snippets

It's raining here and there is more than a touch of bleak mid-winter about the day. I roam about the house in a slightly grey mood until I begin to notice the snippets. Snippets of our lives, that cowboy on the bookshelf, left behind after a game of 'cowboys verses dinosaurs', the record of French band music reminding me of summer holidays, favourite cookbooks alongside a well-used dictionary kept in the kitchen for emergency clarifications, draped fairy lights, a much loved recipe for foccacia which is now proving beside the fire, waiting for supper time tonight... all small snippets, all good for the soul.

inspiration

What inspires you? Have a look at this wonderful short film of Maia Helles (filmed in 2011) and I challenge you not to be inspired by her, her wonderful strength and health, her simple way of living and being.




"Simplicity of life, even the barest, is not a misery, but the very foundation of refinement"
William Morris

red sky in the morning...

...shepherds' warning. We were treated to a dramatic sunrise this morning- blazing sky and pink singed cloud, a hoar frost on the fields, the raw call of crows and the thump of their wings as they rose from the ground. It's now mid-day and the frost is still there; not going any time soon, judging by the below zero reading on the outdoor thermometer. So it's a day at home, hovering close to the wood burning stove, perhaps getting to read more of The Goldfinch, catching up on chores and trying to stop jack frost from nipping at toes.

times past

Shadow boxes, dioramas and light boxes all with a quirky vintage touch. Circus animals, elephants and flags, woodland hideaways, deer and rabbits, houses and snowflakes. All are handmade by Tatiana from vintage paper, cardboard, cut-outs, ribbon and lace...These are so sweet and reminiscent of times gone by.


















Find them on La Boom! Etsy page

evening

Do you have a favourite time of day? I do. It's the time, just before dinner, when the house is warm and cozy, our evening meal is (hopefully) puttering on the stove, the boys are engrossed in books or Lego or piano. It's time to light a few candles and, if you step outside, you'll see the silvery orb of the moon, the faintest trail across the sky, or perhaps glimpse the first star. The light fading across the hill, silhouetting the trees. And the birdsong! The birds are singing...

Inside it's twinkling lights and Diana Henry's Vermont baked beans with baked potatoes to keep tummies full and oh, how I wish we had some of yesterday's bread and butter pudding left (made with Christmas Pannettone)

endings

Yesterday was Little Christmas, a day usually set aside for Irish women to be looked after by their menfolk. It's also the day that marks the end of the festive season - it's the day to take down the Christmas tree and put away the decorations for another year. Oh my, the end of the tree and all things Christmassy. It's always a little sad and it wasn't helped by the gloomy, squally weather...however we have managed to retain a vestige of Christmas Spirit thanks to fairy lights...

So light the last of the pine-cone shaped candles, lift out all those boxes filled with age old tissue paper and

 admire, for another while at least, the glass decorations brought back from Belgium so many moons ago

and, when the deed is done, be grateful that the tree provides a source of heat as its branches burn in the stove

hello 2014

...and goodbye 2013...it was a mixed year for us, but undoubtedly a financially tough one. We've had lots of late night chats and some sleepless nights and we're hoping that 2014 will be kinder. But, above all we know we are so lucky - we have our children, our families, our home, our friends and to be honest I try not to worry what is in the future and so long as I have these people on my walk through life I know I will be just fine.

I hope that your journey into the New Year is full of blessings and that if you do meet tough times, you have your loved ones to lean on.