Friday, September 30, 2011

Of blog parties and plans

On the last weekend of October, Anna from Frosted Petunias is hosting a"Witches Tea Party Under A Halloween Moon" and I intend to take part; I think it will be a perfect addition to my Samhain celebrations! :)

Click below to find out more:

Frosted Petunias

I'm really looking forward to October... It's going to be a fantastic - and busy - month; two blog parties (Magaly's Grim Party on the 13th, and Anna's Tea Party on the 29th and 30th), the start of the "Get Off Your Broom: Witches Fitness Challenge" (more on the "Get Off Your Broom" chhallenge tomorrow, but you can check it out yourself by clicking on the little banner on my sidebar if you don't want to wait), the move we're currently in the middle of, all the other posts I plan to share throughout the month, cards to make, and other craft projects to work on... Not to mention the Samhain activities I'm planning in general. Oh yes, October will be a very eventful month!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Bruno and The Pemberton

I'm sorry this post has taken so long to get up, but... Well, you know how it is sometimes!

Anyway...

back on the 13th of September my Mam took me out for dinner, because she wanted the opertunity to take me out before I moved away. Which was just fine with me.

So we went to a place called "The Pemberton" (which we'd sort of heard of, but went to mostly because it was the first place we came to that looked like a nice place to eat and wasn't a fast food chain). We're glad we went there though. The service and food were fantastic, and the price was better still!

They also had a good choice of vegetarian options, so instead of having to settle, I actually had to choose between the list of vegetarian meals. OK, there were only something like a dozen options, and a couple of them were soup, but when you're used to, "I guess I'll have chips," situations, well... A dozen options is fantastic! :)

For anyone interested... My first course was a side dish that I asked if I could have as a starter... A couple of onion rings, a couple of garlic mushrooms, and a piece of cheesy garlic bread, which I swear was the best piece of garlic bread that I've ever had! Then I had a "pepper and creme fresh tart" thing with new potatoes and a salad (which consisted of cherry tomatoes, cucumber, onion, lettuce, and a little couscous, with a light vinegarette type of dressing). Then finished off with a pudding of caramel apple crumble and custard. It was all very tasty, and I swear I never ate another thing the rest of the day where I was so full... Despite the fact that it was lunch time when we had the meal, LOL!

We only spent £35 (somewhere between $60 and $70, depending on what the exchange rate is when you're figuring it out) for both our meals, two drinks each, and a tip for our waiter. Most places you expect to spend more than that for just the meals! I can tell you for a fact that we'll definately be eating there again any time we're near where it is when it's open and we're hungry!

Anyway...

We had to run some errands after food, and while we were doing so we passed this shop that was selling stuff - as shops tend to do - and the profits were for some kind of dog charity. They had a load of teddies outside, so Mam decided to buy one each for Kero and Willow (I put Kero's aside for him to have as a nice new toy in our new home). I stayed outside the shop while she went in, so it was only when she came out that I found out about her getting this:



His name is Bruno, and he's mine.

Mam named him though. I'm not sure why she picked Bruno... Neither is she... She just looked at him for a bit when I asked her what his name was (well, he's got to have a name) and announced that he was called, "Bruno." So, Bruno it is!

He's about the same size as Kero (maybe a bit bigger, actually). Although, he's a lot lighter than Kero! And he's really soft and cuddly.

Thanks Mam... For the lovely meal out, and for Bruno the bear! :)

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Furkid thoughts: home, doggy daycare and friends

Hi humans, it's Kero here.

Well, there has been a lot going on around here. The humans keep packing things in to boxes and bags and talking about some "new place" more and more. I don't like it! What I do like though is that Mami says that when we go to this new place I get two train rides and two car rides in one day (she says we have to ride in a car to go to the train station, take a train to London, ride in a taxi across London, and then take another train from London to the train station right near our new place). I also like the idea of the new smells they say I'll get to sniff, and the walkies by the seaside (which Mami says I'll get every day, unless the weather is much too bad).

Another thing I'm excited about is something called, "doggy daycare" that they have near to where we're moving to. Apparently it's a place where dogs get taken for a while and the humans pay other humans to stay with them until it's time for them (them being the dogs, of course) to get picked up and go home. They provide walkies and everything! The same place also does grooming, so I'm booked in for the day on November 14th for both a grooming session and a daycare day. Mami says if I do well in daycare then I can go to it again. I suffer with anxiety issues, which is the only reason Mami is a bit worried, and is also the reason why I can't be left by myself.

In other news...

I saw some of my doggy friends the other day. I've especially seen a lot of Bella. Bella came to visit for a while yesterday with her human and we played and sniffed together for a bit. Her human is the one who helped us rehome Gwydion. Did Mami tell you about Gwydion? About how we thought Gwydion was a boy, only Gwydion is actually a girl? Of course, I knew the whole time and was only saying "he" and "him" because the humans said I should. If they'd listened to me I'd have told them Gwydion was actually female, but humans never listen to me; sometimes it's like we don't even speak the same language... Really frustrating! Either way, Gwydion is a female, and "she" is enjoying herself in her new home, which is good news.

Anyway, I better go... I need to keep a close eye on Mami, in case she tries something sneaky (like trying to escape while I'm not looking).

Licks and sniffs,
Kero

Things in the mail for me

Another post that's taken me longer than planned to put up... Sorry!

Anyway....

I got a couple of nice hings in the post recently. One was a package containing some CDs with printables for card making on, which were sent to me by my friend Corinne... Thanks Corinne! She probably wont read this, but I'm going to thank her anyway. ;)

The other thing was a thank you card from Rita for the parcel I sent her recently.

Here's the front of the card:



And the inside of it:


Thank you Rita! :)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Moving date... At last!

We have a moving date... At last!

We got it all confirmed this morning.

We're moving next week!

Wednesday, October 5th 2011! :)

We - Kero included - are expected in the estate agents' office at roughly 2:00 pm next Wednesday afternoon. Yes, that's right, they are happy for Kero to come in the office.

