Above: a recent picture of myself... I've been feeling a bit detached from reality but that's not been entirely a bad thing. September is here, Autumn is brewing and this time of the year always makes me feel a bit witchy.
There's a shift in the air...the Fall is around the corner. It is indeed my favorite time of the year... when the winds of "change" comes sweeping. The air is crispier and I'm sipping on a warm cup of tea white I write this, I nestle into the cozy vibe of my favorite season, the one that has inspired many of my songs like "I steal the leaves" and "leaves never settle in the wind".
I hope some of you have noticed I've not been much around, and sadly I had some serious reasons to be absent, but still wanted to share some glimpses of the good things , and the good vibes this time of the year ignite in my spirit. And the change of colors in the leaves is always a magical reminder of how things change and how we must get ready and use our knowledge of Nature's cycles to be ready for them (also metaphorically)
The second harvest... may it be bountiful
September marks a transition into the colder months, urging us to slow down but also, in my case, sparks my creativity. And the "second harvest" or MABON in the Celtic Calendar, and this time is celebrated by Nature lovers like myself as a a moment to gather not just the bounty of the fields and orchards but also the fruits of our own labor. Just like my orchard harvest this year was a bit scarce, but I'm learning to grow things, and it is equally satisfying to learn from my mistakes, the results were not the ones I expected but still I'm GRATEFUL. Here some highlights of September so far in the Orchard. that Pumpkin is becoming Halloween worthy :)
Autumn is indeed a season of abundance. We already collected the plums and made it to jam and now we are collecting tomatoes. Blackberries, raspberries and sloes are plump and sweet, reminds me of nature’s generosity and I am always grateful for these gifts.
Here some stills of my harvest these weeks. some glimpses of my "slow life" this Summer.
And just a few days ago
Have you grown anything?
Being gentle with myself
I'm not going to lie, 2024 has been one of the strangest in my life... I'm torn between the need of not vanishing (as an artist) and the fact I've needed more care and rest. Body imposes its own rhythm that's for sure. It was frustrating to have all the mindset and all the push to move forward and step up and then to face with wisdom, that some races are better won as a slower pace.
But it's been hard and this song of mine has been a lot in my lips so here is a little snippet of my song "don't be sad", I filmed the video on my phone some weeks ago.
Stand strong
Stand still
Don't be sad
Full song here
https://open.spotify.com/track/6E7W6lTJiDIg6s5uBPaUY7?si=6337d336da6f4014
As the wheel of the year turns once more, and this time it spun so vertiginously. Where did Summer go? honestly I cannot recall a Summer that fled so fast for me. I didn't even realize the light was dimming. I've not been much out in Nature as I love to, and I didn't notice the changes so much... I certainly need more Nature in my life now but I had not the physical energy to go far. Fortunately the orchard, the hens, the little grove offered me this illusion of my little shrine and realm. But now I want to get better and be ready for MORE. Stagnation has been often one of my frustrations but I had to make amends with the fact there are things we cannot control and especially that health goes first (always) but then again my own well being is intricately linked to nature so I need to balance that out. So whenever my balance is there I dance, whenever my energy is there I walk, whenever my voice is there I record and sing... no good moment is gone wasted, but I'm slowly "grinding in silence" in a time where algorithms needs constant feeding or you become irrelevant.
I'm humbled and have accepted this is where I am now and I'm proud of what I create, even if slowly. Because I have NEVER EVER given up.
Here a little video of myself playing in the nearby forest.
I'm hoping to go for longer hikes when I get better, but I'm fortunate to have Nature at hand. This Summer I've been reminded of how grateful I am to the things that are "close", Nature, Music, my fluffy hens, the forest path close to the orchard... the simple things. I even started dancing :). I started to dance as a way to retrain my balance and I'm loving it, and though I have a reputation of "unable" to dance, it's been such a great way to reconnect with my own body and even to my own songs. :) but more about that on another post. :) I feel very shy about showing but I shall. I got myself some silk fans and been practicing.
They symbolize the culmination of hard work and the promise of renewal. This year I had a little patch of orchard to plant, and we are just collecting our bounty. But also it's also the precursor of a time of introspection, and in my case of creativity as I'm the most creative when it's stormy outside and I hold a hot mug of cocoa in my studio.
