natural changes

i like the winter right now. i know we need more rain, but i like these bright days, blue sky and nice warm days. and i like that it's chilly at night, making the mornings clear and beautiful. the nature right now is a perfect mix of what's left from the summer, the new green and the first flowers, and the light. oh that long, soft afternoon light.

i am probably going back to work. i am not really fit for this freelance work. maybe because of lack of motivation, or maybe it's work discipline i'm lacking. could be both, now i think about it. usually they go together. i miss an evening being an evening and a weekend being a weekend. not always having some unfinished work project breathing down my neck.

it will be hard and it will mean changes. it scares me, and at the same time i think it might be good for us with some leveling out. meaning sharing the parenting and the money making. i hope it will be good for the kids too, but i cannot help but thinking they might end up being the losers in this deal. i hope not. whatever way it's done, change or not, there's always compromising. we'll see. first i need a contract, i guess. but if it's not this job, then it will be the next. i will be going back to work.

the beautiful blues

my mom left yesterday. it's always sad to say good bye, i like having her here. but she'll be back.

i have a stronger than usual crush on my boys. as much as i love them there are periods where they can be a challenge. i mean, i had three children in less than two years, so i've had my fair share of crying, sickness and not feeling good enough. i still have that occasionally, but somehow it seems like something has happened in the last few month.

maybe it's awareness, maybe it's just rythm, maybe it's how it is when they mature, grow older. not sure, but it feels good. i find myself watching them and my heart is melting. i know they are not perfect, but they are.

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today is tu b'schwat, the new year celebration of the trees. isn't that just a perfect thing to celebrate? the children have planted flowers and trees with their kindergartens this week.

so here's to a happy and fruitful new year, to the trees and to us.

inside : : outside

i love how a seasonal flower brings beauty and the memory of last year. isn't that what makes something good, when form and content go hand in hand and intertwines to something more.

we're going through some mild sickness, that is anyway strong enough to leave me exhausted. today all kids are off to kindergarten and i'm catching up. i still love this weather, though. there's something really good about winter this year. well, this kind of middle eastern winter, anyway. definitely not ready for warmer days just yet. i will be, but not now.

and i love how the dried out flowers from the summer are standing string in the fields, soon they'll disappear in the lush green that is spring around here. but still they have the chance to show off their simple, quiet beauty.

fighting waves

las weekend we went to the beach. it was a beautiful day with fresh air and white waves. and the little one brought his sword that we'd made that same morning out of cardboard and red tape.

he said he was fighting the waves. i'm not sure he realized the magnitude of his opponent, but anyway, he won, so not to worry.

wishing you a wonderful new week. and remember - there's nothing that cannot be won with a red cardboard sword.

winter like this

it's time for sparkling morning dew and colors of fall, the light is a treat and the food a feast. partly because my mom is here and is making good stuff. like lasagna and cauliflower souffle.

see that third photo? i bought a second-hand knitted wool poncho i denmark (you can just about catch a glimpse of it) and i've been living in it ever since. i have another all black, but it doesn't have wholes in the side for the arms, making it cozy, but not very practical. well, this one has, and it's now my official winter uniform. how can you not just love to walk around like you're wrapped-up in a woolen blanket?

and i must admit, as much as i enjoyed the snow and the frosty winter in denmark, i like a winter like this. the air is clear and the light is bright, and you only have to throw a poncho on to go outside.

good things

strawberry season. winter. it still gets me happily confused. like kiwis in december, tomatoes in the spring, and the sweet smell of apple trees blooming in the fall.

we are only a few weeks away from our first potato batch of the year. the pecans are still to be found, and the avocados are also in season now. i found some on the ground in one of the avocado groves around the village (and i figured it was ok i took them home). and we're still enjoying eating our olives too. sweet. not to mention the pumpkin treats.

whatever the season, rain or shine, are there good things happening around you right now?

happy week to ya'll

inside :: outside

those pumpkins are huge. we got a few from the neighbor and passed around to family. my mom is here and she made some amazing pumpkin-ginger jam and marinated sweet pumpkin.

i took the last bit, baked it and made puree for a nutmeg, clove and cinnamon spiced pumpkin pie. i've never made pumpkin pie, but it's a favorite. i mean, how can anyone not love something smooth and creamy with those spices inside?

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last year i started a 365 - a photo a day project - on flickr. i made it to 150 before i finally gave up. too much pressure. this year i am trying a 52 - a photo a week - instead. because i like the idea of a photographic diary. hopefully this is a challenge that will be easier for me to succeed in.

sculls and magic

our last day in denmark. and yes, it took me a good while to post these. i'm afraid i cannot keep track of my own life these days, not to mention document it here or on flickr.

i love this museum - zoologisk museum. it's perfect for kids: they can run on their own without getting lost due to great floor layout, and everything they can touch, they're allowed to touch. there are amazing things to see for all ages, and well, i just love myself a good scull. luckily, the kids do too.

we went there with my cousin on december 26. needles to say we had it pretty much to ourselves on. so one of the staff pulled out the weirdest deep-sea creatures for us to have a closer look at.

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it's been raining the last few days, and this morning there was the most wonderful rainbow stretching over the fields. we could see it from one end to the other. it was amazing. i told the kids it was a sign that this day would be magic. and i told myself that sometimes you just need a rainbow to remember that.

wishing you a magic weekend.