Weaving

Heading to the dog park for a walk and to find a branch we can use as a frame for an Autumn weaving.
The council have taken all the low branches from our favorite tree, a beautiful slender young Alder. I was so saddened by this, but consoled by the lovely big chunks that have been accidentally left behind all over the park. And of course, there are still going to be plenty of cones that the tree generously drops just for our craft projects and decorations. ;) Heal well, lovely tree!

We found our Yule log, and best of all, it is a large offcut from OUR Alder. I couldn't be more pleased with it, and plenty of time for it to dry out nicely before the Solstice too. 

Our finished weaving, with yarn, rovings, twigs, willow pieces and pampas grass! :)

Welcome, Autumn!

Yellow the bracken
Golden the sheaves
Rosy the apples
Crimson the leaves

Mist on the hillside
Clouds grey and white

Autumn, good morning!
Summer, good night!

This verse and more to be found here.

Creative experiments: Mama's Notebook

Mama's inner work this week is to listen to the beat, find my own place in the rhythm that moves the children so effortlessly, spend more time in prayer, find peace with exhaustion and lack of personal space ;) and oh, yes, throw myself into journalling and art and art journalling. I have been reading and admiring Daisy Yellow for a while and this month jumped in with September's creative experiments.

You know what, I love reading that blog, because the art is beautiful and amazing and inspiring but MOSTLY because it is just so approachable. None of these suggestions are things that make me think I "just can't". And in any case, I'm trying to kick the words "no good at" out of my vocabulary (previously, drawing and painting, would have been right up there in the list of things I "can't" do). So, anyhow, I'm willing to experiment. :)

Here's my first share, a few pages from my notebook. I already carry a notebook all the time (I think I've explained about me and lists and my ADD brain lol) so the challenge for me has been to push myself to doodle more, scribble more poetry in the margins, and be playful with my boring lists. In fact, in some ways, these are so personal I'm shy to show them now! So we'll start with my third ever attempt at drawing a freehand mandala (on lined paper, which never helps lol).And more pages because they are two of the most typical of me.
More creative experiments to follow, and maybe even my first journal page! :)

London and lots of Boobs!

One of the strangest weekends of my entire life! Even packing and loading everyone in the car was tinged with a strange air of "I'm really doing this, I must be mad!"But off we trouped to the Boobs for Babes calendar shoot, staying for the weekend with Martin's brother Tim for ease of dragging children around in a slightly more rested state. The children adore Tim and Nusa, and their grown-up house, and their little paved garden, and their computers and their biscuits - etc. ;)

Nervous short journey to the venue, and there we were!
I have to say that I never in a million years would have come up with such a wonderfully insane idea, or been able to pull it off so smoothly and professionally. Rachael, you are a super star.
As it is, I never even imagined participating in something like this! I am insecure about my body, I am a curvy mama with wobbly bits, I am *normal*. And yet there I was, sitting stark naked in a room full of equally bare *glowing* mamas, tandem nursing my nearly four year old and my eighteen month old toddler. For a camera. Eek!What an amazing, strange, hilarious, magical, spiritual, companionable, exhausting, funny day.

Just around the corner, famous landmarks and galleries, a bit of culture before returning to Tim and Nusa's for tea.
Then on Sunday we took another trip into the centre of London (finding conkers and deadly nightshade on the way to the underground)...And came back here.
To see this!

Yes, we walked their little legs off over the two days in London. And came home on Sunday night totally out of sync with our usual routines! But what memories!

Mama-made

Just a couple of recent commissions I hope have been safely received by now. :)
I have more jewellery-love to share, but will refrain in case I spoil other people's surprises, but eeek I was so excited to have these finished, beautiful simplicity and celebrating a sweet wonderful mama and friend.Oh go on then and an irresistable just-because picture of Morgie-pie "making jam" in the play kitchen.Oh and the season table looking more and more Autumnal.Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

An Unplan

I love being at home with my children, able to come and go as we please. I love being flexible, able to change activities in or out to spend a day doing something totally different (or coming to the rescue of a friend when needed). I love knowing that my children are learning wherever we are and whatever we are doing. I love taking our reading time out of doors, playing maths games in the kitchen, or talking about the solar system on a walk to the shops, and just being who we are where we are. I love those days that totally don't go to plan, but take us somewhere better instead.



(And we did get to the post office too, and bake bread, in the end.)

Before and After

Well, today has turned out to be a lovely productive contented day in spite of the illness and tiredness and general can't-be-bothered-ness of this morning. :) The girls settled down after breakfast to play libraries. I wasn't keen on disrupting their game so I left them to it. :)
Then after lunch, we did all the activities I meant to do today in one go. Morgan did some pouring activities with barley. Jenna finished her crochet garland from yesterday (for the season table). And Roo? She tormented me for the house phone again. "Hellllo? Hellllloo?"
Then we all had a go at grinding barley. It was hard work! If we ever grow some of our own we will have to find a way to buy a mill for it, it was amazing thinking that people actually used to do basically this for any bread they wanted to eat. It was a rather humbling experience.Snack time, and very well earned too.And a rest.Then comes the whole "before and after" thing. This is what my living room looked like at the start of the week. Amazing!!
Um, then this is what happens when the baby decides to "help" with the barley...Gratuitous baby shot, practicing yoga in the evening chaos. What do you think of her downward facing dog? Better than mine, that's for sure! I love LOVE love that when she does this, she pants like a dog, laughs, and says "oof". :) Ah my tiny toddler.And here is my happily playing big girl, who seems to be getting her molars already. Morgan heard her talking about maybe having a wobbly tooth "when I'm seven" and declared that SHE is ALREADY seven. "Um, sorry, you're three. You'll be seven in four years." Morgan howled; "But I want a wobbly tooth SOON!" Oh it will be soon, probably far too soon for mummy! I just hugged her and hugged her.

All three are coughing now, but a bit less snotty than this morning. Looks like it won't be a long-lasting lurgy then (I'm happy to give the elderberries and manuka honey credit for that lol). We have some baking tomorrow, and we HAVE to get to the post office, and that's it. Not too ambitious I hope!