Category: Uncategorized
-
The poem I needed right now, from Mary Walker
My friend, the writer Mary Walker, recently invited her Instagram followers to request a poem for a particular mood or need. She said she would see which of her poems came forward as answering the request. Mary is a sensitive listener -of both people and the land- so I immediately took her up on the…
-
Can we slow down?
I made this sign for a wild plant identification stall I ran at a recent community event. A huge part of learning to forage is learning to slow down…to observe closely…to ask questions of the environment around and settle down enough to hear the answer. I’m not always good at slowing down…but when I do…my…
-
Elderberries and Red Clover
It’s elderberry season … I foraged these from an abandoned yard in the middle of the city and there was a thick patch of red clover near by, as well, so I picked a big bag of that. Every summer I make elderberry elixirs ahead of winter. It’s great for when I can feel myself…
-
Some background on ‘Write to the Centre’
My whole adult life I have kept journals, capturing bits of my life in words and images. I’ve also taught journal writing classes from time to time. Journal writing is a key part of my creative process as a writer and my self-care regime as a human. Journals get some bad press – sometimes seen…
-
many moons
Last year I received a grant from the Earle Creativity Trust to write a book about my life-long practice of keeping a journal. It was so wonderful to get the grant and I’ve been busy working on this time-bound project, which has to be completed in 2016 (a condition of the grant.) I finished year…
-
Another garden visit: Paekakariki School Garden
Another beautiful permaculture garden I visited recently, is the Paekakariki School garden. Lots of schools have gardens these days, but they are usually hotch-potch patches of vegetables gone to seed and a few calendula…not the Paekakariki School garden. It’s clearly lovingly and frequently tended, with huge compost and mulch piles, a working greenhouse and an…
-
porch sitting
It’s quite the year for foxgloves – they have self-seeded everywhere and are growing tall and pretty, especially around the front porch. People don’t seem to use front (street-facing) porches, but mine gets the morning sun, so I put a little table made from an old sewing machine base and chair there for morning cups…
-
40
So yesterday I turned 40. Here is me at three years old. This is my favourite photograph of me as a kid. I’m holding a quail that my father shot. I thought it was asleep. I carried it around and played with it for three days. Mum snuck into my room on the third night,…
-
there is no perfect time to do anything
I’m working two jobs, my garden is a weedy mess, in a week it is the school holidays, I have nearly 100 essays to grade, I’m training to teach yoga, lately I only get to see my husband at bedtime… …golly gee, I think I might publish a book. While I’m at it, why…
Helen Lehndorf 