Allotment dreaming

I have been spending a disproportionate amount of time dreaming of my plans for the allotment this year.  We have been down a few times in the last month.

 Preparing this space, for the lovely shed to go into.

Playing some imaginative games

No, I have no idea why leotard, tights & wellies were sartorial choice.  Well, the wellies I do understand.  We are veeeerrryy muddy!  The game seemed to involve blindfold and giving directions.   Until she walked into the raspberry canes & decided her brother wasn't really very good at sat nav. 
The newly moved 'den' has been renamed 'the club house' apparently.  Either I have very middle class children (OK, its a fair comment) or its on the spy kids film they watched the week before.

And lots of dreaming in front of the fire with seed packets and wonderful books

I was supposed to have given the book here to my brother for Christmas but just sneekily kept it as a gift for me.  I am so glad I did.  Its fantastic!

Painting my way out of the cornor

In an attempt to shift some energy around in my life, I thought it would be a great idea to clear out the lofts.  I know.  Genius, no?  No.  Exhausting!  However, I feel very virtuous having done 2 lofts so far.  There are now 4 bin bags waiting to go to the next give-and-take day.  The seriously-stuck-energy loft is yet to come, and the one with, cough, rather alot of fabric & sewing detritus.  Although it was tiring, it feels good!  We then found out the reason for feeling under the weather was a D&V bug & a cold.  At the same time.  What fun!  After a rather poorly night, I had all 3 kids at home yesterday.  I am afraid there was rather alot of television watched in pyjamas.  But it was great!

I have decided that perhaps the sewing room just isn't calling to me at the moment.  So after watching some brilliant online tutorials, I did some journalling just to have some creative fun. 

And a background for another.  This a close up of a double page spread to show the salt sprinkling effect which I just love.

I have also been a bit of a hedge witch recently & been making face creams & body butters etc.  Having spent a stack of money on ingredients, I did a load before Christmas for my sisters in laws (I have no idea where to put the apostrophes or extra 's'es!).  Basically, my husband's sister & my brother's wife.  Oh I love my command of the English language! 

Anyway, I made some more hand/face butter this week as I had run out.  I had to make it up a little as my scales were being borrowed by my brother for soap making.  I don't know why, he has his own laboratory at work.  So, without my deeply inaccurate scales, I used the old fashioned pioneer method of cups & spoons.  Whipped up the resulting solidifying liquid & decanted it into my Grandmothers vintage pot.  It used to hold her face powder & I never knew what to do with it until I started making creams.  I love the lid & the cut glass curve.

The recipe I cobbled together was:

2 tabs Shea Butter
2 tabs Mango Butter
2 tabs Cocoa Butter (grated)
2 tabs Avocado Oil
Essential oils for fragrance

Melt all the butters & oil together.  Once it cools, whip it up until it gets fluffy.  Use a spatula to transfer to the gorgeous vintage glass jar you have sitting around. It melts on contact with the skin.

Anyone else out there searching for their creative grove?  I seem to have slipped in to the gap between the floor boards at the moment.  I have a world of projects I could be starting or finishing.  Obviously starting would be much more fun.  And yet, and yet, somehow I still end up sitting in front of the telly after the kids are in bed.  And waking up feeling tired, with very little energy to face the day with a vibrant toddler who has just had a testosterone input.  Where did my joie de vivre go?  The best I can manage at the moment is taking my camera out into the woods last week en route to the community cafe.  Sigh.  Hopefully its just January ennui.

Define Irony

Irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.
          :an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.

Or: Incurring a library fine on this book. 

Sadly the librarary don't have an Irony clause to let me off the hook.  Absolutely Organised, my foot!

A healthy start to the new year?

My boys seem to love their spirulina drink.  Baby Roo has joined the 'beelinna' gang.

Luckily it doesn't stain long term, because it gets eeeevvverrry where.  But it doesn't half balance your blood sugar.   I shall rembember to take it more regularly.  New Years resolution?

Happy Birthday my Firstborn

Today was my baby's 9th Birthday.  It always gets a bit lost in the holiday meyhem.  Each year I swear I will do it better next year.  But she seems content with promises of a later sleepover or camp out party.  She was actually spoilt rotten today as she had plenty of presents.

And Daddy decided that it was time she had a decent bike rather than the ones from the tip! 

So we hauled ourselves to Halfords & availed ourselves of the special offers & Bini came away with a new bike & helmet.  Yep, a brand new bike.  First time ever in our household.

Then Grandparents & a friend came round for some afternoon tea.  All rather lovely.

Happy Birthday Bini, my beautiful girl.  We love you.

Reflections

I always like to reflect and look back at this point in the year, while there is space to.  To note what has happened & been done in the past year.  I know the 1st of January is a somewhat arbitary date to start a year, I also try reflect and realign at the beginning of Autumn & the Summer Solstice.  But New Year is traditional & there is a holiday to boot. 

I gave up the notion of Resolutions many years ago as it seemed to be done simply because it was the done thing.  I would list all the things that I should/ought/must do.  Possibly do them a couple of times then drift off onto something more interesting.  Usually another craft project or something involving tea...

For a few years instead I have listed my hopes & dreams for the coming year.  Then at this time of year review what happened.  And laugh myself silly at the disparity.  The unexpected pregnancy for example.

For the last couple of years I have discoved the notion of a Word for the year.  There are a few people out in blogland who have written about this.  Christine Kane has a list of word possibilities which I find useful.  So now I need to decide what word I want to carry me through this year.  My last year's word I finally chose in about March, so as you can see I am totally on the ball with this stuff! 

I chose delight.  I made a banner which hangs at the end of the bed.  My hope with this choice was to notice the minutae of my life and enjoy it, to be present in the fleeting moments, of my children growning.
So, do I continue with this or move to another word.  I wonder if any of us are truely are present all the time, there always seems so much planning and sorting that needs to be done.  Starting this blog has helped focus my attention to the incredible beauty around me.  But I still manage to beat myself up for my failings.  I look at my 'delight' banner and use it to give myself a hard time when I am not feeling the delight!  oh the irony.


Oh, what I hold in my hand.  To remember, Enjoy & cherish.

So, whilst I am pondering my dreams and desires for this unfolding year, I wish you all the very best & Happy New Year. xxx