::On the trail::

We did a bit of walking, while we were away camping. Along

the Heysen Trail. I love the sight of both of my children

meandering along a forest trail. I have found that walking

is helped by little breaks. To sit and be in the beautiful

spaces that we find ourselves in. Sometimes I will have

little paper treasure bags, for collecting things or these

little sticky cards. To make patterns on with natural finds.

They are simply made, double sided sticky tape,stuck on a

piece of corrugated card. Easy to have in your back pack

for a moment when little quiet rest is called for.

::A Birthday::

We celebrated a birthday last week and had a little

party. My oldest boy turned 9, which seems just a

hairs breadth from 10 really. How can this be??!

He is such a fabulous mix of growing maturity and

knowing, together with the freedom still of being a

child.

I wish I could show you photos of the merriment

at his birthday party. Of jovial little boys having fun.

We did such simple things, like bobbing for apples and

eating donuts on strings and luckily it was fun and

joyful and enough with out being too much. I must

admit to being a little relieved that it is all over for

another year!

Every year we seem to some how refine the whole

birthday celebration just a little. In the last little

while I have started leaving a trail of rose petals

leading to the birthday table. And also, to my

delight started wrapping the presents in pastel

play cloths instead of paper. Why didn't I do this

before??!

::5 Minutes Peace::

Just imagine a device that can at any given moment produce

three healthy ice-blocks in under 10 minutes. If this leads to

five minutes of peace, whilst these ice-blocks are consumed

you would consider it a worthy school holiday investment

really wouldn't you?!

We have had such fun with our ice-block maker these holidays.

Combinations we have tried have included: Strawberries with

vanilla yogurt (pictured), orange juice, with a slither of orange,

chocolate milk, with little cookies, fruit salad, various yoghurts

etc etc.

Because the ice-blocks freeze so quickly, there is no separation

of ingredients like you get with conventional ice-block making.

A worthy investment and perfect for us because it makes

three at a time!

:: One afternoon ::

Once in a while, an afternoon comes along that repays me for
a whole lot of slightly less lovely afternoons. The kind of
afternoon where I relax on my bed reading, as my children play
harmoniously. The kind of afternoon where, in between
chapters of my book, I watch a sunflower through my
window gradually unfold. Its the sort of afternoon I should
really make note of-in case I dont get another one in
the immediate future!

New Beginnings

You know, over the past few months, I wondered at
times if I was going to blog again. For various reasons I
wondered if blogging wasn't connected to a phase of my life
that might almost be over. But do you know what? I am not
totally ready to let it go. I need to draw my energy
back into my home and mothering for a while. And blogging
is sooo good for this. So very good. So here I am.

::Daisies and Lemons::

Something that I love about winter: the perfect match
that is *daisies and lemons* on the kitchen table.

You know as we sat down to dinner the other day at the
kitchen table. I commented on how lucky it was, to sit at
a table with beautiful flowers and a yummy dinner.
To which my 8 year old replied:
"No...I think its pretty normal actually...."
And do you know what, I am going to take that as
a bit of a compliment really.

::A few mothering truths::

I thought I would share with you a little quote from
"Mrs Miniver" about parenting. Which somehow sums
it up in such a truthful way. Its kind of nice to think that
little has changed in over 70 years really.
It begins just as Mrs Miniver has described the joy of her
children opening their Christmas presents.

"This was one of those moments, thought Mrs Miniver,
which paid off at a single stroke all the accumulations on
the debit side of parenthood: the morning sickness and the
quite astonishing pain; the pram in the passage, the cold
mulish glint in the cooks eye; the holiday nurse who had
been in the best families; the pungent white mice, the
shrivelled caterpillars; the plasticine on the door handles,
the face flannels in the bathroom, the nameless horrors
down the crevices of armchairs; the alarms and emergencies,
the swallowed button, the inexplicable earache, the
ominous rash appearing on the eve of a journey; the
school bills; the shortened step, the tempered pace, the
emotional compromises, the divided loyalties, the
adventures continually forsworn......."

You know, I think it would do me such a lot of good, to focus
on some of these parenting moments, that somehow repay
the whole endeavour with their loveliness.
I actually think that they would be little things, the cuddles
in the morning, the little kisses...the moments of quiet.

What would yours be??

::Nest::

You know, I have been giving a bit of thought to this "nest" of mine recently. At how my two boys are getting a little older-and how I can almost feel the next phase dawning. Not quite, but its in the wind. I find myself wondering how this is going to change celebrations like Easter and how I can make them relevant -and suitable to an older child. There are core things that will remain the same-mountain climbing and watching sunsets. But some of the other aspects might change. Perhaps the craft will become a little more complex or new things will evolve. In a way its like a new frontier-kind of freeing and exciting. But also I am so very well aware of how careful I should be with change-not to instigate it, when it is not really needed. To take the cue from by boys.

Night

The nights are pulling in, and everywhere I would imagine,

you can hear the sighs of relieved mammas like myself.

As they prepare to re-claim the night. As suddenly after

months of trying to get children asleep at a reasonable

hour-darkness comes and saves the day (or could it be the night!).

Now I look forward to the evenings ahead of child free

time-to knit and sew and write and think. Surely there

should be a small celebration, to mark the loveliness of this

velvety darkness that has crept upon us!

On being a Knight In Shining Armour......

You might recall some of my deliberations over weapons play
in this post. Its been a bit of an issue working out just how
it sits with me-and how I can balance that with who my children are.

