Slugs on the Refrigerator

Mud and Sticks

Good, Morning.

We don't have snow, but we have beauty, which is really just as good. 

(bar the rounded edges, these are all SOOC - straight out of the camera)

Lost In The Dark

As I lay awake in the middle of the night last night, inbetween a small squirmy boy and a larger snoring man, I thought of a really great idea...and then lost it.

I wish I could say that that was a one off, but recently my brain seems to have gone into hibernation. I never lose anything, and yet keys, wallet, small children all have recently disappeared for short amounts of time, turning up in places where I have obviously deposited them and then wandered away (if only keys could holler like 7 month olds).

I blame the dark.  The nights have closed in and my head is just as foggy and grey as the weather.  My friend insists she can not live at this latitude, and sometimes I have to wonder if I am the same.

But then I do love it.  The smell of my neighbours' fires in the evening.  The way the hills seem to almost be on fire as the foliage turns.  The donning of long forgotten and favourite hats and scarves.  The excuse to wear my wellies at ever turn.  Ah yes, winter is coming.

And who cares if I misplace my keys until Spring.

 

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Mittens are from Warm Yourself, bought when I sold 15 hats in 4 hours and realised I probably wasn't going to be making myself anything this winter.  

To The Beach

Saturday was one of those days where nothing got done, no one could get along and then ended with tears for 3 out of 4 of us. And so, when Sunday dawned bright and warm (ish), there was just one thing to do...go the place where we are all our best.

 

 

Rather than our usual haunt, we headed to the John Muir Country Park on the East coast...and it was just gorgeous.  Highly, highly recommend this stretch of beach and general area for things to do...play park, huge adventure farm thing, pick your own berry farm.  But for us, there is really only one draw:

It never ceases to amaze me how the near constant demands that a 4 year old, 1 year old, and 4 month old place upon us when we are in the house fall almost completely silent as they play and explore the seaside.  

Even the Theo-bug who is in the "I CAN NOT BE PUT DOWN" phase of babyhood, was happy just to lay on the (made my me 10 minutes before we left the house) picnic blanket, look up at the clouds and accept visitors as and when.

But mostly they played and Ellis realised his lifelong dream of "building a sandcastle with a moat and a river to the sea"...surprisingly hard to accomplish with a 1 year old sister who is hell bent on destruction.

As we left, I my mind travelled to a life where we could head to the beach every day...and of course in a place where such adventures could be met by packing less clothes, instead of more and iced tea, instead of hot cocoa.

 

Brrrrrr...

Goodness, its been glorious here.  SO cold and frosty and clear. This week was THE WEEK:: the week where I stop hating winter and being depressed by the dark.  Every morning as we have headed off out into the world to go about what ever business that has called, it has been GLORIOUS.  Sun and cold and ice and frost.  Every morning, I have seriously ached to tromp out to the fields with my camera and capture the ice and the light.

 

Seeing as a plastic support band seems to be the only thing holding my pelvis together, tromping is a bit off the cards.  But waddling down the street, camera in hand is not.

 

Kevin even stopped the car when we were running ridiculously late so I could take some pictures of the Cow Parsley/Queen Annes Lace (I never know if there is a difference).  Its a small village i live in and inevitably I get asked questions.  The best was when we stopped the car and I was taking some photos, another car stopped and took photos too.  Can't confirm I was the inspiration, but I LOVED the camaraderie of the situation. 

Apparently we have the whole weekend of this ahead of us, so some gentle waddles will be on the cards. Add in some soup and knitting and we have a perfect weekend ahead!

 

Hope yours is good.

The Most Hated Day of The Year

Autumn used to be my favourite season.  The cooler days and softer light were a welcome relief to the almost unbearable heat and humidity of the Iowan summer.  The house where I spent most of my childhood was surrpunded in oak trees whos colourful leaves and acorns were much anticipated childhood treasures.  Autumn meant apples and hay rides and football.

In recent years, autumn has lost its appeal.  Rather than a welcome relief, it comes as the beginning of the end - rain and dark days lay ahead.  Unlike others, I do not welcome the drawing in of the long nights.  I do not have a fire to sit and knit by and rain and dark mean more time spent in close confines in a small house.  Mud is tracked everywhere and the cold becomes the type that is unique to this climate...a wet that hits your bones first.

No day in the calendar year strikes such a dread in my heart as the last Sunday in October, the day that the UK sets its clocks back.  Suddenly, we are plunged into darkness.  Last night, it was pitch black at 5pm, and that is just the start.  By midwinter, we will be lucky to get 3 or 4 hours of daylight, if its overcast, we may get less.  In all of my life, I have never experienced anything like the long, long nights and pathetic excuses for day that occur at this latitude.  

