The besom has a home

We have been working on my 'Den' today.  Although snow covered the ground this morning, after a few hours it had melted so we made a lot of progress.

I love this area.  For so long it has been neglected and used as a dumping ground for things we wanted to burn, hide or take to the tip, which now I feel was very wrong as it's such a beautiful place. 

The besom has brought much laughter and many jokes from my friends and family but this broomstick is there for a practical use, not to fly about the garden on.  Much as I would love to do that, I use it to sweep the area clean. I didn't want to use my hard yard broom in this area. It's big and has a very hard brush, it simply wasn't practical. It didn't feel right so that is why I got a traditional Besom instead. 

Saying that, my beautiful natural besom can also be used in a ritual to sweep away negativity and cleanse an area from bad feeling. Luckily I have not had to use it for that purpose yet.

I feel so close to nature when I am in this space. Birds nest above and I can see all kinds of life around me. I still can't believe at times that this is not actually a tree but just ivy growing from something man made. Another reminder of how we all seem to be connected, we are meant to be here together with our animals and plants and beautiful landscapes, it's just working out how best to get along and so all of us can thrive.

This is from the other side. We are trying to clear a path so that it will be possible to walk all the way around it.  We have a raised area here which is from years of piling more and more soil and making a compost area. I want to turn it into a miniture hill where we can sit and gaze down on the firepit below.

The 'Den' may take months to create but even now it has become a magical area where I can meditate. I love to just sit or stand here. It's amazing how much you see anywhere if you just stop what you are doing, stand still and observe nature

I have a few guests that seem to like my den. A male pheasant has taken a shine to being in this place.  On several occasions I have surprised him when entering only to have him squalking at me and flying off in a huff as though he objects to me being there!

So, the work continues, I wonder who will visit next?