5 cards and a blanket

Been meaning to sort this post for a couple of weeks now... Sorry! So, I made a few cards... Just a basic happy birthday card (the one I made for our friend Sam): A rooster themed birthday card (this was the one I made for Toasty): In case they read my blog, I'm not going to tell you who these others are for. The picture on this first one is meant to be a mobile phone with a picture of butterflies on the screen of it, and butterflies flying about above it... This is meant to be a sailboat with little puffy clouds in the sky above it... (The little dots right up at the top are just for decoration). And these are meant to be little wooden sailboats... Those are all the cards I've made recently. The only other thing I've done with crafts is knitted this blanket: It's Willow's birthday present. I'm about two thirds of the way through another blanket, which is also for Willow.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Liebster award

On Wednesday, Iggy gave me this award:



Thanks Iggy! :)

I'm supposed to link back to the person who gave it to me... Done that!

And now I'm supposed to give it to 5 people with great blogs and less than 200 followers.

I know 4 of these have already had it, and I also know that there are six in this list, but... I want to give it to the following people, because I think they deserve it!

Rita
AliceKay
Deanna
Iggy
BarefootGardener
Jewelz

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Second Anual Practical Magic Blog Party

I'm spending today reading the entries for the 2011 Practical Magic Blog Party, which is an anual blog party hosted by the author of Frosted Petunias. Some of the posts are absolutely fantastic! If you're a fan of the Practical Magic movie (or book), then you may want to check the posts out too!

Keeping my promise AKA the new place

OK, well, I have a load of things I want to post, but I promised that when I knew for sure the place was ours I would do a post to tell you a bit about our new home. And - this is just for the benifit of anyone who doesn't know - I don't make promises if I don't intend keeping them. I'm sure you know where I'm going with this... Especially with this post's title... Yes, that's right! This post is to keep my promise, and tell you a bit about where we're moving to. And the reason it waited until today is because I didn't get to it Friday, and I wanted to do the posts I did yesterday first. But, here it is... The post I promised to do. So...

First of all, as some of you - but not all of you - know, we're moving to Hastings area. We're not moving to Hastings itself, but to an area very close to it. I don't want to give exact information on where near Hastings we're moving on here, but I will tell you that those of you who have my current address will soon be given the new address.

Anyway...

I haven't personally been to the property. Kelly went, but Kero and I didn't go with him, because it was easier for just him to go (not to mention cheaper). So what I'm going to tell you is what he's told me. I'm going to do my best here though. But I'm sorry if some of it is vague, and please don't ask for more information, because until I'm there I wont be able to give it.

It's a basement flat (apartment to those of you not in the UK). Our bedroom has a window that looks out on the garden belonging to the house that's above us, but around the front there's a little patio area which is ours. It's not all that big, but it's big enough for Kero and I to be able to sit out there when it's nice. There are steps leading from it up to the street, and they are fenced off (it's a sort of walled off area, but with railings when you get to street level, and a gate at the top of the steps) so the area is secure enough that Kero can be loose out there (which I'm sure he's going to be extremely happy about).

Kelly says it's not a very big place - though, judging by what he's told me, it doesn't sound much smaller than what we have right now... Just a smaller kitchen and second bedroom than we have now, and the bathroom is all the same room (which it isn't here) - but he says it's fantastic for the rent, which is quite low (especially for the area). It has one bathroom, which has a bath (no shower, but I don't care... I prefer baths anyway). A small-ish kitchen, which isn't big enough for a table and chairs to be in, but there's an area off the hallway where Kelly says we can put a small table and a couple of chairs if we want to. There's a double bedroom (our room) that's about the size of the bedroom we have here. A living room that's roughly the same size as the one we have now. And another smaller bedroom, which I've agreed we'll use as a study for now, but which can be used as a bedroom should we find ourselves in need of a second bedroom in the future (meaning, if we finally get some luck with getting the baby we want). I'm only agreeing to use it as a study for now because then I can hear the TV easier when Kelly's playing the games he likes to play on his PC. LOL! I figure we'll have Kelly's PC in there for now, and find a spot in the living room for his computer if we need to use that bedroom in the future (which I hope we will).

The kitchen is fully fitted, which means it actually comes with a cooker, so we had to sell the new cooker we got last year. I was a bit sad to see it go, but we helped to give a cheaper - though as new - cooker to a couple who are just starting out in their own home with a new baby, so something good came out of it.

We'll be going from being a good 15 minutes walk from the nearest shop (and a good 20 to 25 minutes walk from town) to being a 5 minute walk from the main shops in the area, and about a 10 minute walk from the train station (where we can easily get a train to just about anywhere... Hastings, Brighton, London... Wherever we want to go). Bearing in mind that the nearest train station to where we're living at the moment is about 20 to 30 minutes away by car - if the traffic is reasonable - and walking to it is only an option if you're desperate, training for a marathon, or mental!

Well... To be totally honest, without telling you the exact location of the property - which I don't want to do on my blog, because my blog is public, and I don't want the entire world knowing my exact location... Only the people I choose to e-mail my address to - I can't tell you any more than that.

When we're moved in I'll see what I can do about some photos for you though! :)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Celebrating Mabon 2011

Since I've been asked about my Mabon celebrations, and since the prompt on Pagan Blog Prompts this week is the following:

"Prompt: Mabon 2011

Mabon is this weekend - what are you doing to celebrate?

Or, if you like, simply regale us with stories of Mabon past... Or feel free to explore the history and meaning behind it and educate the rest of us.

To non-pagans, it's simply the first day of autumn on the calendar, but to those of us more in tune with Earth and nature around us, it means something different... Explore that meaning this week."

I figurred I would do a quick post to tell you how I celebrated Mabon. And here it is! :)

Well, my Mabon was quite quiet. I'd hoped to be doing a lot to celebrate, but due to needing to make last minute plans - since I'd made none, because we were meant to have been moving - all I did was:

* Went to Owen Staton's "Tawe Tales 2011: Descent Into Darkness" story telling evening.

* Took some time to meditate and think about the past year, and plan for the coming Winter.

* Went on several walks with Kero along the path by the river (where we usually walk).

And that's about it. If you want something more exciting to read though, check out all of the posts I put up about Mabon during this last week:

* Mabon: Autumn Equinox - some Mabon information.
* Activity Ideas For A Family Mabon - Ideas for ways to celebrate Mabon with your family.
* Mabon Activities And Correspondences - Some activity ideas for celebrating Mabon, and some general Mabon information.
* Mabon Balance Prayer - a Mabon prayer for balance, which I found online.
* Story: Meagan's Mabon - A cute little Mabon themed story, written by Kathryn Dyer.

