It's been a while

I haven't been blogging.

Reading?....yes, every day. Commenting?...yes, most days.Writing?...no.

There's lots of reasons for it....first there was Christmas and all the associated mayhem of shopping, cooking, eating, drinking and wrangling relatives and small children. Then there was the time away at the beach with no net access. And then the time at home with The Captain on holidays...doing family stuff, the zoo, the garden, the icecream. The Batsman about to start kinder and thinking worrying about that. The odd bit of family conflict that has taken up way too much of my headspace. And then all the summer harvest from our garden and the gardens of friends...tomato relish, plum jam, apricot jam, plum sauce, apricot sauce, plum upside down cake....you get the picture.
The thing is...I have lots of reasons and excuses why I haven't been blogging but there is really only one that is the real one. I haven't been making this a priority...a priority for me, the person who decided when i started to do this that it was important for me, therapeutic for me, enjoyable for me, healthy for me and fun for me. But I haven't been doing it. This is a bit of a familiar theme for me, this "flash in the pan" start something and then not fully see it through kind of approach.


I really want to stop doing the stop/start thing with this blog. The blog world has opened up some wonderful thought and connections for me. I want that to continue. I think I do have something to say here so that's why I am owning up to what's really behind all my reasons and excuses. Letting you (and myself know) that it won't be such a long while this time.

Christmas time

I both love and hate this time of year.


Love it being with friends and family, cooking (and eating) yummy food, putting up the lights and the tree, wrapping gifts and letting some of that magical Christmas feeling wander round the house. Love gingerbread and fruit cake and the aroma of glazed Christmas ham.


Hate it being rushed and too busy, navigating traffic and crowds, people who have forgotten their manners and me trying to do too much. Hate the over-commercialism of the whole occasion and the (occasional, make that every year!) delicate (make that robust!) negotiations about where Christmas will be celebrated.


So this year I am making a concerted effort to slow down, do the Christmas things that make our house feel Christmassy and make me feel like the magic is spreading....some baking, a new wreath for the front door, a sparkly tree. I am thinking about the year that has almost passed...about those who are not with us....about the year that is to come and about those who are here to share the joy. I am also thinking about those among us who have lost so much and wishing for everyone some peace at this time of year.


And really, when i find myself getting a tiny bit stressy about the Christmas to do list, it takes only a split second to remind me how blessed I am and what it's really about.


It's about them.

Thinking of all of you with love at Christmas time