::Winter Wonderfuls::

I think there is a week in every winter, when it is particularly

wuthering. And despite the joy of so much rain, cabin fever sets in.

I find myself feeling a bit dreamy about blue skies, dry days~

and if the truth be told, living vicariously for a moment through

the sunny life of a certain little Lego man!

And so I am planning a few Winter diversions for this

space, some little snippets of cosy enjoyment.....stay tuned !

~A Dream~

For such a long time I have dreamt of doing this,
super imposing one picture on another. Since I got my
first SLR when I was 16 in fact, when it would have involved
manually rolling the film back to expose the same frame
twice. (Or probably a dark room, which I didn't have....) I was
so very excited to discover the wonders that can be achieved
by downloading Picasa 3. The quote is one that I loved when
I was in my late teens, and is very right for me still.



The snow goose need not bathe,

to make itself white....

Neither need you do anything,

but be yourself.

Lao~Tzu

::A floral something::

I feel very wintry~just now. Wallowing in woolly jumpers,
frozen dew drops and cosy evenings. But a small part of me
is longing for bare arms, pretty flowers and skirts swishing in
the warm breeze.



A little bit of summer really.......

Midwinter

Last night we celebrated the Winter Solstice.
In some ways it reflected last year's celebration.
We cooked a special dinner, decorated the table, walked
out in the crisp night with our lanterns then woke to special
presents, from King Winter.

This year for me it has coincided with a period of much
internal change and reformation. It finds me amidst a time
of re-defining my sense of self. Of journeying in to find
the strength of who I am, the light within myself.

I draw breath and let things fall apart a little, to allow a
new way of being to form. I find myself so very open and
almost cradled by the beauty of winter, which reveals itself
in such wispy wonder. Cobwebs shining with dew, the soft
velvety blue of the early morning sky.

May this Midwinter be a time of solace and reflection for you.

A time of welcoming fresh changes and new direction.

Happy Winter Solstice!

::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!

::Colours of Happiness::

I've been busy enjoying a few little pleasures
of late. Just the usual small things......



A flower from my little boy.



Seeds and a new diary.



A box of colour from the nursery.



Which made it into a pot.



And the beginnings of a new shawl. I feel so very blessed, with
all these treasures......and in my favourite colours too!

::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??

Plans....

I know a little garden-close, set thick with lily and red rose,
where I would wander if I might from dewy dawn to dewy night.
William Morris (1834-96)



I am so very aware that if I don't seize the moment and do
something in my garden I will miss that lovely autumn boat.
So I am in a flurry of scheming and trying to visualize. Before I
plant various treasures, which will hopefully grow
and flourish over the winter. For now I have my nose in various
gardening books, engaged in that pleasurable act of planning.

::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.......

Drawing in.....

I am loving autumn just now. The
feeling of drawing inside, lighting the fire
and starting to get cosy. The little stash
of wool, almost as ripe as fruit in a basket,
just waiting to become something over the
the winter. The fungi that has so magically
appeared with the autumn rain and the light.
That beautiful golden, autumn sunshine.

How well it fits with this beautiful poem, which I so recommend

that you take courage and read aloud if only for your own pleasure.......

As I discovered after seeing the movie Bright Star. Keats should

really only be read aloud!

Ode to Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves

Run;

To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,

and fill all fruit with ripeness to the core:

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease.........

John Keats 1819

The full poem and more besides can be found here.

~Home~

"Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than
magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the
strongest conjuration." Charles Dickens



Join me in a little celebration of feeling at home, of stopping
to take a deep breath and appreciating what it is to be at home.
For the first time in years I have a strong sense of belonging.
How very beautiful it is!

One Sunday afternoon.

Sometimes it can be a little bit of an effort, to make it out
into nature on a Sunday afternoon. For me there is often
sleepiness to overcome, and the thought of all I should
really be doing.
How fortunate it is at times like this, to
have a dear friend who knows a nice walk.....and has a true
ability to travel in style!

