It is sparkling sunshine and a wedgewood blue sky outside today.

The front garden is still full of pink roses and fuscias - amazing how hardy they are! Sadly the dark red perfumed roses seem to have given up which is a shame as they are my favourites.

Today I am going to talk to Sarah about the meaning of Samhain as she seems to be very focused on Halloween as the traditional Christian rather Americanised festival. I was incensed to find that "someone" (ahem) has told her Christians do not celebrate Halloween!!! That is absolute crap, in Mexico it is celebrated as the day of the Dead and in Ireland it was always celebrated and the party games included fortune telling and predicting the future as well as scarey pranks. It is also a celebration of the 3rd and final harvest before the winter.

The American festival that we know in now seems to be an amalgamation of the two. I will try to explain that whether we celebrate All Hallows Eve as Christians or Samhain as Pagans, it should be a time for remembering and respecting one's ancestors and the beginning of the pagan new year a time for regeneration and rest. I have talked to her about the belief that on All Hallows Eve the spirits of our ancestors walked the earth, that the carved and illuminated turnip head or pumpkin was placed outside the door to frighten away evil spirits whilst we welcomed the spirits of our beloved ancestors into our homes with the feast and games inside. I want to try to explain how the pagan calendar tried to work hand in hand with nature and that in a sense in the modern world we are constantly spanking nature in the face. This morning, we will plant an amarylis and watch how although it looks dead and appears to be sleeping it is just resting and will grown in strength and come back to life in a few weeks and bloom.

After that we will go horseriding.

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