Photo by Jo Tennant https://jotennant.com/
As a gardener, carrots always seem to me like good solid vegetables – not the easiest to grow because of carrot fly, but an excellent colour and shape, and when fresh out of the ground, an awesome taste. I have written songs and poems about them and started knitting them in 2012 for a knitted garden project at an event in Dr. Neil’s Garden, Edinburgh in aid of Freedom from Torture.
I think I am happiest when crafting – with music, words, wool, paper or mosaic – not quite knowing what might emerge, and doing my best to suspend my inner critic for long enough to allow the excitement to run.
That’s where mindfulness fits in. I began practising mindfulness in 2012 during a time of stress (it was a busy year – I also moved house and got married) and completed my teacher training in 2020 just before the lockdown. I am grateful for the compassion and kindness that practising mindfulness has allowed me to develop. It also supports me to be an effective agent for change in the world.
So here they are – some earthy offerings. I hope they give you a taste of crunchy wholesomeness whoever and wherever you are.