Sunday 8 December 2013

The sun, the moon and some of the stuff in between

For one reason or another (illness and injury) there was less football this weekend.  A total of just one hour's training.  And it was wonderful.  There was time.  Time to read and draw and play and be with the little people without thinking about rushing off to the next thing.  They do love their football, and I'm happy to do what it takes to get them there, but with every training session and every match at a different location, the weekends aren't particularly restful.  There's a bit of a lull coming up though, and I'm really looking forward to it.  Hurray for the festive season.

On Saturday afternoon we went along to a wonderful Christmas Fair at a local Steiner school for children with special needs.  It's always a wonderful place to visit, very calming and in tune with nature and the seasons.


We spent quite a long time in a little wooded area by the fire, chatting with friends and watching the children having fun.



There's a lovely sensory garden there which the children loved, even in the depths of winter.  It had a big wooden xylophone, bamboo rustling in the breeze and water trickling down into a pool.


When the sun dipped low we headed into town to pick up a couple of essentials.  On the way out I looked up at the bare trees.  I love seeing them stripped of leaves, stark against the sky, with big clusters of mistletoe.


In town the Christmas lights were lit and it all looked twinkly and festive.


This morning I spent some time helping the middle boy with his homework project, which is to build a model Anderson (air-raid) shelter.  Plenty of glue, some felt, card and modelling clay and we're halfway there.  I've managed to squeeze in a hint of crochet too.  I taught him to make a chain, and after a few initial wobbles he got the hang of it, and after tea both him and his big brother sat side by side on the sofa completely engrossed in their crochet.

This afternoon I took the younger two to a park we don't visit very often.  It's much improved since the last time we were there.  It used to have brightly coloured plastic everywhere, now it's all rock, wood, ropes and sand.  They had a really lovely time playing happy imaginative games together.


It was a beautiful day, lovely enough for the ice-cream man to turn up.  Not lovely enough for me to buy any though.  I wished I'd taken a flask of hot chocolate.





As soon as the sun started to dip it got chilly.


We stayed until we were cold and the lure of a warm cosy home was irresistible.


A lovely weekend, just right to recharge everyone for the week ahead.  Hope yours was a good one too.

23 comments:

  1. Your photos are so nice. That school does look like a great place to visit. I remember as a child, I always loved visiting a school that wasn't my own; it seemed so unusual and foreign to me. I enjoyed going to a particular school where we would ride our bikes around the parking lot on non-school days. It was a lot like my school but different in some ways. The park looks lovely too; I'm surprised it was warm enough for the ice-cream man to show up. I haven't heard from ours in quite awhile, come to think of it. I guess it's been cold long enough now. Not that I'm complaining about his absence, you see. :)

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  2. Love your sunset pic... it's been a lovely day.

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  3. CJ!!!! I am so glad that you came by my blog!!! You have such a gorgeous space here! And I just loved the flow of your day with those beautiful trees and sky! Oh and the campfire is where I would want to be too! I am a new follower here and look forward to following along on your journey! A very merry week to you!!! Nicole

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  4. What a lovely weekend. I remember well when all 3 of our boys played football and it was a juggling act to get to watch them, taking up the whole weekend, so I know how precious a footie free weekend is! Julie x

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  5. It's been really miserable weather here at the weekend not going out type pf weather at all.

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  6. We hibernated this weekend as the wind blew and the rain poured. Your restful weekend looked very busy but fun!

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  7. That sounds like a wonderful weekend. I remember having so many things on with the kids when they were small, in some cases I was taking one to something whilst Hubby took the other as events often clashed. We're still like a taxi service even now. That's a beautiful sunset.

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  8. It looks, and sounds, like you had a terrific afternoon. I especially like the second to last picture. Flighty xx

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  9. Just a great afternoon, and beautiful pics from this lovely area. Thanks for visiting me, it was a pleasure to find you!

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  10. I love those times, too, when activities slow down and you can just enjoy being at home and exploring. Looks like a wonderful time! I always love your pictures and following along:) Hope you're having a lovely day:)

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  11. I love the photos from the park; the one of the trees and the sunset should be framed! I'm glad you had some time to re-charge this weekend, especially during such a busy season.

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  12. I love a weekend like that, fun, family time and a bit of rest.
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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  13. Sounds like a great way to spend the weekend! I love the last couple of photos - perfect, end of the day pictures.

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  14. What a wonderful weekend you had. The Steiner school looks an amazing place. Your last 3 pictures are quite magical.
    Sarah x

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  15. Lovely photos CJ. I can't believe the ice cream man is there in December! He'd do more business selling hot chocolate and donuts I think!

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  16. that looks like a perfect weekend to be, a balance of adventure and relaxing.

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  17. I have come to really value a peaceful weekend like that - sometimes we pack much too much into our weekends and feel exhausted by Sunday night. Yours sounds wonderful and you sound relaxed and recharged. Lovely photos too. x

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  18. I'm not sure I'd every guess that the ice cream van photo was taken in December. Everything looks far too green.

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  19. Wonderful photos - those skies are beautiful. I'm glad you had such a lovely weekend.

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  20. That sunset is beautiful. It's so lovely when you are given a bit more time at the weekend. All too often the weekend is taken up with rushing here, there and everywhere, so it's nice to have something extra for once. Have a great week. xx

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  21. It's great that you've taught your boys to crochet. I remember getting very angry when I was trying to learn it when I was a child. I must have got there in the end though because there's been no stopping me since! Your photos are beautiful.
    Jess xx

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  22. Beautifully evocative, CJ. Your words and pictures are always so lovely. I'm glad you had a bit of a footy break. It's great that our children have these hobbies, but it's also nice to have time off occasionally. I used to punch the air with glee whenever a rugby match got cancelled!!

    Leanne xx

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  23. Oh, I do love those three last pictures, they are really lovely. We don't do much sport, and today seeing the load of homework every evening (about 1,5-2 hours, I am dealing with a dyslexic child), I just don't see how we could fit some in... I wish he did more sports, but I also wish him to get some rest ;-)
    The park sounds lovely, we have something that looks similar but it is a bit far from us and very busy as soon as the days are lovely...

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