I wanted to do something a little different for my birthday - I think it’s good to mark occasions by doing something memorable and so we decided to have a look up on Zennor moors.

When we first moved to Cornwall, some 20 years ago, my and my husband Darren were pretty obsessed with beaches and surfing and as a result didn’t explore too much of Cornwall’s inner secrets.

We had walked up Carn Galva a couple of times over the winter and so Zennor moors was an easy decision to make as it was the next Carn along. Thankfully there was a break in (major) storms for the day and there was a beautiful big blue sky with large clouds.

The walk was fairly steep and overgrown, but the views were worth it. The sea looked magical and before we knew it we had found Zennor quoit.

The stones are really impressive and certainly add to a sense of magic and wonder up on the moors. It is such a beautiful and expansive place. So hard to get to yet so full of history and remnants of people long passed away.

We could see what we realised was the ‘old Aleister Crowley House’ and that seemed like too good an opportunity to leave. I have always been fascinated with tales about him and spent a holiday in Morocco being entertained by his book ‘Diary of a drug fiend’.

He led a life of notoriety, travelling widely and outraging society with his promiscuity and sexual adventures with men as well as women. He wrote sex poetry which was described by one critic as ‘ the most disgusting piece of erotica in the English Language’. I wonder if this still holds true or whether he was a bit ahead of his time? I haven’t read it so I cannot judge.

He travelled widely and he wrote The Law of Thelema which he claimed was dictated to him by an ancient Egyptian spirit. This text outlined his philosophy which got broken down into the dictum ‘do what thou wilt’ which endorsed the pursuit of individual will that isn’t hampered by popular views.

Aleister’ s connection with the house on the moors seems to be a little transient with him not actually living there, but instead rumoured to have conducted Satanic rituals in the house and also a black mass down at Zennor Church. It seems that he left quite the impression though and the cottage now shows signs of vandalism and graffiti created by those that are curious in his legacy.

The house had an aura of sadness to it that comes with neglect and abuse. The place is in such a beautiful area with profound natural energy that it seems a shame that it is in ruin.

After our stomp and exploration we went to have a hot chocolate in the newly opened Moomaid of Zennor ice-cream shop where we learned that the property had been sold last year.

The new owners are certainly in for a challenge, but I hope they manage to create a home that is sensitive to the area. It could certainly be a dream house despite its somewhat lively past.

Read this fascinating article by Greg Martin for more details on the history of the cottage itself including tales of hauntings and visits by monks:

https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/gallery/inside-abandoned-aleister-crowley-house-2129516

I’m a little new to journaling, but spending some time with my notebook and playing with colours is a really pleasant way to spend my time. The cold and the grey weather have been starting to get to me and even though I am out walking my crazy hound every day, it feels as though I am inside more than usual.

I’m enjoying exploring watercolour’s on the texture of the paper - there is a spontaneity to working this way - often with unexpected results. I didn’t exactly plan to do quotes (far too many letters to do!) but I was rewatching The Hobbit on Netflix and the quote just resonated with me so much that I had to write it down. The process was really meditative and it got me past my fear of lettering.

There are a lot of lettering artists that I really admire and I know that they have dedicated their work to exploring letterforms. I actually felt quite intimidated to explore this in my own way, but I have found it to be fun. It’s more enjoyable for me to use an actual brush for this - every time I have tried to do something similar on my IPad I have just got frustrated and given up. Using a notebook has helped to slow down my process and made me a bit more mindful. It’s actually very therapeutic.

I am curious about bullet journaling and how people spend time making these elaborate spreads for the week. I would imagine that the process is just as important as the information. I am just getting myself into the habit of using my diary effectively so I’m not too sure if I can make the time for this. I think it will come though as it’s great to spend time away from the screen.

How about you? What sort of journaling do you do?

This is the first piece of fan art I have ever done. I fell in love with this scene in particular when they had to do a ritual on the hare moon in order to restore the powers of the coven. The clothes, the song and of course the hare were all entrancing!

How about you? Did you enjoy the series? I’m looking forward to part 4 already.

My daughter looked at me in horror when I said I was going to have homework. I explained that I was actually excited about it, but I don’t think she could quite believe it. The truth though is that taking part in Winter School is a good remedy against the winter blues. Especially when the first assignment whisked us off to Africa.

I had signed up for the ‘intermediate’ track, with the others being ‘beginner’ and ‘advanced’ and my trend brief was ‘New Dawn’. You get plenty of visual inspiration as part of your course along with companies to research and a break down of the trend’s influences, ie earthy, abstract, layers etc.

To be honest I was a bit lost to begin with.

My head wanted to turn it into something more familiar. I like dense patterns, intricacy and detail, whereas this was sparse, architectural and abstract.

My head turned to surf trips in Morocco. I had visited some years ago and I loved the architecture and the earthy pigments that painted the buildings. The rugs and patterns were also a great source of inspiration, but this trend nodded towards the more simplistic and less decorative styles.

