Irish dancing

image found in my 'clip art' folder, unfortunately I have no idea where it came from

A friend has recently started an irish dance school. My youngest son is a bit of a mover so I thought that it would be good to introduce him to a different kind of dance. It hasn't grabbed him but I keep dragging him in to watch the lessons whilst I dance instead.

A Cheesy Chips day

Cheesy Chips

Some days I have lots of get up and go, other days I get by on determination. But occasionally the dark grey skies dampen my enthusiasm to such an extent that I just want to forget the chores and snuggle up with my boys and watch a film or play games.

Friday was just such a day.

It was far from the worst weather day we have had recently, it just happened to be the day when we all wanted to say, 'Stop!' So we did.

Almost. We were good in the morning and forced ourselves to do the essential tasks that keep our household ticking over. But lunchtime came... and we had cheesy chips. These are a treat in this house, a very rare event. And my boys were satisfyingly pleased to receive this unusual lunch. The afternoon rolled out in a snuggly, cuddly but most definitely lazy way. Lots of discussions and quite of few biscuits thanks to an unopened tin left over from Christmas.

It felt good to take a break.

Winter Solstice

This isn't a date that we formally celebrate but I am always happy to get it behind me. With the coming of our midwinter festival, Christmas, the winter solstice is easily forgotten but my body always notices it's passing.

As I am sat here typing I am feeling very lethargic and uninspired to do much. It is almost a type of depression except that I am also feeling just a little tingle of excitement knowing that longer days are around the corner and this understanding helps me to cope with the now. Soon, with those longer days, my energy and enthusiasm will return. So rather than curl up in my own little corner feeling sorry for myself I am going to allow myself to enjoy a few more lazy hours knowing that in a matter of days my drive to get up and do will be strong again.

December = music month

Music corner

We have all been having a lot of fun playing with the keyboard again. This has been tucked away in another room but with the finishing of painting the alcoves (oh, did I forget to tell you they were done?!) I dragged it into the living room again where we have all been having a go at bashing those keys.

I have a Christmas carol book that gets pulled out every year and each year I get a little bit better. I can now play all of the songs competently though only a quarter of them with any true confidence. I love how this has spiralled into my youngest having a go too. I think that we are all gaining so much by having more self-played music in our lives.

This is a time when I remind myself that the journey is as important if not more important than the end result. I am enjoying my practise time. I have no fantasies of being an expert just enjoying where I am and pushing myself just a little each day. And those days when I don't want to push? Then I play the songs I enjoy and feel good about how far I have come.

Why do I take these pictures?

Stonehenge

A few weeks ago we were passing Stonehenge and decided to pop in. It was nearly closing so we didn't have long. The children were being awkward to deal with, one wanted to run ahead and the other was dragging his feet. It was very cold. But somehow I still found the time to take photo's of this great monument.

Blue sky day

Footprints in the frost

Some days are grey. Some are damp. And then you get that occasional gorgeous blue sky day where you wake up to find that Jack Frost has been playing in the garden.

Frosty leaves

These are my favourite autumn days. Days when you quickly pull on many layers and grab a cuppa to warm your hands. Days when you can see the animal runs through the ice tipped grass and wonder about the creatures that left them.  

Days when you know that if you don't hurry the sun will soon melt the crisp frosting and return the land back to soggy, damp mush. 

But, for just a short time, it is glorious.

Remembrance Sunday

Remembrance Sunday means different things to different people. To me it is my day of the dead, a time to remember those who are now gone irrespective of whether or not they were in the armed forces. I realise that my interpretation is more traditionally associated with Halloween/all saints day traditions but with the way that this has morphed into a children's fancy dress party I am more comfortable shifting them to this later date.

Worshipful places

I have just watched a few minutes of a television programme about Wells cathedral. I love Wells cathedral, I can remember being awed by it as a young child, climbing the worn steps up into the towers wondering how many feet must have come before me and taking part in the country dancing festivals on the large green in front of the main entrance. But what grabbed me about this programme was something a visitor said about the building. She came because she could feel that God was there.

