the Wise Robin

today, beauty is

 

my baby girl who goes to sleep and wakes up blowing raspberries

 

my big girl's entrepeneurial spirit and her even bigger ideas for attracting passersby (I'm still not convinced that the kind lady who stopped knew they weren't going to grow).

 

the now wilted lambs ear and camellia petal necklace I bought for 10c and wore to dinner last night

 

my man, who swings by the store to do the shopping, after a full day that starts at five am because I wrote the car off last week. Ahem. I swear there were no signs and I couldn't see it.

 

a start on a birthday stitching for him

 

vintage sheets, moses baskets and nanna squares

 

fading light

 

and fairy lights

 

I hope you found beauty in your day too

Cxo

 

today, beauty is

 

Truth be told I've been feeling a little uninspired lately. I'm putting it down to night time feeding fatigue and hoping those creative juices will return soon. I say today, but actually mean yesterday. Computers and I don't seem to go hand in hand late in the evening. Maybe it's the universe telling me to go to bed. So yesterday, in an effort to get the juices flowing again, I clicked the beauty in my day.

 

living

 

these girls

 

our homemade internal mail system

 

her neighbourhood walk posies

 

 

birds and bunting in a tidy seven year old's room

 

clean, folded laundry...ahhh. Simple pleasures

 

a stack of fairy drops

 

afternoon knitting with my big gal

 

her store out front

 

summer in the garden

 

remnants of autumn activity

 

backyard tee pees

 

a lone egg in the hen house

 

rhubarb ripe for the picking. Pie tonight.

 

winter blooms. Does anyone know this plant?

 

twilight skies

 

my peeps.

 

Hope there's some beauty in your days

Cxo

 

 

little troll: take two

 

Oh, she's a cheeky one this one, taking my ball of wool and having a grand old time with it. That cheeky sideways glance and the giggle say it all. I finished up another little troll vest for her. It's been on my needles for some time. As I  made the halfway point I had in the back of my mind that it would be a snug fit and briefly wondered if I should frog it. But with no other projects on the go I kept on. Well, it is snug because this babe of three months [already], is growing and rolling, wanting to sit and be in this family every waking minute. So I'll pop her in it every day for a week then pack it away for the 'maybe' next babe. Thinking that I should start swatching.  The extra time involved and the thought of a little math drives me away. But blocking is another story, I'm hooked now. There's the vest unblocked and blocked, amazing I tell you. The buttons are off a vintage breakfast jacket that I picked up from a local op-shop years ago. The fairy drops are a Nigella recipe that are so easy to whip up. Pop everything in the blitzer and then in the oven. I have a weak spot for baked sweets.

 

in review

 

We spent this weekend sitting in the garden surrounded by Autumn prunings and winter sunshine, drinking tea and playing hookey. One of my favourite things to do in the yard is to just sit and watch the girls scratching over the leaves, doing their backward breakdancing, as Joel Salatin calls it. I have a chook run on my gardening wishlist. These girls get into everything and I've decided it's time to get serious about where they can roam. Most of my plantings in the herb garden have been scratched up or eaten, they've figured out how to get into our fenced off vegie garden and the poop, well there's plenty of that. I know I'll  miss watching them wandering around the yard.

We gave our old, old apple tree a serious haircut, which will make it easier to net, so we can finally harvest some apples instead of feeding the cockies and rosellas. I felt a mixture of sadness and lightness at seeing its crown come down, such a reshaping, but it's almost as though we could hear the tree exhale with the release of so many branches. Zahra has claimed some of the prunings as a cubby and the girls are now roosting in the open at the very top. They're funny to watch as they make their way to bed each evening, checking and rechecking which is the best approach and branch, as though they've forgotten how they did it yesterday. 

Today the sky was clean and clear, the air crisp and fresh. It's not warm but the windows and doors are thrown open on days like this. We watched spiderwebs floating gently in the air and swarms of tiny bugs dancing in the afternoon light. Niamh fell asleep on the trampoline in the sun. Babies and bonnets... too delicious. Zahra said she finally felt like a big sister today after dancing with Niamh to   'Blackbird'  on the Beatles White album. She is so proud of Niamh, completely adores her, always asking when she will wake up so she can play with her.  I'm still finding it hard to make some space in the day to recharge with a little crafting or reading. I mostly wonder where the days go. A craft post soon, I promise. William took on all the nappies today and some of the settling so I could get a little knitting in. What a sweetheart. I've finally made it to double pointed needles. I feel a little cumbersome with all these sticks jutting out here and there but I like it. It's my new frontier. Just think, there's a whole new world of patterns within my reach now. I'm very excited. And I shouldn't  forget to mention afternoon tea. Zahra is loving making pancakes (I think of them more like pikelets), all by her big self. Love. Another week beginning.

