It feels like a good time to lighten the mood, and today I say Happy Halloween, my friends!
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween from SpookyMrsGreen!
There have been so many developments during the past year, and some of them very serious, that I feel we need to celebrate our lives as they are now, in all their messy, glorious, colourful chaos. Today is about birthday celebrations for a few friends of mine and my daughters, and we are preparing to attend a fun birthday party later. Our Halloween is all about spending time with friends and family and celebrating the beauty of life and death. Samhain blessings to the pagans and witches out there!
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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This week we celebrate the festival of Samhain, or Halloween, as it is more commonly known. Associated with witches and pagans, Samhain is the season where the veil is thin. The world of Spirit and the world of the living move closer and intertwine more easily now than at any other time of year, most likely due to the longer nights as winter approaches.
Read my article to learn about how we celebrate death at Samhain and why it is important to honour our ancestors.
Remember Our Ancestors this Samhain
Lessons in Life and Death
Witches generally take time to honour their ancestors, which includes direct relatives and siblings, and those from earlier generations. We might host a “dumb supper,” where we set a place at the table for the missing friends and relatives, and we honour their presence in Spirit, whilst they are no longer around in life.
This past week I have had first-hand experience of what it means to honour an ancestor who recently passed into the world of Spirit. She was the mother of my close friend, a beautiful lady who passed before her time, or so we thought. On reflection, it seems that perhaps it was her time, as difficult as that knowledge feels for her family, especially her daughter and her close friends. We gave her a lovely funeral, celebrated her life, and settled her in a final resting place where she can be visited by those who miss her energy and love.
The church ritual
I was struck by the richness of the church ritual, the poetic words that were spoken and sung, the sombre décor with just the right amount of glamour as befitting a glamorous lady. Everything was just right, and yet it was so wrong at the same time. My friend lost her mother. Her grandfather had to bury his daughter. Her mothers’ friends lost their companion and confidante. Life is forever changed, and yet life carries on. We are left to grieve, to process the events that led to her death, and to find our own way of moving on when the time is right. And it must be this way. I have added her photograph to my Samhain alter, so that I may light a candle and offer my thanks for her influence. She brought me a beautiful friend, and we will miss her.
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England. Click here.
I know that we have yet to enjoy Halloween and Bonfire Night, but I am determined to be organised when it comes to Christmas planning this year. That’s why I arranged for my daughters to receive personalised letters from Santa Claus courtesy of Lapland Mailroom.
#MummyMonday Letter from Santa Claus
A Letter from Santa Claus at Lapland Mailroom
My girls have once again been (mostly) good this year. Indeed, we have had quite a tumultuous time. Back in March, my elder daughter experienced life-saving facial surgery and a stay at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital following a rather nasty ear infection. And just three months later, we moved to a new house, where our girls finally got their own bedrooms and we gained some outside space and a huge garden. We love our new home, and I want us to enjoy a traditional family celebration on Christmas Day.
Lapland Mailroom offer a great selection of personalised letters from Santa Claus or Father Christmas. You can choose different styles that each come with a personal touch for your child to appreciate. I chose two different ones for my girls, along with a complimentary activity pack to help them start their festivities early. If you order now, your letters will arrive right at the beginning of December, kicking off the festivities in style.
“Christmas with the Vampires” by Catherine Green. An Edwardian vampire short story.
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There is a lot of trauma happening in the world right now, and especially within my circle of family and friends. We are experiencing grief, anxiety, job insecurity and the daily struggle with chronic health conditions. Well, that last one is mostly me.
Crystals for Strength by NEJ Photography
Crystals and Sage
I am struggling with ingrowing eyelashes again. It is a condition I was born with, and one for which I have received many surgical procedures, different medications and other treatments. And this week my left eye is really sore. I just want to pull it out! But enough of that. I am helping a friend through bereavement, and I am working through long term mental health challenges with myself and close family members. There is a lot of heavy emotional activity.
How do we cope with this? We are all human, we laugh and cry, we shout and smile, we hide from the troubles, and we go out and fight them. Sometimes all we can do is simply keep calm and carry on, to coin the old wartime mantra.
