As a vegetarian eater, arriving at a place where I would feel 'I want to try everything on the menu' is very rare.  Restaurant Momo in Nagano Prefecture, was that rare gem of a place for me.  The whole place vibrated with care.  Food quality was superb.  The atmosphere was relaxed and creative ~ exactly my sort of place.  Instantly I felt a kinship.  
I filled my rucksack with home-made snacks for my journey back to Scotland.  I was facing a rough journey back with the possibility of two nights of sleeping in airports.  Good quality food, made with care, makes all the difference in the quality of your journey.  I felt well resourced and nourished by the food and vibrations of this place.  My deep gratitude to the people who have created Momo and are maintaining it from day to day.

I met Fatima-san (Suomi Sekiya) in Findhorn about 5 years ago.  She joined our 1001 Angels mosaic creations on our first day of the project, and her last day of a two-week stay in Findhorn.  By some good fortune our paths just crossed.  I was immediately curious about her, since she had so uniquely expressed two cultures I also felt a part of, namely a Sufi tradition in Japan.  I felt we have so much to explore together, but at that time we had very little time to invest in our explorations.  When the opportunity presented itself to visit her in Nagano prefecture, I approached her.  I was delighted to know that she could take a day off her work, which happened to be her birthday, to be with me and her partner Yaqin Nirdosh (Yuya Sato), and the Sacred Mountain of Hijiriyama, which she is a guardian of.  Both her name and her partner's name, Yaqin evoke deep feelings for me, as they are from my native tongue, Farsi.  Yaqin means certainty, Fatima, purity.  So together they speak of Pure Certainty to my soul.

Meeting Fatima and Yaqin at the Hijiriyama, which literally means Sacred Mountain, felt like a chord of destiny's been tugged.  I also found out they are both web-creators.  Since I've been looking for web-masters for Trees for Hope, I asked them if they could make our website, which they delightfully said yes!  My heart did a little dance at the top of the hill where we were standing to admire the view of the expansive North and South Japan Alps Mountains in Nagano.

Later on her birthday she took me to a remarkable restaurant called Momo, which means peach.  There she gave me her meishi, business card.  On it she lists a few things she offers the world as a way of her unique expression.  They include : Herbalist, Psychic Healer, Holistic Therapist.  As well she lists Meditation and Prayer, Deep Ecology, Permaculture, Co-Creation with Nature.  

Yaqin offers on his meishi (business card) : Meditation and Co-Creation Space.  His business name is Nirvana Lab.  I feel like I have just connected with two dear kindred spirits, on my last day in Japan!

http://nirvana-lab.com
http://devafatima.com
http://libernaturae.com
http://nuuralanuur.com

Polar Bear Swim is a tradition started by the Greek immigrant, Peter Pantages to Vancouver, Canada in 1920.  Since then it has grown around the world.  By now thousands of people plunge into the sea, or a body of water near them on New Year's Day.  It is a way of greeting the New Year with bravado and good cheer.
So here in Findhorn we took to the North Sea in mid-day.  We had a balmy New Year at 12 degrees centigrade.  I've never had such a hot 1st of January this far north.  There was no wind, and the tide was high.  An ideal condition for our brave plunge into the ocean!
Alan led the attunement and did the precautionary preparation for the people who were taking to the sea, at this time of the year for the first time.  I led a brief warm up exercise to wake up our joints and spine.  Then we were taking our clothes off (with our swimming costume underneath) and running to the sea.  The sea was welcomingly pleasant today.  It was cold yes, and it felt lovely to meet it.  I had prepared myself mentally before taking to the sea today.  I knew I wanted to meet it softly and allow myself to embrace the sea, and be embraced by it.  I had shared this intention with Alan earlier in the morning before we left our home.  What happened when I was in the sea was a little gift from the ocean.  I saw Ruby nearby me.  I went up to her and said 'Ruby I need a little hug.'  There we embraced in the ocean ~ a warm lasting hug.  
We walked back to the shore, embraced by the sea.  This was my 9th Polar Bear Swim in the North Sea, and Alan's 40th.  What a great way to start the year!

The forecast was rain.  The place was an ancient Pictish cave by the wild Moray Firth coast, about 1/2 hour away from our home.  The day was the 13th of October, 5 years to the day we entered our relationship.  We watched the weather closely.  There was no sign of rain at 8 am, when we had to make the final decision about the location.  Will we go for the wild coast, or do we choose the safer option of a sheltered woodland site?
 
The rain was holding back.  We looked at each other; we knew what we wanted.  Judith, our celebrant turned up punctually at 8.00.  'It is the cave!' we said.  She was concerned, as we were for the guests slipping on the wet rocks.  But she trusted us, and a decision was made.  Our two sons, Kevin and Ocean, as well as my friend and maid of honour, Swan, accompanied us to the cave to set up the space and receive our guests. 
 
I saw Ocean outside the cave, looking to the sea with an expression of amazement and joy!  'They are dolphines,' he said.  I looked to where he was pointing.  They were a pod, jumping!  Our guests arrived one by one as I spotted the dolphines.  
 
Our vows had 4 dimensions.  Alan and I gradually crafted them over weeks of conversation, reflection, adding and deleting words.  We vowed to support one another in our persoanl growth, our planetary service, on our spiritual paths.  We vowed to have patience and compassion for our blind or unconscious selves to become known and loved.  Just as we finished saying our vows, a sweet and gentle rain sealed our marriage as Judith pronounced us husband and wife.  Then every one at once had to rush to escape the incoming tide.  There, there, they were again.  The dolphines were now swimming in the opposite direction, accompanying our guests from the sea as everyone lined up to climb the rope ladder back to higher grounds.  Then the rain came.  It poured mightily as our guests scattered the seed-balls we had prepared as part of our ceremony to regenrate a burned out landscape scarred by fires this last autumn.  
 
Part II of our wedding day was made possible by the generous support of our friends in the community who cooked the meal for our guests as a gift to us.  The rain did not cease for the rest of the evening.  Our plans to have a storytelling fire outdoors was changed to having a beautiful storytelling space indoors, filled with late autumn flowers, gifted to us by a generous friend who has been tending her flower garden for years.  Stories, songs, and dances blossomed in our community space, as our guests one, by one, contributed their gifts and shared their talents.  Our married life started with wild blessings from nature and continued with generous gifts of service, flowers, songs, and stories from our friends and community.  We spent a beautiful honeymoon on the islands of Orkney when we had a rainbow greeting us every day.