It was after much thought that I decided to get my little
boy a wooden sword for his birthday recently. I guess there is
something mythical/ historical about a sword which somehow
softens the whole thing for me.

His response to it has been interesting. I had visions of the sword
much battered within a few hours, but he has been careful with it.
I made him a cape too and he immediately declared himself a
"Knight in Shining Armour". Although there have been a few
sword fights with his older brother, and(if I care to admit it!!)
the odd head chopped off, the sword seems more a symbol
of power than anything else.

The sword has been put through its paces, as you would

expect any knight's sword to be. But there have been some

outcomes that I wouldn't have initially expected too.

It seems that there are some things that a small boy is

more able to do with a sword at his side. Going into the

bathroom alone when it is dark, was a bit scary before (probably

because of trolls...) but with his sword its OK.

And at night, as well as his two much loved dolls, he also

takes his sword.

I now feel as though weapons are not quite so much

of an issue for me as they once were. Perhaps me letting

go of this, will allow my children to move through this stage

and flow on.

I have also found myself re-connecting with the girl I was,

in middle childhood. A girl who was frankly a bit of a

tomboy herself, quite partial to the odd gunfight or battle.

And -hey- perhaps it didn't do me any harm after all.

::A Birthday::

My little boy turned 5 on Thursday. I felt
such a pang, when he first uttered the words
"I'm five!" on his birthday morning. Almost
like I didn't want to hear.........how can this be????
That this beautiful baby boy, who came into our lives
so smoothly, by candle light, in front of the fire
has turned five!
But I know that I have soaked in every moment
of those 5 years. I have been there for all the joys,
milestones, delights and stresses.
And for this I am so very glad. They are years of my
life so blessed and very well spent.

Happy Birthday Little Clogs!

A few thoughts on birthday tables....

In a lot of ways I believe that less is more, when it

comes to children's birthdays. Sometimes its as much

about the little things, that create a sense of occasion,

as it is about choosing the right presents.

With this in mind I find that creating a birthday table

is such a lovely part of my children's birthday celebration.

I hang bunting, spread a cloth and decorate the table

with flowers and a birthday ring. On the table I have a

felt birthday crown and a plate of little cakes, one for every

year of their life so far.

Somehow with all this in place, there is already a feeling

of plenty~ and I feel comfortable giving a few carefully

chosen gifts. The table is lovely for them to come out to on their

birthday morning, and it stays set up for a couple of days.

...................................................................................................

Interestingly I wont show you the photos of my boy blowing out

the candles on his cake, with his little friends. I only realised as

I looked at the photos later......that I had only put 4 candles

on the cake!

Could it be that I am in denial of the number 5???

:: Vintage Everday::

I so dearly love this little Ladybird reader. The illustrations
are just beautiful. One things stand out to me, apart from
the wonderful vintage-ness of it all. And that is the assumption
that everyday things are enough. That there is excitement and
entertainment to be had, for little ones, in the simplicity of day to
day chores. That helping is a worthy thing. I find this so affirming
and a wonderful thing to foster and consider, at a time when
so much is thought of more.

::Cabin fever::

I had been waiting for a day like this. A rainy Saturday, when
we could justify spending a whole day inside, getting cozy and
doing all those winter-ish things. You know the luxury of
Pyjamas till 11am and no where to go, just listening to the rain.

So I lit the fire, washed all the woollies and hung them about
the place to dry.

Then set about making chocolate brownies, with the usual

helpers.

Which were keenly enjoyed with hot chocolate and

marshmallows, shortly there after.

I indulged in a bit of knitting by the fire.

And my shawl got a tiny bit bigger.

Then we roasted chestnuts on the top of the fire.

A cozy little picture of domestic goodness really......

But do you want to know the awful truth? By 3pm it

became apparent that for all concerned we needed

to get out of the house. Know that feeling??!

And so we did.

Am I the only one who has days like these????

The sneaky wood.

I really think, there is something so important, in fostering
a sense of place for children. To take the time to invest
something of yourself in the natural world as you find it.
To find special names for spots you treasure, to watch them
change through the seasons and in a way become a part of
your own family culture. Not to necessarily own these places
but to feel akin to them.

For us the Sneaky Wood is a bit like that. Sneaky,

because when you would least expect it, there you are....

in a little wood, of the bona fide English variety. Not huge,

but just enough to give a true sensation of woody-ness.

I love how when you are 4 and 7, the thought of this, on a

cold Autumn day is incentive enough to make you run like

the wind.

And then of course there is The Secret Island, which one day

we might have to introduce you to as well. Ssshhhh!

::Leaves::

"Trees are like cities for leaves -
if you listen carefully you can hear
them talking to each other...."

Don't you just wish you were four
again??

::Multi-tasking::

Sometimes, amidst this incredible dance of parenting,
you get a brief glimpse of things to come, of how things
might be, when certain milestones have been reached and
the landscape changes. A little window into the next phase.
It was like this for us last Saturday......

















If someone had told me 6 months ago that I would be able to
one day combine my children,water and a spot of painting....
how very doubtful I would have been. And yet this miracle
of multi-tasking somehow happened, I had that brief window
into some time in the future, when all this might be normal.

I painted a little picture, rather swiftly I will admit. Not at
the very leisurely pace of a child free painting. But a painting
none the less. My children found so many treasures, puddled
and splashed about. Then we all headed for home, dry-ish
and happy. So seemingly simple.......