One of my coping mechanisms as a witch is to use crystal therapy. I have researched the science behind crystals, and learned about their individual energy fields, so that I can instinctively choose which crystal will help me when I need it. And they look so pretty! I like to burn sage in my house to clear the air as well, especially when my husband is having a down day with his mental health, or when I have been in the company of what I call “energy vampires.” The sage smells lovely and wholesome, and I find myself mesmerized by the smoke as it curls and wafts around the room. Sometimes I will recite a little spell or incantation while I smudge, and other times I invite my daughters to help me. They love smudging with sage and are brilliant at helping to settle my aura when I feel short tempered or jittery.
How do you cope with the stress of daily life? Do you have a ritual or tool that helps? Please share in the comments below.
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My youngest daughter, aged 5, loves jigsaw puzzles. She was incredibly excited to receive the Ravensburger Thomas and Friends shaped Christmas puzzle to review at home.
#ProductReview Thomas & Friends jigsaw puzzle
My Review
This 32-piece giant shaped floor puzzle is perfect for small hands, and a great little family activity for a cosy weekend at home. It comes with a Thomas and Friends Christmas themed door hanger as well, and I had a hard job trying to persuade my daughter that she would have to wait until December before she could display this on her bedroom door. My little darling!
I think the Ravensburger Thomas and Friends shaped Christmas jigsaw puzzle offers great value for money, generally retailing at £9.99. It makes a fabulous stocking filler, perhaps a nice little family gift for Christmas Eve, or is perfect for a festive birthday. My husband certainly enjoyed himself, helping our daughter to complete the puzzle, not that she needed any help. They spent a nice little half-hour together, and then enjoyed their finished creation for a while afterwards.
The Ravensburger Thomas and Friends shaped Christmas floor puzzle provides the usual high quality that we would expect from a heritage brand. The puzzle pieces are bright and colourful, with a smooth, glossy finish. There are no rough edges, the pieces fit together very snugly, and we found it easy to assemble on our slightly uneven carpet on the floor. It has a nice, unusual shape, and my daughter was very happy. In fact, she had to remake the jigsaw puzzle again before we persuaded her to pack it away and save it for Christmas, or as close as she can wait. Ho ho ho!
#ProductReview Thomas the Tank Engine Jigsaw Puzzle
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Today I want to talk about grief. Perhaps it is because I am growing older, but death seems to be coming closer. I was very fortunate to have all four of my grandparents until my mid-thirties. I now have two grandparents surviving, but they are both old and ill. My aunts, uncles and cousins still survive, although that is a whole other story currently unfolding. Death evaded me and my family for many years, only taking those that were elderly and had lived a good, long life.
It was a shock last week to learn of the death of someone younger, a parent of a close friend. That hit me very hard, not least because I want to support my friend. It was unexpected, quite sudden, and traumatic for those involved.
We now need to process our feelings, and yet normal life carries on. The world hasn’t ended. It just feels a bit empty, now that one of its lights has been extinguished. Does that make sense to you?
#WitchyWednesday Fairytale Woodland in York City Centre
Shock and Sadness
I know that some of you reading this will have experienced grief and bereavement already. You might be experiencing it right now, and if you are, I send love and healing energy to aid in your emotional processing. We cannot escape grief. But we must learn to continue everyday life while feeling it. Our children need care and attention. Our work must continue. My friend faces a long and complicated legal process for various reasons, but she has people around her to help, myself included.
There are no words to express how I feel about this bereavement. I knew my friend’s mother. I spent time at their house, I attended family parties, I felt comfortable in her presence. I am very sad to hear of her death. And I feel even more sad for my friend who just lost her mother. We are here for you, C. Lots of love.
#WitchyWednesday
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We just celebrated the passing of Summer into Autumn: The Autumn Equinox. Known as Mabon in witch and pagan circles, it is a celebration of the second harvest, and a time when we prepare to batten down the hatches and wait out the storms of winter.
As the season changes, so my mood is changing as well. Read my blog post to see how I compare mundane life with my experiences as a ghost hunter.
