Into The West.

We're off to the west for a few days. Not sure if I'll be posting so see you on Monday!
Happy weekend to you all.

At Work.

Ru catching up with the other two on his Texaco entry. I'll post the three pics tomorrow when they're mounted etc.

Little Boy Blue.

This time of year is when we start talking about holidays. And there's a definite edge of desperation in my voice. We always seem to have a run of people being sick around now, but this year seems to be worse than previous ones. Or do I say that every year? The two little ones seem to be really struggling to stay well in spite of all my efforts.

We stopped to have a breath of fresh air, but the usual skipping and singing did not make an appearance and there was a definite sense of effort, as in EFFORT. Poor fella.



He was determined to gather all the pinecones together. All of them. A task that was never going to be possible, no matter how well he was.



In the end he went from being annoyed and upset to just dropping them and dragging his heels back to the car. Defeated.



We managed a little pile, but not enough to make a proper fort for his newly acquired Minotaur. That will have to be another days play.



A little bit of magic is needed here I think. I'll have to have a look and see what I can rustle up from my Magic-Mama cupboard of inspiration.

February. A month of slim pickings.

Bathtime.

A trick of my mind, for a moment, and it is another child, or two, or three, sitting in the sink, splashing, chatting. Peering out the window at the grey day, the birds blowing by, little wonderous eyes. I pour water, I wash, I bathe. Slippery toes between my fingers, a toothy beaming smile. I hold this moment, pressing it to my heart. So I won't forget.



Because we do forget. The pressed flowers of these moments do fade. No matter how tenderly, or tightly we hold them. They slip away, they grow, become these other lovely beings, shooting stars on their own path away from me.

But for now I will savour it and feel blessed and prepare to let go.

Someday.

The Studio.

So this is where Jay works when at home. I think about all the different studios he's had down all the years. My favourite was above Mr. Sive's offices on Angier St. It was haunted, and the presence even haunted Jay in his dreams for a while. Very freaky.



My Only Girl and The Little One spent the day with Jay today, making picture's for the annual Texaco competition.

Workspace.

I've been looking at my workspace every evening from my spot on the sofa and telling myself that I'll tackle it tomorrow. It's not that bad, but I'm having huge resistance to doing it. It's a lovely little corner, set up just the way I like it, and it's my space.
Esti did a post about workplaces and I love how people just make do with what they have. It's what we all do most of the time. Though I am slightly envious of Jay's new studio in the garden...

As soon as I'm organised I'll post a photo of my spot, but in the meantime, here is the studio of my absolute all-time hero, Julie Arkell. I can't give you a link to her as she hasn't entered cyber-world yet, but here is a site that sells her work. You can see my inspiration for my Small Family!




If you click on the photos you can see more detail.

Sweetest Thing Of All.

He's crawling properly, at last. It suited me that he took his time with this particular new phase. But he's eleven months now and time to get moving. He is just so delighted with himself he is beaming with it all the time these last few days. It's only now we realise just how crap he must have been feeling when he wasn't well, and before and after. You can see the relief on his face, in his body. And I think it has given him the boost he needed to get on the move.





Now he can get to where he wants. Well almost.

Sweet Things.

These little aprons were spotted while myself and Lisa were rummaging through the bargain baskets in Avoca. It was the Holly Hobbie that stole my heart. I have fond memories of having a miniature one when I was young, and wishing so hard for a big one like my friend Grainne had. I never got one. Someday I'll track one down somewhere. An original 70's one though, as they have updated her and while a sweet doll, she is just nowhere near as endearing as the old rag doll she was.

My Little Tag-Along.

It's hard being the wrong age sometimes. Today, The Eldest is having a sleep-over in his friend's and their cousin M is sleeping over here with My Only Girl. One of those things I organise and afterwards realise, well, The Little One is not a little toddler anymore, and he wasn't considered in this. He soon pulled me up on it and there was tears and outrage. Even now, writing about it my heart constricts! He got over it of course. He doesn't hold onto negative stuff, he's such straightforward, happy, reasonable little guy.

So a little while later I look out the window and there he is, chatting to himself,



singing,



and swinging.

Of course, later he'll be tormenting the girls but all for the want of being included.

The Notebook.

I love notebooks. I have a silly amount of them. I recently had a conversation with a friend, Annah, about notebooks. She collects them too. I write in mine, she doesn't. Though very few of mine are actually full, they all have something in them. If I see a really gorgeous one I have to buy it. This is what is currently in my bag. Mmmm...
It's by Roger la Borde. I love his sense of colour and pattern. Some of it reminds me of the illustrator Jane Ray whom I LOVE.



