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Witch’s manicure for the end of June - digitalis indeed!

Hello dear friends,

In this tumultuous summer, I recommend a simple but effective foxglove manicure (see above.) Wear as often as needed throughout the day if you need stillness. Yes, it is uselessly charming. (Of course I don’t really mean this - digitalis is a poisonous plant, but pretty.)

The clouds of war, the portent of extreme climate events, the political machinations all point to an aggregation of forces that seem to be beyond us. How can it be, then, that today is so luminous, with such a bright blue clear sky? It is more than poetic paradox. In this intensity we feel ourselves to be very much alive.

I feel the need to mark these days, in this year, and remember them. Storing the memories, saving for later, when they can come to me unbidden like old song lyrics, and release their presence once more.

Listen Up!

Through the summer I’ll be reading from my book, Attars, and posting it in parts for you to listen at your leisure! It’s a casual reading, more amateur than professional podcast. I hope you like it. Right now, Part 1 is up and available HERE.

I used the podcast setup built in to Substack - but I think you can listen to it in your usual podcast app if you’d rather.

The news from the US this week has been so upsetting, dialing us back to the earlier eras of the suppression and control of women.

We must oppose forced birth, become more organized and support existing organizations that are set up to to preserve the hard-won rights and status of women. Connect and act.

Take nothing for granted. Canada is a separate country, but the influences that hold sway in the minds of so many of our neighbours to the south can easily create an unclear situation, even here.

There can be no false equivalence here. Ensure that all aspects of women’s health are preserved and respected. It isn’t perfect, and there is still far to go, but we must never go backwards! A woman’s body is her own, not the property of the state, not part of any political dealings whatsoever.

By the way, if you haven’t seen The Janes documentary, on HBO, now might be a very good time to find it and watch.

This email message is short, because who has time to read???

Well, listening is easy, so I hope you’ll tune in to listen HERE to the beginning of my novel.

All good wishes for a wonderful summer as we head into July.

I’ve nearly finished this Chinese Pheasant cushion kit from Erhman Tapestry, only the beak, feet and a few feathers to go!

Thanks for reading and sharing. It means a lot to me. Please click the heart if you liked this post.

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Personal Papers

Foxglove Manicure