Catherine Green the Ghost Hunter
Life is Like the Eternal Ghost Hunt
Our storms have already arrived, with two very powerful ones hitting the UK last week. I even wondered if our driveway would flood on a couple of occasions, but the rain stopped just in time, and the drains continued to do their job. My mood is a strange one. I am happy that we finally moved house and that my family can settle and grow into the new space. It is the culmination of a quest that has taken me a good few years to achieve, if not longer. Now I am back to the eternal challenge of work, or lack of it, as the case may be. I have lots of work to do. I’m just not getting paid for it, and my finances are dire to say the least.
It seems to me that life is almost like those overnight ghost hunts I used to do. I put myself in a location that is reportedly haunted and very active, and I wait, and I call out in vain for a response, and I wait some more, and maybe occasionally, I hear a noise or a voice, or something moves under an ethereal force. That is how my writing work feels now, and indeed my career. I have applied for part time jobs in my local area and received no response. I continue to write, publish, post on social media, and all related activities, and I rarely get a response. Occasionally something happens that fills me with delight and anticipation, and then it turns out to be a huge let-down and the dream crashes around my ears.
“Is anybody there? Please, if you can hear me, make a noise, move something, say something!”
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
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My dog is the best! He is a cheeky, noisy, clumsy, adorable crossbreed, and he is our boy.
Read my blog post to see how my family experienced the Staffordshire Bull Terrier when we rehomed a rescue dog.
#MummyMonday Baxter the Staffy X rescue dog on New Brighton Beach
My Boy, Baxter
Baxter is a rescue dog, and we believe he is Welsh, since he was found near Wrexham and taken to a local dogs’ home, before being transferred to a home in Stoke-on-Trent, which is where we found him ten years ago. Our lives have never been the same since! The people at the dogs’ home told us that he never made a noise, and he had been house trained, so he was their most obedient and well-behaved dog. He soon changed his attitude when he realised that he had a home and we allowed him onto the sofa. Now we can’t get him off it!
Baxter has his own appreciation society in town, mainly comprised of children that are friends with my daughters, but their parents join in with doggy cuddles whenever they have the opportunity. They call Baxter the therapy dog, because he seems to recognize when he needs to be quiet with certain people, and with others he will play and bounce around. He is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier crossed with a Border Terrier (we think), and he has gorgeous big, brown eyes. He has very long ears that earned him the nickname Yoda, and he has a grey beard which makes him look older than he is. Although he is getting on in years now, possibly aged thirteen, he still thinks he is a puppy, and we still give him big, squishy cuddles at every opportunity.
We are a dog family. How about you?
#MummyMonday Baxter and Mummy.Baxter the Superstar Dog #MummyMonday Toddler and Family Dog
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Hello, can you hear me, do you read my blog posts? Is anybody out there?
Catherine from SpookyMrsGreen.com
Do you read my blog posts?
This is a genuine question from a writer who has just about given up on her dreams. I will never stop writing. But I might stop publishing the stuff that I write. Because it seems to me that nobody cares, and I don’t mean that in a stroppy, arrogant way (well, maybe a little bit). I mean that I have spent almost ten years putting content on my blogs, building a mailing list, publishing novels and short stories, and trying desperately to encourage people to read them, and I have received barely any response. There is no marked improvement in stats, or any kind of measurable data for my blogs.
My books aren’t selling. All the online courses I completed, and all the tools and actions that I implemented to make it better have made no overall improvement. I am lucky if I sell three books per month if I am brutally honest. Such is the life of an indie author. And I know that I am a good writer. I am a bloody good writer. I just didn’t do things the right way. I chose the wrong college course, the wrong university degree, the wrong place to live. I don’t know. Somewhere along the line, I didn’t do what I should have done that would have enabled me to work in the industry, and to be paid for my work. Now I feel lost, and very alone. I don’t want pity, and I don’t want sympathy. I just want my audience. Where are you guys?
LGBT werewolf fantasy story “It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels)” by Catherine Green
Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England. Click here.
SpookyMrsGreen 