Shiva's and Metta's Mother's Sutra

Well, I know yesterday's post was conceited, but you know, occasionally, it is nice to admit that after all the trails and tribulations which life has thrown at me, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing in it, that I have developed some kind of ability to deal with it. I don't think women do this enough. Women never given themselves enough credit. We hold up half the sky, at least, we raise families, we clean houses, we put food on the table, we fucking WORK FFS, we create communities, we heal, we ensure that things tick over while the boys are at war... we are the reason why there is still any kind of world to speak of in existence, in all probability. So excuse me for just one moment, while I celebrate being a woman. And speaking of cleaning, yesterday I hoovered the entire house and caught up with the washing, went running, cooked using leftovers and continued to put together a Main Lesson. So, yes, credit where credit is due, I think. I love the midterms when y...

My mermaid hair So, I have always made it a point to acknowledge when everything is good with my life and at the present moment it is. And I give thanks. The school is looking up, the weather is AWESOME, holidays are round the corner AND Ireland, in complete contrast to the rest of the stupid sodding world, has made a stand for women and voted for pro-choice. I cannot tell you how happy I am. It is so wonderful to live in country, well on the edge of a country, where change is possible. Where people can think of another person. When young people can be young. So, yes, life is good. To top it ALL off, I am back running again. I went running in Belvoir Park Forest and I just sometimes pinch myself. How many people can say they go running in one of the oldest settled parts of Ireland - with a neolithic settlement there dated back to 8,000 BC and a river and a forest and the birds just singing. It is a good time to be alive. There are lots of people running all the time now. I...

One upon a time I ran for office. I didn't get in, but what it did make me realise was how boring life as a politician must be. BOTH boring an pointless. Just as cyclists all have no sense of fashion at all, or indeed possess a mirror, politicians must be so hell bent on power that even the most soul crushingly obviously pointless system, designed to infuriate and frustrate the most hardcore campaigner, does not deter them. Instead, they seemed rather CHEERED that the legislature is so obtuse and unwieldy, that their relationships are so adversarial and intractable that they have all the excuses in the world not to do better. It sort of reminds me of someone shooting off their leg or cutting of their arm so that they can't join the army. In this case, doing anything vaguely useful. Take ANY sector in Northern Ireland today, for instance. It is not as if there is no blueprint for government. No blueprint for what would be a good idea. It is blindingly obvious. To save the pl...

I am back doing my morning runs. It has been a two month break, but better than never. It has been great being back. On Sunday I had my period and that was hell. Essentially I felt like i had a combination of a hangover AND the flu. I looked and felt like HELL. Thankfully, I am feeling LOADS better now. Last night I baked some bread with Ghin. It was proper bread because for the very first time in my life, i followed my instincts. The dough was wet and sticky when I eventually got it into the pan and I proved it zero times. I however did knead it for 15 minutes. So now I know. Bread dough, I am coming to get you. The walkthrough at the school was great. We had over 70 people attend and after that there was a good bit of interest. It looks like the school maybe in for a shot in the arm. We may well achieve our own three year target alone this year. How amazing would that be? All we need are four more new families. And this is a strong possibility. What a day. I have been in all ...

I was super upset today when I went to the Belfast Harbour Reserve. Since they started charging for the place, I have stopped going to it. However, I thought that since I was going to take people to see the terns, I should really bring them to the reserve. Anyway, it is a GREAT place to see the birds. Terns often nest in colonies on islands in the middle of nowhere. It is near impossible to get a good view of tern islands if you don't have access to a boat. And also it is a fantastic place to introduce people to. Birds and urban wildlife, especially a bird like the Roseate Tern. How amazing is that? Anyhow, when I got to the hides, I noticed that there was something wrong. The islands were wall to wall Black Headed Gulls and the Terns were sitting on these low perches waiting for a space to become available. They might as well not bother because Black Headed Gulls are awful awful birds. Well they look after their own. The only Tern that is capable of coping with them is the Sandw...

Eddie and Oisin - just because The sun is finally here. Who knows how long it will last. In many ways, as I w as thinking about anthroposophy after I wrote it, I feel so sad that it is confined to what appears to be a very small circle. It should really be so much more. It has so many interesting insights and possibilities into working with the world and at its heart is love. I want to say something about love. People think that love is this sort of lovely fluffy thing which means that you can get away with shite. Forgiveness has something to do with love, but love is not forgiveness. Love is also tough. It is flint. It is saying to someone, I see you and what you are doing is not good. And it is then caring enough for someone to say that. Peter has just walked into the kitchen. He doesn't really understand this. Love is not about never having your child fail. It is about saying, look it is OK to fail, because from failing you will learn. And when you learn you will be ab...

It was interesting going to the Anthroposophical AGM today. First off, I have to say that I hate AGMs. They are very very VERY boring. Also I am not a member. I was there to give a short presentation of the school and what it had done over the year. However, I was asked if I would join and I did wonder to myself, what is the point of membership? What WAS the Anthroposophical society? I still don't know if I am or want to be a Anthroposophist. I know that I work out of it very strongly. There are many insights which Steiner had into the human being which I deeply value and which teaching has borne out. His ideas about agriculture, medicine and spirituality, especially Christianity, are invaluable. He has given us a lens which I believe will be very useful if we are able to use it, to create a world which is beautiful and caring and kind. HOWEVER, I almost certainly don't sign up to everything which he says. I am in profound disagreement with what he says about the race...

It is officially the summer. The sun has now shone for more than three days in a row. It began on Thursday and continued through to today. We spent a lot of today outdoors. We will probably do the same tomorrow. The boys are playing basketball outside. A game of 21. The first person to reach 21 wins. The sound of the ball bouncing hard on the flagstones is the new sound of summer. Today is a big day for us. Oisin managed to get his Level 1 qualification in Gym. This means now he can work for the council. Not that this matters. It is one of those things he sleep walks into. He was helping out at the gym club in school and before we knew it he was trying out for his Level 1 qualification in the British Gymnastics Association. This while doing his Art finals and being warded in hospital for four days for a false appendicitis scare, while also studying for his GCSEs. He also did his Grade 4 in Piano and managed to pass it, just! and he has been under pressure but has taken it ...