Mabon blessings, my friends! Autumn has officially sprung here in the UK, and with it we have all sorts of unrest and changes to deal with. Politically there is the Brexit debacle – I won’t even go there. Then we have the collapse of Thomas Cook, a heritage holiday brand, and that has left at least 9000 people without a job, with a wider community around the world. I have heard from some of the staff involved, and they are devastated. And then there are more domestic matters to concern ourselves with. It is almost a year since the death of my friend’s mother. My friend is still living with the grief whilst trying to continue normal life, and all we can do is take each day as it comes. I am still grieving for my dog, Baxter. Life goes on.

On a more cheerful note, we are having a multi-fuel stove installed in our living room, which means that the fireplace is being knocked about to accommodate it, and the whole thing is looking better already, now that we are back to bare brick and have removed the old 1980s botch-up pipework and remnants of the old back boiler. This is part of moving on, making positive changes to a house that has been well loved but that needs bringing into the 21^st century. Whilst I hark back to more simple times, and I like to furnish our home with antiques wherever possible, I think we are settling in to a nice compromise (after all, my husband lives here too, so I suppose I should allow him a little say in how we decorate!) I look forward to setting up the new fire when it is finished, sitting in my rocking chair before the flames, and contemplating events of the past year, and events that are still to unfold. My Mabon celebration is all about hearth and home. How about yours?

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