 

wood and other things

 

Today a tree was felled in our yard. There were tears, anger and sorrow. This tree that she would sometimes climb, with its decaying body and fingers sprouting towards the sky has been on our to do list for quite some time. She clung to it's trunk, sobbing, this girl of mine that holds everything so close. I think that's why we kept putting it off. For us it was a move forward in a gardening sense, for her these tears run much deeper. Grief felt for things past, absent people, changing relationships, a new little life in her comfortable sphere and of course for this tree. The grief runs deep and fresh. As we walked this afternoon she asked "why"? As a parent sometimes it is difficult choosing the right words. "When we get home" she replied "I just want to be with my apple tree".

 

and the rain stopped

 

 

Sometime yesterday morning the rain stopped falling. Feeling a little cabin feverish we grabbed our coats and headed into the bush for some fresh air and mud play. These days have me pulled in so many directions it felt good to just breathe the Earth and run down a hill.

Happy Tuesday to you

Cxo

 

rainy day remedies

 

 

With a  rainy and blustery day outdoors today we cosied up inside and spent the morning making tisanes. The soft light of the grey skies lit up the botanical colours beautifully as we watched them swirl and settle. These little beauties should last a week. I've been delving deeper into this and that, slowly adding to our little home apothecary.

 

 

I've become just a little crazed about collecting Bonne Maman jars for storing our dried herbs.

 

 

With their pretty gingham lids and octagonal shapes they are a treat to have sitting in the pantry. And really who has any objection to some French marmalade or blackberry conserve on toast most mornings.

 

 

With a few home made labels they fit the bill perfectly.

 

 

When rummaging in the fridge or cleaning the kitchen it's not unusual these days to come across one of these little concoctions. Zahra has taken to making her own remedies with a little help from the spice basket. Nutmeg, sweet paprika, all spice, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, water and sometimes bits and bobs from the garden...smelling one of her potions is enought to scare off any winter bug.

 

 

With the pantry stocked full of herbs in pretty jars, the tisanes strained and in the fridge  and Madame Za Za's potions concealed in brown paper bags tied with tissues ( gotta love it),  I hit the sewing machine and zipped together a little travel pouch for our Bush Flower essences, oils and homeopathics 

 

 

There's a few pockets and enough room for some extras.

And that my friends was our rainy day. We're off on a little road trip tomorrow down the river. Fingers crossed I come home with a little something that I've been dreaming off for the past 2 years.

Happy rainy days to you friends

Cxo

 

small things

Our authenticity is found hidden in the small details of our daily round. We think that it is the big moments that define our lives. But really these big moments of happiness are just the punctuation marks. The narrative is written every day in the small and simple

Sarah Ban Breathnach

 

Frosty minus four nights that leave their sparkling footprints in the morning shadows

Breathing clouds of frost as I step through the crunchy, ice covered yard to greet and feed the girls each morning

Vistas of snow laden mountains

Morning light and swollen buds, pale blue wintry skies and bright, clear sunlight

Garden colour...violets and lace

Her table decorations... weeds... but bunches of sunshine nonetheless

Her nearly seven year old self asking for " a box of sunshine " for her birthday

Heavily laden citrus bringing sunshine to the yard with the lengthening days

Listening to Cannot Buy My Soul

Taking a little time for slowing down and enjoying some Winter hibernation

Being surrounded by Winter stillness

Eating heartily

Loving this season Winter

 

xoC

this season

 

We've been cosied up indoors for the past four days enjoying a little...

.

 

...seasonal craft, taking down our Autumn window stars and putting up our Winter snowflakes

 

 

knitting for babies

 

 

knitting  for her

 

 

and knitting with her

 

 

making with yummy velveteen

 

 

and wool

 

 

bringing some Winter love to our nature table

 

 

enjoying her garden collections

 

and walking to breathe in the bush and soak up the Winter sunshine.

Just enjoying the season. Hope you're enjoying it too.

