ps lambs and camera update

ps.  The little lambs both got out of pen and became my friends.  Sort of.. at least they always ran over to see me, let me pat them briefly then snubbed their nose at me because I didn’t have food.  They were free to go, but apparently liked their home.  So that made me feel better, busy body that I was.

The camera after one day of demise .. a day of small village parades and seeing a car called a “Megane!” , and a nude beach plastered with signs ‘no nudism’ and naked bodies….  .. anyway, the camera recuperated and is now working again.. inasmuch as it has ever worked.  The cameraless day I did try to sketch the things I couldn’t take a picture of.. including 4 year old style drawings of nudes…  but in the end, I think being cameraless is what triggered a cranky day,  which made me want to ‘get on the move’ again,  which may or may not have triggered a badly strained wrist which led to the egyptian man, which led to Delphi.   (see previous blog)  See?  Look how one can realize a crappy day may have been meant to get you somewhere else.

A strained wrist brings me to Delphi Oracle Site, on this most magical day – Halloween and Papa’s Day.

I am delighted beyond imaginings to be in Delphi, Greece for this special day… Halloween and “Papa’s Day” – the anniversary of my Dad’s death two years ago.   I was trying to get to the Oracle of the Dead, but because of a strained wrist (was sooo painful, but now okay)  and a really really lovely Egyptian man, I got to Delphi instead. (The wedding dress, which will be worn for the reception in Canada,  continues to gather energies.. now the wonderful energy of Egypt!.. via the egyptian man who carried it through all areas of Athens to help me get where I thought I was trying to go)

And of course, arriving in Delphi is perfect… Home of all the mythology, gods, goddesses, faeries, nymphs, muses, magical ships..   Ya, you gotta know it feels a bit like ‘home’ to me.
I’ve packed up my paper, pencils, and pens, a great mythology book, and Papa’s pant leg and am going to spend the day and evening in the ancient site of Delphi.
And my journal… where apparently, I am rewriting ‘history’ with my wandering thoughts of what went on so many ‘a long time ago’s” !

Magical Mystical Celebration Circle of Athena

The energy here in Delphi is astounding, truly feels like ‘all’ the ‘ways to enlightenment’ play joyfully in this ancient and beautiful location of the world. Delphi is most known for being an oracle site.  Sounds a lot like the ‘gifts’ of so many nowadays – in fact, all of us, if we choose to discover this!

I simply did not know that Delphi is high in the mountains, with incredible trees, cliffs, magical creeks… did you know this?  I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention!

I am pleased that so few people are here, as well. (like 10.  none last night, except me!)  Sometimes it’s hard to ‘pick up’ the energy of a place when it is overwhelmed with the energy of a lot of cranky and/or exhausted tourists!

Courtney, Cody and Evalee who are in Portugal, are trying to get to the Church of Bones for this special day.. which also happens to be Cody’s birthday!

Wishing all of you a most magical day… I truly believe Halloween is a special time to be open to the ‘more than what we see’.  Maybe you’ll notice something ‘unseen’?  And if perchance you are not reading this on Halloween.. ah, what the heck, notice something ‘unseen’ anyway!

And if it’s not too too weird for a blog of a life coach.. I’ll fill you in on my antics of this day later!

Post Trip Addendum:   I had a strange encounter and I’m writing it here, just in case someone somewhere knows more.  On my first day at Delphi, I went immediately to the museum.  The greek museum attendant took an interest in me saying, “I know you.. I know your eyes.. or something”  He shook his head, almost bewildered, and said, “It’s not important”   I said, “Yes, it is. Tell me what you are thinking.”  He mumbled, “You were here.. 500 BC… ”  Then he went and got a piece of paper and carefully wrote down in ‘english’ a phone number.  “Call this at 6:30 tonight ON THE DOT.   This is not for me, it’s for you”   Then he proceeded to take me to the window and show me the area of Delphi that I MUST go.    I went there immediately.. Athena’s ‘Circle’ and it brought tears to my eyes.  I decided I would go back the next day (Halloween) and sketch.

Weird. A paragraph of this post went missing.  but here it is again:   I decided that if I had a phone in my room I would call. Sure enough, for the first time in my travels, I had a  functioning phone (Hotel Pan) .. an olive green rotary dial model.  At 6:30 pm ON THE DOT, I dialled.  And the call wouldn’t go through!! It just made odd tones.  I went to the hotel desk to use their phone, but no one was there.  I went to use a pay phone, but they required a card, not coins.. and no stores were open to get ask or get the card I needed.  Hmmph.  I did go back to the museum the next day, but the fellow wasn’t there. 