Anyway, like I said, quite a quiet Mabon. I'm hoping to make up for it when Samhain rolls around... I'm already making plans for what I'm doing to celebrate Samhain! LOL!

Tawe Tales 2011: Descent Into Darkness

It was the evening of Mabon - the Autumn Equinox, or second harvest - and one of the few nice, rain-free days Wales had experienced during the September of 2011. The time between times was drawing near, and there was a promise of a wonderful evening for those who had the presence of mind to gather together to celebrate this magical night by listening to the tales of the fabulous storyteller, Owen Staton. And so, the local people gathered in the hall for what promised to be a fantastic evening of entertainment.

I, of course, was among them - as I have been every time for the past couple of years - along with my Dad, and a couple of family friends, and can honestly say that Owen once again delivered the wonderful, fabulously entertaining evening I have come to expect when attending his story telling sessions. This along with the beautiful music that is played for the enjoyment of the audience before Owen's performance and during the intermission, made for a truely magical evening.

As I have said before, I'm not just saying this because Owen is a family friend. Owen really is a fantastic story teller. If you don't believe me, go to his website (www.owenstaton.com) and check out the clips he has on there. Then you'll see just how wonderful he is, and will understand why I say that if you ever find yourself in a position to attend one of his sessions, then you should do so. You'll be glad you did!

Thank you Owen for another truely enjoyable evening of tales and legends from the Tawe valley. Also, thank you for the generous, "goodbye," speach you gave for me at the end of your session. I have thoroughly enjoyed the evenings of tales with you, and hope I can make it to other story telling evenings of yours in the future! :)

Friday, September 23, 2011

Official decision (at last)

The call came this evening (at last).

We have an official decision on whether the place we've been hoping to get is ours.

It is ours! :)

Story: Meagan's Mabon

By Kathryn Dyer

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Meagan. She lived with her Mommy and daddy, her big brother Corwin and her beautiful cat named Starweaver.

It was a cool day. The leaves had started to change color. Meagan walked home looking at all the pretty colors. She was wearing the new sweater that her Nana had made for her. Meagan sighed. Her brother had gotten his cast off of his arm. But he still didn't seem to want to play with her. Meagan wished that things would go back to being the way they were before he broke his arm.

Suddenly Meagan saw a flash of color at the door to her house. She looked closer and started running. It was her best friend Cindy! "Hey!" she called out. Cindy turned around and grinned. "Guess what?" asked Cindy. Meagan stopped by her panting, "You haven't got a cold anymore." Cindy giggled, "Yeah, but that's not all. My mom said that I can go with you to pick apples at Jeremy and Sybil's farm!" "Yay!!" shrieked Meagan. She and Cindy started jumping up and down and dancing around. She had been looking forward to picking apples but it would be even more fun having Cindy with her. Especially since Corwin wasn't paying attention to her.

The two girls went inside the house. Meagan's father smiled as they walked past him chatting about how many apples they were going to pick. "My Nana said that she'd help teach me to make applesauce and apple butter," said Meagan, "Then we can have them for Mabon." Cindy frowned, "Which one is that?" They sat down on Meagan's bed. "Mabon is when we celebrate the second harvest." "Huh?" said Cindy, "I know that a harvest is when you bring the crops in on a farm but I didn't know that there was more than one." Meagan nodded, "Yeah, remember I told you how Lammas is the grain harvest?" Cindy nodded. "Well," continued Meagan, "Mabon is when you harvest the fruit, like apples. And then Samhain is when you harvest the meat if you eat meat. 'Cus you have to choose how many animals you can feed through the winter."

Cindy looked puzzled, "But we don't have to do that anymore." Elizabeth appeared in the doorway, "That's right Cindy, but we still celebrate many of the holidays that our ancestors did. But Mabon is also one of the two equinoxes. That's a day when the sun is up just as long as it's down. But I didn't come in here to lecture. Would you two like to come help me make cookies for Mabon?"

The girls jumped off of the bed and went into the kitchen with Elizabeth. They laid out the ingredients and began making cookies. They rolled out the dough and used the special cookie cutters. They had a stag for the North, an eagle for the East, a lion for the South and a dragon for the West. They also had a star, a sun and a moon. Cindy looked through the rest of the cookie cutters. "Hey, here's an apple! Wouldn't that be good for Mabon too?" Elizabeth nodded, "Yes, you're right. And we have a pumpkin cutter you can use too." Everyone worked busily making the cookies.

Soon Meagan looked at her mother, "Mom? How come Corwin is such a grouch lately?" Elizabeth set the timer and put a tray of cookies into the oven. "Well," she said, "your brother is going through some changes right now. His body is changing and so is his life. How he sees things. How he relates to people and what they expect of them. So he has lots of stuff to deal with right at the time his body is changing which makes it that much harder. You'll understand better when your body starts changing more. Try to give him some space. Once he works things out he'll be able to be your favorite brother again."

"He's my only brother!" laughed Meagan, "He'd better be my favorite!" Elizabeth smiled at her. "I remember my cousin Lisa getting really weird when her body started getting to be like a grown-ups," said Cindy, "I hope I don't get like that." Meagan nodded, "Me too!" she said. "Well," said her mother, "it helps if you know what is going on inside. And remember, you can always go talk to a grown-up, even if it isn't me or your father. You should never try to keep everything inside. If it's inside too long it might burn, like those cookies will if we don't get them out soon!"

Soon it was time to go to the farm to pick apples. Meagan and Cindy had a good time. They were made the official apple inspectors since they were still too young to climb the ladders. Sybil had even made them buttons to wear on their coats. They checked all the apples for worm holes. The apples that didn't pass inspection went into baskets that went to the animals on the farm. Some other apples had started to rot or had other damage. They put these into another basket to go to the compost pile. When all the apples had been picked they divided them up. Jeremy and Sybil got the most because it was their farm, but everyone got at least some apples to take home with them. When Meagan and Cindy got back home, Meagan's Nana was already there, ready to teach them to make applesauce and apple butter. They worked so long that Elizabeth called Anna and got permission for Cindy to spend the night.

The next day Meagan and Cindy carefully packed some jars of the applesauce and apple butter for Cindy to take home with her. Elizabeth also let her have some of the cookies that they had made. They were just finishing when they heard Anna's car in the driveway. The girls rushed outside to put the packages in the car. "Hold up!" said Anna, "I've got a few things in the car that need to go inside." In her car she had some pretty gourds. Meagan hadn't known that gourds could come in that many colors. She waved good-bye to her friend and went back inside with the gourds.