Rain

Patio puddle

I love the rain. It makes me feel refreshed and gives me an renewed sense of energy. It is very elemental, nourishing the earth. One of my favourite things is to wrap up in waterproofs, grab an umbrella and enjoy a wet weather walk. I even enjoy getting wet! I just don't enjoy getting cold which is inevitably the case.

Too often when it rains I find myself trapped in the house with low light levels. These are the days that I really need to get outside most. Perhaps I need to revisit the mantra

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing"

and get out my brolly more often. Jumping into puddles is fun!

Book review: We are wearing out the naughty step

 

This was one of S's birthday presents. He thinks that he is too old for picture books but this was specially chosen by one of his youngest cousins. The subject matter was an interesting idea for a young audience. 

 

The illustrations are typical Mick Inkpen, simple but colourful. Unusually the storyline is about a single mother who is trying to keep on top of everything from the point of view of her child. I love the image of her on the phone to the doctors about the bead that somehow ended up in babies ear just before the babysitter was due. Result was that Mum misses her class. It is a reminder of how hectic motherhood can be especially with young children.

 

And who hasn't been here? To be honest S simply thought that the mother was a bit silly and couldn't relate to this at all. I, on the other hand, actually felt my eyes water. It is so easy to relate to 'mum'. This would have been a useful story for when my two were younger on those hectic tired days that I was reduced to tears. Motherhood can be so hard at times. Thankfully it is balanced out by having wonderful kids!

Light therapy?

I have been exploring different ideas to improve my motivation throughout autumn. I've had a good look at Seasonal Affective Disorder and how to cope with this. Do I have SAD? I'm not sure but it certainly seems like a good place to start.

Autumn morn

The sun is rising

Autumn light.

Autumn has always been my favourite season. I love how the countryside changes colour from green to a variety of reds, browns and yellows. It is also when my birthday is. Did you know that we used to call this season 'Harvest' up until the 16th century? It was only later that we started using autumn and the word harvest became purely related to working the land rather than the time of year. I prefer the cooler weather and even enjoy the rain! But I am becoming aware that it really doesn't like me very much.

What's killing our bees?

Bindweed

We're not very good at watching TV programmes when they are on, virtually everything we see is pre-recorded. One interesting programme that had us all captivated recently was 'Horizon: What's killing our bees?' but because we didn't watch it live it's no longer available on BBC iplayer - sorry! It can currently be found on youtube.

Autumn is on it's way

This image was taken last week whilst walking through the local wood. I didn't expect it to turn out well as I was using my phone camera. A lucky quirk of fate, this out of focus image epitomises exactly how it felt to be exploring the paths at breakfast time. There was a mist in the air as I walked up to the woods that just started to lift on my way home giving promise to a glorious autumn day.

I love autumn.

Being sociable.

Random image of wood just because I like it!

I am by nature a homebody, I don't like crowds and have no interest in going somewhere just to be part of a crowd. Couple this with being a stay at home mother and you might think that I'm also doing double duty as a hermit. Thankfully my children are far more outgoing, even my youngest is getting there.

My boy is getting older.

My youngest son at 1 week

My youngest has always been an awkward little so and so from the day he was born. It took him years to sleep through the night and he has always been overly sensitive when in a large group of  people. He is comforted by routine and rules though he doesn't like to stick to them. Every time he has hit a milestone I have rejoiced partially due to the twisted journey that it takes to get him there. But he does get there and each time, after the event, I am left wondering just what was I worrying about.

Enjoying life

Nice smelling washing up liquid

Chores are a necessary evil. They have to be done but nobody enjoys doing them in this household. Washing up is the worst for me as it is never ending, as soon as it is complete a cup, spoon or some other utensil will appear ready for it's bath removing the satisfaction of a job well done.

Silly dolls

Naïve doll

The last time my nieces came to stay the youngest really wanted to make a doll. Time was running out so I suggested that she design it and I'ld make it.

Sunset

One of the disadvantages of our home is that we can't easily see the sunset. When I do catch it I like to take the time to enjoy it.

 

Sunsets are beautiful.