Fracking and Deep Water Drilling subtly different but both quite a long way from protecting our heritage and environment.

I don't know if everyone remembers Shell are drilling away in Mayo? Two weeks ago, Vermillion (whoever they are) announced 17 million profits from the first three months of drilling and simultaneously the peaceful demonstrators' spokesperson, Maura Harrington, was put in prison for a 300 euro fine. She is out now but don't forget that Shell will never pay tax and Ireland is not in line for any of the gas or financial winnings of that site but directly in line with all the environmental consequences. They speculate 7 billion dollars (they don't even bother to calculate it in euro!) will be made in its 20 year gas field life…oh yes and Carrowmore Lake, the local water source, is long contaminated by their fracking fluid. This is all happening again now in Antrim, with full police presence guarding their interests as well. Meanwhile down near Valentia, they are saying that the visiting-the-Skelligs season can definitely not be extended by a week or two, to accommodate more visitors because of Star Wars. So you can lay waste to our fresh water, our justice system, our environment and human rights but definitely don't let those holiday makers off for an hour with their cameras, they could do serious damage…could they? Probably not much in comparison.

How about a letter of concern to the governing bodies on Antrim's behalf. Their fracking only started on the 16th May…I would say write to the planning office but hey, the fracking in Antrim didn't go through a public participation or planning process!

I sent a letter today to info@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk and environmentinternational@environ.ie

So the only question that remains is have you all lost your minds or have you reason to believe that you have some other planet to go to when you’ve destroyed this one?

Fracking wells within 500 metres of a major water supply?

No planning application process or public participation?

Police guarding the private financial interests from the presence of concerned citizens?

Will the company pay for the millions of tonnes of fresh water it uses?

Where will the toxic wastewater be stored?

Why are these under ground tanks less likely to slip and start an earthquake than in other countries?

The very same happened down in Mayo with Shell and that lake, their main water supply is contaminated.

Always remember we all have the one life, use it up wisely. Don’t let this go ahead unchecked on your watch.

Look Thy Last On All Things Lovely Every Hour

The Vegan B&B is going well this year. One family a week ish and that is perfect for me. As I always think…it is like being paid to tidy your room! This is something I thought, as a child would be a good motivating force. Now later on, it spurs me on to mow the grass, clean floors, bathrooms and deal with potentially dreary things like washing up with enthusiasm and always a good soundtrack. I had brilliant German girls this time. One described how she had her dream job, she was the editor of a spoken book recording company, how amazing is that? I think of being in such a job 50 years ago (obviously I would have to have been born and able to have the conversation) but meeting with Richard Burton and asking him to do the voice over or narration for War of The Worlds. My favorite possibly all time voice. Richard Burton introduces the idea that the chances of anything coming from Mars were a million to one! She said she had conversations like that all the time with actors she loves and can now call in to read the parts! She was also an energy healer. Her friend was a vegan. We were all the same it turned out as it always does. We are one! They went on to Valentia but loved it here, especially this view down the valley and Rebecca and Legend, the pigs.

Everyone is loving and admiring the living willow fence, which is great as this is its best time of year. There is tiny translucent green new growth. That is a Leycestaria Formosa (Pheasant Berry) to the left and beloved Cupid to the right. Cupid by Sam Cooke

Last night, while guests streamed the Eurovision Song Contest and laughed their hearts out upstairs, I repainted the Harmony Hall sign in oils and in a deeper red and watched a Brad Pitt film called Moneyball.  It reminded me that to get a different result, you have to do something different and so I woke up this morning galvanized into action to make some changes! Firstly, I mastered the chord less drill and put the sign back up. I reckon that's a strong unique selling point and all further success may well spring from this! 

This is the velvet lawn stretching for a good bit up to the gates. It reminds me of Kilkenny Castle where I always feel like singing that Chris De Burgh song the traveler, lyrics going: 'saddle me the black, I'll meet you down the road'. Chris de Burgh's Traveler  I always fancied living in the castle and being able to ask some competent lovely animal-oriented guy if he'd get my trusty steed ready and we'd canter off into the sunset like that. The castle grounds go on for several acres, my lawn goes on for about 50 metres but still, as I haven't been riding for ages, that might be as long as I can stay on for!

I am still so pleased with the house cleaning that Revive did. The men were so easy going and sound. The house had been streaked, as so many coloured plaster ones are (K-rend is great but it does start to go downhill). In about 48 hours they had it like this and did not shy away from doing the concrete paths around, the horse box and a few other shed walls to make it a true over haul. 

I love this flower, I do not know what it is but while it is giving 100% I wanted to take a photo!

