June being my birthday month and that of my young neighbour, making elderflower cordial for our celebrations has become somewhat of a tradition.  We watch eagerly as the flowers come into blossom, waiting for the day when there are enough heads in bloom to make our favourite summer drink.  Instead of thinking of a year being 365 days long, we mark a year in the time that has passed since we last picked elderflower.  Try out his recipe for a taste of summer in a glass!

With December only a few days away, it’s time to get ready for three and a half weeks of micro adventures. A nice change from the chocolate filled calendars that we are all so used to, the ADVENT-ure calendar offers 24 reasons to get outside each day and connect with nature, ranging from as simple as “jump in puddles”, “give a tree a hug” and “howl at the full moon”.

With so much of the run up to Christmas revolving around all things material, and chocolate, it’s always lovely to find ways to celebrate in a more natural manner. I came across the idea of an ADVENT-ure Calendar a few years ago and have enjoyed sharing it with those I love, both young and old, each year since. Living alongside three outdoor loving children, I was only delighted to start a new tradition with them on this, our first Christmas season together. For each day of Advent they will complete a new adventure, from as simple as “give a tree a hug”, or “jump in puddles” to as challenging as “whittle something from wood”. These kids are fairly adept with knives, so there is no great challenge in that for them, but they do love getting my knives out, so any excuse is always welcome. You can, however, adapt the adventures to suit your comfort levels and the abilities of those taking part. Last night was the full moon. It still looks pretty full, so to start us off, tonight we’ll be howling at the moon.

Living without TV or radio, and while not quite as bad as dial-up, but I do have to plug my laptop in to a LAN cable each time I want to access the internet, it is always a very conscious decision for me to connect to the outside world.  Yesterday, I must have been one of the few to be totally unaware of the Taoiseach’s announcement until late afternoon, by which stage the supermarket shelves were cleared of fresh and tinned foods, and every form of social media was hopping with news of school closures and cancelled events. Read More

The recent rainy weather has many despairing, and I can remember well from my days as a primary teacher how challenging it was for all of us on the days the children didn’t get to go outside at break times.  The problem in those days was that many children didn’t have appropriate clothes for playing outside in the rain.  Working since with schools where outdoor and nature play are central to their curriculum and their ethos, the rain never stops us from getting outside.  Equally if you are at home and looking at the rain through the window, most likely you have coats and wellies that you can wear, or at worst, if you get wet, you can always change into fresh dry clothes later. Read More

I recently spent a few days with my father, who lives next door to the house where I grew up.  My brother and his family are living in the old family home now.  Often when children grow up and parents move there can be a grief at losing the place where so many childhood memories were forged.  I am incredibly lucky in that I am forging new memories with my niece and nephews while reliving memories past, in the house, garden and fields where I grew up.   Read More