Today.

This morning I spent at the annual Home Birth Conference.
Every year it's so lovely to see the same faces, and lots of new, hopeful ones. I catch up with people I only ever see there, and others I don't see enough of. I hear amazing birth stories and outrageous tales of brushes with the 'medical' world. I see the amazing people who work long hard hours to put it on, and the rest of us who come along, listen, chat, eat and, hopefully, buy. Thank you all you wonderful people. The world needs you.

Later on I went to pick up The Eldest in Bray where he was 'peggin' around the beach with his friends.



After the last two days of temperatures up to 15C, it was COLD! The wind cut through you.



But it was refreshing after being in a crowded hall all morning.



Aren't kids amazing! The cold just didn't bother them.



They even had icecream...

Scroll For The Future.

Last Saturday I was in Daintree in Dublin, which if you love paper is well worth a visit. I can't remember when I was last in there but I could have bought the whole shop, no problem. As it was I contented myself with a few bits and bobs (tho no origami paper, which was top of my list, pity), including the cutest little scrolls that I got for the three older ones. I've asked them to write or draw on them, something relevent to Now in their lives. The Little One has done his, of course. The other two are thinking about it too much, but hopefully over the weekend they'll do something. I plan to get them whenever I'm in Daintree and when they've done something on them I'll date them and put them away.



If you do go there, you must not leave without a visit to my absolutely favourite cafe in Dublin,The Cake Cafe, which just happens to be in the same lovely building. I dream of having this on my doorstep, and find any excuse to visit. Sadly, I don't enough tho. For now.

Something Lovely.

This week, Something Lovely is from one of my favourite designers, Tord Boontje. Isn't this Midsummer curtain divine? And it would go perfectly with our Midsummer light we have in the sitting-room.



Though at 99 British pounds I reckon it's down the list quite a bit. Oh well...

Rhubarb And Worms.

Today was like summer. The morning was me and Lisa out fooding as usual. Then I spent about two hours in the playground with the two littlest and an assortment of friends. We came home sunkissed and tired but with a spring in our step. The kind that you get from blue-skies and warm breeze after the end of the winter. We had a lovely day. I left the house at 8.30am and didn't get back til nearly five. And my camera was left at home...grrr...

But, I still have yesterday to tell you about!

The older two were off at 12, so after picking up The Little One we headed south to visit some friends who live near Gorey. What a time we had. The younger children were glued to each other from the word go.



There was homebaked, by A, pizza, and bread and rhubarb tart. Fresh from the garden rhubarb. Wow. It was something else. That first pink flavour that compares to nothing else. Sigh...



There was mud to dig in, things to climb on, worms to examine, stones to throw, and river to catch them.






And a lovely walk through fields ploughed, and fields of fat greenest grass that was too inviting for some.



Thank you lovely people for a wonderful, inspiring day!

Sunlight Returns.

It seems the sunlight has returned to our little corner. The cold, thin winter sun is beginning to fatten up with light and warmth.



It stormed last night. I found myself waking to the wind whistling around the house, lying in the dark, wondering if our newly planted little pear tree would still be in one piece in the morning.

It was.



And the sun came out. And although it was still definitely a Blustery Day up until late afternoon, by dinner time, the door was open, the sun, and the air, and the calm breeze crept in. And for the first time in months we forgot to light a fire.

My heart rejoices.