The Week In Pictures.

Is it Friday already?

Where did the week go? I have to admit this week was one I am glad to see the back of in some ways. Nothing terrible happened really, apart from The Little One getting a tooth pulled out at the dentist which was dreadful. Oh, and The Smallest got locked in the car. And quite a few mornings late for school because someone fell in the mud (head to toe) as they climbed into the car, or another morning someone else, halfway to school, announces she brought two shoes for the same foot by mistake, and then yet another morning someone else decides to fall in the mud. Sigh.

And I won't go into the hundred and one minor things that all add up nicely to One Of Those Weeks. You know what it's like, don't you? We all have them at one time or another.

So, yes, it's Friday, and the house is quiet at last, and there is a few nice things lined up for the weekend including a lie in for me.

So here I will leave you with the highlights of all the good parts to my week. My favourite kind of grey week that included snow and rain, and lots of walks by gloomy seas, but that started off with a sunny walk in Glendalough, a place that resonates with the voices of ghosts of yesteryear. A place that holds a certain kind of Magic. A place of incomparable beauty.

It's the still place inside me.

(These are Lights! that I found in the most unlikely urban place one day.

I really want one...)

Home, At Last.

It's so wonderful to see the children outside again. Yes, it's still freezing, but the sun is shining so they don't care. They come in with pink cheeks and frozen fingers, eyes bright as buttons, and a certain spring in their step.

The mid-term break is coming to a close now, and school lurks just around the corner, much to everyone's disappointment. But as each morning dawns that little bit earlier and that little bit brighter, we know longer days will also become warmer days, so we'll bide our time with patience, for there is still much to occupy our hands.

And so at last I have more or less finished this little piece of Redwork which will be winging it's way to Stephanie in a day or two, once I have edged and hung it.

There is always a hundred and one things pulling at my time, and in some ways I have got good at whittling them down to what works for me, and what fits in to my busy days. Do I get a bit of this done? Or maybe I'll re-line that bag I love? Or will I get some writing done before this story explodes out of my head? And what about some crafting with the kids? That has been neglected of late. Oh...I make myself dizzy. And all this aside from the practical chaos of running a household of six! (I won't even begin. And I certainly won't mention the laundry..!)

 So there is a definite satisfaction to finishing something like this!

As I said before, what I love about this method of work is how portable it is, and how I can literally make it one stitch at a time as I sit in my car waiting for the school bell, waiting for the oven timer to go, in the evening on the couch with one eye on on the tv. It's something I can manage. Nicely.

And the kiddie crafting sometimes just sorts itself out. The Little One now has his own wee tin with all he needs, and like his Mama he carries it with him wherever he goes and a stitch at a time he is making tiny pictures that tell a tale.

And I just have to remember to remember not to worry, and not to feel anxious, and not to berate myself, because it all evens out in the end. And we are all happy. And we will always create, because that is what humans do.

And we are all happy.

We are blessed.

What I Caught In My Heart Today.

All day the cold clear air has filled the house,
our heads,
as though making room for Spring.

A week of no school has brought an ebb and flow of quietude and bustle.

There is a new sense to the air,

a clean, rousing freshness,

an expectancy that somehow stirs the deep Winter sleep in us.

And so a child who hovers somewhere between,

almost grown but not quite,

espies a tiny doorway and escapes with her lifelong friend

down the rabbit hole of yesteryear,

discovering treasures that bring squeals of delight and remembering.

And there they find they remember how to play,
how to let themselves be taken away to another world
recalling trials and tribulations,
and laughter holds them there,
forgetting to be cool and wise and self-conscious.

And so the game moves on, away, forgotten, transformed into something else

carried away I believe is the saying,

and two little boys creep in, 

entranced and shy and unsure what these are,

these wondrous creatures with pretty clothes and pretty faces.

But soon the room becomes quiet, 

deserted by the rabble, 

projects abandoned, doors flung open,

and I find myself alone.

In the warmth of my kitchen I stand and listen to the deep silences.

That strange fullness of quiet that fills and slowly expands the air,

until it feels like a presence, a familiar.

Somewhere in the house a door bangs,

and screams and laughter echo down the hall,

footsteps running away.

And I watch through my window,

through prisms of bright light as these children break out of the depths 

of their Winter swaddling,

pushing their way out into the sun.

~*~

There was dancing too, amidst the ebb and flow,

take a peek over at ~Carnival~

to see what we've been listening to!

Weekend Wanderings.

Hope to have some Valentine Sweetness here tomorrow.

Busy days and a weekend of homefocus. 

A wonderful weekend to you all!

Thoughts On Treasure.

Some days are a painful pinprick,
as though a tender blister bursting,
when my child's tiny hand rests on my knee
and I gaze at it and I remember it is not mine.

I am not the little child,
but the mother.

And those moments I am caught 

and I see through their eyes,

something that was once so familiar,

and I am brought to stillness,

my heart undone.

When my own voice fails me,
and I hear theirs,
lilting, sweet and sure.

Their world certain and simple and yet so wondrous.

And I am filled.

I am filled.

The Quiet Gathering Amidst The Storm.

It has been a quiet week here, with coughs and colds and all sorts. I'm hoping we are coming to the end of it now and things can get back to normal. There was a few promises broken due to my own need to come straight home every day, so hopefully we can do some catching up over the weekend and next week. We had plans to celebrate the returning light which we look forward to sharing with you here when we pull ourselves out of the couch and onto our feet again.

So tonight we went ahead with our weekly meeting for knitting and stitchery of all kinds. I was very glad as it was lovely to see everyone and catch up. And they braved weather foul and wild to get here, for which I am very grateful!

After my disappointment that not one of the children made a Brigid's Cross in school this year, I intended making one myself with them. But then this cold got the better of me and it never happened. So I was delighted when the lovely Siofra arrived with an armful of reeds she collected locally and proceeded to make the fastest crosses I've ever witnessed!

And as she left one with us, I can now consign last years to the fire. 

And yes, though the wind and rain did beat and wail, there was the lovely quiet in the room of needles clicking, of voices murmuring and gentle laughter. There was stories told, and tips and know-how shared generously. And I was very glad to take up my needlework again, and hope to have the finished piece to show you this weekend, all going well.

And so now, I'll take myself off to my bed, to listen to the wind and rain and be thankful. For friends, and fingers and a cosy bed!

Mid-Point of the Dark.

Dawn.

Warm blessing to you one and all, today, 

Imbolc, St. Brigid's Day,

the midpoint of the dark half of the year. 

Now, let's celebrate the returning of the light,

the approaching Spring!

Ps That top photo is not enhanced in any way. 

That's just how it was!