Cxo

 

to the mountains

 

 

Into the mountains we went today to breathe in the crisp air, throw snowballs, build snowmen, slide down mountainsides on little bits of plastic and then head home again with wide grins and satisfied but sleepy bodies.

The mountains really do soothe this soul of mine.  With their beauty, wisdom, deep roots and presence they ground and recharge me in  ways that I am yet to understand.

 

Happy Wednesday

 

Cxo

tradition

 

 

We are slowly carving out more of our own family traditions as the the seasons pass and this winter Solstice was no exception. We had a lovely Solstice day building and decorating a sacred cave (inspired by this book) with rocks we found from around our garden and pine needles from last years Summer Solstice /Christmas tree.  Zahra added some beeswax figures, a mother and child, a fire to keep them warm, a beeswax tealight and some special gems. I think the fairies might be visiting this little place soon! We baked, filling the house with the delicious smell of roasting pumpkin, baking bread, cocoa and the wintery scent of Solstice pine. There was a lot of waiting and a pair of helping hands from a very excited girl who loves these traditions as much as I do. And when the light faded just a fraction later than it had the day before we lit our lanterns, new and old, enjoyed warm company, filled our bellies and sat by the firelight. 

Cxo

morning light

 

 

With sleeep still heavy in our eyes  and the scent of last nights fire still heavy in our hair, we donned our woollies and headed up the hill behind our home.

Up there was a world  bedecked with liquid jewels, swirling in white cloud.

Cold noses and rosy cheeks, frosty leaves and flecks of golden, everlasting colour.

We stayed a while in this magical place then headed back towards home with thoughts of hot chocolate and toast with jam fresh on our minds.

 

Have a lovely, warm weekend

Cxo

seeds & solstice

 

 

Today I found myself in the studio again.  The Crape Myrtle outside my window is bare except for its dangling seed pod jewellery. The river fairy wrens come to visit, sprucing themselves right outside my window. Becoming lost in the view is easy in this space. It feels like I finally have a nice little rhythm going after the lull of Summer. The cooler seasons always seem to get the creative juices flowing.

 

Inspired by the Ginkgo tree in our local botanical gardens, with its fan shaped leaves and intricate vein patterns, I tried out a new, extra fine, lino cutting nib. The Ginkgo is such an extraordinary tree, donning a beautiful golden coat in Autumn which slowly transforms into a full circle skirt for Winter. 

I bought some of those old library style envelopes, the sort that held the card on the inside cover of a book that the librarian would take out and mark the date with their roller stamp and ink pad.  I have a friend studying to be a librarian, how lovely to be surrounded by books and quiet all day. I imagine I'd get quite distracted in amongst all those books when reshelving the returns.

The envelopes I bought were for last Summer's seed saving. You see I  have grand plans of doing a small print for each plant and then labeling the envelopes with the prints. So far I've finished sage, the rest of the seeds are still in brown paper bags in a corner of our dining room. I'm wondering if they might get planted before even making it to the envelopes. After all Solstice is well, now, and a spring garden is just around the corner.

 

 

I used one of the envelopes to do a test print and before I knew it I had a tidy pile of printed envelopes.

 

 

The Gardens

 

 

The hill behind our home

 

 

Seaside

 

I think they'd make lovely little gifts in packs with some watercolour or cotton rag paper notes inside.

 

Happy Solstice, whether it be Winter or Summer wherever you are

Cxo

 

And a big thankyou to the lovely Mama who generously gave me this time today.

a few finds

 

 

I finally finished my craft swap treasure pouch. It's been waiting patiently for some french knots for a few weeks now.  It will be on it's way to Louise in New Zealand just as soon as I make my way to the post office. Check out Louise's beautiful blog Bibliographica and all her lovely, lovely handmade treasures.

 

 

Yesterday we headed South out of town and a sidetrip landed us at an op shop. There were a few finds including a pack of old zippers for $1, perfect for this zipper novice. I've been putting it off for too long... it's time! There was also a simple knitting pattern to be had for 80 cents, a poncho for Zah and a copy of Alexandre Dumas' version of The Nutcracker. Zahra has been asking for this book since last Christmas. But the best find of all was this...

 

 

...a lovely little ceramic vase for 99 cents, with a splash of blue and purple that reminds me of pansies and winter violets. When I unwrapped this treasure this morning Zahra quietly disappeared into the garden to find a sweet something for it to hold.