Magical healing waters of Delphi.

However, I did wander my way through Delphi that night, just me and all the magical energies.  The most enchanting spot is the crevice where a spring flows through.. once used for bathing, cleansing.. and this time for healing.  I soaked my damaged wrist,  and my tired feet.. and of course, my wrist was better in the morning.  That was a bit miraculous, I thought, considering that I could not move even one finger, let along my wrist, nor touch or hold anything, without extreme pain.    Cool.

Later at Athena’s ‘celebration circle’.. which is my name for it, I sketched and  ‘heard’ the most amazing story in my head.   Ya, it will get written.

 Post post script…  HEY! WAIT A SEC!  I still have the PHONE NUMBER!

 

 

Halloween.. a most special time of year, and where shall I be?

Halloween is even more magical, since it is Cody’s Birthday, and also the anniversary of my dad’s death.  I’m back in Hania, taking a ferry to Athens overnight, while choosing a place to be on Halloween that speaks ‘magic’ to me.    Maybe the Nekromantia of Afyra, or Egypt …..

Hmm…….

Happy Birthday, Cody!!!!    where ever you are!  Portugal?

Oh oh. My camera died. How will I go on from here?

Family who might be reading this are now gasping and saying, “Oh my god, what will she do???”   I’m somewhat hooked on taking pictures.  A lot of pictures.  It’s an obsession/habit/… and it’s gotten so much worse since digital, cuz now I can take a million shots of one scene, knowing that I’ll get at least one nice one… then I keep them all anyway!  (well, not all.  but most..  all, if it’s Evalee in the picture)

My camera has been miserable since I got it.. it’s been sent back, ‘repaired’, and was going to be sent back after the trip anyway.  But now instead of getting photos that happen 4 seconds after the original shot was intended,  I get nothing.  It should have been a good camera, my Optio W30.. waterproof, dustproof, and all… but no, it’s a piece of …….  oops.  that’s not a polite thought.

My cheapest option to buy one in wee Paleohora, Crete is about $150.  hmm.  MAYBE.. WAIT! I’M haiving an AHA MOMENT!  RIGHT NOW! AS I WRITE!  MAYBE I WILL TRY TO SURVIVE WITHOUT A CAMERA ON THE TRIP!  (This is in keeping with the book I’m reading “Yes Man”)  EVERYTIME I want to take a PICTURE I WILL DO SOMETHING ELSE TO REMEMBER THE MOMENT!

That’s crazy.  That could be a lot of ‘moments’ to find alternate ways to remember.  A lot of sketching, painting, writing.  Wait, I could play more with this left brain/right brain studying I’m doing..  Exactly which part of our brain stores memories?  Or better yet, I can soulfully request that I remember.   Hmmm.. Surely there’s something to this plan, though, since it was an AHA moment and all.  And I’ll save myself $150 dollars!

The lambs in my basement… yes, there are two.  I decided to explore myself and as I approached, a lamb came out of the basement to greet me.  Very cute.  And took me back to meet the littlest lamb ever, who was enclosed behind a piece of wood in a dark corner.  The greeting lamb jumped back into their pen.  Isn’t that amazing that he/she doesn’t run away?  I don’t think it’s the mother… but could be, that would explain not running away.   Somebody seems to stop by sometimes, and the lambs look just ‘okay’…  but I don’t see food, or water.

If I can find the hotel owners, I will ask if anyone is looking after the lambs.  They eat lamb here.  (we don’t in Canada, right?  And don’t try to tell me we do, because I don’t want to know)   I kind of want to sneak them out into the wilderness… but I know nothing about lambs and their ability to survive.. let alone what they eat.   Hmm, I can find all this on the internet at only 3 euro’s an hour at this spot!

Today was a hot swimming in the sea kind of day.  Even with eyes open under salty water!  Who could resist looking at the beautiful sculptures of lava stone underwater in the green blue sea?

Off I go..  researching lambs, greece, bulgaria, and cameras….

Did you do something extraordinary for you yet?

Ask and you will receive….

