It has turned quite cold on the island so lots of little jobs on the smallholding to prepare for winter frosts. We are beginning to move beyond harvest mode and into a time where we need to protect the plants so that they can make it through winter. I have cut back almost all my herbs so that they are not wasting energy supporting leggy growth during the colder months. A lot of the clipping can be dried to use in various projects. This year I am making scented fire starters into two different ways. I always make them using soy wax and wick bases scented with essential oils and topped with a pinecone. These are my biggest winter sellers. But this year I am adding in a second version which will be a scented pinecone dripped with wax and wrapped in a small fire starter parcel ready to be placed in the centre of the fire. In both cases, as the fire is lit, the winter scents escape into the room and it really is a wonderful thing. Dried rosemary, thyme, lavender and bay are all perfect for the job and so I have bunches drying all around the house. Candle making begins in earnest tomorrow so the whole house will be filled with winter fragrances.
My lavender is already dried and ready to be added to wreaths and wreath bases will also be prepared this week. I have harvested more seeds than I normally manage so that is always very rewarding. Seeds might not seem that expensive but it is even better if you can build your own stock from plants that had good seasonal growth. Now the seed harvesting is complete we can start clearing up. I do a fair bit of potting on at this time of year so that plant roots are contained well within a pot and therefore protected from frosts. We use garden fleece to protect the plants in the tunnel but we hope that those in the ground will be strong enough to survive.
I still have lots of annuals to clear, mainly because they are still flowering. My cosmos all grew to well over a metre tall and are still flowering as if it is summer. I got to my borage too late so they all dropped their seeds into thee ground which means we shall have borage for evermore. My sunflower heads are drying to produce seeds for the birds and we shall make bird cakes in the next few weeks as the cold takes a hold. I am hoping to make bird wreaths this year to sell at the Christmas markets but we shall have to see how the time goes.
I have boxes overflowing with Christmas ribbons and buttons so as the wax pot is doing its thing I need to get on with the pattern cutting and machine sewing. Because my writing work has exploded into action I am about 4 weeks behind schedule but who is counting? I always manage to get a good stall together so I am not expecting this year to be any different. I am, however, expecting some very late nights on the sewing machine.
Scottish island mum has created its own fair share of memories through the year and one way to acknowledge this is by making a Pinterest board dedicated to some of the best images that capture some of the best moments. Do pay the board a visit and see if the images provoke any memories.
Yesterday afternoon and evening was spent responding to emails from all over the world. One soul many hearts has clearly reached out and touched people in all corners of the world and this was a little unexpected. Tracking the process it would seem that Scottish island mum readers have been sharing the site on facebook and twitter and so news of the site launching spread rapidly. I am, of course so grateful as the page views hit 3,000. Now I begin the challenge of promoting the site through carefully selected networks and that takes some time. One of the best ways to promote your site is for other bloggers to do an editorial feature on it. So if any of you are bloggers and feel able to promote One soul many hearts we would be most grateful. I always write a piece in return promoting your site so the system works very well. One soul many hearts belongs to everyone who reads it so spreading the word is a vital part of the vision.
Photographs from Lisa Valencius, Helen Le and Donna Bish
I am planning to run a photographic showcase in November based around the theme of 'keeping it real' so if any of you have any photos that you think make a response to that theme do send them through with your own caption. Photographs tell their own stories and contemplative photography allows us to bring our own experience to the image in search of even deeper meaning. Keeping it real can be reflected in so many different ways so I shall be interested to see how it is interpreted. I am trying to build momentum behind photography and the site in the hope that we might be able to run a small competition this side of Christmas. We shall see how much interest there is first and take it from there.
I am also interested in supporting artists who are willing to share their creative processes as well as their products with us. It is intended as a way of promoting work so if you have anything to share do let me know. Of course, not everything will be right for the site but even if it isn't I might be able to put you in touch with other more suitable sites.
After Christmas I hope to offer some work experience in social networking to any young people who have a few hours a week to spare. The tasks will involve promoting the site as widely and deeply as possible by using various social networking platforms. If we get the right people on board this might also include some marketing tasks such as designing a flipboard for One soul many hearts. I am currently working on the first newsletter but that might also be something a young person might help with. Any volunteers can work in their own time and offer as much time as suits them. All contributions will be most welcome. If you know of anyone who might be interested do pass on my contact details and ask them to get in touch. I would hope that this type of work experience will be a useful addition to their developing CV.
So, you can sense more than a split personality going on as I juggle the smallholding, home school, creating our Christmas range, writing and editing for my websites and other significant contracts.....tis possible to do it all but you can see why I ask for help from time to time. That said, I always try very hard to ensure that any help that is given is of some use to the person helping in terms of their own skill base. If One soul many hearts is to become what I believe it is capable of being it is going to need lots of help along the way. But, for me, there lies the joy.
I do hope your weekend has been relaxing and that there is much to look forward to in the week ahead. I would like to end with a little message to the community that is Samye Ling. Our founder was murdered this week and we are all deeply shocked and greatly saddened. We are all trying hard to keep going but it is not easy under such a cloud. My heart goes out to my fellow supporters of Samye Ling and I send blessings to you all.
Until tomorrow. xx
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