Each year, I feel myself dragged into this season by my feet with my fingernails digging and clutching at the reletively warmer and sunnier days of summer.  I become an even grumpier version of myself, watching the clock for the earliest point at which I can go to bed, sneering at most anyone who dares cross my path after dark.

 

My cure usually comes with that first bright, cold day of Winter.  With snow on the hills and clear blus skies, the grouchiness subsides and appreciation for Winter enters.

(which is then short lived as I begin to count the days to my favourite season, Spring...I'm just never happy, am I?)  

External Validation

Last night, I walked home from the train station with an enormous skip in my step and small tears in my eyes.  Silly probably.  The magic that is a smart phone meant that as I was wrangling the two kiddos off the train, an email popped into my phone informing me the above photo is going to be in the 2011 Ideal Homes Calendar.

Its a small thing.  Just a wee competition that a blog reader, Mairi, had sent me.  I submitted my photo and stood back and waited. I didn't have any hope at all that I would make it through.  I watched as other photos rolled in...amazing views of lochs and mountains, stunning seascapes, snow-covered hillsides, gorgeous old buildings.  Even at the end of the public voting, coming in 8th of almost 300 didn't fill me with much hope.  My photo was of my neighbour's laundry...but I was wrong.

Its the first time in a long while that I've had a success that is mine.  In the world of small children, the sucesses that are celebrated are often those that actually have very little to do with me; a baby's first crawl, a boy's first soccer lesson. So much of motherhood is about facilitating other people's triumphs and fading quietly to the back.  It can get lonely back there.

This success is mine and I am so pleased and proud...but to say that my children had nothing to do with it is not entirely true.  

On that particular day, Georgia was inconsolable and wouldn't sleep.  I'd taken her out for a walk in the fields in her pushchair with the camera.  As we headed back, still not asleep, I stopped and caught a glimpse of the man's laundry against the hills.  Snap. 

And the rest is an Ideal Homes calendar.  

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mairi, for letting me know!!

 

Edited to say: Just heard back from the competition organisers.  It'll be the month of February and apparently they loved my photo and I was just pipped to the post!!!  Wow oh wow!! 

A Perfect Day

Saturday dawned and as the bright autumnal light shone over piles of washing, filthy floors, dishes stacked haphazardly in the sink and a strange smell wafting through the house, we knew there was only one thing to be done...

...pack up the car and head to St Andrews for the day.

Having been just the week previously to meet Claire and her family was no deterrant. I find it hard not be in desperate love with St Andrews. Any place that has an entire shop devoted to cupcakes and another to cheese is just too good to be true. 

Our wanderings led us down to the harbour. A crab line and some squid were purchased for Kev's first experience of crabbing.  Ellis, as 3 year olds do, was desperately excited at first, but quickly lost interest when the crabs were not climbing the line into our bucket.  He insisted on running off to "his" boat.  As I began to follow him, I said to Kevin, "Do you want me to help with the squid and the line?"  "No, I'm fine," he replied.  "You know how I like to do manly things."

With a snigger, I left to revisit Ellis' boat.  He stood for a good 45 minutes, telling me about his adventures as a fisherman who as late for work. The feeble mind of a mother couldn't understand why it was 'his' boat, but it was explained to me in careful and slow 3 year old logic so I could understand...The boat's name begins with 'E' like Ellis. 

The unequivocal hit of the day was the kite. We've flown kites many times before, but never in the full force of the wind coming off the North Sea.  The higher the kite soared, the more Ellis became giddy with excitement. It was contagious, one of those moments where Kevin and I couldn't feel happier or more complete as a family. Ellis kept running over to me with the kite to give me a hug.  

As we packed up to head home, we were cold and tired with faces sore from smiling so much. Perfect. 

Strawberries A Go-Go

It seems that my blog readership extends far beyond the world of the internet...my strawberries appear to have read Tuesday's post about their lack of compliance and decided to  hold up their end of the gardening bargain.

And so the berries are here. While I have visions of jam and homemade crumpets, the boys just sit in the garden and eat what they can.  I'll get my time...

(I promise not to mention strawberries again for awhile)

 

Shivering With Anticipation

Many of you have something to answer for...I've seen your blog posts.  I have had the conversations.  I know you've been picking berries, making pie, cooking jam, whilst we wait

And wait

And wait

I've written about the microclimate before.  Its cold in my back garden.  It rains a lot.  While everyone else is making ice cream, I am usually still eating soup. 

You know what, I don't usually mind THAT much. I like the cold.  I don't mind the rain.  I love the moodiness of my chosen homeland. Except for this time of year when there is the horrible lag between other's tales of strawberry jammy-ness and my own green fruit.

But, soon we will be having our breakfasts straight off the plants...if the children and birds don't get them first.