notes on August

little random diary writing

We got a(nother) load of firewood at the start of August. Then one day, almost by accident, we stopped burning the fire. The following days were going to be warm, so we let the fire go out.

And we haven’t lit it again since then. Winter was over. It feels like Summer is here already; I hope there’s some soft Spring days somewhere here. Those in-between days are necessary aren’t they!

The transition. The easing out of and then into. Like the way grey hairs are slowly sprinkling themselves across my head. Like the way my children ease taller and taller. The slow way I realise my wisdom is changing, that I’m leaning into it more.

(I wish the mess in our house was more like this; but it has a remarkable way of spilling out in one giant lump. Not there, and then turn around and it’s a toppling-over pile).

August is over. I barely posted on Instagram. I’ve barely posted there all year, in truth. This is always a sign that things are happening outside in the ‘real’ world. September is here.

So, I thought I’d do a little round up of the things I’ve been doing. A collection of those moments that happened, where I didn’t realise until I was in them. That I’m living the gentle still moments.

I fell down a step in the studio hallway this week. The bruises on my knee and elbow are slowly getting bigger. The purple spreading a little more. The pain growing, then it will slowly ease off again. The scattered-ness in my head made me unfocussed for a moment, and miss the step - falling heavily.

I want, instead, to notice the things. To be in such a stillness that there is no chance for tumbling or falling. Of course, this is likely to not be an ever-always thing. But perhaps a slow in my life, of leading more into that way of being.

My husband, Sam, and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We have been together for over 26 years, but got married when I was 7-months pregnant. I never had planned to get married, but it felt important to his parents. My mama wasn’t there, but my dad, two sisters, brother and flower girl (half-sister of my half-brother-&-sister**), as well as my nephews. And lots of family and friends.

We went, for one night, to a little house set right over the cliff’s edge. Sunrise viewed from the bed, the evening colours of sunset on the rocks on the other side of the mountains.

We live deep under trees, so the vast sky is always great to experience. Photos above.

Our health has continued in an ongoing same-ness or different-ness. Taking each day of life as it is. Noticing the changes, reflecting on how life is. The hardness of our days, but still the small joy.

The one flower from our purple magnolia. Me being able to properly see the face of the ‘pretty-faced’ wallaby that visits our garden now that I wear glasses. The hovia (sweet little flowers above) that usually I see on the embankments while we’re driving, but a little bush was beside that tiny house.

Sam smoothing our the crease lines on between my eyes, with tender love. My three kids all coming and flopping themselves upon our bed. The five of us, and the cat. This is one of my most favourite things ever.

Those moments, that are more and more rare, of my biggest boy sitting with my littlest boy playing lego. Our always messy (and very tiny) house surrounding everything.

I ran my first-in-a-long-time online ‘live’ workshop. Usually I either pre-record my teaching lessons or our community zoom calls are more casual. So, teaching while talking and having people watch, and hoping the tech worked out. That was a little scary, but also exciting.

I’m glad it all went well. And I can’t wait to see everyone’s finished pieces.

I’m planning on turning this into an on-demand class now that the recordings are all available; I’d love you to watch it and share in the making.

I did a great job of cancelling a few subscriptions, both business and personal, to reduce outgoings. Mostly business stuff that I don’t need to be paying for. About to cancel Amazon Prime as well - they just put their price up with an unceremonious email stating the next month will now be X$.

This is a tiny ramble of things. Perhaps a strange diary-note that needed be actually shared with the world. Oh well.

*these photos are a little collection of the month, not all specifically related. More photos can be found on my other posts here and here.

** it’s not as complicated as many people think. My older brother and sister have a different father than my younger sister and me. And our lovely sweet flower girl has the same father as my brother and sister. There - simple.

Our parents stayed friends, connected, a big family. So it never felt anything different than us all being siblings together.