This Samhain (that’s the Gaelic word for Halloween) is a bit special for us. It’s not the first in our new home but it is the first that will be fully celebrated. Last year’s Samhain passed us by a bit in a blur of moving house and exhaustion. Not so this year. In the old traditions this festival celebrates the end of the old year, and what a year it’s been! The first year of living in the home we…
A certain 3 1/2 year old person has decided that school is for him too and is now arriving at the school table full of expectation and ready to work. O…kay. So I’m ramping up on the preschool action and we’re all loving it. Whenever Neirin does anything he does it full throttle so he’s suddenly recognising letters, numbers, patterns and generally being a clever little bean all over the place. I already have the preschool curriculum from Confessions of…
There’s something of a theme running through our activities at the moment… After seeing me needle felt my first pumpkin (after watching this great tutorial), Huwyl was desperate to have a go, so he made his own over the weekend. I can’t say watching him wield the needle was a stress free experience for me, but he got the hang of it and has now declared that he wants to needle felt every day from now on. Ok. Continuing…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve liked money. To be more specific, I’ve liked being given money. Now of course, everyone likes being handed cash. Unless you’re Richard Pryor in Brewster’s Millions, there aren’t many people who would say “oh no, I’ve actually been trying to get rid of a stack of fifties for bloody days. Can’t seem to give it away, mate. Pray keep your money, for I need it not.” Unfortunately, I’ve done some fairly embarrassing…
Would you like to take a walk with me? There’s some chores to do but we won’t notice that, it’s such a beautiful day. After checking on the animals (feeding, watering, cuddling) it’s time for a little walk around, taking in the view. Everything is bathed in red gold light, the air is fresh but not cold. The perfect day for a wander before breakfast. The bees are being wrapped up for the cold season, despite the warm days we…
Just shy of two weeks ago we had a very special delivery. It was large, it came on the back of a truck and it’s going to keep us cosy and warm for a very long time. On an appropriately cold and frosty morning the wood arrived, bathed in the glow of autumnal morning light. Large logs (or more accurately small trees) were piled up in less time than it takes to brew tea; there they are in all their…
2 years ago this weekend we put in an offer on what is now our home. At the time it was derelict land, barely visible from the road because the weeds and brush were so high. After it was finally ours, and the snow came so we could see the land, we realised we had a field we didn’t know about. We call that Bonus Field. 1 year ago we were barbecuing outside on the driveway as we still didn’t have…
Historically September is a month in which you can be assured of several of life’s certainties. There’s the drop in temperatures and the first misty mornings; an increase in commuter traffic which accompanies the new school year. Jumpers and coats get dug out from the back of the closet where inexplicably they managed to mate and produce random unpaired gloves. And of course there’s the inevitable disappointment of being a Boro fan which kicks in after a brief few weeks…
Is it me or are the months spinning by? Already it’s October (my favourite month of the year) but I’m not sure where September went. Perhaps it’s hiding in the boxes (and boxes) of tomatoes that are waiting to be processed? Who knows. Huwyl spent his first night away from home since his brother was born this weekend. He attended a camp in the woods and came back utterly exhausted. Monday saw him wake with a temperature…