::Easter-ish things::

A few little snippets of our Easter. The Easter tree, in all its

splendour. Beautiful needle felted Easter rabbit scenes care

of my friend Briali(or was it the Easter Bunny?!)

And origami Easter rabbits, which mark

my first foray into origami tutorials on You-Tube. Its worth

having a look at Origami on You-tube....thank you Anita!

For the first time this Easter I sincerely wondered how much

longer the Easter Bunny will call at our house, for my oldest

boy at least. *Sigh*.

::Early Spring::

I love the misty delicacy of early spring. This year it seemed
to last such a long time~and yet be gone in a moment. All the
blue skies and sunshine have made me almost forget, how a
few short weeks ago I was trying to hasten spring. How I
felt there would be no end to the grey and rain.

The plants that I bought at the nursery, because they felt
like another step closer to spring.




And the cold rainy day that I set up the spring nature display,
feeling like it was really too soon, but giving in to my desire
for something spring-ish.



And how very grateful I was for this song,
which I sung to my little Kindy children:

"I have seen a mother bird~
Singing in the rain.
Telling all her little ones~
Spring has come again....."

(Author unknown)




But then slowly it crept along and I found
myself lying in bed at dawn listening to the
birds singing~and just being so very open
to their songs.....and now spring has come
at last!!

Celebrating Summer

I am planning a few little celebrations of
summer in this space over the next few
days. Lovely summer-ish things to do.
Sometimes the whole heat-wave aspect
to summer makes me forget that
in between are the most beautiful sunny
summer days.
As I changed my little nature
corner display today, with the sunny
yellow cloth for a moment I reflected
on all the wonderful aspects of summer.
Which are so very worth celebrating......
please join me!

Easter-ish inspiration....

We lit the fire for the first time tonight,
it seems like such a cosy celebration of
drawing in.
It's been a cloudy/overcast day, at
home with my little ones, made brighter
by the decision to decorate the Easter tree.
We have been anticipating it for days, with the
box of goodies sitting ready.

How nice to unpack a growning stash of

little treasures, and to lose oneself in

the happy task of arranging them.

What a lovely reward, for a few minutes

of branch trimming and careful decorating.....

a pretty little scene, to brighten our

living space.

Loving this boy just now......

How I am enjoying this boy just now. I love his passionate
enthusiasm for natural history, for nature and for all things
wild and untamed.

I love the little collections of things that find their way into
our house, which seem terribly boy-ish to me, in the nicest
possible way.



I love his strong connection with the natural world.

And the prospect of all that we have to share,

as the seasons change.

It is as it should be for a small boy, finding

his place in the world.

Some little lovelies.....

Sometimes I have a week where everything
seems a bit overwhelming.....especially when
there is sickness involved.
More than at any other time, it helps me to
step back and look at the overall beauty and
privilege of this parenting journey.
To look around our home at all the collections of
little lovelies which as a whole become
something more........an overall impression
which I hope my children will carry with them...



... the cheery little things that encourage
me on my way.

I feel so grateful for: the beauty and integrity of the

Waldorf approach to family life.

For the collections of little handmade treasures

that surround us....

For the unexpected and wonderful little delights...



For the simplicity and beauty of the toys that my children

play with.......

And have done since they were tiny.....

I feel so grateful for all the little waldorfian things that carry

their own kind of magic......and inspire such varied play.

Sometimes it is just SO nice to stand back and reflect

on the integrity of the choices that we have made, and to

see the larger picture for a moment.

.....Before I disappear again into the ongoing reality

that parenting is.

Spring days.....

Then there is a sunny day.....and everything suddenly seems
to burst forth. We find ourselves making spring garlands,
feeling the sun on our bare arms and feasting on soursobs.
Something inside me seems to relax, the door opens and we
bask in a few days of early spring sunshine.




Out come our little spring fairies, dancing in a circle in the
breeze and joining the celebrations. Every spring they hang
over our kitchen table. I didn't make them myself, but every
year I feel so grateful that somebody did......





Then one morning my children wake up to discover that
'little king winter' has left the nature corner.....and spring
has come. I feel glad that simple things create such
excitement in their lives!





......And of course then it rains....and I remember that:
"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of may......."

Happy early spring !