These are two of the plants given to us for the Meditation garden. I wanted the picture here showing they liked their spot because Rebecca is determined to trample everything and who knows how much longer they will stand, the plants that is - Rebecca herself is a little tubby but she looks like she will stand on those stubby legs for many years to come. I notice the new flowerbed looks stony but I have taken out every tiny pebble I swear. It must be a trick of the camera! 

Call him a pansy but dammit, the flower is always there and coming back and hanging in there and I love the colours

Replenished sign, originally painted and designed by Sophia Westwick, who is celebrating the arrival of a little baby this week. I bet he's a beauty too.

A variegated something settling in nicely to the Meditation garden. 

Cave just down from the Meditation Garden. Official opening 12th June Sunday, afternoon, everyone welcome. Slightly hoping that my great Shaman friend might come and get all things ancient acknowledged and involved, down there.

The tulips come as such a surprise even though I planted fifty million of them months ago! Some Surprise, on The Cake Sale album

Is it possible that there is a pony anywhere with a more beautiful eye? It is no coincidence as I painted him maybe 2 years before he turned up on our road! I think the likeness between Magic and the pony on the right below is uncanny. Literally the same eye liner.

I hope totally that enough synchronicity like this happens to make living well work out. I say this as I keep applying for jobs and grants and I fear that the B&B, retreats and tutoring may not see me through. I pray that I will not have to compromise and go and work for Merck in Carlow! Merck in Ireland (80 million were on their prescription painkiller Vioxx which caused heart attacks and death. So don't forget they care about no one and nothing and work with the FDA to hide the risks of certain death from their products!! But apart from that they are a great addition to the local job scene! Merck not just bad but terrible practice!  

Anyway, I put all these photos up to let people know what a nourishing place to be, Harmony Hall is these days, even if your job is challenging. Come on down and get away from it all! 

Meditation at Harmony Hall this weather

I suppose the big question is, could the meditation garden be any more beautiful or enjoyable? 

I found these before and after pictures of the bank

Below is a shot of the cleared corner where a small car and much baling twine had been - still is in parts, but the gear stick has been liberated and the steering wheel may have to remain as a feature! At least one can look straight into that magic cave and the stream meanders as it looked like it wanted to

I particularly wanted to get a picture up of my first attempt at a wicker panel … just in case I must dismantle it and start afresh tomorrow, as it might be deemed a bit of a bodge, even with the decorative ivy trim! The thing is even though I read up on it and gave it some thought and a full week's soaking, only one willow whip actually bent around the frame without breaking. So I just pinned the ends and called it a success. My buddhist thoughts book mentioned how ivy strangles the trees so I got all that out too…but used a strand of its ever green foliage to create a decorative trim!

So all that stone, stone work, hardcore, clearing and mortaring didn't just appear out of nowhere. Magic helped by holding a meditative space: 

Mark played a harmonious soundtrack:

And the hardcore stonework and vision:

I have been central in moving stones around to a better vantage point; all the ones with the best faces near at hand. Currently its about taking stones and roots out of the beds and planting anything that might flower or is flowering right there!

And keeping things going/growing in other parts of the garden…in the new raised beds. Some might spot these as the repurposed geodome!

And keeping things going/growing in the house too. Yes, that's a money plant and tulips and daffodils from the garden and a menagerie of animal spirit guides. That is my idea of a balanced life style, welcoming in good luck, happiness and growth via any dimensional avenues that they might arrive - sacred geometry, the infinite organizing power of nature, the good will and all that energy of the animals towards Harmony Hall as a vegan best effort at harmless living sort of a household. Also the wisdom of the Desiderata where it says enjoy your achievements as well as your goals. Picking flowers from your own garden and enjoying them a second time round indoors, are achievements in my book. Present moment flowerings of consciousness to be enjoyed regardless of their fleeting nature…or not guaranteed success (as in the thriving money plant having not yet translated directly into an easy income stream for yours truly!)

Having said that, 2016 is a time to fortify and anchor your soul and then express that joy - Not let the bastards get you down basically!

To this end, on went the ELO vinyl, out came the wine and then off we all went to the Rhythm and Roots festival in Kilkenny. 

I kept coming home but kept going out again. It feels like a new freedom and energy to go out on the town. 

These were Richmond Fontaine: absolutely brilliant gig.

Usually I would be busy making myself useful here, putting pen to paper for some pressing cause. Now I've momentarily remembered that its the conscious, compassionate and peaceful participation that will win the day not just the struggle to stand one's ground and get empowered enough to defend others as well. I'm staying with the good feelings today and I will report back if I get any better results than my countless letters to editors, politicians, planning departments and anyone else on a mad exploitation mission, who I often can't resist writing to. I like to at least have said 'We've noticed what you're up to and you do not have agreement to go ahead!' 