It wasn't very long before it was time for the Mabon celebration. Meagan put on warm clothes under her robe. She helped lay out gourds and grapes and apples on the Altar and around the Circle. She felt a little better after talking to her mother about Corwin and he wasn't acting so weird either. Someone lit the candles and the Coven members began chanting. After Circle was over Meagan wasn't very tired so she helped clean things up. But soon she began yawning. It was time to go to bed. She picked up Starweaver and went to her room. She got ready for bed and was just about to snuggle under the blankets when Corwin put his head in the room. "Hey Sis," he said, "sweet dreams." "You too," replied Meagan and she went to sleep. It had been a good day.

(Above taken from here).

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Happy Mabon birthday Jason

Today is the birthday of a family friend named Jason. I doubt he'll read this, but... *Shrugs*... Happy birthday Jason, anyway! :)

Today is also Mabon, so... A blessed Mabon to all! :)

Mabon Balance Prayer

"we celebrate the balance of Mabon,
and ask the gods to bless us.
For all that is bad, there is good.
For that which is despair, there is hope.
For the moments of pain, there are moments of love.
For all that falls, there is the chance to rise again.
May we find balance in our lives
as we find it in our hearts."

(Above from here).

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Mabon Activities and Correspondences (FD)

Symbolism of Mabon: The completion of the Harvest begun. Day and night are equal and the God prepares to leave His physical body and begin the great adventure into the unseen.

Symbols of Mabon: all harvest symbols, corn, autumn flowers, red poppies,nuts, grains, leaves, acorns, pine and cypress cones, oak sprigs, wreaths, vine, grapes, cornucopia, horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops. wine, gourds

Colors : Orange, Dark Red, Yellow, Indigo, Maroon and Brown.

Goddesses: Modron(Welsh), Bona Dea, Harvest Dieties, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan(Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman(Aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona(Roman), the Muses(Greek).

Gods: Mabon, Modron(Welsh), Sky Father, John Barleycorn , the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth(Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei(Japanese), Thor, Dionysus(Roman), Bacchus(Greek) and all wine Deities.

Tarot Cards: Judgment and The World

Altar Decorations: acorns, pinecones, autumn leaves, pomegranate, statue of the Triple Goddess in her Mother phase.

Mabon Herbs: Rue, yarrow, rosemary, marigold, sage, walnut leaves and husks, mistletoe, saffron, chamomile, almond leaves, passionflower, frankincense, rose hips, bittersweet, sunflower, wheat, oak leaves, dried apple or apple seeds.

Foods of Mabon: cornbread, wheat products, bread, grains, berries, nuts, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, apples, pomegranates, carrots, onions, potatoes, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale and ciders, breads, apples, pomegranates

Animals: dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.

Element: water.

Incense : pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouly, cinnamon, clove, oak moss

Mabon Stones : During Mabon, stones ruled by the Sun will help bring the Sun's energy to you.clear quartz, amber, peridot, diamond, gold, citrine, yellow topaz, cat's-eye, adventurine.

Customs: offerings to land, preparing for cold weather by bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands( Druidic), leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honor, walks in forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine,picking ripe produce, stalk bundling

Spellworkings of Mabon: Protection, prosperity, security, and self- confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Taboos:It was considered unlucky to cut down the very last of the Harvest, and so was also left to stand in the field by some traditions.

Activities of Mabon: Select the best of each vegetable, herb, fruit, nut, and other food you have harvested or purchased and give it back to Mother Earth with prayers of thanksgiving. Hang dried ears of corn around your home in appreciation of the harvest season. Do meditations and chanting as you store away food for the Winter. Do a thanksgiving circle, offering thanks as you face each direction - - for home, finances, and physical health (North); for gifts of knowledge (East); for accomplishments in career and hobbies (South); for relationships (West); and for spiritual insights and messages (Center). Decorate the table with colorful autumn leaves in a basket. Display the fruits of the harvest - corn, gourds, nuts, grapes, apples - preferably in a cornucopia. Or decorate with wildflowers, acorns, nuts, berries, cocoons, anything that represents the harvest to you. Like its sister equinox, halfway across the Wheel of the Year, the Autumn Equinox is a good occasion for a ritual feast. Plan a meal that uses seasonal and symbolic fruits and vegetables. You can serve bread, squash, corn, apples, cider and wine. Make some homemade wine or cordial gather and dry herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods. Make grapevine wreaths using dried bitter-sweet herb for protection. Use ribbons of gold and yellow to bring in the energy of the Sun, and decorate with sprigs of dried yarrowor cinnamon sticks. Make a protection charm of hazelnuts (filberts) strung on red thread. Make a witch's broom. Tie dried corn husks or herbs (broom, cedar, fennel, lavender, peppermint, rosemary) around a strong, relatively straight branch of your choice. Make magic Apple Dolls Gifts of the Harvest can be used to make tools and emblems that will remind us of their bounty all year round. Look for colored leaves. Collect fallen leaves and make a centerpiece or bouquet for your home. Save the leaves to burn in your Yule fire. Vist an apple orchard and, if possible, pick your own apples. Hang apples on a tree near your home. Watch the birds and other small animals who will enjoy your gift. This is also the time for replacing your old broom with a new one. As the broom corn is ripe now, besom making is traditional and magickal this time of year. Begin the festival with a vineyard or orchard harvest. You might check the farm lands in your area to see if there's an orchard or pumpkin patch that allows customers to harvest produce for themselves. Traditionally Sabbat festivals begin at sun set on the eve of the Holiday. You can use the daytime hours of this holiday eve to prepare baskets for harvesting the next day. Baking a pumpkin pie (from scratch if possible) is a wonderful way to bring in the fragrance of the holiday season.

(Above taken from here)

Activity Ideas For A Family Mabon (FD)

Have a potluck feast with a group of friends and loved ones to celebrate the abundance of the season. Feel the warmth of being part of a community.

Adopt someone in a nursing home. As a family, take your special person baked goodies and colored pictures. Read them books or tell them stories.

Walk around your neighborhood picking up garbage. Do what you can to improve your home and prepare for winter.

