Last week, when I was walking back from my son’s school assembly to my studio, I saw a man sitting on a bench outside the local grocery store. Honestly, I didn’t look at his face very long, but he was in the middle-older age bracket (about 65 or so, I guess).
A winter’s day, and this man is sitting there in shorts, soaking up the morning sunshine. And eating an ice block. We call them ice blocks in Australia, I think icy pole, ice lolly or ice pop in other countries. Upon a quick search there are lots of other lovely names.
Whatever you call it, I was drawn to watching his hand rest on his knee then raise up for a bite - you bite and not lick ice blocks - then rest again on his knee. It was a slow luxurious moment.
And I walked on by with a smile in my heart, thinking about this man sitting in the morning sun enjoying the simplest of moments, while life scurried on around him.
At my new studio there is amazing light, and the ceiling on one side of the building (the opposite to mine) is beautifully high. In the toilet room the windows go up high high. It’s an old building. Not sure if it’s heritage, I do hope so. I live in a town with stunning art deco features, and the details in this section of the building, which is upstairs from a bank, are wonderful.
When I sit on the toilet, with the light streaming in, outside I can hear the doves coo-ing. Those males are working hard to attract a mate, and to entice her over. He seems to be at it all day long. That song he sings.
I borrowed some flowers from my friend’s studio the other day. She was rushing out the door, so I swooped them up. She changed the water in the vase for me. I rearranged the dried out wattles. And this lovely little arrangement sat in my room for a moment for me to take some photos.
The sweet reminder of those yellow pompoms are now stuck to my wall with masking tape. No lovely washi tape for me at the moment. Totally utilitarian tape.
I am now a person who wears glasses and has curly hair. As someone who has always had dead straight and very fine, thin hair, I’m quite liking the way my hair has started to curl and wave over the past couple of years.
This week past I went to a hair dresser who showed me a way to do my hair to best accentuate the curls. And now - am I a curly haired person? Yes, I think I am!
As I was hopping out of the car this morning my husband reached across and held my hand. Ever so gently. Ever so lovingly. In the bigness of life, in the daily battles that we all live - that no one else knows goes on - these small moments between someone are the best.
In our partnership (20 years married this month, and 26 years together) those tender small moments are more to me than anything. A look, a small snatched bare moment between washing up, making breakfast, school lunch, driving, shopping, vacuuming the house, paying bills, stressing about paying bills, taking kids - and self - to medical appointments.
And those are some sweets for this past week. Perhaps you’ll share some of your sweets with me.
So enjoyed these small moments...and you have beautiful hair! I hope your heart is in a good place these days...
Love your hair, Love your joyful sharing this week & particularly loved the story of the middle age-older man eating the ice block with such reverence .. I’m his age & I see myself as middle age ‘young’ .. XOXO