Life is too short to drink bad wine.

One of THE big holidays in the neo-pagan calendar is imminent. Samhain is the witchy holiday that even if you aren't pagan you might have heard of. It's been drowned in candy and pumpkins and plastic witches flying into trees all bathed in a deep orange glow. Mind you I love pumpkins and have a wreath of orangy coloured autumn leaves on my door. This isn't a "bah humbug" rather a "but there's so much more".

This is the time when the veil thins out and we can get a glimpse of the other side, to perhaps reach out to recent dear departed friends to touch them in a way we won't be able to again once they really take off on their next big adventure. It's a time when we dig our fingers into the earth and reach for our ancestors for the foundation that makes us. A time when the wheel turns inward and we turn with it reflecting, taking stock, taking a breath and time to just stop and think.

It's also a time to consider that not everything on the other side is of goodwill and to make sure you don't bring anything home you don't want to keep. Maybe that nasty grand aunt that told you that you were fat and ugly needs to be told to back off and get thee gone. Or maybe you can come to a recognition that she was a product of her upbringing and that you are better because of her harsh words because you know she's wrong and this is the time to tell her. We don't really have a solid connection to our ancestors anymore maybe it's time to pull out the old pictures and make a little shrine a space in your home for them. This doesn't have to just be biological ancestors this could also be ancestors of the spirit, people who changed you and made you who you are who you want to honour especially at this time when we turn to the dark and greet it like an old friend.

I had a pretty good weekend though it went very quickly. On Friday after work the office went out for a drink (yes, the entire office, it is Ireland after all, I could have gotten royally shitfaced for free if I had wanted to because the boss was buying).

On Saturday, my Mom and I went out shopping to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. I am now the proud owner of a nice chocolate brown winter coat, scarlet gloves and scarf, and flowery pink trainers (no I'm not kidding, you should see them). Ahh retail therapy, though really we didn't buy anything that I didn't need badly. Well maybe except for the humongous church sized pillar candle that my Mother couldn't resist since it was on sale for €10. I am happy to report that my driving is improving drastically and that my Mother has declared me fit to drive on my own, except that at this point I would still get very very lost very very quickly.

On Sunday, we drove to the airport and back (to make sure that if push comes to shove I can pick paradigmslost and my big girl up on my own next week. I'm having a bit of trouble getting used to my Mother's much larger car (remember I have driven a little rice burner pretty much exclusively for over 10 years), so parking in narrow spaces is a bit of a challenge. After we came home we finished painting some picture frames that my Mother had put together from scrap at the workshop (did I mention my Mom is both usefull and talented) and after they had dried put them up on the wall. They look great. We also made a witch on a broomstick from a stick, a clotheshanger, and scraps of fabrick. She is about 1' high and the broom is about 1 1/2' long, she has a purple skirt, a white petticoat, a green shirt, a blue and white checked shawl, red wool hair, and of course a large black pointy witches hat. Mom made the body and I made the clothes, we make a pretty good team. I will have to come up with a name for her, next week I am putting her up in the kitchen window which faces the street. I also made a huge pot of chicken soup for my Dad who is feeling poorly and a beef pot roast for my dinners this week.

So Samhain is comming up rapidly and I am on a mission to find a big pumpkin, Mom has three small ones from her garden but I want a big one for outside if I can find one. I also need to stock up on sweets as we live in a residential area with lots of kids.

I miss my family (all of you) dreadfully, not having B here is like missing a limb. It's funny how indespensable a partner can become to your very basic being. Apparently K has started to wave Bye Bye and is walking backwards now.

I can't wait.