Because then I find myself on an adventure, with a bit of

hill climbing, sipping of tea, watercolour painting, indulging in

fine conversation and best of all laughter...... and lots of it.

The kind of soul food that fills me so very well.

"Do I look scary mummy....?"

Of all the challenges of raising little boys, I think I have
struggled with the whole concept of weapons play the most.
The pacifist in me just finds this concept so very hard. As a
teacher of other peoples children, it was oh so simple.
"We don't play those games here..." But at home, with my
own children, somehow it all seems that bit more complex,
raw and closer to the surface.
Even in an essentially TV free, weapons free house, somehow
this play still develops.




I sometimes wonder what I am dealing with here. Is it a
portrayal of something so very real and violent, from
which my heart shrinks or is there more at play?



Is there something a little phallic about the concept of
gun play, as a friend suggested? Is there hidden within it
some tender little shoots of masculinity, which it would be
so very insensitive to crush?



Perhaps it provides an outlet on an emotional level somehow.
Which it might be unwise to suppress.
Do I provide my female perspective? "That doesn't sound kind...."
"Its OK, but please don't shoot at people....." "Gentle...!"
Or do I just let it be?

I think I tread both paths at times.

Maybe it's a modern issue.
I am sure that mothers were a little more accepting of this
when I was a child. That it was just looked upon as a part
of being a little boy.

I guess I just need to somehow find a space of rightness
within myself about this-to let it go and just be.
To remember that "This too shall pass..."

And to this end, when my little boy so very proudly
showed me the gun he had made, I took a big deep breath
and went to get my camera.

::Simple Pleasures::

Just now I am wallowing in a few
simple little pleasures......

A beautiful thrifted 1950's flour dredger,
a present from a lovely, Op shop savvy friend...
who knows my fondness for Cornish blue china.
There is something so very beautiful
and domestic about it.

A new Persephone book, a gift from my

boys dad. Which I have only read a little

of...with the lovely anticipation of

having a long way to go. I know its sitting

there just waiting......

A humble, unfinished water colour. Painted

on a rare and so very much enjoyed visit

to a painting class held by my beautiful teacher.

When I look at it I can feel all the merriment

and joy of being with such a fine group of

women again.

It all reminds me of a lovely quote, from

this book.

"Three hundred small pleasures

make people happier than one

magnificent one."

Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology,

Harvard University.

::Focusing in ::

Sometimes life just seems to overtake
me and things that I usually feel are important
get almost swept aside. Like lighting a candle
and saying a blessing for our evening meal together.



Although we routinely do this, sometimes it is
just so very grounding to be mindful and present
for a moment, before the meal begins.
To find a little special reverence in it all. To pick
fresh flowers and just breathe it in.

Suddenly life seems that little bit more ordered and
peaceful, just by such a simple change of focus.

This stillness within myself, I think has a most
profound effect on my little ones. The meal seemed
quieter...... and my small boy delivered me one of
those beautiful little moments of innocence.

"Look, I can see a little bit of magic just there in
the candle.......its a fairy I think...!" he said.

~Blessings on the blossoms,
Blessings on the fruit,
Blessings on the leaves and stems,
Blessings on the root,
Blessings on our meal ~

New dawning.....

Easter is so very dear to my heart. I love the feeling of a
fresh dawning spiritual new year. Of the possibilities of autumn
and the beginning of drawing in after the fullness of summer.

Like last year we went to see the sunset on Good Friday and
the sunrise on Easter Sunday. We made Easter Nests
and spent time connecting with nature- which is I think
always so very magical around Easter. Just the quality of
light, the blue-ness of the sky and the feeling of the seasons
poised to change.





This year I find myself reflecting upon the huge
shifts and changes that have come to fruition since last
Easter. And to marvel at the unexpected and wonderful
things happening in my life just now.....

May you have a beautiful Easter.