“Time is a game played beautifully by children.” Heraclitus
It is not always played so artfully by big people. This past week didn't always feel beautifully timed. Volunteering for a soccer practice run went a long way towards correcting that. It meant an hour with absolutely nothing else to do but becoming utterly drawn into their play. It's awesome. You leave windblown and and breathless and sane and laughing.
Time spent laughing is time well spent.
The Lights
As once in that
Old desert sky
Was hung the the star
Men traveled by,
So on cold earth
In this year, we
Hand the warm lights
On our tall tree.
Now in the month
Of long, dark nights,
We put out strings
Of long, gay lights,
That men may know
Hope can still glow
On earth below
Through night and snow.
no words, just pictures tonight
I keep coming back to this image, one of my favorites of our recent travels. The landscapes are breathtaking, but I'm always drawn to the faces.
Spent the day at the market. As you can see, there was something for everyone. : )
Such a week. We have been walking, walking, walking. Walking the fens, walking the streets of cities large and small. Staying up way too late watching movies and playing board games. Reading the last of the Christmas library books and eating up the cookies. And taking pictures. And having heated fantasy football draft sessions.
That's my life this week. I hope your's is equally full of goofiness and exhaustion. Will be back to post more pics tomorrow. Probably. : ) Meantime a street shot from this afternoon.
Tonight we were 'getting on track' again. That is what I said this morning when Daddy flew to the States. Since there would be no more movies with Dad this week and no more evening football games or events we were going to go to bed earlier and get up earlier.
And stuff like that.
We cleaned the house today. And played outside. And picked out some crafts to make this week. And ate soup with our leeks. And watched the first Christmas movie. And got out the advent wreath to light tomorrow. And said the St. Andrew novena. And a rosary. And read a story – or four.
And then. And then….. Instead of all that 'getting back on track" Moira and the little girls begged to reeeeaally quickly set up just that first small tree. Yes, the first. I have a few of them. As Dorcas Lane would say, "Christmas trees are my one weakness." (Do go watch the clip. It is a riot. I will wait here. ; ))
They chose the long coveted little white tree we snatched up for a pittance at the thrift shop this fall which will stand in Moira's room. She was so very excited and brought the little girls up to help her assemble it. At the bottom of the box was a long strand of twinkly white lights which miraculously all still worked. Out they came too.
This is as far as we got when Daddy called to say he landed. It truly was past time for bed. We will get back on track another night. There is hot chocolate to be stirred and lights to string and memories to be made.
It's going to be a great season.
Oh Christmas lights, light up the street
Light up the fireworks in me
May all your troubles soon be gone
Oh Christmas lights keep shining on.
– Coldplay
We've had a good cleansing rain which we were sorely in need of. They told us they would be fertilizing this last week. They sure enough did just that.
Wow.
This is an organic farm and it's all natural and nontoxic but pretty, um, potent. If was more mystical I could maybe spin this into a metaphor about rising from the dung heap and such. As it is all I've got is this – it smelled really bad. : )
Three cheers for rain!
Starry Sky Journal 