 

My girl loves her little arrangements just as much as I love my botanical collections. I'd been looking for something earthy to hold our nature collections, when, digging in the garden a few weeks ago, I came upon this piece of granite (I think). Fits the job perfectly.  

 

Cxo

weekend sewing

 

 

A little weekend sewing for a dear friend, inspired by Kelly Doust's elegant Clutch from the Crafty Minx, was the perfect remedy for a wintry weekend. I love this fabric, a beautiful, botanical, op-shopped sheet that I've been stashing for just the right project. Paired with some green linen this earthy mix was perfect for a crafty Mama's birthday this week. Happy Birthday Kate! I added a wrist strap and a happy accident resulted in a little feature of the inside fabric on the front flap. I loved the colour combo of the green and mustard so much I made myself a little messenger bag. It fits my wallet, keys, phone and a few other odds and ends comfortably without being bulky or getting in the way. I did discover one significant design fault today... three more inches and there would have been enough room for a pair of needles and a ball of wool.

 

 

And there was some excitement here yesterday when a pair of King parrots found and made a sizeable dent in our homemade birdfeeder. Such a splash of colour against those bare trees. The chooks had a great time cleaning up the  debris underneath....they eat with gusto these beautiful visitors.

 

 

Cxo

collecting

 

 

Every morning Zahra and I lie in bed and chat about the day ahead. What we need to do and what we hope to do. While snuggling this morning Zahra came out with some of that six year old wisdom..."let's not plan anything, let's just see what the day brings". And so that's just what we did.

In amongst the baking, laundry, stories, drawing, visitors, music and phone calls I printed, sewed and pressed.  A plant press to be more precise, for all the botanical treasures that always seem to find their way into our home from the garden and our walks.

 My love of books means that not only have I progressed to a first name basis relationship with our regular postie van driver but that we also have a steady supply of cardboard. Cardborad that is perfect for my plant press plans. While I've been able to ignore the growing pile of book envelopes for the past four months the time came yesterday to make a dent in the stash.

 

 

With a makeshift press set up on the dining table this afternoon I found myself opening a fresh pot of relief ink and printing a plate I cut a few months back onto a piece of marine ply.  

 

 

Then sewing some webbing to snap locks

 

To make a press for my little collections.

Cxo

for the birds

Yesterday we made a little winter treat for our local birds. Birdwatching is a regular activity in our home, especially in winter when we can stay cosied up inside and watch the birds through the window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And now we sit back and wait for our feathered friends

 

Cxo

winter sun

 

 

the daylight hours shorten and pass on quickly as we head toward Winter solstice

each morning we are greeted with clear blue skies and warming Winter sun

 

Cxo

 

 

winter hues three

  
 

 

 

 

 

 

winter hues two

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One and a half calendar weeks of Winter remaining 

Soak in her colours, breathe in her air, revel in her beauty

Before long the ground will be thick with heat and Winter's stillness will be forgotten

I rememeber snowboarding last October

winter hues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I am constantly amazed at the colours Winter throws our way.

Subtle, earthy and muted, yet surprisingly rich at the same time

Silver, greys, whites, blacks, greens and browns

My eye is quite taken by these colours, so much so that I thought I'd continue on the Winter hues path a little while longer, creating a small series of images . After all it is still Winter, even though the Spring blossoms have burst forth, following a week of unusually warm temperatures. It was just yesterday I was telling a friend that my knitting has been lying idle for a week or two now.Yesterday's falling temperatures have certainly sent me scurrying fireside to warm my toes and ponder that alpaca beanie I cast on for.

Hope you're all keeping warm and dry.

 

 

lately

 I've been a stranger to this space for the past fortnight what with a university paper being due and all. So I thought I'd share with you what we have been up to this last little while.

Lately ...

 

 

 
 

...we've been enjoying

Union Square Bar nuts (the cayenne pepper adds just the right kind of kick), freshly squeezed Winter citrus and pancakes, pancakes and more pancakes...

 

 

 

 

 

...I've been watching

  her hands create (albeit rather nervously and with a packet of bandaids on close standby)...

 

 ...I've been creating

little things from images that have been floating in my head for a wee while now...

 

...we've been 'car reading'

...a lot...

chapter books, sociology texts, library finds,  inspirational memoirs, picture books, magazines...

