Happy Mid January!
We have had quite the juxtaposing weekend! Yesterday was the most mild Mid-January day of recent memory and today is well below 0 and snowing lightly. I am so happy today! This weekend has been lovely, with the starlings and crows at our door. I feel rejuvenated to create and just be one with the earth! Painting, knitting and ultimately my favourite, being outside with the trees and light snow flakes. In all the quietness and ultimately achieving nothing that our society places importance on – I feel the happiest and most fulfilled. A full fridge, a fire in the stove, snow flakes dancing out my window and a very tired dog from a long hike. Warm socks, a patient book and unlimited amounts of tea with the possibility of a cat cuddle <3<3<3
And for this evening, Jamie and I will have a nice dinner to celebrate our 8 years together, sit by the fire and I will more than likely start another little knit for the shop and will finish The Good People by Hannah Kent. We started to watch Tales from the Green Valley AGAIN (about once a season we watch this series). It is one of my most soothing and therapeutic shows – I love it! All I need is to hear the opening music and I feel whisked to a very safe place. Jamie and I have developed stories between the historians and archaeologists – for instance, we are certain something happened between Alex and Chloe… but anyway, for another time and place !!
I wonder if you can feel the peace I feel this weekend through the photographs? I forgot to mention that Jamie gifted me with a new camera for Christmas and I am so incredibly excited about the pictures that I have been taking. I do have A LOT to learn because though I have always enjoyed taking pictures – I have never done more than point and shoot. There is a bit more too this one and I am in a wee bit over my head at the moment. All in good time, right?
Love & Light for the last half of January! I am already looking at seed catalogues as the light ascends!
Hope You’re well and DO let me know if you watch the link I provided 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ways of Wood Folk 
Hello from New Zealand. I really enjoy reading what you share, your world, animals, trees, solitude, silence, snow, knitting, just love it. Thank you.
LikeLike
Thank you so much Celeste, I always feel so grateful to hear words such as these – a reason to continue when sometimes I’m questioning why I share parts of my life!
LikeLike
Sounds like a weeknd of peaceful bliss, Julia! Love the photos. And yes, they are peaceful. Thank you for sharing the video of Tales from the Green Valley. I’ve never seen this before, but it resonates and fascinates me tremendously. I’ve always thought I was born in the wrong century. I’ll have to look for it and watch more. I wonder if it is available for watching in the states. The mitts are lovely. I’m drawn to the black pair and the grey pair. Love the little artic 🦊 too! By the way, I’m going to request The Snow Child from the library system. Hopefully I will get it soon. Let me know what you think of it when you start it.
LikeLike
Let me know how you feel about Tales From the Green Valley! It is completely available on YouTube. We have looked into buying the DVD but it is for UK devices and I think they may be different? Actually..no I am second guessing myself.
Enjoy Enjoy!
LikeLike
I love ❤️ Talea From the Green Valley! And yes, I found it out on YouTube – Yay! It’s so different from many of the other historical “reinactment” shows I’ve watched before – both US and Canadian. I appreciate that the participants in the Green Valley are historians and archeologists. They bring an element of knowledge and wisdom and you can tell they love what they are doing…even when the going gets tough. Why, just in the first episode I learned where the phrase “upper crust” came from! Thanks for sharing this link.
LikeLike
Hello Julia!
So nice to read a post from you again. I hope you are doing well. I sure sounds like lovely days you are having now, and the knits look very beautiful. I am hoping to buy one of your mittens, I hope I get a chance to when you put them on your shop. They are all so beautiful.
I haven’t read The good people. Please tell me what you think of it. 🙂 I just watched a few minutes from the video now, (I’m suppose to be studying, better get to it!) but it looks like something Vidar (my husband) and I would enjoy very much, I’ll show him and we’ll see it together.
Happy anniversary! ❤
LikeLike
Hi Camilla,
Oh I do hope you get to watch it and enjoy it! This is the first in many “historical farm shows” and definitely my favourite since the pace is slower and it really only discusses and explores life on a farm (the others always launch off into all different types of things).
I noticed you have a blog post about deleting instagram? I will head over there shortly and read your words, I am honestly so torn with instagram – I love the blogging world and I love taking pictures but I really struggle with instagram, definitely not my favourite but such a good way to share and get your work out there – ho hum. Anyway I shall “visit” you shortly 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am looking forward to watching it. There are very few series I have patient to watch, but it is usually these kinds of shows. I like things that makes me feel good, and not just sad or terrified, ha-ha! 🙂 I’ll leave a comment letting you know how we like it. (I just remembered my husband is going to work tonight, so maybe I’ll just watch it without him 😉 )
LikeLike
Julia see my response below to Camilla. I think we three are all feeling the same about sm.
