Gillian Monks's Blog, page 2

Eat-Up Evenings

Creating something from nothing – or to repeat my own oft quoted words,  making much of little… or not even much but at least something – is the focus of my thoughts today. This is what I ended up doing yesterday evening. We had all been out to various Christmas lunches and celebrations and had arrived […]

The post Eat-Up Evenings appeared first on Gillian Monks.

All In a Jug of Lemonade

I made my Christmas cakes yesterday… one for the family, two to give to friends and another to decorate and cut at New Year. Not ‘Stir Up Sunday’ you might say. No, but the nearest I could get to it considering my other commitments. I ended up with a couple of lemons from which I […]

The post All In a Jug of Lemonade appeared first on Gillian Monks.

Bucking the Trend!

Despite the whole of November now being referred to as ‘Black Friday’, on the eve of the real ‘Black Friday’ I am taking this opportunity to turn things around – I am GIVING AWAY instead of buying or selling. I very much hope that you enjoy my free Christmas short story – let’s buck the […]

The post Bucking the Trend! appeared first on Gillian Monks.

Keeping it Local

This is just to let readers in North West Wales know that I shall be attending two local commercial Christmas events in December: Talysarn Christmas Fair: The Canolfan (Community Centre) Saturday, 7th December, 10.am. – 3.pm. Penygroes Christmas Market: The Memorial Hall Saturday, 14th December, 10.am. – 1.30.pm. Why not come along and find me […]

The post Keeping it Local appeared first on Gillian Monks.

Reflections on Calan Gaeaf

By the end of October, the Earth becomes very still, the season is truly dying, the year turning to winter and a time of rest, renewal and regeneration. The afternoon of Calan Gaeaf was softly grey and damp; clouds enveloped the mountaintops, but the air was utterly still and remarkably mild. Sometimes, this ending of […]

The post Reflections on Calan Gaeaf appeared first on Gillian Monks.

Greetings for Calan Gaeaf!

…Or in other words, Happy Hallowe’en! The seasons have turned once more and we are about to leave autumn behind and enter early winter – the most precious time of personal introspection, evaluation and self-nurture. As we slip into the shadows we stand at the crossroads… where our world touches many others and living energies  […]

The post Greetings for Calan Gaeaf! appeared first on Gillian Monks.

Happy Sixth Anniversary to ‘Merry Midwinter’!

A belated sixth anniversary celebration of the publication of my first book, ‘Merry Midwinter: How to Rediscover the Magic of the Christmas Season’ which was first published by Unbound on the 4th October 2018! In some respects, it only seems like yesterday, yet with the intervening upheaval and stress of the pandemic, and the publication […]

The post Happy Sixth Anniversary to ‘Merry Midwinter’! appeared first on Gillian Monks.

Warm Greetings for the Autumn Equinox!

A very happy Autumn Equinox to you all! Here we are, already half way between the longest and shortest days, and the time is flying before us just as the dry coloured leaves are beginning to fly from the trees as the rest of the harvest is safely gathered in. British weather often seems to […]

The post Warm Greetings for the Autumn Equinox! appeared first on Gillian Monks.

Hidden Gems

On another of those final glorious days of summer recently, my husband and I decided to visit a neighbouring village where afternoon teas were being served in the canolfan, (Welsh for community centre), to raise money for a memorial for the slate quarrymen who laboured so hard all around this valley. Originally built for the […]

The post Hidden Gems appeared first on Gillian Monks.

The Last Day of Summer

We might not have had much real summer weather this year, and my own season began to turn with the celebration of Lammas and the beginning of the grain harvest a month ago, but last Saturday, meteorological summer certainly went out on a high! Perfect clear blue skies, hot golden sunshine and  the mountains, still […]

The post The Last Day of Summer appeared first on Gillian Monks.