Beltane 1998 Newsletter Editorial

Welcome to another edition of the newsletter for the Pagan Alliance in NSW. I would like to extend another big welcome to our new members, or to those who are reading this by way of a friend. We have a really special feature this issue - two articles written by young members of the Alliance. It is great to hear from the future elders of our community, to find out how they perceive Paganism in the younger generation. If you would like to contribute anything for the newsletter, it would be warmly welcomed. Check the end of the newsletter for the next theme, or send in anything you would like to contribute.

Summer is well and truly on it's way to NSW. We have had quite a few warm days early in Spring, and it looks like being another hot summer. It is this time of year when we look out into the garden and start to move the plants into their summer positions. As the path of the sun through the sky changes, the amount of light and shadow that play in our backyard change dramatically. Our bromeliads need to be under full shade cloth to protect their delicate leaves and to slow down the evaporation of moisture from their 'wells'. Our apricot tree has finished flowering, and the fruits are starting to form. We leave these for the local fruit bats to eat, and often the cuckoo, currawongs and rozellas will stop to nibble on the exposed fruit. Rozelle, my suburb, was originally named after the large number or rozellas that lived in the area. While we don't have a huge population of these beautiful birds anymore, I still see them playing and courting in Spring. And yes, the cuckoo has started to drive us mad. How this bird can stay up all day and all night making 'beautiful' music is beyond me! The wysteria is growing wildly, and has finished it's Spring bloom. The green leaves are growing so quickly, that each day it gets longer and longer. I now look forward to the mid summer bloom that will tell me Autumn is on its way, and that the wheel is turning anew.

Winter football has finally given over to lazy picnics in the sun, and cricket in the park. This will soon give way to lazy fishing trips, paddling in the water, and the Ashes series. How do you mark your seasons?

What's happening on your balcony, or in your backyard this season?

Blessed Be
Adrianne Harris
NSW Co-ordinator