So.  If you don’t ask, you’ll never know…  on all levels one could contemplate this.  But I thought I’d ask the lovely singing Sanya at the Hania hotel if she knew of a nice place in Paleohora..  a small village in southern Crete, that sounded intriguing.. 1. because it might be warmer for swimming.  2. has ancient ruins of sorts for me to contemplate.  Well, not sure how ancient, but apparently it really was the nasty pirate Barbarossa who did the major damage. 

Sanya (who sings so beautifully each morning that I”m sure all guests stay longer just to hear her cheerful “Kaly mara!”  (good morning) and her repertoire of songs as she works),  said it is where she stays on vacation, so phoned her friend.   She said I wanted seaside.  WEll, the people opened their ‘other hotel’ on the sea for me.   A beautiful room, with lots of windows, and the stars shining in all night, and the sea crashing only 30 feet away.   REally.  The hotel was closed for the season, but they opened it, and now I”m all alone in their hotel.. with keys to everything…  it’s a hoot.   All for 25 euro’s a night.  Which might be around 35 canadian, depending on how that dollar of ours is doing. 

Being pensive? after the 5 second run to take pic

 

Paleohora is a lovely village… one side of town is a sandy beach, with a corner that I’ve claimed as my own…  craggy mermaid rocks, but with sand in between….  my feet are happy not to be stubbed on rocks, and I get to paddle and frolick in this quite magical spot.  Nobody else seems to go there.  Nice that tourist season is coming to an end.   Just wait until you see the picture of me as a mermaid on a rock.  (and the one of me in the castle)  I look so pensive.  We’ll forget that I had the camera on timer and raced to pose for the pictures.  Of course, it takes more than one shot to make this work, but hey, I LOOK pensive!   

I’m sorry I can’t get pictures onto the blog.  Internet access, keyboards, and the computers themselves are limited..except at one place awhile back.. guess I should have added more photos there.  But never mind, picture me pensively looking out over the sea from a castle wall, and lulling about mermaid- like on craggy rocks in the Libyan Sea.

On the other side of town… (all of a 5 minute walk) is my side, where the waves crash in on huge lava rocks.  I can also play there, but discovered that as soon as i put my toes in, in front of my hotel, the fish come to see.  umm.  hmm.  This not what I taught my children.  I told them “don’t worry about fish, they are more afraid of you than you are of them.”  Apparently this is not true for Greek Fish.  No wonder the whole quay is full of Seafood Taverna’s.  The fish come to them! 

I’m journalling lots.  I look forward to creating more workbooks and articles.. all related to our accessing our own answers.  I have some cool cool techniques to share!  And for those of you who have experienced guided visualizations with me,  I look forward to sharing the ideas I’m ‘receiving’ here.

Not sure how long I will stay here….  painting, drawing, oh poor me.  OH!  CURRENTLY READING “YES MAN”   toooooooooooo funny!  The sea can hear me laughing at night!

The minute I can find a keyboard that works well… I hope to send out an interesting technique for you to try re exploring, discovering and such.  But for now, I’m just going to have to paint, draw,  hike the Samaria Gorge, and of course, have  conversations with my clothes as I shower, and wash my clothes at the same time.  Okay, I don’t always talk to them, but today I actually debated not sharing my Sense shower gel that I have so little of left with my clothes.  But really, what else could I do?  I have nothing else to wash the clothes with.  So I was ungenerous, and now I have semi clean clothes.  ( that’s because I”m a ‘cup half full’ kind of girl..  others might consider them semi-dirty)

I’m also out of my hair conditioner.  so shaggy hair and half clean clothes… don’t think I”m picking up a man anytime soon.  (hahahahha!)

oh oh timer on this internet is running out……..    do something extraordinary for you.  Remember it doesn’t m;atter where you are, it’s how you perceive it that makes it extraordinary.

Who knew I had fears to overcome?

New job? Snake Vendor

Ha!  Briefly…  yesterday, I sat with Cobra wrapped around me.  I have a photo but can’t scan it.  I was practising to see if this might be a good job for me….  coaxing people to have their picture taken with a snake  for only 5 euro.  (more in summer, of course)    I’d be good at this. I could talk to people about fear – and if they let go this fear, it allows for other exciting adventures that are simply waiting until there is ‘room’.

And then I remembered that I am afraid of snakes.   I guess not so much anymore.  It was a bizarre experience…  especially the strength of the snake and the fact that he/she  kept bringing her face closer and closer to mine.

