L'incontro....hello baby....

Clipart Leo Blanchette:
 http://clipartof.com/13196

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE LOVE Andrea Bocelli. I can't go see him without ending up with a tear in my eye. There are two songs that I love for their sentiment/ words rather than
necessarily being my actual favourites musically.
This is certainly one I never imagined I would ever sense myself....and yet now I am 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant I find it very meaningful :)
He sings it in Italian (my other fave he sings all in Italian) but this one starts with a poem, read by Bono of U2 and it goes:

L'incontro
While like a giant, proud and happy,
I take my baby in my arms, fragile, innocent, and alive
And like a little bird he's pushing against my chest
Abandoned, quiet and safe, for an instant, almost sweetly
My destiny appears to me like a dream

And I see myself, old and surrendered,
Seated there near the coalfire,
Waiting for the evening with the anxiety of a child,
Just to see him coming back home
With the gift of his smile, of his words and kindness
It's like a promise that can solve the enormous joy
Of one of his caresses

Then I wake up and I have already forgotten
But inside of me the kid's trapped soul advises me
That his new born child is already more important to me
than that of my own life....

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Also very interesting to find out who actually owns the high street brands you know and the truth behind them as it's not quite what you might think at times...or be led to believe....

We are in it! :)

Lark Lane Spring Healing & Holistic Day - In memory of Jim

This is my favourite poster so far for the healing days. I have been doing these for quite a few years now, its every 3 months and in Lark Lane Community Centre aka' The Old Police Station' in liverpool, L17 - just off Sefton Park.

Holistic Therapies, Veggie & Vegan food, music, chatting, stalls and general meandering :)

The next one is March 16th. It's dedicated this particular one to Jim O'Neil, who was my next door stallholder pretty much every time. He died just before christmas two days after retiring from Wirral Environmental network, he was always helping out with eco stuff, he ran the Community repaint scheme, had written (and published) some local history books, and was well just a general all round good hearted character.

I will miss being next to him in March and eating cake and teas whilst nattering and minding each others stalls whilst we had indian head massages or reiki. A bloody good egg, here's to Jim wherever he is.

Meet little Twiggy

She's our new unexpected addition to the satsuma gang. I went into a well known petshop and whilst I don't like these places AT ALL I was desperate for pair of rabbit nail clippers for Miss Lolly. The aisle they were on happened to be by the adoption centre, cue squealing and a little face at the window with a wonky head. The guy explained she'd had brain damage from meningitis and it the wonky head meant noone wanted her.
Needless to say she's now living with us in Wales in a luxury piggy palace! She purrs and falls asleep on you! Who knew! Me and alistair are currently battling it out for who's her favourite human :)

Hendrix

Saw this and loved it.

Chikih & P Satsuma - The Kalaweit Sanctuary & Chanee

First off my fellow satsumas, if you tweet..highly recommend you follow @kalaweit. 

They saved a baby orang yesterday off a palm oil plantation.

Chanee who started Kalaweit is one of my major heroes and I nearly fell over when I bumped into him at the Hope4Apes event in 2010 I was volunteering at. When he was on stage with Sir David Attenborough he got a standing ovation for his talk. 

I first heard of him when I saw 'Natural World: Radio Gibbon' on BBC2, I think narrated by Sir Attenborough.

Cheeky Chikih :)

There is Chikih, a siamang, 12 yrs old, who was very ill when we first adopted her. She came from Jakarta in 2004 to the sanctuary. She was skinny and dehydrated when Kalaweit first took her in; having been kept in a small cage in Jakarta after hunters killed her parents. She had diaorrhea when she arrived and was very stressed out. And wowee the difference in her photos from even back in 2009 to now - she is happy, alebit her forest is gone, and she has a wild pig who comes to see her every day! :) 

We adopt her fully for €250 a year with some of the proceeds from sales on littlesatsuma.com.

This is the link to info on Chikih on Kalaweit's site: Chikih's Info



Peter Satsuma

Then there is Peter Satsuma, named after Little Satsuma, he's a gibbon, 5 years old. Chanee said I could name the next gibbon they rescued when I had contacted him and Nadege who was from Kalaweit too. Peter Satsuma was the first gibbon rescued into the new centre in 2010. Chanee said he was unusual as he was a white faced gibbon. The little fella has a knee fracture from some point in his young life.

Whenever Carlo sends news of them by email it seems Peter Satsuma has always been singing his head off. Which is apt as his first name is after a singer/ musician I used to save from various late night tangles and who I was madly in love with for a time and am still friends with.

We adopt him fully for €250 a year with some of the proceeds from sales on littlesatsuma.com.

This is the link to info on P Satsuma on Kalaweit's site: Peter Satsuma's Info 

Deffo take a look at their website: www.kalaweit.org and the amazing work they do. They also have an online shop...and you can also sponsor one of the rescued gibbons or siamangs online. They have sunbears too.

Chanee is truly someone who everyone will know of one day, his approach to conservation, saving animals and enviromental issuse is pioneering with the medium of radio out to the youngsters having a real impact.

'The Song of Wandering Aengus'....W.B Yeats

WENT out to the hazel wood,

Because a fire was in my head,

And cut and peeled a hazel wand,

And hooked a berry to a thread;

 

And when white moths were on the wing,

And moth-like stars were flickering out,

I dropped the berry in a stream

And caught a little silver trout.

 

When I had laid it on the floor

I went to blow the fire a-flame,

But something rustled on the floor,

And some one called me by my name:

It had become a glimmering girl

With apple blossom in her hair

Who called me by my name and ran

And faded through the brightening air.

 

Though I am old with wandering

Through hollow lands and hilly lands,

I will find out where she has gone,

And kiss her lips and take her hands;

And walk among long dappled grass,

And pluck till time and times are done

The silver apples of the moon,

The golden apples of the sun.