The cover is FLOCK. Oh joy, so luxurious.



And there's about five or six different pages. Here's some examples.



Now, just what to fill it with?

The Darlings Of My Heart.

The End Of Winter?

The last frosty morning for a while. No more endless persuading for blowing-Dragon-breath Middle Son to get in the car. If only we could all go at a four year olds pace.

Imagine.

Something Lovely.

Wednesday already! Where does the week go?
So here is my mid-week offering. I've been oogling this little bit of loveliness on Pedlars for some time now. Isn't it sweet? Mind you, it's not easy picking one favourite thing from their site as it's just full of all sorts of gorgeousness. But lately this steals the show for me. And, it's only GBP 31.45!

More.

I just can't get enough...

Spring Cleaning.

Cleaning your bike while the sun warms your back. Oh the memories. A good antidote to school. We haven't been doing much crafting or making. Just as we were getting back to it we were all struck down. And now we just want to be out while the sun shines. Because it won't last. So, time later for our busy fingers.









And afterwards, jelly for the bellies.

Sunlight And Shadows.

This evening at home. Getting ready for school tomorrow.

Boo...

What A Beautiful Day.

I just love this springtime weather. And I think we are all just glad to be feeling well again after nine days of not. We decided to take the scenic route home from my parents via Dalkey and Killiney. We hadn't planned on stopping but when we came up the Vico Rd and saw the sun sparkling on the sea below we had to stop. It's years since I actually went down onto the beach there but it was so lovely.
So, this is where we were today.

A Moment In Spring.

Driving through Greystones today, on my own (I know!) and as I took a detour through The Burnaby, where I like to fantasise about owning and living in one of those amazing houses, I spotted these trees and had to stop. Pity the blossom didn't come out better, but however.





And a moment later there in front of me is this.



I'm just pleasantly suprised that in the midst of all this building and development and growth, we still have this, almost bang in the middle of the town centre.

But for how long I wonder?

The New World.

I just have to do a little post about the Terrence Malick film The New World. Myself and the older two watched it for the second time last night. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you do. Oh, it's like a beautiful dream. All those shots of hands, of sunlight through trees, grasses blowing in the wind, the wordless looks, the music that rolls like a river throughout, and then silence with just the wind in the grass, running water, birds in the air. It's sublime. I could watch it endlessly.
Sigh.
It's also a beautiful example of how film doesn't have to rely so completely on words. I do love a good script, often it makes a great film great. But it's so restful to watch a film that relys on the visual to a greater extent.
And it's a beautiful love story too. That's always good, isn't it?

See something beautiful from it here

The Young Ones.

Just a note about the photos on the cover of the cd.

They were from London Underground travel passes from 1995(!!!!) when we went to visit our friends Toby and Libby whom we met in India the previous year. They lived in Camdentown and we had a lovely time, in spite of a heat wave, which is what I put my feeling of constant nausea down to. To this day the London Underground holds the ghost of dodgey-tummy-ness for me. Shudder...
Anyway, it wasn't til we got home that I realised I was in fact PREGNANT!!

So, these photos are a little homage to the moment it was all about to change.

The invasion had begun!

Something Lovely.

Oh, look how young we were!



This weeks Something Lovely comes courtesy of my Jay.
For years we used to make compilation tapes for each other. Remember the days of compilation tapes? So anyway, he made a cd called 17 Songs, one for each year we've been together. (Although I have to tell you it's about nine months late, we're nearly 18 years together now!)

In no Particular order, this is our history in music.

1. Orange Appled - Cocteau Twins.
2. () Untitled 4 - Sigur Ros.
3. Our Way To Fall - Yo La Tengo.
4. Your Hand In Mine - Explosions In The Sky.
5. Tomorrow Is A Long Time - Judy Collins.
6. Sweet William - Kate Rusby.
7. In My Life - The Beatles.
8. Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young.
9. A Case Of You - Joni Mitchell
10. Song To The Siren - Tim Buckley.
11. Guinnevere - Crosby, Stills & Nash.
12. If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot.
13. This Years Love - David Gray.
14. Martha - Tom Waits.
15. For Emily Whenever I May Find Her - Simon & Garfunkle.
16. Northern Sky - Nick Drake.
17. Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands - Joan Baez.

A Day With The Knights.

We had our lovely friends, the Knight family over today. Annah, Callum, Reuben, Aubrey and Saul. It's great when we see them as there is someone for everyone to play with. Finn won't admit it, (" But they're all boys!") but she has just as much fun as the rest!
We managed to get out for a walk before the sun went down. Just.