Every September for me is also a reset time. You may have noticed that I've not been posting much... Well, as I hinted in previous posts, health as been relentlessly difficult for me this year... I started 2024 convinced it would be my "rekindling year", instead I had to face one of the hardest times in my life. I have not been absent because I've been idle but because I was (I am) healing. I do not want to delve deep into that and I'm still not out of the woods. But 2024 threw me into survival mode. All I can disclose is that mid June it got really serious and I thought, this is it and it was traumatizing. And the angst of not knowing and that despite being so much better, they still don't know or that it could happen "again". I got so frail I even lost my voice and now that It's back I don't take it for granted, so I'm recording SO MUCH. I don't even know when all these songs are going to release, I'm just planting so many seeds. I'm not even taking my ability to make music and sing for granted anymore, it's a blessing, and this month I even hurried to record an entirely new spooky song that I intend to release for Halloween :) It felt so good. I'm proud. I want to sing now so much. My mind is very strong now, mindfulness was key to keep me through "the event" but I felt it was like the culmination of a long chain of warnings from my body. It has changed my mindset entirely. I had known from a long time, I was just slow because I needed to, but turned out to be, I needed to because I was not well (physically). Now working on making these improvements permanent, but there are still many questions to the enigma, and so I have to be patient in my recovery. I was self punishing myself for not having the energy to move towards my goals and dreams... but that was a mental trap. It was not my fault. Your best is always enough. Do always as much as you can, it should be enough.
But this time of the year, as weather is still warm to stroll by the groves nearby... I feel it is a time reflect on what we’ve achieved so far and to set our sights on what’s yet to come. Just as the fields yield their treasures, so too can we harvest the results of our efforts and dreams. A great time to reset our intentions and align our actions with our year’s goals. And so here I am again. he balance of light and dark feels like a perfect time to reconnect with myself. I've fallen back into a bit of chaos, and so, I’m turning to my bullet journal to help me find my footing again. I have always been prone to clutter an chaos when "I'm not feeling myself" so I find the practise of journaling very mindful. I start each day writing a gratitude sentence... first thing in the morning.
Decluttering and finding focus: Reset time
Remember, it’s not too late to reach for those aspirations you set earlier in the year. And I feel very much like those kids going back to school with a new blank notebook. and I want to use this time to reassess, refocus, and self-encourage. I have put aside my bullet journal where I keep track of everything and started a new one just this month for the remaining of the year, to take inventory of your progress, celebrate my little successes, and adjust your course if needed. A dear friend of mine even sent me a "self care journal" too so writing down exercises, routines, habit tracks
How do you keep yourself organized and motivated? I'm curious. I struggle with digital media, I need paper and markers the old way. Just today I gifted myself a new set of markers :) I hope also to start a new sketchbook and go back to drawing even if I've been discouraged with the development of AI replacing us artists.
And meditating or listening to a motivational speech every day :) Embrace this time of the year as an opportunity to cultivate gratitude, reset your goals, and prepare for the final stretch of the year. And don't feel that you're heading to a "deadline" but try to do as much as you can remembering that the year’s end is not a finish line but a new beginning—filled with promise, potential, and the magic of transformation and new goals.
And yes, I'm pretty sure 2025 will be my rekindling year :) Meanwhile follow me here
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4VYQXDVxNNr4kGMv6cR8W1
Under the apple tree... I spend a lot of time in this little corner, I bring a foldable chair and my feather angels are free to roam by my side. We did not have many apples this year, but it provided a little haven during the hottest days of Summer :)
Apples from the orchard!
Harvest your dreams. And may you move forward to your greatest aspirations.
As my song "I steal the leaves" say "I steal the leaves but I'll bring them back in Spring"
And remember all those leaves dead on the ground, are the nourishment that will make soil fertile for future growth.
This season’s moody weather feels like a gentle nudge to slow down and reflect. I flip open my new bullet journal that I have started the 1st of September just to make the most of these four remaining months of 2024, and it feels like a fresh start—an opportunity to organize my thoughts and goals for the rest of the year. And I write down the little tasks I manage to complete every day, and even feels that there is still plenty of time to harvest my dreams and align them with my intentions if I put all my might, if I harness this renewed energy and ground myself and let it spark my creativity. It's about letting it guide me back to clarity, a reset...
By the way one of my most underrated songs is "The lingering light" And one of the things I've done this month is to remaster it to send it up onto Spotify. Of course it was already on youtube but I want it to be official, and so I save that for another post, but I'll remind its words now, in the context of this post
I've been recording a few new things at the studio
Follow the lingering light...
It will guide you through the darkness
And now I am still here, always
I know my candle is still burning, maybe the flame is a bit smothered but it will lead me through the darkest times for sure... and more about the revamping of this song on forthcoming posts.
Thank you all, and thanks for some of you fellow hivers who have reached out to me to ask me how I was doing... some of you know a bit of what's been going on... I'm glad to always have this little space to find my way back in.
Love. Pris!
I read and upvote all significant feedback, so please let me know what you think. Thanks always to all the community for supporting my music. I know I drop articles slowly but I take time to weave my craft and I hope you at least find it worth the wait. :)
PS. Grateful if you all follow me on Spotify as an artist (or whatever streaming service you use)
𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔
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singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com
But there are still bees working out there with the flowers that remain in bloom... so said this... always seize the chance to build if circumstances allow. And if it's caught by the chill of night, get cozy among the flowers or protected by the bushes... you'll make it to the morning.