Go toLook at old family photo albums or scrapbooks. Try to tell stories about each person in the pictures.

Leave an apple on the grave of an ancestor. Cut an apple in half to showyour children the star inside. This is a reminder that all life is renewed in some way.

Bake cored apples filled with butter and cinnamon as a special treat.

Create decorations for your front door out of colored leaves, pinecones,nuts, acorns and Indian Corn bundles.

Take a walk in a wild place. Gather seedpods and dried plants.

Sing songs and talk about all the things you've done over the summer. Make plans for the winter.

Honor the birds and small animals in the wilderness or by your home by making a birdfeeder or mandala filled with seeds and grain.

Make rattles out of empty gourds and sunflower seeds or seeds collected from nature walks. Use the rattles to make music or scare away bad dreams.

Look at your family habits and figure out what you can do to improve your conservation habits. Can you use less water or recycle more of your garbage?

(Taken from here).

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Mabon: Autumn Equinox - September 21st-23rd

"Technically, an equinox is an astronomical point and, due to the fact that the earth wobbles on its axis slightly , the date may vary by a few days depending on the year. The autumnal equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator on its apparent journey southward, and we experience a day and a night that are of equal duration. Up until Mabon, the hours of daylight have been greater than the hours from dusk to dawn. But from now on, the reverse holds true.

Mabon marks the middle of harvest, it is a time of equal day and equal night, and for the moment nature is in balance. It is a time to reap what you have sown, of giving thanks for the harvest and the bounty the Earth provides. For finishing up old projects and plans and planting the seeds for new enterprises or a change in lifestyle. Mabon is a time of celebration and balance.

This is the time to look back not just on the past year, but also your life, and to plan for the future. In the rhythm of the year, Mabon is a time of rest and celebration, after the hard work of gathering the crops. Warm autumn days are followed by chill nights, as the Old Sun God returns to the embrace of the Goddess."

(Above taken from this page).

Monday, September 19, 2011

trying to move AKA summery of a frustrating week

It's been a long and frustrating week, but I'm going to summarize it for you and leave it at that, because I really can't be bothered to go in to detail about it all right now. So, to cut a long story short...

We don't have our go ahead to have the place and move in to it yet, because the housing department of the council - who are "technically" our landlords - took until Thursday (just before they close, and just after the estate agents closes) to give them the reference letter they need to in order to verify that we really live where we say we do right now, and really do pay our rent. And they may not have even done it then if I hadn't spent Thursday calling them every 10 minutes to get it through to them that it's important, and that the sooner we get this sorted, the sooner they can have this place for whoever is next on their housing list for a property like this. Thank goodness for head swapping techniques, or I think I'd have lost my temper with them, bearing in mind I'm a very patient person (there's only so many times you can be told, "she's in a meeting, call back in 5 or 10 minutes and she'll be available," without getting annoyed though, regardless of how patient you are).

On the bright side, at least they now have all the paperwork - references included - so it's only a matter of days before we get our final decision on whether we get the place.

Happy birthday Mel

Today is MarmiteToasty's birthday, so I wanted to wish her a very happy birthday... Whether she will make it online to read this or not! So, happy birthday Mel! Hope you're having exactly what you deserve... A truely wonderful day filled with love and happiness!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Witchville (TV Film)

"Witchville is a 2010 made for television fantasy-adventure film based on witchcraft in a medieval feudal time period."

"The film tells the story of Prince Malachi and his friend Jason, reluctantly forced to take his part as the head of his country after his father dies. The land he returns to is a wasteland. A witch hunter tells him that the cause of the scourge is a coven of witches. The prince and his merry men head off to defeat the Red Queen and save his kingdom."

Click here for the trailer.

(Above taken from here).

It was a reasonably good movie, though I did spend part of it chuckling about the inaccuracies, which always amuse me, of how witches were/are portrayed in these movies (I can't help it... I find it funny). Like I said though, it was reasonably good, and if you enjoy these types of fantasy movies then it might be worth you watching it. I can't have thought it was that bad... I've watched it twice! LOL!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Happy birthday Sam

Today is our friend Sam of Beyond Redemption and Days In Azeroth's birthday. I'm not sure if she reads my blog or not, but I know she knows it exists, because of the Alliance United post I did when we met up with her and her family back in 2008. Anyway, whether she will read this or not, I want to wish her a very happy birthday, so... Happy birthday Sam!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Asterix and the Big Fight

"Asterix and the Big Fight is a 1989 animated movie directed by Philippe Grimond and produced in France by Yannick Piel as Astérix et le coup du menhir. It is based on the Asterix comic book series. The movie has a different plot from the book of the same name. It combines plot elements from Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer. Interestingly, although there is plenty of fighting — as usual for an Asterix story — the actual fight that the story is named for is not part of the movie's plot. The novelization was titled "Operation Getafix" (the German translation of the film was Operation Hinkelstein, a hinkelstein being a menhir)."

(Above taken from here... WARNING: Link contains spoilers!).

Click here if you want to watch a clip from this movie (it appears to be the first part of the movie, actually). Yes, it's in English.

It wasn't as enjoyable as the other Asterix movies have been. Not because it wasn't a good movie... It was a good movie... But whoever did the translation for this one didn't get their facts right. Most of the names were wrong, it's meant to be "druid" not "wizard" and the potion is a "magic" potion, but they insist on calling it a "vitamin" potion for some reason. But, if you can ignore that - or if you didn't know any different - then you could easily enjoy this little movie!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A glitchy update

That was what caused it... The problem with my laptop, I mean.

My Dad stopped in on the way to take my Nan to an appointment, so I had him have a look.

If I'd just restored it a bit further back then I'd have managed to fix it myself. LOL!

It's working now... I'm using it now!

YAY for laptops that work!

Also, YAY for not having to go through the hastle of collecting up my files again... They're all back! Yes, even all my lists and scribbles. ;)

I'm going to miss the new Jaws though... Despite all the constant restarts. LOL!

But it's OK, because I only have to use the old Jaws for a few more months... I'm still getting a new laptop and the new Jaws as soon as possible after we move! :)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Furkid thoughts: confused and exhausted

Hi humans, it's Kero here.

Well, I just don't know what's going on here lately. All our stuff keeps going in boxes, which Mami says has to happen so it can come to the new place, "when we have confirmation," (whatever one of those "confirmation" things are). I'm really confused!