And of course, there’s the motorcycles… which I am not longer afraid of.

And who knows why I got to have those moments of fear with the creepy guy waiting for me? Or perhaps not fear as much as extreme caution?   I got over that quickly.. in fact forgot to be ‘concerned’ at all the next night.

And so I get to contemplate fear….   It is such a big energy that can keep us from moving forward, or perhaps sometimes propels us forward….   but hey, that’s a whole article I could write.  And now, I”m going to play in the waves.

Ships, Mermaids, and of course strange buildings

Funny.  The architecture of Hania is not all that unlike my storypaintings.  I have several paintings done..  including a mermaid on a rock in the crashing sea that I sit beside and paddle in for hours at a time.   Okay, the mermaid painting is not really well done… but it’s simply got to be full of magic!

Currently planning my next stop…. southern crete to a beachfront room, I think.

Have I mentioned that I have rewritten ancient mythology in my head?  Ya, it’s not at all like what I read in the books.

And because I am passionate about passions and gifts.. I’ve also been reading “Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain”    When I realized that this book is more about accessing right brain thinking..  than simply drawing, I was intrigued.  I love this book… it affirms so much that I’ve believed, and inspires more ideas for including in workshops.

A second book I’ve read in Brida by Paulo Coehlo….  Later I’ll check if I wrote about this in the blog.  There are some powerful quotes I’ll add if I haven’t already.

Okay, now to check bus schedules.   Find some cash, because much to my amazement most hotels etc only take cash payment!!!!!!    So much for Visa.   Oh, I could Visa some cash.  (ouch!)

Mother/daughter/sisterhood of the Travelling Wedding Dress, with Papa’s pant leg as surrogate where necessary

Promises to update the wedding dress treasures after the wedding bring me to this place right now… however, I know I can not do justice in a blog to the story and meaning of the treasures.  The story was written on the Eve of Courtney’s Wedding, as I prepared the trinkets to pin into the inside of her wedding dress skirt….  What I write here can never compare to what was written with so much love from a Mom to her beautiful daughter.  And that story of course is with the newlywed.

To digress… an update:  Emails today have connected all of us again… Courtney, Cody and Evalee are in Athens, and have found a beautiful area of the City.  They leave for Barcelona at 3 am.  That should be fun with the baby, huh?  OH, Evalee has a new milestone for her baby book.. besides now officially sleeping through the night,  she has mastered the art of tantrums!    The funniest part is that it makes her mommy laugh when her baby throws herself backwards and goes completely limp making it very hard to pick her up or do anything with her.  We have some fine pictures!       Digressing, ….  or so much to say?   Megan will currently be on her way home to Canada!   Her birthday is tomorrow.  October 24.  Feel free to send her wishes!  meganunruh@yahoo.com.  I don’t know where Susan and Lee are!  Maybe I’ll be running into them here?

The treasures… ya, there’s no way I can present here the magic, but I know that those of you who understand will get the ‘fullness’ of these trinkets just by reading what is included here.

It is a long story…   perhaps I will share the whole thing with Courtney’s permission when I am back.

It started in Kamloops by accident.  Cody had given me the wedding shoes to pack, mom’s and babe’s, and I happened to go to the cemetary just to say Hello to Papa.    So I bought a nice coffee and put the coffee and the shoes on Dad’s headstone.. sat back and let our family on the otherside do whatever it is they do to bless wedding shoes.

From a lovely New Zealand couple whom we met in Goreme… a tiny turkish evil eye, heart shaped, that they had purchased .. then gave as a gift for the dress when they heard the story.  The evil eye protects from bad spirits.

From Cappodocia, bracelets made by a beautiful turkish woman.. one for each of us.. Evalee, Megan, Courtney and me.

From Pamukale,  a ‘soapy’ stone from the sacred and healing and mysterious traverns.   (This could have created a $1000 fine if caught, apparently… but since I asked the spirits nicely if I could take it, I am sure they made sure I didn’t get caught and that I didn’t even know about the fine potential at the time!)

From Istanbul.. a tiny persian rug…  much meaning in this.  (For those who don’t know, I have persian rugs from my travels in the 70’s that are treasures to me)

I left the stones alone on the Acropolis, Athens.

From the ancient and mystical site of Delos… where Courtney wanted so badly to see a theatre…  a stone from the theatre where Plato, Socrates spoke, – both masters of rhetoric  like Courtney…  perhaps Artemis and Hecates once spoke there.