It was interesting to use space more deliberately and I started to appreciate how simple lines could actually do a lot of work. Things might look easy when it comes to this style, but everything is actually very deliberate and takes confidence to pull back and have restraint.

The second brief was a like an exhale of relief. Winter School has a strong community based Facebook page and after collectively struggling outside of our comfort zones - the floral based ‘open country’ trend was greeted enthusiastically. I took the opportunity to get away from my iPad (for a bit) and crack open the watercolours.

It was fun to do some painting before importing my flowers and leaves into Procreate and tidying them up. I then got a bit experimental and layered the flowers and messed around with some options.

You get some nice mock up images as part of the course - the image below being one of them - and I really enjoy seeing what my work looks like on actual products.

I’ve had a lot of fun working on these briefs and seeing how other designers have responded to them. Winter School isn’t just taken by wannabe designers, but also by professionals showing that there is much value in trying something new, no matter what your level of experience is.

There is a Summer School by Make it in Design which is the same format, just in the summer. I’m not sure whether I’m going to take part yet as I’m signed up for Florals and Nature - a Design Masterclass in March - also by MIID.

I have got a busy year planned for myself - shall tell you more about it next time.

https://makeitindesign.com/winter-school/

Drawing on glass is such a lovely and simple way of updating a retail window display. I was kindly asked my the antique’s shop in Chapel St Arcade to make their windows a bit festive, but not overly festive in order that they could keep them up all year.

I used the song ‘The twelve days of Christmas’ as a very loose inspiration and so there is a window with a partridge and another with a French hen. I also included a peacock and a swan on one of the window panels. It has been a really fun project and I think it has helped to add some charm and elegance to the window display.

I get asked what pens I use quite frequently and I use the same pens that would get used for chalk board displays. They wipe of easily enough if you make a mistake, the only problem is creating smudges, which you have to wipe away without wiping out anything that you are pleased with.

The main thing you have to consider when working is that you need strong definite lines and so sometimes I practice the gesture I need to make in the air before actually doing it on the glass.

You can also place dots on the opposite side of the glass to give yourself a little reference in terms of centre points or anything else that you might find useful. It all depends on how confident you are in your subject matter.

It’s kind of funny how I always thought that I wanted to be a writer, but nowadays I find it so hard to start. It’s because there is so much to say, but strange times can make words insufficient. That’s why I like illustrating and printmaking. It’s easier to reach for the next line, shape or colour than the right words.

Here I am though, working through what it means to be human in the face of environmental chaos and trying not to lose my faith that things are going to be okay.

Many people have written about the shifts in consciousness that would occur in the 2000’s and if you don’t feel that then I would be really surprised.

I might not be marching with Extinction Rebellion, but I am with them in spirit and hope that their action wakes up the people that still aren’t aware of the situation we are in.

It’s tempting, I would imagine, for lots of people to ignore the protests and pretend it wasn’t happening. Waking up is hard, painful even. It’s creating a level of stress and anxiety that is close to unbearable. I have felt it, but know that I can’t sustain that level of feeling without breaking apart and I don’t want that.

This planet will continue to thrive in one form or another - it has already seen so much and I wonder what new creatures and inhabitants will evolve to find this earth a happy home?

Our future is on pretty tenuous ground though. It reminds me of the shamanic practice of keeping death over your shoulder. Our existence has never felt so precarious and yet simultaneously beautiful. The more I consider my own death, the more I consider the beauty of the current moment.

Of course I recognise the contrast, the people in power that are riding rough shod over this planet with only self interest in their minds.

I don’t understand how we ever got this far away from our spiritual practice and yet I feel that the shifts are happening. More and more people are reconnecting with nature, exploring the Akashic records, channeling intelligence from beyond our mortal existences. We are embracing the subtleties of moon magic, engaging with nature spirits and working on our own personal shit.

This world fascinates me - I love nature and all it’s manifestations with a passion and I think if more people felt this connected then things would be a lot more harmonious. But we are evolving. I am holding onto this feeling. That this current discomfort is like the dirt that creates a pearl in an oyster. Perhaps this is a necessary growing pain in the collective consciousness.

People used to ask nature spirits where they could build their homes. They used to put stakes in the ground and if they had moved during the nighttime then that was a warning not to build there. This loss of sensitivity to our environment has lead to our loss of sensitivity to ourselves. Nature heals us because we are part of it. No wonder we are in so much turmoil.

I see the pearls of goodness forming though and I think that these are precious and the beginning of a new time of communal growth. I have much hope that a future can be created where communities support each other and the land is cared for because we are part of it and it is part of us.

Every moment we have we can choose to be kind, to reach out, to learn, to let go, to embrace our true selves, to plant a seed, to love ourselves, to help, to think with love. Don’t give your power away to anyone else. The work right now is inside all of us - learning what is of value and learning to value what we have.

I value you. Thank you for reading my thoughts - I really do appreciate it. Sometimes they just have to come out. Now to get back to creating little pieces of magic.