If that wasn't strange enough, Gwydion has gone. I can't find him anywhere! I know Bella and her human came for a visit and Mami and Bella's human pulled Gwydion's cage apart and put him in that box he goes in when he goes to the vet, but after that he disappeared. I keep looking in where his cage was, but it's gone! No cage, no animal bedding, no Gwydion! I just don't get it! I shoved Mami in there to show her and she said it was OK and that Gwydion has gone... Well, duh! I already knew that! I swear humans are daft sometimes! Anyway, I've been acting super cute to make sure they don't think about making me, "gone," too. So far so good. In fact, I've had some really nice treats, lots of play time, and some lovely walkies lately (in between rain showers). And the humans are still saying I'm going with them to this new place and having, "walkies by the seaside," - which actually sounds really exciting - so that's good. All this puppy-like behaviour is exhausting though!

It's been really wet and windy lately, and the birds went away. They came back today though. Mami was really pleased when we heard them this morning, but I wasn't... I hate those birds, and had been hoping that they'd stay gone!

Anyway, I just thought I would stop by the blogs and do this post so you know I'm still about, and - other than being extremely confused, and exhausted from having to keep acting like a cute little puppy "just in case" the humans get any ideas about making me be "gone" too - I'm doing just fine!

OK, I need a nap, so this will do for today.

Licks and sniffs,
Kero

Monday, September 12, 2011

Weather, laptops and Kero

Just to let you all know I'm still here... Haven't been blown away or anything. :)

It's gotten quite wet and windy over night, though not much worse than is normal for Wales. It's unusual for it to be like this in September - September is usually a reasonable month, weather wise - but I don't think it's much wetter and windyer than is normal for Wales in general. Hopefully it stays that way.

I don't hear any birds out there though... Now that is unusual! We have robins and such, so we usually have birds around even in Winter. No birds though... I haven't heard a bird out there since Friday. Kelly thinks they went further East to be away from any chance of being caught by Katia. That's good that they're out of the way and safe, but I miss hearing the birds. They used to tell me that the sun was up.

***

My laptop is playing up. Either it's a memory issue or the hard drive is damaged or something. All I know is it's either wiped my files or put them somewhere I can't access them, and the programmes are back to factory settings, and setting changes don't stick if the laptop gets turned off. So until the issue is resolved, or I can get the money together for a new laptop (which means a new Jaws, since anything worth buying would have Windows 7, and my Jaws wont work on Windows 7) I'm stuck with using Kelly's PC with Jaws' demo that we installed when my laptop's power supply died, which means a restart every 35 to 40 minutes in order to be able to use Jaws again. *Sigh* Good thing we just got his PC fixed (graphics issue... New graphics card was required). Anyway, Iggy's been trying really hard to help me make my laptop work... Thanks for that Iggy! *Hugs*

Anyway, this means I might not be about much. Not that I've been great at keeping up with blogs in general with the whole move thing, but with sharing a computer it means my online time is even more limited... I don't like to hog other people's computers (even if it's my hubby's computer). Until my laptop issue is resolved - one way or another - I don't have much choice but to just do what I can when I can online though, because... Well, basically it's this way or no internet access, and since all my friends are online that's something I don't even need to think about! :)

Shouldn't be too bad today though... Unless I get the phone call we're waiting for about the new place I haven't got much I need to do today, Kero wont go out when it's wet like this, and Kelly is busy today so wont be wanting his computer much, which means I have plenty of time to get caught up with things online today. :)

Anyway, the good thing is that other than a couple of files I can get the files back one way or another, since they're either backed up, photos that are on my blog so can be grabbed from here, the documents for things I have in my e-mail's safe folder, or things friends have sent me that I'm sure - if I ask nicely - they'll send me again. And the few I can't get back at all? Well, as luck would have it they aren't the important things (mostly just a couple of lists, and some scribbled thoughts).

***

Kero's worn himself out with all his puppy behaviour and has now started sleeping more again. He seems to be really happy when he is up though, so that's OK. Still gets really excited and bouncy from time to time (like when we mention, "walkies by the seaside," for example). All in all, I think he's loving being the only furkid again.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

A Metcheck Weather Watch/Warning has been issued for parts of the UK.

"Severe Gales and Heavy Rain

Areas Affected: Northern and western districts of Britain and Ireland.

Valid: 22:00 Sunday 11th September - 18:00 Tuesday 12th September 2011

This is a Severe Weather Warning issued by Metcheck at 10:27 on Sunday 11th September 2011, replacing the Advanced Weather Warning that was issued on Friday 09th September 2011.

The remains of ex-hurricane Katia are currently tracking across the Atlantic, heading towards Britain and Ireland, and whilst she has lost hurricane status, a potentially stormy spell of weather is still expected to affect north-western parts of Britain and Ireland.

The track and intensity of this system are still subject to change even at this stage, but current indications are that northern and western Britain will see severe gales or storm force winds gusting in excess of 80mph, with gales developing quite widely elsewhere for a time. This winds may clash with high tides, bringing the risk of coastal flooding in prone areas.

Heavy and persistent rain will accomanpy the winds across western Scotland where in excess of 2 inches (50mm) of rain may fall in the above time period, bringing the risk of localised flooding.

These weather conditions will result in hazardous travelling conditions and bring the risk of some damage and disruption. Please check with the relevant local authorities if you are worried about the risk in your area.

The strong winds and rain are expected to continue into Tuesday across northern areas before gradually easing later in the day.

This Severe Weather Warning will expire on Tuesday evening, but may be superseded by further updates.

Issued by: Paul Barber for Metcheck"

UK braced for 80mph hurricane gusts

"The remnants of Hurricane Katia, currently in the western Atlantic, are expected to hit Britain next week (Nasa/AP)
Damaging winds will hit northern parts of the UK on Monday as the remnants of Hurricane Katia reach British shores, forecasters have warned.

Scotland, Northern Ireland and Cumbria could see trees brought down as gusts of up to 80 mph sweep across the region.

The high winds will be accompanied by heavy rain and the Environment Agency said flood warnings may be issued in coastal areas. A flood alert - which warns that flooding is possible - remains in place at Derwent Water, Cumbria, because water levels at the lake remain high.

Paul Mott, forecaster for Meteogroup, said: "The strongest gusts are going to be over Scotland, Northern Ireland and Cumbria.

