by Juliet Batten | 29, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
In the week before Easter, it is time to take my annual pilgrimage. I go to St Matthew-in-the-city, which I have visited at this time for the last four years. There I find the labyrinth awaiting me. It is set out in river stones and candles each year, for the... 
by Juliet Batten | 27, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
It’s unusual to see black swans on the beach, but this pair was having a good time feeding at low tide. Meanwhile, we were making a house for the fairies. Another inky visitor, not usually found on the beach, came to visit, and tried to sit in the... 
by Juliet Batten | 21, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
My book is taking an ocean voyage. Yes, on March 15, the Cap Manuel set sail from Hong Kong, carrying 33 cartons of books. My words are being tossed on the ocean waves.They are feeling the temperature change, as they sail from one... 
by Juliet Batten | 19, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
Have you ever heard of people who rush towards a volcano when they hear that it’s about to erupt? Well, I felt a bit like that as I drove out to the bach on the very weekend when rain could be falling.Rain, what’s that? We hadn’t seen any for... 
by Juliet Batten | 14, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
My friend and I met when our children were still small. Now we are both grandmothers, with a granddaughter each who is four years old. For a while we’ve spoken of getting them together. Yesterday it happened. We met at the beach, and the two little... 
by Juliet Batten | 11, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
My little scythe, which evidently is called a grass hook, has broken. I inherited this implement with the bach some 40 years ago, and it has done many years of trusty service. It’s perfect for cutting the tough grass that grows along the pathways and... 
by Juliet Batten | 8, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
The little monkey loves the sea, especially when it’s full tide and there are branches to swing on, and the water to catch her.Now that she’s with me every Wednesday afternoon, we are making the most of the warm weather to play on the beach and have a... 
by Juliet Batten | 6, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
Let me take you back a few days, to Sunday morning at the bach. I awoke to an unexpected, and almost unfamiliar sound. Could it be . . . ? Could it be . . . . . RAIN? It was. Drops settled like jewels on the grateful garden plants. The gentle shower... 
by Juliet Batten | 4, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
The rest of our walk has a little story. First I must show you the floating fence. Fencing a sand-dune is not an easy proposition. But when the farmer whose land bordered 3/4 of the lake decided to sell and make this a public reserve, the farmer on the right... 
by Juliet Batten | 2, Mar, 2013 | Uncategorized
I’m glad it’s cloudy today. First, clouds are closer to rain than blue skies, and we do keep hoping for a very wet overnight rainfall. Second, I wanted to take you inland today. Even though the west coast beaches have reopened after a man was...