LikeLike
I just read your post Camilla about deactivating your Instagram account. And I congratulate you for your courage to do so. I fully agree with what you and Julia feel and say about it. I have at times unplugged for days or weeks from it and have felt all the better for it. I have completely unplugged from Facebook. What I have found is that the more time I spend nurturing my Inner Spirit (whether in meditation, or quiet walks in nature, or creating something’s from our hearts, i.e. whatever practice allows you to listen to the Voice Within) the more Light fills my soul helping me to become a brighter light for others and strengthening and protecting me from the negative energies (competition, lack of self worth, etc) one encounters in sm or the news, etc. It is an ongoing challenge, but if we are disciplined in our ‘spiritual’ practice we eventually overcome the perceived ‘need’ for sm in our lives. Rather, sm becomes a way for us to serve others, posting only when we have something that will help others in some way and not allowing it to control our lives. I have not deactivated my account yet, but have considered it. In 2014 I started a blog while I was an artist resident in Pacific Northwest of the US. Since that time it has been silent, but I’m feeling that it is time for me to write again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I do agree with you, that strengthening my inner spirit will help deal with these things. Of course when one feels “stronger” these things have a smaller effect than if you are feeling vulnerable and weak, or inferior, or someway or the other need to receive rather than give. I am a very sensitive person when it comes to taking in impressions, so I use a lot of time for instance when I’ve read a book or watched a movie, to think about it and sort of digest it. Too many impressions makes me easily feel overwhelmed.
BUT I think part of the problem actually IS all of those accounts trying to “help” or “give”. Because seeing what other people do, receiving advice from others or trying to reach to “that level” of lifestyle other people seem to have or think is accessible to you (without knowing you), makes you feel like less of a person. These lives that are presented are always edited, everyone chooses to show what they want themselves to seem like, without considering what is the reality of who they are. An account on for instance Instagram could, in my opinion, just as easily be said to contain what the owner wants life to be, and not what life really is like. Getting advice from someone you don’t know, can be very confusing, and I think that to give some random person the power to advice you without any knowledge of your life, your beliefs, your background or the society you are a part of, would be to undermine your own authority in your life, especially if you are feeling vulnerable.
I love the idea or social medias. But it has made life more of a product. A competition. Something you are suppose to present to people, and that are judged, not based on what you think of your own life, but more based on what “people” think. And I don’t want that. For anyone, really. I think it’s kind of sad, actually..
Sorry for the long answer, I just get so carried away… 🙂
LikeLike
No need to apologize, Camilla. I agree with you wholeheartedly. There are definitely those accounts which edit and present the perfect photo, idea, etc. I can tell you with all honesty mine isn’t one of them. I try to post from the heart, not to change anyone else, but rather to somehow show how I’ve been changed by whatever it is I have posted. I do feel that shining one’s light into the world – even if it is cyberspace and even if no one else “likes” it or even looks at it – adds more light to help dispel the darkness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I started watching Tales from the Green Valley after you mentioned it in your blog post many moons ago. My partner and I LOVE it! We started working our way through the other ones too, Edwardian Farm, Victorian Farm, Wartime Pharmacy, etc. They are all great if you haven’t seen them!
LikeLike
Awesome!! Really happy to hear that it struck a chord with you! I haven’t made my way to the Pharmacy one.. and I think there may be a baking one (or did I just make that up?). I also really enjoy the Castles in France series… however miss Alex!
I find I just keep coming back to Tales from the Green Valley though…. really love it ❤
LikeLike
Ooo! I haven’t seen the Castles in France. I wish there was a baking one but I didn’t see that one listed. Thanks for the tip!
LikeLike
Hi Julia
Greetings from Scotland. I must say I absolutely adore your blogs and your pictures. You always inspire me to live slower and more intentionally! I just bought Tales From the Green Valley along with Tudor Monastery Farm, Victorian Farm and Edwardian Farm this autumn and I’m slowly working my way through them. They keep my dream of one day owning a croft alive! Have you considered opening a Patreon account to support the cost of running a business blog? I am sure we are several people who would love to support your endeavours! Personally your blog posts are often the highlights of my day and I read them more than once.
Hope you have a good start into the new year. I look forward to following along in your adventures.
All the best – Emilie
LikeLike
Hi Emilie,
Thank you so much for this more than kind comment! I know I often say this, but when I receive a message like this is truly inspires me to continue what I’m doing and just fills me with so much joy!!
I am so excited for you that you actually possess real copies of the historical farm series (!!! Kinda jealous, we can’t get them over here
). I really love them… and watch them over and over again while I’m knitting. They are soothing and you can learn so much from them. Not only that, but you’re not left with the kind of anxiety so many modern programs seem to leave us with. I do hope you will reach your goal of having your own croft!
I have thought about Patreon before, but am really unsure of what to do, haha. I do have a part time job which is helping a lot so I will be able to open up the new site within the next 2 months.
Sorry for the very long message – I get carried away sometimes, especially when people like historical farms… and wanting to own a croft :D!!
Julia xo
LikeLike
You’re very welcome!
I am very excited about the historical farm series too! They really do make you feel a special sense of comfort I think. I am gonna finish university and move south to Inverness before the summer and that causes a lot of anxiety; but things that are slow and calm like knitting, reading your blog, listening to podcasts or watching historical farm series really helps me keep that at bay.
So I am really hoping you choose to keep doing this social media stuff, whether it be Instagram and blogging or just the one of them (with all the breaks you need allowed of course). 😉
To me at least, your blog has become a true clearing in the dark, looming forest that is adult life.
All my love – Emilie
PS. I love long messages, they leave space to convey feeling.
LikeLike
Oh goodness, I would love to hear all of your Green Valley theories……I have a friend who legitimately fell in love with Fonz throughout the course of watching the show (I fell in love with Ruth/pretty much just want to be her!). I’m definitely with you there—I tend to re-watch each month’s episode during that month every year—it’s my absolute favorite show and you’re right: it’s so unfailingly therapeutic.
LikeLike