A promise for the season

We've been back to school for two days now. I've promised myself that this term is going to be different, and it is - I can already feel it.

Having fingers in a lot of pies can mean you are surrounded by possibility and opportunity - all of the time - kinda like the kid in a candy store:-) - it stretches you, AND it fills you up. But it's always good to roll with the tides, and so this term, this season, I'm channelling.

As we are now, (supposed to be) fully into winter, I really want to enjoy the last few weeks of it, be intentional about what I do and how I spend my time, before spring comes around, and things start to get crazy again, and it's festive.

I'm channelling my time to include more down time, more structured time, more health time. I think it's so good to seperate the seasons, by doing different things, or doing things differently.

So for now, for these last 6 weeks, I'm really going to continue our rituals of .............

Enjoying soul food

Set the dinner table "special"....every night, with linen serviettes

Candles...ooh candles.....(ok that's every season, but lots of candles in bulk!)

Hot baths, warm slippers and lots of cuddling with my family

Warm, balmy DRY days

House painting - actually painting of any kind...like furniture...YU-MMY

Beautiful, beautiful, sunsets

Reading...lots of reading....

Exercise - I can't believe I said that but hey!

Crochet...YAY to YARN!....winter is so the time for all the YUMMY YARNS

Bonfires outside on the porch with blankies

Baking...a warm kitchen and the smell of baking

Fairy lights...ok that's another any season thang, but nothing better than being welcomed home by fairy lights in winter.....

I dunno...might sound crazy, but we just don't do all these things throughout the entire year. Each season brings a new routine, and a new joy with it.....what are you loving about your season, what do you do differently???

Part of leading a charmed life, is to create a little ceremony around the cycles of it...that's my thought for the day:-)

A NEW MOON and season

Spring this year has been very kind to us. We have these glorious days of sunshine, our sneak preview of what we think will be a lovely long summer, and then we have days where the air is fresh, and somehow so still - maybe because the lawnmowers aren't going 'ten to a dozen' - LOL!...it's on days like this, like today, that you can clearly differentiate between the calls of birds and insects around you, and the garden, covered in drops of fine rain, seems brand new and brilliant.

As much as I loved the warm, dry, sunny days of winter, I am so enjoying the freshness, the newness and the growth that we call spring. No wonder it's called spring - you can't help but get caught up in it all. It makes me for one want to change things, fix things, start new things, and SPRING-CLEAN.

Below are some of my favourite pics taken this season, so far - maybe not the best technique, but i love them anyway:

Dom in the lounge at Hebron Haven - Midlands.

A stroll down a country road in the evening - i loved watching the kids run ahead - wondering what they were so excited about....just running, and being kids i guess.....

Our Bri...always happy in trees. This beautiful old soul provided hours of entertainment for all the children at the lodge....

Sabrina at "Solitude" in the Dargle Valley.

A touch of colour.

Sabrina, Melanie and Dominic at Hebron Haven - Midlands.

Dominic and Rachel playing cards at the Springside Nature Reserve.

Warren, Sandy, Nick and kids strolling amongst the cows near the river at Hebron Haven.

Winter warmth and woolies

It's around this tme last year that I started my blog, and I can recall so clearly sitting in the warmth of the lounge, typing away to Michael Buble, with steam coming off my frothy hot chocolate...

I never thought I'd say this, but I do believe that maybe, just maybe, autumn and winter in KZN could become my favourite seasons. My husband would NEVER in a million years believe this, and neither would my close friends and family, but it's true. Is it me, or are our winters becoming milder?? Our days are gloriously sunny and warm, and the evenings crisp, so much so that our children can sit outside after bath and watch the stars with their Dad when it's dark. And for me to not have a heater on in our home, which can be drafty, in JUNE of all times, is almost unheard of - I mean hey - this is Hillcrest!!!

I also think that our love for the various seasons can often be determined by where we are in our lives. I know for a fact that as a child in boarding school, winters were absolutely miserable. You never had the comforts of hot chocolate on tap, or Milo before bed, or even a hot water bottle!! And the days of breastfeeding at all hours of the morning, and waking for sick children - winter was so NOT my time of year.

2 people who inspire me for different reasons are Becky Higgins and Victoria Moran, and both speak about embracing the different seasons and getting the most out of them by getting caught up in the tradition of the season you're in, and what it represents - whether it's the food you cook, the decor you add to your home, or other traditions like drinking Gluwein - YUM! I love that Becky gets caught up in decorating her home according to the season, or even a significant time of year ie. Easter, Thanksgiving, or even Valentines day, and Victoria Moran endorses that tradition.

I have SO enjoyed these last few weeks of magnificent weather, and a whole host of other things that make this time of year just wonderful, so here's just some of the reasons why i may just have a thang for winter.....

- winter soups and slow soul food
- our colourful winter garden filled with it's sunbirds and butterflies
- long pampering baths and footspas
- my basket full of yarns and KNITTING that lives next to the couch
- time spent indoors doing things like playing board games as a family, making cards, and snuggling on the couch to watch movies
- baking and making homemade lemonade, puree's and breads
- HOT CHOCOLATE and french vanilla latte's with marshmallows
- reading books
- warm fluffy blankets
- layered clothing, jackets and boots - YAY!!!!

I cannot believe how much more I have managed to accomplish over the last few weeks, particularly things I enjoy. I love that Winter gives us permission to HIBERNATE, slow down, breathe..... and recharge our batteries.