Does anyone else just kick back in their car after a little busy-ness in town and read while listening to the rain? There's something calming about a little bit of just being and sitting, encapsulated in a pod-like space, away from the to- do lists, noise and action of the everyday, a little time to reframe  before  transitioning to the  next moment...

 
 
 

...we've been

travelling into the mountains

smelling and breathing in that crisp, sweet, clean air

moving with gravity down hillsides

feeling the last of Winter's chill

hearing the crunch of snow underfoot

in awe at the size and beauty of the mighty Mountain Ash

quieted by the age and wisdom of this land

 
 

 ...we've been

seeing and smelling the first blossoms of the coming Spring.

How about you?

Someone, anyone, throw this Mama a story or two, maybe an image or three about your lately.

lately

 

 

 

ink, stamps, buttons, string and gratitude

 

 

 

late Winter sunshine and walks in the bush

 

 

 

 

 

riverside

 

 

 
 
 

the last new moon of Winter  
 
 

 

a trip to Melbourne town

the first signs that seasons are changing

handwritten

 

 

 

 

 A wise woman once told me that handwriting was in my bones, so I had better sharpen my pencil and get writing. She was right. For as long as I can remember I have loved the feel of fresh paper and the mark of ink or pencil across the page. When I sit in front of a screen words fall in a jolting manner or elude me completely. When I have pen and paper the words stream with ease and honesty. This needto hand write things is reflected in the number of notebooks, journals and lists I have dotted around our home, full of ideas, thoughts, tears, love, smiles...me. On last count there were nineteen notebooks and the lists, well, what can I say, I'm a list person people, always have been, always will be, I'm not even going to bother counting those.

When I started university 12 years ago computers were just becoming the tool of use for essays. And while I have evolved with technology I have also retained the need to write in the 'old fashioned way'. When struggling with the words for a uni paper I would resort to writing the two and half thousand words by hand, then type it up. Even now when the words falter I smooth out a clean sheet and write.
 

 

 

As my little one begins to find her own style with words, I am reminded how much a part of us, how unique everyone's handwriting is. How abstract shapes turn into letters, which turn into words, sentences, paragraphs and pages. As with most things in my life I am still feeling my way and finding my feet with writing and words. I find my spoken words often lack the meaning or depth I want to attach to them. The words come easier with a pen in my hand rather than on my feet and out of my mouth. Often I find myself not saying anything at all or bumbling. So time and time again I pick up a pen and return to my notebooks and journals.

 
 

This year I am finding Winter, with it's long nights, dark mornings and grey days, slowing me down...a lot. There is an inwardness with words, images and movement. Not wanting to venture to far, move to much, make many things. Even the writing has slowed. For me it is a time of stillness, quieting the mind and gathering energy for the unfurling that is Spring.

make

 

 

So here is something for you all to make.

A simple window star to brighten even the most grey of winter days.

These stars are so beautiful when the sunlight shines through them showing the underlying patterns and different shades of colour.

We chose to make a rainbow but they look equally as beautiful in a single colour or seasonal colours.

You will need

glue

scissors or a paper cutter

ruler and pencil

tape or blu-tac (for attaching your star to a window)

waxed paper (also called kite paper), or tissue paper, or any paper of your choice that has a transparent quality. We use the 16cm x 16cm waxed paper from Morning Star Crafts which comes as a pack of 100 sheets in a variety of colours.

 

 
 

To make an eight point star cut eight sheets of paper into rectangles measuring 30cm x 26cm.

To make a sixteen point star use sixteen sheets of paper.

To make a smaller or larger star increase or decrease the dimensions of the rectangle whilst maintaining the ratio.

Hmm. Ratios.

Well there's something for you to think about.

We simply halved the dimensions to 15cm x 13cm and the resulting pattern was lovely. Different size rectangles give different patterns so be creative and experiment!

Fold the rectangle in half lengthways and open

 

Fold each corner in to meet the midline

 

Your paper should now look something like this

 

Fold two sides in again to meet the midline

 

You should now have a kite shape

 

Repeat for the remaining rectangles

 

Place a small dab of glue on the wide tip and one side tip of the kite as shown

 

Now stick down the next kite, being careful to line up the wide end side with the centre line of the first kite

 

Repeat the glueing and sticking for seven of the kites

 

To glue the eighth kite lift the first kite and slide half of the eighth kite underneath as shown

 

An eight pointed window star

 

 

Attach your star to a window  

Maybe your windows will be cleaner mine!

