the merry month of may

{cross posted at the nefaeria blog}

 

The last few weeks have been a busy juggle of celebrating Bealtaine and preparing for some pretty big changes that are just around the corner {more on that in another post}. To make it a little more challenging, some of my Bealtaine activities had been waiting for the weather to comply.

Even with the unpredictable weather though, I have been taking every chance to appreciate the natural beauty of this time of year.

lilacs

periwinkles

Yesterday I consecrated seeds, which will be planted on Friday along with my seedlings after I do a garden blessing. Some hardy annuals and colder weather crops such as lettuce and kale have already been planted.

 

My Bealtaine water and rowan wood for the year were collected a couple of weeks back and I have even got to harvest some herbs.

 

sweet woodruff, periwinkle flowers and wild ginger flowers

stinging nettle

There has been some crafting going on around here too, including a candle to represent my hearth, which was ritually lit after last year's candle smothered. With a bit of luck, this candle will last me until next Bealtaine.

 

Near the end of April my "seasonal altar" was set up for Bealtaine, or perhaps better described as a shrine to Flidais and the wild critters. Over the course of the last few weeks daily devotionals and offerings were made.

 

 

 

For the "big do" I created some May boughs and a May bush and made nettle soup, bannocks and butter.

 

The house was sained and a Bealtaine blessing was said and our "hearth" was smothered and re-lit.
 

I hope that everyone else is having a lovely May!

Sláinte!

Laurel

bealtaine blessings!

Summer has come, healthy and free,

Whence the brown wood is aslope;

The slender nimble deer leap,

And the path of seals is smooth. 

The cuckoo sings sweet music,

Whence there is smooth restful sleep;

Gentle birds leap upon the hill,

And swift grey stags.

Heat has laid hold of the rest of the deer—

The lovely cry of curly packs!

The white extent of the strand smiles,

There the swift sea is. 

A sound of playful breezes in the tops

Of a black oakwood is Drum Daill,

The noble hornless herd runs,

To whom Cuan-wood is a shelter.

Green bursts out on every herb,

The top of the green oakwood is bushy,

Summer has come, winter has gone,

Twisted hollies wound the hound.

The blackbird sings a loud strain,

To him the live wood is a heritage,

The sad angry sea is fallen asleep,

The speckled salmon leaps.

The sun smiles over every land,—

A parting for me from the brood of cares:

Hounds bark, stags tryst,

Ravens flourish, summer has come!

~Summer Has Come, an early Irish poem translated by Kuno Meyer
 
I wish all of my readers a lovely Bealtaine {and a lovely Samhain for you folks in the Southern Hemisphere}!

Sláinte!

Laurel

getting giddy for bealtaine...

{deerie candle holder from maryink}

All of the critters are twitterpaiting and the plants are starting to peek up out of the ground, so I think that Spring is here...and boy has it been a long wait around these parts. Last year we were spoiled by an extra early start to the growing season, so maybe it has made this past Winter seem longer than it really was.  A part of me thinks that we are a little behind though.

The one thing that I has kept me sane through the anticipation to get into the garden is my wee seedlings that are all doing well. Sitting on our window sills are gaggles of tomatoes, shasta daisies, heather, datura, wild tobacco, parsley, basil, foxgloves, mullein, poppies, and a few other pretties waiting to take their place in our garden. 

The newest addition that I am perhaps most excited about is a small rowan tree that I ordered and am anxiously awaiting to get here. Last year I tried to start one from a cutting, which didn't work and all of our local garden centers only sell larger trees, so I decided to order one from Vesseys {I think that they only sell rowan trees within Canada}. The sizes that they come in from there are 15 to 18 inches, which is perfect for me to keep in a large planter for a couple of years so I can take it with me should we be moving anytime soon. 

I have been busy with preparations for Bealtaine too, which I may celebrate a little late this year given how things seems to be coming along slower than usual. One thing that I am waiting on is my stinging nettle to grow a bit more because I want to make a nettle soup as part of our feast.

Preparations for a course that I am starting at the end of May has also kept me busy; it will be full time, which means that I will have less time for the garden than I would like. With this in mind, we have decided to keep it simple this year and put some new veggies and fruits that we were planning on trying this yearon the back burner. Hopefully we can try them next year.

I will snap a few photos of what is going on in the garden once there is more to see. :)

Sláinte!

Laurel

a bealtaine giveaway

This is just a quick post to let folks know that there is currently a giveaway for Bealtaine happening over at the Unfettered Wood blog.  Up for grabs is:

 

• One $20 Cyber Gift Certificate
• 1/2 oz Mistress of Stag Incense
• 1/2 oz Herbwife Incense
• 1 oz Healer's Blend Wortcunning Powder
• 1 oz Dark Arts Blend Wortcunning Powder
• Four Packs of Seeds
• A Pair of Herbal Beeswax Votive Candles
• Feminine Herbal Beeswax Fertility Charm
• Masculine Herbal Beeswax Fertility Charm
• A Vintage Avon Jar Filled with Natural Pretties
• Resin Veggies {Craft Supplies}
• Summery Vintage Ribbons & Fabric Strips 

Head on over to the Bealtaine giveaway post for more info and to enter! 

Sláinte!

Laurel

thrifty seed-starting

photo by Brianna Privett

The last few weeks I have been holding items back from the recycling bin for seed-starting which I will be starting this Friday {yay! :D}. Here are just a few ideas for folks to try should they wish to both save some money and do some re-using with their own seed-starting this season.

Mini Greenhouse from Plastic Greens Container

Newspaper Pots for Seed-Starting

Seedling Transplant Pots from Cartons

Egg Carton Seed-Starting Pots

Toilet Paper Roll Seed-Starting Pots 

Clothes Pin Garden Markers

Plastic Bottle Cloches

Four Uses for Yogurt Containers in Seed-Starting

Sláinte!

Laurel