On Saturday, we attended a very special placenta burial/tree planting ceremony just a hill over from the Centre of New Zealand. As far as I know, Nelson is the first and only place in New Zealand to preside over a ceremony such as this on public land. A group of families and midwives convened above the Maitai Valley to plant native trees over the
whenua -- returning this life-giving organ back to the earth and symbolically connecting our children to the place where they were born. We attended the planting last year as well and were able to plant Solomon's placenta (which had been in our freezer for some time) under a
Black Pine. This year we planted Aya's placenta under a
Totara seedling, right next to her brother's tree. The hike up to the planting site was lovely -- I walked with Aya on my back and Solomon was pushed up in the buggy. At the top, friends met, mothers and fathers chatted, children played, apples were passed around, songs were sung, and the site was blessed by a local Maori minister. The view over the valley is stunning, and I look forward to returning many times to visit our trees.
This friendly Fantail kept us company throughout the morning. What a wonderful omen! I love these beautiful birds.
What else did the weekend hold? A rare (rare,
rare) dinner party with a small group of friends. I neither cooked nor cleaned (thank you, wonderful husband....) and the whole thing felt incredibly low-key and enjoyable. My friend
Amelia presented me with this amazing piece of embroidery as a studio-warming gift. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but the stitching is absolutely perfect and amazingly intricate. Such a lovely gift. It will be framed and hung on the studio wall.
There were also several early risings to watch live-streaming of the World Cup. (Ahem, I wasn't actually up early because of the World Cup, and I doubt the kids were either, but the two events did coincide.)
Also much cozy indoor playing with trains (two more sets, courtesy of the toy library.) And some winterizing of the garden. The berry bushes and passion fruit were covered, the compost was turned, the gutters were cleaned....
And then? Well, then we were all a bit beat. Baths all around, scrambled eggs for dinner, and an early bedtime for the wee ones. Soon I'll head out to the studio with a hot mug of tea. Hope you all had wonderful weekends as well. xx
