by Juliet Batten | 28, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
Suddenly, after the excitement of holiday guests and then Christmas Day, with little voices shrill, fast pattering feet, laughter and tears, tinsel and crumbs, feasting and fullness, everything has changed.And you gasp, like one who has descended too fast in an... 
by Juliet Batten | 25, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
At Summer Solstice we celebrate with a ritual of gratitude. ‘What is gratitude?’ asked the little one, who was joining in for the first time. She had helped gather pohutukawa blossom for the ritual, and added bunny’s tail grasses. They... 
by Juliet Batten | 21, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
Happy Summer Solstice from the wild west coast of New Zealand.Yesterday the little one and I wandered up the stream, looking for lupins. We couldn’t find any, but we found plenty of other fiery flowers and leaves. And so, on the black sand, on a little... 
by Juliet Batten | 19, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
On Tuesday, for some reason, I decided to walk on the other side of the street on my way to the beach.Maybe I was drawn by the gentle blue of the jacaranda trees,or maybe it was because it was Tuesday, but the little one wasn’t with me.Our Tuesday afternoons... 
by Juliet Batten | 18, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
Franklin Rd in Ponsonby is a long sloping through-route. In summer the trees arch over the whole road creating a spacious tunnel. I always love driving up this avenue. Over the last 19 years, Franklin Rd has gathered a special reputation. First a few people began... 
by Juliet Batten | 15, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
The trick at this time of the year is to stay cool. Everything is hotting up: the temperature, the pace of life, the energy of the sun rising to the solstice. The moon is swelling into fullness. Christmas is pumping out its demanding energy. The year is winding up and... 
by Juliet Batten | 12, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
I hope you like green. Because this is a very green post. After a dry spell, which had me anxious about how my seedlings were surviving out at the bach, the heavens opened and tipped bucket loads of water down from the skies, day after day. So when I arrived at... 
by Juliet Batten | 4, Dec, 2013 | Uncategorized
Every now and then I have the luxury of a slow morning. No alarm clock. No early start with work appointments. Just relaxing into my own rhythm. Before breakfast I have a bounce on my rebounder while taking in the fresh morning air, letting my eyes sink into the...