By Kate Hodges
17th September 2020
DO and EVENT Harvest Home
The Autumn Equinox or Mabon falls next Tuesday. It’s a gentle opportunity to mark the transition of the seasons? Find some juicy ideas for you and your family here, including planning a harvest party, using Ayurveda to stay healthy, and how to survive and thrive with yoga and affirmations. Pagan symbols of Mabon include the apple and the horn of plenty. Make an bounteous altar, or bake a buttermilk bread charm and join the fun. More here Find out more facts, traditions, folklore and more about the Autumn Equinox here; is it really true that you can only balance an egg on its end on this day? We’re going to try!
EVENT Spread Kindness
Monday is the International Day Of Peace, established in 1981 by the United Nations. It’s a time to get involved in the culture of peace; perhaps you might join in the minute of silence – or Peace Wave – at 12 noon, plant a peace pole, try yoga, mediation or prayer or hold a peace vigil. Find out what’s going on here . Or try something creative – write peace poetry or create a peace-themed artwork. This year’s theme is ‘Shaping Peace Together’, so celebrate by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the global challenges facing us all.
DO One, Two, Tree!
We are blessed to live in a country with many beautiful trees, and The Tree Council are keen to teach us about them and help us grow many more for our grandchildren to enjoy. Seed Gathering Season is their annual autumn festival, running from the Equinox through to 23rd October. The aim is to get as many people as possible gathering seeds, fruits and nuts to grow the trees of the future. The idea is that seeds collected from local trees are adapted to local circumstances and are more likely to thrive. Both rural and urban spaces benefit from new trees; bringing energy, life and beauty to any area. A growing tree is a pretty exciting concept for a youngster too and watching a tree grow alongside the child can make it very special. Find out more here
EVENT Peep Inside
London’s Open House festival starts this weekend. It’s usually a frenzied weekend of visiting houses, buildings and areas that have their doors tightly closed for the rest of the year. The initiative is a simple but powerful concept: hundreds of great buildings of all types and periods open up their doors to all, for free. It is a truly city-wide celebration of the buildings, places and neighbourhoods where we live, work and play, and a quarter of a million people take the opportunity to get out and get under the skin of London’s amazing architecture.This year there are some restrictions, but many places are letting people in to explore and running a series of innovative and fun workshops, tours and art sessions for families. In addition, there’s a host of alternative activities; walking and cycle tours, self-guided itineraries, while you’ll find documentaries and workshops online. Take in the whole programme here and the incredible, colourful children’s collection here
EVENT Shiver Me Timbers!
Saturday is International Talk Like A Pirate Day, the one day a year that every man, woman and child on the planet is not just allowed but encouraged to TALK LIKE A PIRATE! The day was started by a group of friends in the USA in 2002. Dance the hornpipe, pour some grog (ginger beer) and prepare for a deluge of arrrrrrrrrrs!
What we’ve been reading this week:
Houston, we have a parent: what draws sci-fi to motherhood? “If there’s something a bit iffy about the determination of such a traditionally male-oriented genre to put women through the wringer – and there almost certainly is – then there’s comfort to be had in the capacity of sci-fi to break new ground, too, to produce characters who boldly go where no woman has gone before. Sigourney Weaver, for instance, was wielding a flame-thrower before Arnie had even arrived in Hollywood, blazing a trail since followed by Carrie-Anne Moss in the Matrix films and Daisy Ridley in Star Wars. Star Trek made Nichelle Nichols one of the first female African-American icons of the small screen. And while the idea of a female Bond is still laughed off as a non-starter, the Doctor has been saving the world in cropped trousers for a while now.” Read more here
Found something inspirational to read that you’d like to share? Want to share your creations with us? Have an idea for things to do? We’d love to hear from you. Email Kate
