Milestone

Did you vote today?

This girl did - for the first time!

I remember how she enjoyed learning about the suffragettes, and she has always been politically aware. She took several older colleagues to task because they 'couldn't see the point in voting'. I guess in this current climate of expense fiddling it may seem like that, but at least we have the opportunity to make changes. Many don't have that.
I was proud to walk down to the polling station with my husband and younger daughter today to cast our votes freely and without harassment.

Relentless

I sat under the cherry tree for a few minutes tonight with my barleycup and my attention was attracted by a swarm of tiny insects flying around in a mad dance. As I watched them cavorting around I realised that I have been living at that pace for a few weeks now. The garden and greenhouse are claiming a lot of attention just now. K is sitting his Highers, hoping to get the grades he needs for university, James has been potty training, I have been attending the beekeeping classes twice a week, some work was being done to the driveway, and other family commitments are increasing. The gorgeous weather has also meant we are spending most of the day outside, but somehow the house seems more untidy - sand, dust and grass are carried in on bare feet, and household chores seem to mount up of their own accord, to be tackled quickly when small boys are eventually persuaded to have a bath and go to bed.
This hectic pace will calm down again - exams and beekeeping classes both finish this week, but other things will come in to replace them fairly soon. The insect's life is very short - just a few weeks, so they must dance while they can. I am grateful that I have time to take a few moments to reflect, before plunging back into the reel again.

Book Sharing Monday (vi)

This week we have gone for another oldie - The Tiger Who Came to Tea, by Judith Kerr, Now almost 41 years since it was first published, this is our second copy.

It is the simple story of Sophie and her Mummy, who are having a lovely tea when there is a knock at the door. Of course they are most surprised to see a huge tiger standing on the threshold, asking if he could have some tea! Well, what else could you do but invite him in?




Trouble is, he eats up everything in the house and even drinks all the ater in the taps! What can they have for supper?

Sophie's Daddy said "I know what we'll do. I've got a very good idea. We'll put on our coats and go to a cafe"

I have never been quite sure if I like this book. I think it offends my feminist side - Daddy goes to work, comes home and fixes everything, while Mummy is at home, powerless, and doesn't know what to do. I have to say, however, that all my children have absolutely loved this story, so I have obviously not projected my feelings. Is there a child that would not love having such a polite tiger for tea?

Share more books with Alex at Book Sharing Monday.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Inspired by some of the beautiful blogs I follow, I have decided to improve my photography skills. I have been trying to adopt a different way of seeing things, rather than just mindlessly point and shoot,usually cutting heads off or including overflowing rubbish bins and passers by in my picture. I saw this meme on Sunnymama's blog and liked the idea of shadows. So here is my first offering. These are pictures of our ancient garage. We inherited it when we moved into the house and my husband reckons it dates from the 1930s, just after the house was built. It is constructed from - shock - horror - corrugated asbestos! We have been assured by asbestos experts that it is perfectly safe, so it is still here in it's red oxide glory.










Check out Shadow Shot Sunday for more shadow play.

Book Sharing Monday (v)

For our fifth week of book sharing, we would like to share James's favourite book - Dogger by Shirley Hughes.


This is a lovely warm story about a boy, his family and his favourite toy - Dogger - old and worn and loved. The illustrations are gloriously detailed and the characters are just the sort of people you would see in your neighbourhood.

The story is about how Dave loses Dogger and the desolation he feels when he realises his loss.

At teatime, Dave was rather quiet.
In the bath he was even quieter.
At bed-time he said
"I want Dogger"
But Dogger was nowhere to be found

The whole family try to help to find Dogger, but he is lost. He turns up the next day on a toy stall at the school fete, but then a little girl buys him. and then big sister Bella saves the day and it all ends happily. Phew!
We have always been Shirley Hughes fans in this house, but had not met Dogger until last Yule. He has now become a firm favourite, and James even dug out a soft toy dog, which he promptly named Dogger, and indeed Dogger was one of his early words. No bedtime is complete now, without the nightly ritual of looking for Dogger - thankfully he can always be found.

Pizza presence.

Just in the last two or three weeks, we have seen a huge changes in James - his language skills have developed significantly and in tandem with that there has been almost an explosive increase in his imaginative play. Yesterday, James played busily on the bed for almost the entire morning, making pizzas out of the pillows, and using a piece of corrugated card as his "pizza cutter". I spent the whole time just being with him, watching him play and following his lead (I also ate a massive amount of pillow pizza!). His wee face was just beaming as he played and I could see that he really was so involved in his world. I felt so connected to him and I am loving this new stage in his development.
In the evening I was reading through one of the back issues of The Mother magazine, which I have just received and came across an article by Tish Clifford about "being present" which really echoed my experience earlier on. Isn't it wondeful how these things coalesce? I feel so grateful to be present at this time.
She writes:

Children are so much more joyous than adults are, and when I am in a feeling space, my heart area can burst open with bliss and happiness; just to watch them playing is enough. I am not able to be this sensitive when I am not present.

What the best dressed boys are wearing

Being a Woodland Elf in the morning.

Followed by a spot of nude drawing in the afternoon :)