Looking Forward

Hope. The looking forward of things to come, the belief that good things will happen, the trust that "better" awaits. The gentle wind that can lift our spirits and move us forward.

 "Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, 

and sings the words without the tune and never stops at all."

(Emily Dickinson)

As we look ahead to a new year, many resolutions will be shaped. Yours (if you make them) and mine (if I make them). Perhaps, they will just be whispered silently within our own thoughts, maybe they'll take the form of words written down in a journal, on a refined piece of paper or the back of an old envelope. Maybe, they'll be displayed as pictures on a vision board (like Sherri's) or we'll see them only when we close our eyes. I think, at the core of every resolution, every promise we make ourselves, is hope. 

So it is with much hope, at the start of this new year just a midnight away, that I am looking forward to:

*spending time with those I love & holding them close*

*growing food & flowers in my little garden*

*crafting beautiful & useful things with my own hands*

*learning some new skills & refining a few others*

*walking regularly with the warm sun on my shoulders & sand between my toes*

* continuing to simplify my life & letting go of more that is unnecessary*

*exploring the natural world & taking purposeful steps to care for our Earth*

*reading many, many books*

*returning to beautiful Straddie* 

(Just under a year away now but who's counting!)

*watching the sun rise on the new days I am blessed to live*

A new day dawns, one of my 16, 263 days lived...so far!

As this new day dawns, and a new year beckons, I hope that you have much to look forward to. May 2017 be a year of hopefulness and happiness for you.

Meg

It's Beginning to Feel a Little Like Christmas

It's beginning to feel a little like Christmas here in our home. Just a little! While away on holiday, I felt far removed from the Christmas rush, from extra busy shopping centres, long lines at the post office and piped in carols at the supermarket. Instead, there was just the quiet peace of a beautiful island. That quietness seeped into my soul and I haven't really wanted to lose it by rushing into Christmas preparations upon arrival home. 

We did take one special Christmas tradition with us on holiday though.  Each year, since he was very small indeed, we have used a simple felt advent calendar for our boy to count down the days until Christmas Day. In each pocket, we place a beautiful little ornament and each morning, it is collected with delight and placed upon our Christmas tree. At first, these ornaments tended to be clustered around the lowest branches of our tree but as our boy has grown they have been promoted to higher up! This year, with no tree to hang them from, they were instead placed in a special box ready for decorating the tree when we arrived home.

A sweet snowman waiting in the pocket our our advent calendar.

That same sweet snowman on our Christmas tree.

A decorated Christmas tree, with shiny red tinsel that catches the sunlight, real pine cones collected from under a stand of pines and a collection of sweet ornaments carefully placed by a growing boy.  

The few remaining "empty" pockets of our advent calendar tell me that Christmas Day is almost here and now, with a tree dressed in all its Christmas finery, it is beginning to feel a little like Christmas time to me.

Meg

Down to the River

A tradition is emerging. Slow, Sunday Spring mornings down by the river. 

The view up river. 

 The view down river. 

These river mornings begin with a very short journey in our old ute. Sir Steve dog, his enthusiasm knowing no bounds, barks "happy woofs" the whole way there as if to announce to everyone in our neighbourhood (and beyond) that he's going somewhere.

A walk!

A swing!

A turtle!

That somewhere is a local river, wide and deep. A gravelly walking track to follow, birds and fish and turtles to spot as one walks along. Swings to dangle from and rocks to hop across. And, most important of all, sticks to fetch over and over again!

Sir Steve dog playing fetch.

This favourite game, repeated over and over again, fills both stick-thrower and retriever with delight. It ends only when Sir Steve dog, drenched and having drenched everyone else with his wagging "sprinkler tail" and whole body shake, carries his stick beyond the river bank and returns, not to the river but to the ute, for the drive home.

These warm Sunday mornings, spent by the river, bring our boy and his very best friend to explore and to play together. I'm sure we'll make the short trip to the river often this Spring...and in many of the Springtimes to come.


 Meg

Scenes from our Local Show

Our local show is held annually in a picturesque valley just a short drive from where we live. It's a wonderful, old-fashioned country show that's become one of our favourite family traditions. 

The ferris wheel ... a classic ride!

I love the feeling of wandering, unhurried and happy, to visit familiar stalls and rides and events and to discover what is new and different each year too. The joyful expression on my boy's face as he whirls around on a ride or slips down a giant slide makes me smile. I savour the simple contentment of eating sherbert-sprinkled ice-cream cones while sitting on green grass under sunny skies. And I love, absolutely love, the pavilion with its colourful and proud array of handmade crafts and homegrown produce.

A prize-winning pumpkin.

A beautiful basket of homegrown veggies.

A gorgeous, fragrant rose entry.

A bottle of homemade strawberry jam and its matching ribbon.

Cute clown cupcakes baked and decorated by a child.

Denim and colourful fabric patchwork.

Smaller square patches in another handmade quilt.

My favourite part of the show though happens towards evening. Just as twilight descends on the valley, and the sun slips down behind the mountain ridge, a bush band begins to play and a big, warming bonfire is lit. We sit, rugged up and sharing a blanket, to enjoy our dinner. The music fills the air, our feet tap, young children dance and sauce from our burgers trickles down our chins. As darkness falls, fireworks explode and sparkle in the black sky to signal the end of such a good day.

Fireworks light up the night sky.

I do hope you enjoy good days over the coming weekend. Perhaps there will be a show, fair or market in your local town this weekend.

Meg