Brrr. It is freezing here. It is also school holidays. That means a lot of hunkering down in front of the fire knitting and referreeing fights over t.v. choices and whose turn it is to feed the chooks/dog/rabbit. This has been the longest, coldest, wettest Winter. Ironically, wet wild weather means that we sometimes have no electricity, which means no pressure pump, which means no water. A small child turned on the tap outside when the power was off and because nothing happened she didn't turn it back off. The power came back on. The pump kicked in. We lost 20 000 litres of beautiful rainwater while we slept. Sometimes living here feels a little like living in Little House on the Prairie. I know that I am not meant to admit that, being a farm girl originally, but I have kind of got used to suburbia and mains water and ducted heating. Then I feel utterly ridiculous when I read some of my favourite blogs and see stories like them digging their sheep out of the snow..
I feel like life is a roller coaster right now. We are either on the dizzying highs or the gut wrenching lows. I am sure a lot of that has to do with low Vitamin D levels and a residual back problem that needs to be managed better. Saturday morning we had a fine morning and I got out in the garden and planted all of my bare rooted David Austen roses and weeded and pottered around and picked up lots of kindling. While we were outside the neighbours lost a massive old gum - we watched it fall and heard that sickening crack and thud as it hit the ground. The awe was tinged with a bit of sad, and a bit of fear, but mostly gratitude that it hadn't damaged anyone or anything. Those gums move such a lot in the wild wind. Thankfully we have only lost a few big limbs from ours and no damage has been done, besides a few sleepless nights and a couple of hours with the chainsaw.
One of our neighbour's houses got broken into - again, sadness, fear, vulnerability, a feeling that not everything is right with the world. This is my castle. I love this house. I want to feel safe here. I am also profoundly disgusted and saddened that people can feel that they can break into someone else's sanctuary and take what is not theirs. Not fair brown bear.
Our lovely, amazing ex-neighbours (our Nairne neighbours) are in the process of saying goodbye to their husband/father and that is heartbreaking. I pray for a peaceful, dignified end for a wonderful man. Life can be cruel. Again, not fair brown bear!
And in amongst all the blah, there is so much good. One of my lovely (lurking) blog readers has just added a beautiful little baby girl to their family of energetic beautiful boys. She totally appreciates my handspun, handknit cardis so it has been fun to knit something special for her. There has been lots of knitting in front of the fire - test socks (which are fun but kind of kooky as the designer only needs one to finish the test - so I am getting a collection of odd socks patiently waiting for their mate!) There has been glorious spinning for the Tour de Fleece. Visits from friends. Pikelets and soup on the Stanley cooker. Plenty of apple crumble and roasts and winter comfort food. Jonquils popping through in the garden. Sleep ins. Reading in bed with the electric blanket on - most recently Clara Parkes, and now the new Sara Gruen novel. Lots of cuddles and snuggles with Marmalade the bunny (who loves to be handfed carrots and broccoli stalks). Before the wasted water fiasco there were long soaks in hot baths.
I am trying to find the joy and comfort in little things. Winter cannot last forever.
May you be warm and well my friends,
May Winter's small blessings and simple things bring you comfort and joy,
Keep smiling,
Nell
p.s. a photo less post. Most of my crafty photos are currently taken on the ipad which doesn't allow for blog posts. I really need to get back into the habit of using the camera and downloading photos regularly. Apologies and cheers for those who made it to the end of a dreary read.