Big chance to stop the torture of animals in laboratories

4 million animals in laboratories but still no cures for cancer, parkinsons or anything else

4 million animals in scientific experiments each year, 75% of them medical. 50 catastrophic failures of animal tested-drugs leading to human deaths are given as evidence that animal testing isn't a parallel to the human body's system. Please join the push to ask politicians to actually hear the scientific evidence and stop this disproved, archaic, barbaric, torturous, heartbreaking human-perpetuation of a living nightmare for so many little lives, that want to live.

Illnesses and Products are Our Choices, Animals Have No Choice

 They're not the ones who want to ponce about with shampoo or scrub everything with bleach or lie in the sun until they are burnt, hairless and coated only in sun tan lotion. We get our illnesses as a result of our choices. Animals are literally strapped down daily and inflicted with them manually. Reflect on it for a sec, is there anything more sick? Please scientists and directors too, ask yourselves is testing on animals really right. Is it really working. John Carmody​ of ARAN reminded me that behind all these roles there is a person with a beating heart and therefore the potential to care about what they are doing and be educated as to what harmless alternatives are totally possible.

Ask Government to Hear the Medical Evidence 

Lets push for government to hear the evidence in Ireland too. I know I'm always quoting this statistic but its grim and still might not be known to all. The use of animals in experiments has gone up 800% in the last 5 years and 80% of that is commercial…meaning that it is just to validate products, not even pretending to advance medical science. That can only be because Ireland is not only seen as a tax haven it is also understood as a place where complete abuse and exploitation of people and animals is completely tolerated, accepted and even welcomed. I still have a few post codes up my sleeve so I can take part in the english movements - using  IP7 4EJ and changing the last 3 digits/letters should work - but perhaps Avaaz​ might set up a wider petition with this information and expand the impact? Thanks a million!

 Scientific decision to refuse Primate Laboratory at Cambridge University

50 failures of medicines tested on animals that lead to human death

Now they are giving Kilkenny City away with a promise to maintain it for the incoming owners, at our expense!

Save Kilkenny might save all our skins yet

Feel free to kick yourself if you didn't support the objections to the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme. This is where it was always leading it turns out:

For those who couldn't make the Public Save Kilkenny meeting, this is the gist of the situation. I've also sent this on as a letter to the editors of the Mail on Sunday - as they were great at scaring the ACS off Kilkenny's animals. Now its the people to be screwed by the Council …and for the foreseeable future. 

Kilkenny County Council voted to give away the main sites on the Brewery Site on Wednesday of this week. It is no longer a 'heritage site' with archeology to be explored, it is an 'industrial site' requiring a 2metre slab of concrete over it….if this is not what you want please read on and do something about it before it is officially passed!!

No social element

ISA fund  of 7.5 billion from Europe has been extremely difficult for the government to spend as it has such a strict financial criteria. The proviso is that a commercial return is required. The problem is that it rules out education, cooperatives in fact any social enterprises.

David Fitzgerald is seen below on his video saying that the people of Kilkenny bought the Brewery site with a view to the proud moment of building a university there.

Cllr David Fitzgerald's States Kilkenny County Council bought the Brewery SIte for a University

The corruption: Joe Crocket was county manager, signed off on the CAS (the contested motorway bridge to the site) and then immediately took up a post with the NTMA (with whom this week’s partnership was made) to hand over the site to!

Banned from Regulating Businesses on Site

It would hand over Kilkenny City to corporate interests in every sense. The council will not even be able to veto harmful businesses who want to be there on planning grounds, environmental grounds, business grounds or on social grounds. Planning objections would be no car parking for office blocks, moral objections would be incoming businesses doing R&D on dubious substances – pharmaceutical, military and computer advancements being the only research that can be said to make money. It was explicitly said that there will be ‘no social element to the education and research’. Environmental objections would be that they have a 2m slab of concrete over the whole acreage as they say the land is so toxified. They only want buildings that can be put on piles built there but the piles will still be breaching this barrier. Business objections would include that there are already over 100 empty units in Kilkenny and social objections would be that Kilkenny County Council intend to make a ‘teenage hangout’ under the new flyover, in contrast to the three-pronged commitment made at the 

Public Participation meeting.

