lantern light for winter solstice

i'm walking with my lantern
my lantern's walking with me...
la bimba la bamba la boom

boom boom

corners of my wintery home

i'm one of those people that moves dirty dishes, piles of unfolded washing and tea cups from the night before out-of-the-frame before i take the photo. amidst the overwhelming busyness of my life right now i am learning to keep our home simple and light. i like it that way.

i'm here

such a long and very unintentional absence from this space. it's just that it's been cold. and wet. and i know, i know our winters are rather bearable compared to those in North America but still, it takes us a while to get used to the idea of wrapping a scarf around our neck and wearing a cardi. I dressed a little warmer and invested in an electric blanket and new heater. so toasty warm we are. and the yarn, it has arrived. I've been talking about knitting ché one of purl bee's baby blankets for oh so long now. and he's two in a few months which means the baby becomes a toddler. and so i went about finding some absolutely perfect australian organic super-soft merino wool, created by a lovely little family in northern nsw. i fell in love with the names of the colours - sangha, leura, raindrops, gaia, grapefruit moon. and then i ordered 7 skeins and cast on. yes I use my words as a creative outlet but it's nice to use my hands to create. refreshing and oh so comforting. clickety-clack, clickety-clack.

thanks for all the lovely comments re. my energy levels. there's a sign on my fridge that says: "take your iron and olive leaf, jodi" and since writing that and listening to my own orders I've been feeling so much better. which really emphasises how important it is to listen to my body and give it what it needs.

right now my hands are creeping away from this keyboard and drawing me towards the needles. and so i'd better go. i'll be back much sooner. promise

nourished, nurtured

With the arrival of winter I've been feeling a little weary. Perhaps burnt-out would be a better term to use. My almost-two-year-old is still breastfeeding and it feels like he's taking all my stores. And so I've upped my iron intake and I'm taking twice-daily doses of liquid gold. If anything it's a reminder that I need to take good care of myself. This reminds me of something this inspiring lady once said. "Mothers constantly look after the people around them and far too often they forget about themselves. I realised when I was a mother of three young children that I had to start looking after myself otherwise I wouldn't be able to Mother". It was something along those lines. Inspiring all the same.



The weather has been gloomy of late, small snippets of sunshine poking through to tease us out from our homes. Yes winter is here but it's still not that cold. Just a little chilly. The ocean is still warm and nice to dip our toes in.

I'm enjoying the rhythm of the season. The slow days and the early nights. Also the wider eyes and faster feet of Ché. We explore together now. Wandering, digging, making peppermint and mud pies on the verandah. It's special. I think I'm finally adjusting to motherhood - looking after a family and a home. It's peaceful here right now. The little one quietly plays, the Dada hums to the music and I potter and bake. There's blooms on the table and beautiful scents filling the air. Despite the tiredness I feel nourished and nurtured. Life is just as it should be.