The last week-and-a-half has been very busy indeed as my two oldest children have headed off for university. My oldest, B, has returned for her final year, and my middle one, J, has started his first year. After a busy few days shopping for towels, bedding, kitchenware etc, getting them ready to go and taking them, we are now getting used to a much quieter house here behind the blue door, with our youngest, D, who's started her GCSEs. I am so grateful and happy that my children have the opportunity to study the subjects they love and enjoy all the excitement of being students, but I must confess to having felt rather melancholy for a couple of days. However, I am definitely enjoying the company of D and my husband P, remembering to be 'in the moment' and am relishing having a tidier house, less washing and most of our teaspoons, mugs and plates back from bedrooms to live in the kitchen again! So I have counted the things that are making me happy this week. Here are some of them:
1) Japanese Anenomes. They have been in bloom since mid-July and of all the plants in our garden have the longest flowering season, still going strong in late September.
2) The faded beauty of hydrangea heads from the garden, dried and brought indoors.
4) I recently bought a greetings card by Mark Hearld which captures my favourite animal, the hare, at harvest time. It wasn't anyone's birthday, but I love its gorgeous rich colours, and the way it folds out across the top of my dresser.
5) Yesterday D and I made some delicious Fruit & Nut Triangles (actually we made squares) which are a recipe from secondary school; the very first thing that all of my children cooked in their Food Technology lessons when they started there. They consist of crushed digestive biscuits, dried fruit and nuts, golden syrup, butter and cocoa powder, and are delicious!
6) Some absolutely gorgeous sunrises in the last couple of weeks, almost daily in fact. I've kept my camera at hand, ready to capture them, since they fade very quickly if I have to search for it.
Well, it's been a big change at our house, but a positive one, and I'm enjoying the process of adapting, and of discovering and recording all the little things which make life so rich.
They grow in front of our living room windows, and in the late afternoon sun they look glorious.
I love how the sunlight makes their petals translucent when looked at from behind.
2) The faded beauty of hydrangea heads from the garden, dried and brought indoors.
3) This is also the time of year that I bring out my artificial thistles and put them on the window-sill. I bought them a few years ago in Edinburgh, and I think that they are very convincing and well-made.
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The colours remind me of soft tartans and autumn moorland.
4) I recently bought a greetings card by Mark Hearld which captures my favourite animal, the hare, at harvest time. It wasn't anyone's birthday, but I love its gorgeous rich colours, and the way it folds out across the top of my dresser.
5) Yesterday D and I made some delicious Fruit & Nut Triangles (actually we made squares) which are a recipe from secondary school; the very first thing that all of my children cooked in their Food Technology lessons when they started there. They consist of crushed digestive biscuits, dried fruit and nuts, golden syrup, butter and cocoa powder, and are delicious!
6) Some absolutely gorgeous sunrises in the last couple of weeks, almost daily in fact. I've kept my camera at hand, ready to capture them, since they fade very quickly if I have to search for it.
Well, it's been a big change at our house, but a positive one, and I'm enjoying the process of adapting, and of discovering and recording all the little things which make life so rich.
Gosh I can't imagine how it feels when your children go off to Uni :-/ I'm bad enough dropping my 11year old off to Secondary School at the moment! Beautiful sunsets, but yes so fleeting ....
ReplyDeleteYes, I think our children's new starts are hard for them, and often more so for us: nursery, primary and secondary school, college, university, jobs. It's a letting-go process, but also of increased independence for both us and them. As well as feeling sad and missing them, I'm very happy that it's gone so well and they're happy. Hopefully it will mean a bit more creative time for me - hurrah! :) x
DeleteThank you for a lovely read. And I recently noticed the same beautiful flowers in a neighbouring garden, I had been wondering what they are called!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much :) Yes, there are lots around at this time of year. They come in white too, and are also called windflowers, I believe x
DeleteYes, I think that's the best thing about the blogging community - these sort of friendly connections. By now, I expect you will have had a mad day of travelling, moving in and unpacking and he will have the busiest time ever ahead of him, but such fun :) I can't say that I don't miss and worry about my two (although they are managing absolutely fine); I also remind myself that they are adults now, and life is, as you say, about not only adapting to change, but embracing the good things that it brings :). I hope your mum liked the card as much as I do. There are others too - I'm very tempted to collect them :) x
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