We weekended in Winter sunshine and Winter rain.

 

 

There were warm Winter mittens

 

 

A long overdue flower to adorn a Winter hat

(Simple Hat from Erika Knight's Simple Knitting ,with rolled edge replaced by a rib. Flower from I Love Knitting)

A new haircut

 

A little finger printing

 

 Birthday wishes

and some long overdue planting

 

sunshine or rain

 wherever you may be

whatever season you are in

wishing you a slow, simple, rhythmic weekend

 

winter colours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
Pondering some of my favourite colours

deep, grey skies, an impending storm, sunshine on glaucous gumleaves

 riverstones mottled black, grey and brown vivid under the water, turning to muted shades of the same on the shore

golden, autumn, afternoon sunshine

crisp, clean, fresh snow

my childhood bedroom walls- a gentle, warm, soothing peach

the multitude of flecks in the coat of a tortoiseshell cat

 lichen green, sage green, gumleaf green, ocean green, flannel flower green, the pale green of hop bitter leaves that gradually turns to a deep red along the ruffled edges

buttermilk yellow and cornflower blue

earthy shades of weathered wood

the cold, silver of brushed steel

1930s lipstick red

 golden crusts on freshly, baked bread

the many shades of autumn leaves

the slightest hint of a pink blush on plum blossom petals

mustard yellow

 crushed raspberries and the breast of a rose robin

fleece from a coloured flock

.......

 

sunshine

 

 
 
  

 
 
 
 
 
 
And today we had sunshine!

Hour after glorious hour of afternoon sunshine.

The bee (singular) buzzed, those under six warmed their feet, the sky shone, shadows lengthened, chooks were cuddled and trees were climbed.

Oh beautiful sunshine how we love you. Visit again soon.

 

 

journeying

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Some last minute crafting and we were on our way....to sunshine and seaside.

 

(Byron Bay)

 
 
 
 
 

(Lismore winter solstice lantern festival)

Ten days  of friends, warmth, inspiration, exploring, delicious food, like minded souls, sand and seashells, answered questions, knitting, journeying and take home treasures.

 

We returned home exhausted (you know that good kind of exhausted, satisfied exhausted), to storm clouds, rain, near freezing temperatures, familiarity, fresh winter colds and our own beds.

As soon as we walked in the door Miss Z was off finger knitting and asking if she could "please knit with needles now",bless her heart, which was closely followed by some bonding with the chooks and the dog and her room and her dolls and her books...gives a mama plenty of space to put the kettle on and unpack.

This journey was vital on so many levels and has left me with fresh eyes, insight, replenished creative energy, gratitude and resolve to follow where my heart leads....

 
 
 
 
 
 

...oh,and um... a few finished projects.

 
 
 
 

Thankyou notes have been written and posted, woollies have been reapplied and winter stews grace our table once more as we settle into a fresh rhythm at home.

 

solstice stillness

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I had plans for Winter Solstice. Not big plans but plans nonetheless. They looked something like this in my mind...a quiet day filled with cosying up indoors, some hearty solstice soup and crusty bread, observing the stillness of this... the shortest day, inward reflection of the past year and hopes for the one to come, a twilight fire and lantern spiral walk, all finished off with a wee bit of therapeutic evening knitting. 

Something I've learnt about plans, especially since becoming a Mama, is that sometimes plans stay, well, just plans.They are replaced by letting go, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.

There was no Solstice soup with crusty bread, no twilight fire, no lantern spiral walk and certainly no activity of the needle and yarn type.  The day dawned dark, windy and wet. A winter bug kept this Mama confined to the couch either sleeping or drinking lemon and ginger tea. The Solstice was certainly granting me stillness and rest...with a little bit of letting go thrown in.

On Solstice Eve (before my winter chill had taken hold. I could feel it waiting in the wings, but I was not going to be slowed down ...I had plans to forge on with) I was able to finish a dear friends Solstice birthday brooch and we were able to finish off our Solstice cards and deliver them by stealth, under the cover of darkness. Miss Z is loving these night time missions . There was nothing I loved more when I was her age than being bundled into the car at night, wrapped in warm layers and driving. The car headlights highlighting the overhanging, roadside trees, the stars in an inky black sky, sometimes the moon mysteriously following us. She asks the same questions now that I did as a child " Mama, why does the moon follow us?"

Lanterns were lit and all was well as the sun continued it's rhythmic journey.