"There will be gusts up to 60 or 70 mph, locally up to 80 mph over west and north west Scotland. It is possible that it will be enough to bring down trees in Scotland and Northern Ireland, especially as they are still in full leaf so they are more likely to come down."

The high winds and rain will start to ease off in the first half of next week. "It will be over pretty quickly," Mr Mott said. "The worst of the wind will be through Monday afternoon and evening, and then the winds should start to ease through Monday night. Tuesday and Wednesday will still be windy for parts of the UK, but nowhere nearly as windy as Monday."

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for Monday, warning people in Northern Ireland, central and south west Scotland and the Highlands to be prepared.

The warning, classed as an amber alert, says: "The remains of Hurricane Katia are expected to come across the UK on Monday bringing a spell of very windy weather. There remains some uncertainty about its track and intensity, though with increasing indications that Scotland and Northern Ireland are most likely to bear the brunt.

"The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to transport and of the possibility of damage to trees and structures."

Katia is the second major hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season and was rated as a category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale at its peak. The scale rates hurricanes from one to five, with five being the strongest."

(Above taken from here).

Looks like the hurricane itself will miss us here in South Wales, which is good news for us... Not good news for those it will hit though! :(

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Katia To Hit UK Next Week?

"All eyes this weekend are set to be on Hurricane Katia which will be moving over the Atlantic towards our shores, set to affect Britain and Ireland by late Sunday and into Monday. It's still too early to put specific details on the possible forecast, but a spell of potentially very wet and very windy is looking likely. More on this in the next few days.

In the meantime, it is rather unsettled out there for many areas today with low pressure in charge. A weather front moving north-eastwards will bring cloudy skies and some rain at times across much of England, Wales and Ireland today. Most of the rain will be out towards the west where it may be heavy, whilst south-eastern areas are drier and a little brighter. The brightest of the weather today will be over northern Britain but here there will be a scattering of showers between the sunny spells. Winds will tend to ease down as we go through the day whilst temperatures will be close to normal for many.

Further rain and showers will push northeast tonight with southern areas turning drier by morning. The heaviest of the rain will be in the northwest, and this rain will continue to move north across Scotland on Friday. Drier conditions will then follow to many areas, although western coasts and hills will remain damp and misty with the southeast turning brighter and warmer."

(Above taken from MetCheck.Com).

I was just thinking our weather had been worse the past couple of days than is normal for September... I guess I under estimated how much worse! *Sigh*

Friday, September 09, 2011

Asterix vs. Caesar

Also known as: Astérix y la sorpresa del César

"Obelix falls for a new arrival in his home village in Gaul, but is heartbroken when her true love arrives to visit her. However, the lovers are kidnapped by Romans; Asterix and Obelix set out to rescue them on a dangerous journey that will involve gladiators, slavers and beauracracy - and a personal encounter with the Emperor himself, Julius Caesar..."

(Above taken from here).

I looked for an English trailer, but couldn't find one. however, if you click here for an amusing little trailer for the series in general (yes, it is in English). The scenes may be from this actual movie, but I'm not sure. I'm going with it though, because it's the only English one that seemed to come up - that would play for me so I could be sure it was in English - when I searched.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable movie! :)

Thursday, September 08, 2011

First a hurricane, now a flood...

I'm told the flooding in upstate Pennsylvania has reached levels as high or higher than they were during 1972's Hurricane Agnes - which, I'm told, set every record in the history books. From what I hear, Upstate Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southern New York are seeing rivers 20 feet (or more) higher today than is normal. I don't think that I need to tell you how bad that will be for the people in those areas! Apparently this also means that those affected by hurricane Irene are likely to be facing yet more flooding. I have friends who are too close to some of this nasty weather for comfort... Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers, as well as all of those brave men and women who are involved in any and all rescue efforts!

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Apology, sleep and pets

Sorry I've been such a bad bloggy friend lately. I have a lot going on with making sure everything is sorted for the upcoming move, plus working on some craft projects I need to get done as soon as possible (since they're all needed in the next few months... More on that in another post though). And since I slept most of the weekend I had to spend the last couple of days getting the things I would have been doing over the weekend done. At least I got caught up on my sleep though... Even if all of the sleep happened at completely the wrong times! ;)

I have another Gwydion update... He's doing great. Also, remember how I couldn't get him to run around out of his cage? Well, they've managed to persuade him to do so, which is fantastic news... I've been saying for a while he could do with doing that to get rid of some of the tubby tummy his love of food has given him. Hearing how well he's doing makes me feel loads better about giving him up... I'm still really missing him though. The other day I was sure I heard him weaking when I opened the fridge. It was all in my head, of course... Memories of what always happened when he was here... But for a split second there I was sure he was weaking! Yeah, I know, I'm losing it... It's finally happened... LOL!

Kero has gone in the spare room to check for him a couple of times, but I think he's happy to be the only furkid again. He's bouncing about and playing like a little puppy!

Before I end this post, I just want to say... I posted some new recipes on my recipe page over the past few days, and there are more coming soon... Just letting anyone know who might be interested. Some of them may be especially interesting to those vegetarians who read my blog.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Happy birthday Matt

Today is Matt's birthday. Now, I have no idea if Matt is still reading the blogs, but - as mentioned before - that doesn't tend to stop me from posting happy birthday messages. So... Happy birthday Matt! I hope today finds you happy and healthy; and that it's a wonderful day for you!

Monday, September 05, 2011

Happy birthday Clarence

Today is my Father-In-Law, Clarence's birthday. I have no idea if he even knows my blog - or even Kelly's for that matter - exists, let alone reads it/them. But I figure I'll post a message on here for him anyway, since I usually mention birthdays - whether the person reads my blog or not - so... Happy Birthday Clarence!

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Pagan Blog Prompts: Solitude and education

I decided to do some of the prompts from Pagan Blog Prompts again. So...

Prompt: Solitary longing...
(From September 1st 2011)

"This week's prompt comes from reader suggestions, and I think it is something we should all think about....

If you are a Solitary, do you ever long for a mentor, coven or friend to learn with, learn from, or practice with? If so, what keeps you from seeking to join with others?"

My thoughts:
Sometimes I do, but I've always prefered alone time to being in groups, and like to do things my way, so I've never tried to find a coven to join because I don't feel it would be right for me. I have recently made some really nice Pagan friends online who I can share things with though... Like Magaly and Stephanie.