If anyone asks, these are just stones from a beach.  on, umm.. Pender Island.   Okay?

The final stone is a piece of lava rock, from the beach where I sat many many years ago …  a symbol of Santorini and sunken Atlantis, and times where people had their power and were joyful.   hmm, did I write that in Courtney’s letter, I wonder.  I hope so.

And of course, a piece of Papa’s favourite blue jeans.. tied in a ribbon and pinned to the dress.  The pant leg was dipped in the Turkish Agean,  the travern pools of Pamukale,  the Greek aegean … and toured every ruin and every step of this magical adventure – acting as surrogate for the dress that ought not to be dipped in a pool of water no matter how magical.    The pant leg also represents all the family.. here and on the other side.   I know you, family,  all understand that.

And so, with treasures stitched in her dress, Courtney read the story just prior to her wedding, and became the wife of Cody Charlton, danced, ate, celebrated donning much magic and love from family, gods, goddesses, the universe, nature.

This was a very good adventure.

It also becomes okay to cruise the seaside on a motorcycle with a greek man… and a ride home with the police.

Wild and Free Motorcycle Ride

hmmm… first writing of this post disappeared. Maybe I’m not supposed to tell everyone about the handsome young greek man with long hair? WHATEVER! Of course you want to know!

It may be a bit odd to relate this to the toilet paper post, but it’s the same ‘spirit” that had me saying Yes to an invitation to cruise the coast with a stranger. Not exactly a complete stranger.. I’d met him the night before. And well, you know, he had dreamed about me and all…. Okay, I’m laughing! The whole previous evening and day could be a perfect movie scenario.. but I won’t go into all that detail.

I couldn’t help but say Yes… Remember I had mentioned wanting to go kiteboarding? Imagine my disappointment when I learned there is no kiteboarding available. I think the universe offered me a motorcycle ride, helmetless, instead. That’s fair… it’s something I’m a little nervous about and required me to be brave to do it. Manolis drove like I would.. safe but fast. I felt so free and relaxed cruising the roads long the seaside hearing the waves pound into the shore even above, the roar of the motor and the songs Manolis sung. oh my gom, this really does sound like a movie.

In the manner of “I create my day” I had decided I would meet someone magical that day. With magical meaning ” exploring the visible and the invisible” .. and so the conversations were quite extraordinary really. Of course I had to say Yes to the invitation, and the octopus and squid and beer lunch, (who is this madwoman? Okay, the beer isn’t that odd… I’ve always enjoyed beer in tropical/mediterranean countries… I passed on the moonshine raki though) and of course, I had to say yes to the playtime at the edge of the crashing waves. My playtime. Manolis is greek. He wears a coat because he thinks it’s cold out now. He thinks I was crazy playing in the waves.

Manolis went to work later in the day, hoping I’d stop to see him later. But instead I got trapped in Starbucks. This is when it is good to see a Starbucks in a foreign country: when you are being followed by a man, who will not leave no matter what turn you take. So I went to Starbucks, where I knew someone would speak English. I had a lovely caramel macchiato while we waited for the man who was ‘waiting for me” to leave. But he didn’t go, despite the waiters trying to make him feel uncomfortable, by letting him know they were watching him. Finally they called the police. It was a total of 2 hours I think waiting for the man to leave or the police to come. Just before the police arrived, the creepy man left… but the police drove me home in a round about way, just in case he was watching for where I lived.

Ya, quite a day. Jeanette, I thought of you.. being one whom I’ve enouraged to feel safe to travel on their own. I thought, “hmm, now what do I tell people?”” My ‘make myself invisible” trick failed miserably… in fact, the creepy man appeared to be able to see me through a shelf full of starbuck mugs

Now I have asked locals (woman) and police if this is a common concern in the area, and they have assured me that it is generally quite safe.  Usual precautions for women…  keep a starbuck’s nearby and such.  (hee hee)

next post.. wedding dress treasures.

Wedding in Santorini photos

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can add a couple of photos  ..  if they appear small click on them to make bigger.    And turn head sideways where necessary!  post trip:  there. fixed them

Courtney and Cody

Brief meltdown by the Flower girl, but her Auntee May May 'got her to the church on time'

“Auntee May May” is my daughter, Megan

courtney and cody

The family