Today the day started like a wide expanse with nothing planned in. I was determined not to get panicked by a lack of schedules, a lack of things booked in and no to-do list written.
The day started slow with paper reading, croissants and a bit of TV. No one had told me though that to-day was the day that spring would finally arrive and push away the winter winds.
With a blank page before us the garden beckoned. To-day became the spring clean of the garden.
The new arch that we bought last year has finally been made, and now stands ready to hold the sprouting clematis.
Planters empty ready to be filled....the blossom for the first time visible.
Pond clearing......(and we found some frog spawn)....
First pegs on the line.
And most of all blue sky.
Sunshine, spring, and no agenda's. Clutter in the garden cleared, clutter in the head banished, peace.
yesterday i was awoken from sleep by a bird beautifully singing solo outside my bedroom window, a little while later coming round from my slumber, i realised i had forgotten to set my alarm. putting the radio on whilst eating breakfast i heard the mellow vocal of curtis mayfield on move on up his high notes echoing my feathered alarm call. moving into my working day, i manage to escape to grab a sandwich, briefly basking in warm sunshine whilst wrapped up against the biting wind. a spontaneous decision to run an errand after work results in being stuck in motorway traffic on the return journey. i watch as the sun sets through dark storm clouds producing dazzling shafts of light, ultimately turning into a shepherds delight. stationary traffic allows me to answer a phone call, an impromptu dinner invite is extended and accepted. after sharing food, wine, laughter and warm conversation i arrive home to find a parcel behind my front door, thoughtfulness prior to a weekend occassion.
this morning i was awoken with a start by my alarm clock. i reflected on how i had woken the day before. i had noticed the bird and the sky but thinking through my day i realised i was given gifts. there was no rush to work as i had woken in time, if not earlier, than my usual rolecall. there was less stress in a traffic jam as i watched nature do its everyday job, a view only seen at that time due to the weekends clock change. there was no need to check the cupboard inventory on my later arrival home as food was provided for me. i am reminded it is the small, everyday but sometimes overlooked and taken for granted things that bring joy in your journey, but only if you are open to seeing them. i am grateful.
my eldest niece started junior school last september. within that first week of school i arrived at my sisters house after work one evening to be greeted by a gap toothed smile and the words "auntie emma, i joined the choir at school today". since then we have chatted choir practices almost every week.
school choirs have changed a lot since i was a girl. when i was in junior school we practiced in the school hall with the designated teacher who became choir mistress along with another teacher on the piano. fast forward to 2013; the school website provides access not only to the lyrics of the songs they are currently singing but the backing tracks with or without vocals for the kids to practice. soon after practices started she was excited to discover we were both singing the same song, just sing, in our choirs, we would sing that alongside a medley of disco tracks she was learning. amongst disco inferno and boogie wonderland was sir duke. at the beginning of the year it was not uncommon for me to arrive at my sisters house to the sounds of stevie wonders greatest hits playing from the ipad and my nieces sweet voice over it. she's seven. i was much older when i first discovered stevies music.
a few weeks ago she started singing a song over and over. she couldn't remember what it was called nor could she remember all the lyrics but she knew the tune and could hum it. i recognised the tune and pieced together a few words, only i couldn't remember many of them nor the artist. i arrived one night to be told the track she was singing was natasha bedingfields unwritten. it was downloaded to the ipad and her and her sister have been happily singing it for weeks now.
this song is still the current favourite on the girls ipad selection. over easter while i have been hanging out with family the lyrics of the chorus hit me:
"reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it. release your inhibitions, feel the rain on your skin. no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in. no one else, no one else, can speak the words on your lips. drench yourself in words unspoken, live your life with arms wide open. today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten".
the imagery of a books blank page waiting to be written resonated with me. what am i, what are you, going to write? are we open? do we have enough courage to recognise our true feelings and not only express them but live them? are we willing to banish fear? to not only dream but dream big?
challenge and encouragement from a three minute pop song. ms bedingfield i thank you.
easter came quickly this year. substitute yellow for red and it could have been christmas. food and lots of it. more chocolate in the egg hunt than little people knew what to do with. visits from friends. family to stay. quiet mornings, hectic days, late nights. in the midst of it all; stillness, hope and faith but above all else thankfulness. Emma
To-day after what seems like never ending grey sky and cold the sun came out, and with it too yellow appeared to be everywhere. The warmth of the sunlight was encouraging the daffodils to bloom, the warmth on my face encouraging me to play.
My mum always made a Simnel cake at Easter, from an early age I was taught the meaning of the different parts of the Simnel cake, and why there had to be exactly eleven marzipan balls on the top. This year I'd not felt inspired to carry on the tradition, but at the request of my family on Friday the baking started. Awake at 6am, I clambered out of bed and began.
By the afternoon Ellie was explaining to me the meaning of the cake, it's funny how these traditions pass down.
Though I might make cakes I've always said I can't do puddings. Ellie however has no such inhibition's. Inspired by a TV cooking programme earlier the week she announced she was going to make Easter pavlova complete with crystallized lemon.
By Saturday the creation was complete, and looked amazing.
Where I am cautious my daughter just goes for it (like her Dad) and I love that. Whilst Easter is not about cooking it certainly added to the celebration on Easter day.
