Last night my four, going on five, year old daughter, Sophie told me, in her own words, ‘I feel too much pain going to Kindi as I am so sad to be saying goodbye. I don’t want to have the goodbye as it will just make me sadder. I have never felt like this. It […]
Writing
Christmas Carols & Writing Workshop: Let’s Get Lyrical
In the boxes of decorations that we unearthed from under the stairs we discovered our wonderful collection of Christmas books and Christmas music. We have books that tell the story of the birth of Jesus and the journey Mary and Joseph had to make to Bethlehem; board books for Alice to discover the joys of […]
I Am: ‘Sleep is for the Weak’ Writing Workshop
I Am Alive in the moment. Engaged in the now. A body of excitement, Bathed in the sun’s glow. Traces of the sea, stay to play. As my skin drips, with jewels of spray. The taste on my tongue is salty sweet, Whilst waves of foam crash at my feet. I giggle as the surf […]
Due Date: Six months of waiting to be with the one I loved.
Joining in with Sleep is for the Weak Writing Workshop: Life on Film this week. I chose the first prompt: Due Date – Tell us about something anticipated and what happened when it arrived. ‘Daniel is leaving tonight on a plane, I can see the tail lights heading for Spain…’ The words of the song […]
Poem about the time someone made you smile: ALICE
A Articulate is not a word we can yet attribute to your name, Although your name does start with A. Adorable Alice, of words yet lame, Although many attractive sounds you say. L Mama, Dada, Baba… all arouse a smile and more. We listen with attentive ears. Learning your language is never a bore, Love […]
Coming Up For Air: A day like any other?
Sometimes it feels good to dump down the activities of the day in words. To let everything go like a leaf at the mercy of the autumn wind or blossom raining down to carpet the ground in a spring shower. To come up for air. To appreciate the two forces at work in a strong […]
Running in the spring sunshine
There’s a feeling in the air, Which tints fair skin that’s bare, Turns pretty petals to its stare, And makes children want to run without a care. The school field fills with bare footed running, On daises and clover that bows to their chanting, Potato and spoon races, high jump and long jump, Sack races […]
Here Come the Girls: The Gallery Week 30
Girls run strong in my family. I am one of two girls, just like my mother and her mother was one of SEVEN girls! My husband’s brother and sister each have three sons. We have three daughters. I would have been beheaded or divorced in Henry VIII time! Saturday at the beach after a Birthday […]
Ten reasons I LOVE my job
No one tells me what I should wear and in the summer I live in bare feet and have little people volunteer to paint my nails (usually multi-colored and badly). I love not feeling pressured to scrub up in the latest fashion. Being able to wear a bikini top instead of a bra in summer […]
Change
It’s happened before and it’s happening again. I thought I’d escaped it this time, but the pricking sensation behind my eyes was back. I wanted to cry, just because. There was no rhyme or reason. The children’s laughter was heard, but not felt. The bread was fresh, but not smelt. The flowers, so pretty brought […]
Hands through the ages
‘What are those blue, bumpy bits?’ she asks me, as I reach out with my hand to turn the page of the book we are reading. ‘Those are my veins,’ I say simply with a smile. I can see from her face that she thinks they are kind of ugly. ‘What are veins?’ she asks. […]
Dear Mummy…
An imagined letter from my children to me: Dear Mummy, We’re sorry for the mess we left everywhere, but do you like the painting we did for you? The painting is of you being busy. You are always busy, but we like that you stop to give us a hug and play with us too. […]
Because
She left the breakfast dishes with guilty abandonement. She knew she had an hour, if she was lucky. She wasn’t really dressed warm enough, but baby Alice was already strapped to her chest, so she grabbed a blanket and wrapped it snug around them both. ‘Exercise and fresh air; both high on the list of […]
Airport musings
When Dan flew into Wellington, on Friday lunchtime, Sophie, Alice and I were there to greet him. He’d only been away a couple of nights, but anyone watching the greeting he got would have guessed at weeks. Sophie threw her arms around him and Alice squealed with delight. Airports fill us all with emotion and […]