic for me and the kids) and tasted all the baked goodies on offer until the elves called our names and it was our turn.

 We followed the path lit by tea lights up through the aviary in the cafe's garden.

 At the end of the path was Santa's hut,

 and inside the big man himself.

 He chatted with the kids. Asking them questions and agreeing that yes he had seen them the day before at school and preschool. He told them he fed the reindeer sausages! And asked them to leave him out some milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. Then he asked the kids to sing Jingle Bells for him, which we all did with gusto and he said to make sure we sing it again on Christmas Eve before the fire so he will know where we are.

 Then he gave each child a lolly and a little bag of treats.
When we had said our thank you's and see you soon's we had another listen to Mrs Claus' stories before heading off.
It was such a lovely, special experience, really understated and very reasonable, all profits going to charity. It was so nice too, being local, meeting people we knew and the food and drink offered by lots of elf helpers was gorgeous and home made. Carols were sung and we just loved every second.
Not quite ready to go home we went to the pub a few doors up and sat by the fire chatting with some friends and looking at all the little things Santa had given the kids.

 To end the evening we went 'dessoration' spotting on the way home. Stopping off at the promenade to sing another chorus of Jingle Bells under the village tree.

 Just as we were leaving the house that afternoon Garry had switched on all the twinkly Christmas lights so as we approached our house we were greeted by this beautiful, warm, cosy glow...

It was such a lovely day and has the makings of 'family tradition'. Talking of which, I was talking with Rebe about something we did last year: One evening before Christmas we had all cuddled into the living room together to watch Narnia. We had the fire blazing and Garry made hot chocolate with whipped cream served with shortbread. I asked did she remember doing that last year (the only the time we did this) and she replied, 'Yes and when we did the year before, and the year before that and the year before that.'
Isn't it funny how it made such a strong impression on her that she remembers it being a life long tradition.
This is what we give them isn't really? Memories so strong they last a life time!

autumn equinox 2013

Every year since we have moved to west cork the children and I celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of autumn on the autumn equinox. There is a wonderful post written here with some great information and ideas about the equinox, do check it out! 

When we first moved here, we were very lucky to find a wonderful equinox celebration organised at Pairc a Tobair; an ecology project run by 2 Sisters of Mercy nuns.

 The project is set on the edge of a beautiful little town about 45mins from us. We park the car at the gates and walk up the slope to where the sisters live.

 They live here in this little wooden house. They live off the food they grow on their land and live kindly and gently on the earth. They run organic allotments and also gardening courses for people living locally and are the most gentle, welcoming people. They live as if the whole world is God and they live with respect, love and kindness for the whole earth.

 Each year they welcome us with open hearts and arms into their community to give thanks for the summer growth and the bountiful harvest and to reflect on the change of seasons.

 A bonfire burns in the fire pit waiting for us to gather around it.

 Each year we are led in simple songs and dances, written by the sisters or friends of theirs or learnt from Native American tribes.

 This year I was asked to read a poem, it was very special to me being able to offer my thanks and love by participating in this way.

 The kids played around, pretending to be gorillas, but joined in the dances and songs and listened quietly to my reading.
The ceremonies were brief this year. In years past we have watched the sun go down on the surrounding hills in silence or to the music of a flute, but this year we were shrouded in mist and darkness fell gently with no passing of the sun.

 After the ceremony we shared a feast of home made, locally produced food. This year we brought tomatoes and cucumber salads from the garden, coleslaw made from veggies we had grown and that had been gifted to us and an apple cake with organic apples from the farmers market, sweetened with honey and molasses (which Rebe thought were made of mole's asses he he!)

The kids busily helped keep the fire lit by gathering sticks and minding it very carefully.

There was play and chat and meeting people, old friends and new. It was lovely and we stayed until it was dark when we headed back down the hill to the car by torch light.

We love this celebration, it is always the one of the highlights of our year. (this is when we went in 2011 and 2010) In the evening after the kids were in bed a good friend and I shared a glass of wine and reflected on what this year has looked like for us, how much we have grown, how much we have harvested and we both found that our hearts were full of the bounty of being alive on this earth as who we are at this moment.