***

Prompt: Back to School
(From August 25th 2011)

"It's the end of summer, and families everywhere are gearing up for the new school year. But that doesn't have to apply only to kids in school or young adults going to college... After all, life is about learning something new every day.

What have you been learning lately? Perhaps a topic of interest has taken over your focus lately, and you've been immersed in its research. Or maybe someone sparked a question in your mind, and you've been searching (both within and with-out) to find the answer. What knowledge are you seeking, and how close are you to reaching it's zenith?"

My thoughts:
You never stop learning... Life is just one lesson. But as for what I've been learning lately...

*I learned how important it is to be yourself and to hold on to your beliefs.
*I learned that there's a LOT of paperwork involved in private renting (but it's something we want to do... Which is the only reason we're doing it!)
* I learned that sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest (OK, I already knew that, but - as you will know if you read Thursday's post - I was reminded of it recently).

And I will soon be learning all sorts of things from the courses I'm collecting from E-Mail College - which I will be starting to work on soon... I still have a load I want to grab though, but I haven't had a chance to get signed up for more of them. I'll probably leave getting more until we move now.

And as for how close I am to being at the end of the lessons... Well, I've obviously not really started with the courses, and the life lessons... Well, you never stop learning them until you stop living, and since I don't plan on stopping living any time soon, I guess I'm not even close to being done with those lessons! ;)

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Happy birthday Jayde and Lucy

Today is the birthday of both my Grandma's little Yorkshire Terrier, Jayde Bramblerose, and Jayde's sister, Lucy Blackthorn, who now belongs to a friend of my online friend Corinne. Now, my Grandma might read this, but I don't know if Corinne - or Lucy's new owner, Helen - will read this; but I figured I would wish their little furbabies a happy birthday anyway. So... Happy birthday Jayde and Lucy! I hope your humans are spoiling you today; like I know they do every day, and like you deserve to be!

Friday, September 02, 2011

Posts, pets and paperwork (kinda FD)

I'll get to all your blogs soon. Tonight I just want to write this post and go to bed! I'm only doing the post because it was bugging me that there wouldn't be a post on my blog for today. I'm not sure why it was, but for some reason it was!

Gwydion seems to be really happy in his new home so far. He's already "talking" to them. But then, since they gave him some fresh dandelion leaves and fresh veggies, well, I'm not surprised... The way to that guinea pig's heart is most definately through his stomach! I'm glad he's so happy. I miss him though... ~Especially when I open the fridge and no weaking can be heard... It's like my fridge had an alarm on it, only now the alarm has been deactivated. It was comforting hearing him. Especially early in the morning when nobody else was up, and I'd go in the fridge to get some milk for cereal and, "weak, weak"... The guinea pig alarm would go off! At least he seems to be happy and safe where he is though... That's what's most important!

We sent the paperwork off for our" new place on Wednesday. We sent it recorded next day delivery... Expensive, but worth it for the security and speed of the delivery. They got it yesterday (I called this morning to make sure they had definately gotten it). So now we just have to wait for them to check it all out and get back to us. They say 10 days at most from when they get the paperwork, so we should know one way or another what's going on by September 12th. And, if it is definately ours - which it should be, since we see no reason why they should have a problem with us - then I will be able to give you more information on the place and an actual moving date.

OK, I'm struggling not to use my laptop as a pillow here, so - before I get past the sleepy stage and end up being up all night (again) I'm going to end this, publish it, and go for an early night (yeah, very early, I know... it's only 5:45 pm... But when you have the type of sleeping pattern - or lack of - that I do, you sleep when you can. Even if that means you're going to bed about when most people are having dinner!)

Hope everyone is - and stays - safe and well... *Hugs to those in need of them*

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest

Sometimes when something wonderful is happening there will be something else happening which is nowhere near as wonderful. This post is about one of those times.

We should be moving soon, which is great. We're really happy about it. We feel this move is the right thing for us, and that it will be a great thing for us. So if we get turned down for this place we're waiting to hear about we'll keep looking until we find one we can have. One way or another, we're doing this move, because - as I already said - we feel it's the right thing for us, so we want to do it.

The thing is though, we need to make a long journey in order to get to where we're moving too. Which is also kind of exciting in a way... I love trains, and I get to spend most of the day having train rides... YAY!

But one of the members of this household wont cope very well with the journey.

Guinea pigs don't do well with stress. They tend to go in to shock, and can sometimes - in fact, quite often - die from it. And Gwydion is a typical nervous little guinea pig, for whom just the 5 minute car ride to the vets was kind of stressful. What this boils down to is that Gwydion stands a high chance of not surviving the journey, which leaves me with a tough choice to make...

Option 1: Take Gwydion with us and hope for the best, but be prepared for the worse, since that's probably what will happen.

Option 2: Rehome him locally, and give him a better chance at a long and happy life.

I don't like either option. But I had to decide. So I decided.

I went with the second option.

I'd rather lose him to a new owner than have him probably die with all the stress of the journey. It was a tough choice, but I feel it's the best one for him. At least giving him up gives him a chance... A chance he wont have if we take him with us.

There's a lady named Rita who lives near here. She owns a Chihuahua named Bella (Bella has been mentioned in posts of Kero's in the recent past) and Rita does animal rescuing, and she knows several people who do the same. So I called her and asked for her help in locating a new home for the little guy, explaining the situation.

Someone - a nice lady named Marion who runs a dog rescue but also rescues guinea pigs and rabbits - sprang to her mind immediately, so Rita put us in touch with each other and she agreed to take Gwydion.

Before he went I wanted to do a photo shoot with him though. So, here are the photos:

Kero says, "Gwydion, you smell interesting."


Kero says, "Can I lay here with you?"
Gwydion says, "Sure, whatever... I don't care either way!"


Kero and Gwydion:


Me and Gwydion:



Cuddle time with my favourite guinea pig:



The last photo I'll have of me with both my boys:


Gwydion was meant to go to his new home on Monday, but they had to reschedule because of a sick dog (which, I think, is a very valid reason to have to reschedule), so Gwydion went to his new home yesterday (Wednesday) evening instead.

I'm sorry Gwydion. I did it because I love you, and because I want you to live a long and happy life. You're a wonderful little guinea pig, and I'm going to miss you!