1.     Environmental Excellence

2.     Integration with the City Scape

3.     Operated by Kilkenny County Council for the benefit of the people

Structure of Agreement between NTMA, KCC and Abbey Quarter Ltd

The structure of the agreement voted in on Wednsday is that Kilkenny County Council  form a limited liability partnership with NTMA and they collectively form another company Abbey Quarter Limited who will be ‘General Partner’. The site will pass into the hands of this General Partner and the council will be statutorily banned from involvement. However the liability of 4.75 million falls to us the people of Kilkenny to GET THE SITE READY FOR THE PRIVATE COMPANY TO SELL TO OTHERS.  We will not benefit from any part. In fact the liability does not stop there. Going forward? Council money will be used to maintain roads, services, designs, archeology, development and planning.

In the past, they were talking about a ‘Heritage Site’ (Its on the Medieval Mile in Kilkenny) and trying to work out how to do a reverent archeological survey before repurposing the site. Now they are calling an ‘Industrial Site’ with massive levels of toxicity that prohibit anything less than a 2metre slap on the top. It is highly suspicious as a good way to avoid doing the archeology required. They talk about PCBs and Asbestos but actually Diageo who did have the brewery left because of the dual carriageway bridge proposal. They said it would contaminate their water and product. This makes it more likely that they had a managed environmental policy and the council are just justifying glossing over the historical site.

Review The Local Government Act, reduce the power of the executive

Save Kilkenny have asked for two things

‘The Local government Act’ be looked at again and changed as the Council Executive are running riot  - in every council, forgetting that they work for the people in a public office and holding the purse strings and far too much power. They are not voted in and they do not have the moral foundation to govern any community matters. They are manipulating the elected representatives to agree to the decisions the executive have made already. Last week’s meeting about the Brewery site was conducted in secret, which is inappropriate. One councilor said that what was shared then was of concern but that now, this week, they felt fine about the whole thing and had voted it in.

The vote should have been deferred to Friday, following the Save Kilkenny meeting to explain the long and difficult details and implications of giving the site away and expose the contradictory information that they have been fed but the majority voted the partnership in anyway.

The implications for the people are that we still own the brewery site at the moment but if this vote is validated, we will no longer own it and will be paying for the services to those who do for the rest of time, even if they put our own businesses out of business. Furthermore, Kilkenny County Council have committed themselves to selling off further assets to pay for this. We will end up with less than nothing and no regulatory powers over anyone that does come.

A Judicial Review of The Voting System 

where none of the voters had full information in Advance

The absurdity and betrayal of the people is blatant. Where last year they screwed the animals of Kilkenny, this year they have in mind to ruin every last person too.  Oh yes, except for Joe Crockett and a few others perhaps who must be enjoying some part of the deal.

The second thing Save Kilkenny called for at the public meeting was a judicial review of the agreement between Kilkenny County Council and the NTMA. They breached various rules we know of already, for example that every person to vote must have a full document and information about the agreement that they’re to vote on a full 10 days before it goes to vote. That did not happen. And I am sure there are countless more infringements.

Please expose the situation or flag it up like you did about the ACS exploiting our horses and dogs. We’ve got to stop it before the 6 of the 9 sites change hands into Abbey Quarter Limited. By then it will be too late.

Very best regards,

Frances Micklem

  

Healing Success With The Divine Feminine Energy on Women's Day

Two healings: A butterfly and a car in under 24 hours. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - when I've been setting a healing intention atHarmony Hall for over a decade. I was bound to revive something one day. But this was really something. The Red Admiral was attacked by two cats - the second while I was shutting the first out of the house. It was crawling around with one wing in bits and I kept her company, clearing away and popping a jam jar over her when I had to leave the room for a moment.

I have read the last rights and blessed many a passing and I kind of thought that's where this was going. Nonetheless, I put a bit of cardboard down with a ramp, a few inches away on the off chance she would get my drift. A few minutes passed and I looked again. She was on board! I took her upstairs with a drop of rice syrup and water on a t spoon. Couldn't see movement but later that night her mate was born and flew around in the warmth of the new cooker. Today, we were working away on an assignment and suddenly there was the butterfly aloft - bit missing of the wing but undeterred!

Then there's the mazda who had, it turned out, just had enough of male energy. One driver, one passenger and probably nearly all mechanics - Kylie Minogue is the only female one I know and I suspect that wasn't a true story. So, the car was bunny hopping and a mouse had eaten the spark plugs and they said the coil was gone and would cost over 600 euro to fix. What the brilliant Adrian Walsh actually said was that the spark had gone out of it and it was worn out…that kind of resonated with me. Still, I wanted it back so that at least the house always looks like there's someone here guarding it (sorry Cupid and Don Juan, you are sort of good guard dogs but not that scary!) So, after a shaky start, she started to appreciate a bit of Stevie Wonder that I was singing and suddenly ran smooth and idled effortlessly at junctions too.

