Still, fluffy, and scary

1) I went out on to the deck this evening, and there was something strange. Then I realised… the air was still, the trees at peace – the wind had gone.

2) Fluffy clouds stacked up upon each other, against a backdrop of pale evening blue, and tinged with pink.

3) Doing something I found scary. It felt good.

Surprised, described, and unexpected

1) The grey skies and heavy rain which have persisted all day finally subside, and we turn a corner to discover a beautiful sunset lighting up the sky.

2) The kids describe the colour of the sunset – “it’s a fiery orange colour Mummy!” says A, “yes” says M, “it’s a sort of orangey, purpley-blue”. This goes on for some time, until A asks: “What makes the sky go that colour, Mummy?”…

3) K arrives home from work early, discovers he doesn’t actually have a meeting tonight, and for once we manage to eat dinner before the kids go to bed and, even better, have a whole evening to ourselves 🙂 .

Rainbow, After Eight and a happy afternoon.

1) The skies today were full of dark, brooding clouds, biting winds, hail, sleet and rain. But when the storms were at their worst, somehow a rainbow graced the skies, – a beautiful reminder of the promise of a brighter times to come.

2) After Eight mint chocolates, cold from the fridge – a perfect after-dinner treat.

3) We walk, we talk, we drink tea. I can’t think of a pleasanter way to spend an afternoon.

Sun, moon and tablet

1) I awake to a mysterious world – patchy fog, and clear blue skies tinted rose-pink around the edges by the rising sun.

2) Through the fog, the day ends with a view of the huge silvery-golden globe of the full moon, only partially obscured by two dark-stripes of cloud.

3) Home-made tablet, still warm – a delicious post-dinner treat.

Moments, evening skies, and darkness

1) A day of bumping into several friends I haven’t seen in a while, thanks to the weather – we’re all busy, but we all find a moment to have a brief catch-up before rushing on 🙂 .

2) The evening sky is laced with mauve, and the palest hint of gold.

3) A power cut plunges us into darkness, but this time the kids are excited, rather than scared.

Morning skies, snowy scenes, safely home

From yesterday:

1) A rosy pink glow lights up the morning sky.

2) Fairy lights twinkle on the fir tree in the park; with its light icing sugar dusting of snow, it looks just like a scene from a Christmas card.

3) Being home, safe and warm, after a scary (think icy roads, temps of -10, and fog!) drive back.

Sparkles, early and fun

1) A clear night, and standing on my deck, I can see the Plough, the North Star and Cassiopeia twinkling in the night sky.

2) An early night – in bed by 10pm 🙂 .

3) Squeals of excitement from my kids as they sit on my knee, one at a time, to go down the half-moon water-slide…

Seven beautiful things from the last week….

1) Wednesday: a text from a friend who I haven’t heard from for some time.

2) Thursday: after a day at school, Megan greets me by saying “I haven’t had a hug from you all day Mummy!”.

3) Friday: the kids were “homeies” today – local speak for coming home for lunch.

4) Saturday: seeing my lovely cousins for the first time in a couple of years 🙂 .

5) Sunday: the combination of purple heather, and sunlight spilling through the clouds as we came over Carter Bar was stunning.

6) Monday: birds clustering around the bird feeder, so intent on eating that they don’t even notice me going outside.

7) Tuesday:

Spontaneity, superversion, and sky.

1) A spontaneous coffee with a friend.

2) M’s nursery teacher – endlessly enthusiastic and endlessly patient, she’s so good with M and copes with M bringing in a dead “mini-beast” (crane fly) by putting it under the microscope so they can look at in more detail.

3) The evening sky, awash with pale blues, golden streaks and pink hues. Truly awesome.