Hello,

A warm, welcome to this Solstice special edition!

What are you up to this weekend to celebrate?

Drop me a line and let me know – I’d love to hear from you.

We’ve been having fun in the sun this week, eating ice cream, drawing under the shade of giant oaks, swimming in the local open-air pool and making elderflower and rose cordial.

I also got to spend the morning in London with my eight month old nephew; we hung out in the shade of the plane trees in Green Park, and went to rhyme time, which he loved.

Tonight we’re camping with friends at a nature reserve near our home. We’ve planned a mini-ritual for the kids to celebrate their strengths now they’re a year older.

They’ve made capes from old sheets and we’ve all written on each of their capes how we’ve seen each child grow in the last year. I love the reality we’ve created where Iris has a village of loving adults that she can turn to who all see different strengths in her (having a little cry thinking about it!).

Today's illustration is by Helen Cann, an illustrator who specialises in children's books. Read her ideas for celebrating the Solstice here.

I went to see a documentary with my sister last night called Small Boats, as part of the Refugee Week celebrations in Brighton. The theme for Refugee Week this year is Community is a Superpower - find what's going on near you here. Here's a great reading list for kids' that centre the refugee experience.

I'm reading (and loving) The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer and it's got me thinking about gift economies - here are some ideas of how to get started making one in your community.

Here’s What Else We’ve Been Up To

Loving Oracle Cards

I’ve had some tricky, stressful stuff to deal with this week, and I’ve been leaning on my favourite oracle cards to help me see a path through.

My sister gave me the Weaver's Oracle cards created by Carolyn Hillyer for my birthday this year. Featuring 30 years of Carolyn's paintings, the cards are absolutely mesmerising. And the words just perfect.

I also LOVE the Seed Sistas Sensory Herbal Oracle cards – they came out this year and the writing about each plant is next level – they are so rich in information and meaning. Have had some magical readings with these. Pictured above!

Others I love are The Herbal Astrology Oracle Cards by Adriana Ayales, the Tree Ogham Card Deck from Children’s Forest (I use these with Iris) and the Druid Plant Oracle.

I tend to just pick one card to help me realise what I need to know or lay out a really simple spread of three cards in a row. The first (on the left) represents the past, the centre the present, and the one on the right the future.

I often write notes down in a notebook to help me reflect back on what cards I’ve drawn in the past and what meanings I drew from them. I recommend this approach if you're struggling or feeling overwhelmed - a card reading can help you gain clarity. A lovely friend bought me some amazingly calming blue lotus flower tea from Starchild, which really helped me find joy and peace too.