comiendo el coco*

my last post may have left you with the impression that things are a little bleak over here. well, not necessarily. i tend to become hyper focused on the negative and forget that, hey, there is more to any given situation than meets the eye. never judge a book by its cover because, what appears at first glance to be, well, less than optimal, could turn out to be a real page turner in the end.

but i'm a worrier and just before christmas i found myself tangled up in knots over something which i had no control. i've always been this way. it's something i'm trying to change and with a little luck will make slow (or fast) progress with this year.

now having said that, let me get to the good stuff. we had a lovely christmas and new year. it was hot and bright, sparkly and full of light. it was surreal and beautiful. i couldn't have asked for or imagined a more special time with my 3 boys. i look back on it now and smile as tears fill my eyes, the memories so sweet. i feel lucky and blessed, waves of stillness and gratitude gently washing over me. i feel full and happy.

it's been hot here since just before christmas. christmas eve day was a scorcher and found us panting in our shorts and tank tops, throwing open all the windows. below is the christmas eve butterfly that flew in one of those open windows. the boys and i were mesmerized, as it fluttered here and there landing briefly on the hearth, then a chair. it was a moment of clear and direct communication between me and the Universe. there were no misinterpretations. we eventually caught and released it back into the garden. absolutely splendid!

a few days after christmas we met up with a dear friend who andrew and i met while living in japan, but whom we haven't seen for years. it was lovely reconnecting with her, sitting together and laughing once again. the ebb and flow of life is such a marvel, isn't it. how it carries us along from one place to another and back around again. some things stay the same, only a little different. i like that.

the waterwall at the National Gallery of Victoria

Federation Square

new year's eve was quiet, a family affair. there was dinner and dessert (a group effort) here at home with my boys and then family movie night. that's it. it was more than enough.

now we spend our days in the heat, watching the garden grow...and some days wither under the bright, hot sun. the small tuber given to me by a friend back in the dead of winter is now exploding into brilliant red orange dahlias. i ask you, how could i not fall in love with that? we are tending the veg patch, picking green beans, rocket, tomatoes, herbs, applauding the arrival of the first cosmos...

water gun wars between j & e

...and of course trying our best to stay cool. super soakers to the rescue!

happy new year to you. i hope it brings you peace, good health, happiness and above all lots and lots of love.

*comiendo el coco means racking one's brain, obsessing over or brooding upon something and is a phrase my spanish friends used to say to me all the time, "there you go again, comiendo el coco," whilst shaking their head in disapproval. "brooding upon"or "obsessing over" things isn't really something the spanish do and in general is frowned upon, unless alcohol and dancing are involved;) apparently i didn't spend enough time in spain.