The Mother of all Camps

Last week we went to The Mother Magazine family camp, held on a beautiful piece of land in North Yorkshire. OK - the weather was rainy and windy, but it was the start of Autumn and the sun did come out in between. We had a fantastic time. I met so many great people, some I knew either personally or as online friends, but many new friends too. It was so good to be with people on the same plane and just to relax. Lots of cooking and community stuff to be done though - so any relaxation was not your sit back on a sun lounger with a best-seller and a Malibu type of thing - it was all go. What I mean, I suppose is just looking around and seeing - a group of boys running around the field with sticks - off on some daylong adventure, mothers breastfeeding their babes wherever they happened to be, barefoot toddlers running up to their Mums for a quick nurse then running off again, people actually being nice to children, eating together and just chatting. Here are a few snaps from the holiday. I didn't take many though - too busy doing things or connecting with wonderful people.

Dawn light.

The hub of the camp - Organisers' yurt - Kitchen yurt and Recreation yurt. The small shelter in the foreground was to protect our musicians from the fairly persistent rain on the previous night.




The fabulous roundhouse - scene of the magical ceremonies that we were privileged to attend. Little Rhiannon's naming ceremony - a very joyous occasion, and a Blessingway for Amelia and Vedina - a truly moving experience. Both these were led beautifully by Veronika - editor and publisher of The Mother. Gorgeous Samantha - mother and doula, led a birth stories session in this space, and the Men's Circle was held here (very mysterious and secret, but I will find out!)


Very authentic looking sculpture outside the roundhouse.



The view from out tent. Our neighbours were Anna, Joss and baby Leon. A really lovely family -it was a true pleasure to meet them.


Sitting in the sun was possible, while some of the older children helped to build the campfire ready for the evening.


Food was very important. With 150 people to feed for 4 days it was always going to be a priority. All organic, wholefood, vegan dishes. I have never had such delicious meals. I .miss them


My husband on kitchen duty - actually he only ran over to stir he pot when I came to take the photograph. He was on the salads that day - he did learn to make a pretty yummy vinaigrette though :)



Alex and Siobhan came over from Ireland and enriched the camp with their presence. Alex is a powerhouse of activity and ideas. He led sessions on baking sourdough bread in the clay oven, and built a hot tub with the help of some of the men and boys. You can read more on their lovely blog here

Siobhan was the kind of person who just seemed to make the place brighter by just being there. We were really glad to have met them and their gorgeous children. John learned a lot from Alex about sustainability, and just talking to him helped us to later clarify some of our ideas for the imminent 'retirement'.


I just loved the compost toilets. They were magnificent edifices and there is something so right about not using gallons of water to flush.


The washing up area - always hung with brightly coloured, flapping tea towels, like Buddhist prayer flags!



And John, taking a short break in the sun. I am so glad we went to this camp - it was definitely and enriching experience for us both.

Edit - Now the magazine is in danger of closing, due to falling subscriptions. Please click here to find out more about this precious resource.

A few days away

We had a couple of days away in the campervan last week. Just back down to South Ayrshire to a great wee site we had come across the other week. With John's fast approaching early retirement, we have been looking at various options regarding property and self-sufficiency, so we were back down to have a more detailed viewing of one we had previously looked at. Not sure though. Now that the dream is about to come true we are beginning to feel quite confused as to what our ideal place actually is. When it was still a dream it was fine - we had no shortage of ideas and plans. Now - well - when we are looking at land we are going to be making our living from, it seems quite different, and very daunting.
As I sit here typing this in my sunny conservatory, looking out at my garden, listening to the birds singing, I wonder why we want to move - what is wrong with this house? Surely the most important space is inside my head, anyway? Then I notice the background hum of steady traffic passing right outside the front gate, and remember.
The right place will come to us at the right time.
Anyway, here are a few pictures of our very wet holiday. James seemed to live in his Muddy Puddles suit and wellies, but it meant he could still have fun in the rain.


We even managed some fairly strenuous hiking, although James has now decided that he will never go in the sling again.

This little lamb adopted us for part of our walk. James said she was Uan, The Little Lamb.

It was so windy at Girvan beach, I thought James was going to take off like a balloon in his rain-suit!


But he managed to stay on land and played with all the seaweed that had been washed up.




Then he and Dad climbed up onto a rock in the middle of the sea!

Despite the strong winds on the beach, the harbour was very still and calm. I suppose that's the point of a harbour.