Okay, I confess I'm a feminist. I long for the day when the feminine clarity, priorities and nurturing nature rule the roost. 

I'm not all for a rising of super strong women (basically buzzing around in their male energy like a deciding engineer I won't mention in the council and a party leader who was all empathy until she got some real opportunity to do something and then sold her soul). I know there's lots of kind and conscious men too thankfully. Its just the majority of offenders, abusers, authorities, bankers with a w still all happen to be men. I just want both genders to grow up, into a balance of communication, compassion and the inclination to mind each other. There's also something about people's hearts here being in trouble but I can't put my finger on it right now. Also, can we not just have women's day one day a year and inadvertently a men's day every other!

Happy Women's Day to everyone. Lets get into our goddess energy right away: Nature wisdom life-force and sensuality … as Caroline Meyss would define it.

These pictures include the last time I was surrounded by butterflies, my miraculous car back at the house, Rebecca and Legend under blankets this evening, the beautiful Blackstairs Mountains view on my way to Horticultural work placement at Greenside Up (come this Saturday to their workshop if you are starting your organic vegetables this year … or have questions from last year!) Then its my bro and I mimicking the stone guys at Kell's priory. Finally, its me by famous portrait artist Lesley Fennel. Goddess energy going on there definitely!

Seed Savers Seed Share Day, No To Trident Nuclear Submarine and Yes to a retreat at Harmony Hall

How could it be about planting on a weekend like this? But it is! The sun warmed the soil and I dug over my lasagna bed…I will explain all that another time. I had my 'earlies' ready to go in. These are the earliest round of potatoes. You can cut each one into smaller pieces. Only important detail? Each section you plant must have an eye so that it can sprout new potatoes.

The collaborations resumed today at The Irish Seed Savers 'Seed Share'. Don't tell Monsanto because he thinks that all seeds are his. Did you know 75% of the biodiversity on the planet has already been lost? Seeds contain the whole life of the plant, it contains all the food it needs to get started and plants feed themselves then by photosynthesis...but they are also our food security. What would we eat without them? What would the animals eat?

Now what do we have here? Some beautiful white roses that my brother brought and then below there's a young parsley plant (Did you know they used to feed parsley to war horses going into battle as it gave them nerves of steel! But let's have no more war).

In England this week there was the largest ever Trident (Nuclear Submarine) demonstration. 10,000 people went to London to say

1. It is a breach of the international legal agreement England made, if they renew Trident.
2. It will not improve national security. The current threats are smaller unit terrorism and mainly climate change, neither of which are at all helped by nuclear weapons.
3. It will cost 1 billion pounds sterling. This is enough to fund the National Health Service for 40 years, instead of the cuts it has been seeing.

You in America have probably not even heard of a National Health Service - because if wouldn't 'make a profit' for the pharmaceutical companies if you were to look after sick people. You are seriously being kept in the dark. There is no access to organic food either, I gather. All of it is genetically modified, chemically treated, sprayed and contaminated.

You are going to have to grow your own. It is the only way you can get clean food. That is what we are doing over here and there's the added bonus of meeting lots of great people with the same values of working together, skill sharing and support.

Also at the Seed Share I got these 4 types of seed potato, 4 varieties of sweet corn, marjoram, a raspberry bush, 3 sorts of beans and a bag of organic compost to give them the optimum environment to shine, or you might say thrive!

I loved the shape of these sacred geometry beds, they must help the synergy of the organization. I am thinking of something similar for Harmony Hall. A bit too technical for me? Well actually, I can just unscrew the frame of the geodome … as it did not survive the storms anyway … and use the hexagons and pentagons on top of each other as raised beds! Genius…or resourceful…or making the best of bad job…or the ultimate metamorphosis….one or the other!

The snow was beautiful and sat on my Oak tree and letter box and also somehow on one side of a vertical pole. Don't you love nature's ways and means?

Can you imagine my happiness when standing outside, under a reciprocating roof shelter, watching a vegan pizza being cooked in a home made cob oven?  Seed Savers rock, everyone should be doing it; the seed saving, the cooking, eating only organic food, protecting biodiversity and learning how to make new soil via composting. Its therapeutic for people, places, pollinators and animals…what is not to like!

This is Bat Valley, the beautiful view, of the garden at Harmony Hall and my favourite three fields, beyond the woods. Do you have 3 favourite fields? If you don't, you are missing out.  

I would recommend for definite a transformational retreat here. The only place you will get the totally organic vegan chance to get well - detox from all the chemicals - plus the tools and skills to take this positive life home.