Will Dig Life

This has been a year when, on the surface of it, not much happened. No new babies, no moving house, no international travel. It was a year of establishing and growing. A good year. The highlights... Building works.  When the year started, our front yard was a messy slope with random weeds; lots of work and sweat (by Mr.) later, we have a fully functional car parking space. He literally filled up the slope one wheelbarrow at a time, with the soil he dug up from the back garden. Meanwhile in the back garden, Mr dug out the foundations for our extension and late in the year, the builders began work. As at the time of this writing, the wall is about knee high - hopefully by the end of January the shell will be completed. Front: the beginning Building a wall Filling in Got the kerb dropped! The finished product. Extension plans A digger in the garden!! Apple tree had to come down Digging Foundations Today's status. H

I share a lot of cute kids snaps on social media, as well as the occasional funny anecdote, but beyond that I rarely share about what my mothering experience is really like. Because it would sound like bragging. Even though it's anything but... it's me standing amazed at the awesomeness I never expected. On social media, at least in the places I go, you get a lot of support if you share your struggles. But it's exactly that supportive environment that makes it hard to share the positive - because I know there's someone out there who's been dealt a different hand and is having a terrible time, and the last thing I want to be is smug. But because my heart is just overflowing with joy, and because I'm keeping this blog at least in part as a sort of diary which the kids will be welcome to read later, let me share a few honest thoughts about this mothering thing. Joyous thoughts. I fall in love with my children more every day. That's no exaggeratio

N is now 4 and a bit, and it's coming up to a year since I put her in nursery (for the free hours only, initially two mornings a week and recently changed to 3 3-hour afternoon sessions). The small nursery is everything I would look for. No coercion to do anything (just invitations to play - a Reggio Emilia approach), lots and lots of outdoor time, even actual forest school sessions! However, right from the start N has been saying she doesn't want to go. At first I took that as separation anxiety, maybe just a need for her to get used to it; I did see her develop and grow in independence and confidence - she always protested that she didn't want to go but would come out saying she had lots of fun, and the staff would tell me she was content and happy the whole time. So I stuck with it. Every time we were getting ready to go she would tell me she really didn't want to go... not always with tears, but she was always clear. And I always thought I knew better than h

It comes naturally to me to question the norms of culture. Looking back, I think it's my mother's influence - she was described by many as " weltfremd ": a stranger to the world. She lived for her passions (music), never much concerned with the realities of life like money, practicalities, logistics. As a teenager, of course, my default response to this was to be as practical as could be: I chose to do a business degree, not because I'm passionate about business but because practically that would allow me to do a variety of things, to make an income. But something of her attitude certainly stuck. Even as a child, I took a certain pleasure in going against the flow, of doing the opposite of what peer pressure would have dictated (aged 12-13 for example I wore pretty much the same clothes, a drab grey/black baggy style, every day no matter what, when all the girls around me had nothing but fashion on their minds)... and to this day, if something is a popular fad

We went to visit the kids' great-grandmother, who's in her 90's and lives in Cheshire. As it's a long journey, we made a holiday of it with an AirBnB in Wales. Glorious, quality family time! - I do find that as soon as we let go of plans and expectations, we have a much better time... Mr wanted to go to Liverpool and see the maritime museum but the kids weren't at all up for it so we went back quickly. They're just at an age where they want to do their own things now, and they definitely know what they don't want to do! So, we did have a lot of fun together. The kids relished having their dad with them the entire week! He's learning to cycle now... An orchard at our Airbnb! Ducks Chickens Glorious October weather! In the play fort A dinosaur in the play fort I was quite taken with the decor. Random entrance rugs on walls, and hats. One decorative wall hat, returned to its original purpose. Sunning themse

So the man and I went on a date... for the first time in months, maybe even years! We blew our own glass baubles at Bristol Blue Glass (bargain for £20 per person, bauble included!) and had a coffee after. The luxury!