Another week went by fast. This week the story of "Mother Holle" gave the color to the week. Mother Winter or Mother Holle is inspired by the german fairytale written by the Grimm Brothers.. The story comes with many variations, and I gave it my own note.

On Monday, we baked a cake:

Carrot Cardamom cake

adapted by Jill Boadway from The Voluptuous Vegan by Myra kornfeld

2cups whole spelt flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cardamom

1/2 cup unrefined sunflower oil

2/3 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds
2/3 cup soy, rice, almond, hemp milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded carrots

2/3 cup dates, soaked, drained and chopped or combination of dried fruit.

Preheat oven 350F. OIl a 9 inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk together the sweetener, oil, flax seeds, milk and vanilla and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Whisk the wet ingredients again, and then add into the dry and stir just to combine.

Add the carrots and dates and stir to mix.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Serve with sweet cashew or almond butter....We didn't manage to do that, but will send you the recipe another time.

We stirred our herb salt together combining, our own ground sea salt with unrefined sea salt from the marais salants de Guerande...which are in Brittany...and brought back many memories as an eager organic activist being trained as an agricultural engineer in a chemical loaded farming culture...

with dried parsley and dried lemon thyme from the garden...all organic!

and organic granulated garlic.

We also worked more on our pillows:

On Tuesday we baked bread :

and made a carrot salad with a dressing using our own herb salt

On Wednesday, we did some modelling with beeswax and formed some icicles...

A new circle was introduced this week. Usually circle run for three or four weeks...Here it is both in French and English:

Oh golden sun

Shining so bright

Please warm me with your golden light.

Let's join our hand

That there may flow

A stream of warmth and golden glow.

Good morning everyone!

Here is the woodcutter

Sturdy and strong

With his axe on his shoulder

He strides along

Mark your steps

with your feet On the white snow

Little holes

Big holes Watch where you go!

Tippy toe, tippy toe

Hop, Hop,...

Walk,...)

Magic wand

Ribbon wand

Call forth for me a wind

Call forth for me a ........wind

Shivering, quivering, freezing cold

Rub your hands and your arm hold. Brrr!

Shivering , quivering, frosty as ice

Rub your feet hard at least once or twice. Brrr!

Shivering, quivering blow out air

Take a deep breath and blow it out there.

Chip Chop Chip Chop

Cut down some wood for the winter cold

Chip Chop Chip Chop
Collect all the wood that the basket will hold.

Oh no, he ripped his jacket. He has to mend it and gets a needle and a thread.

The thread follows the needle

The thread follows the needle

In and out the needle goes

That's the way we mend our clothes.

(The little mouse comes and nibbles the stiches loose...)

But now it's time for tea:

Polly put the kettle on, the kettle on, the kettle on

Polly put the kettle on we'll have some tea

Here's a cup

And here's a cup

And here's a pot of tea

Pour a cup

And pour a cup

And have some tea with me.

The more we get togrether, together, together,

The more we get together

The happier we'll be.