Friday, December 15, 2017

in the forest at dusk




The other day I got an email from Goodreads with my 2017 reading tally. The year's not finished yet, there are still pages to be turned and books to add, so I'm not going to link to it just yet, but it did make me think about all of my 2017 accomplishments. All those seeds I've planted, all those miles I've driven, all those weeds I've pulled, all those lunches I've made, all those podcasts I've listened to, all those words I've written....

2017 feels like it's been a productive year. Despite my wish for a simple life, growth just happened. I guess that's what being alive is all about. Moving forward, trying to do better, trying to learn, trying to teach, trying to grow.


I look forward to thinking about and blogging some of the tallies and some of the things we achieved in the past 12 months over the next couple of Fridays as the year comes to a close, but for now these photos are of the girls modelling the two wraps I knitted this year.

I took these photos to add to my Ravelry projects page to try to work out my knitting tally for 2017. (My desk might be a crazy mess, but at least my Ravelry page will be neat and ordered.) These photos were taken last Sunday evening straight after a trip into town to the supermarket, but a bit before the bugs started biting. One of the wraps was knitted for Indi and worn to school all through last winter. And the other was knitted for my mum and only given to her last Monday.

I love that my Mum saw her granddaughter in skinny jeans, Blundstone boots, a linen shirt and her wrap and decided that she wanted one of her own.

These photos make me so happy because they remind me of the origins of this blog when it was purely a craft record. Each time I'd finish something I'd get the girls to model it for the photos. Long before high school and long commutes and homework and boyfriends.

The details for Indi's wrap are here.
The details for my mum's wrap are here.

As well as traipsing through the forest at dusk snapping photos of girls in knitwear, this week I watched and really loved My Mother's Lost Children.

I also watched and cried my eyes out at this short film called I have a message for you.


On Tuesday we celebrated 18 years of marriage!

On Tuesday while mowing the middle apple orchard I listened to all three parts of 36 Questions - a musical in a podcast. A few years ago I'd heardModern Love podcast about those same 36 questions and was somewhat intrigued.

So on Tuesday night when we went out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary we asked each other and answered Arthur Aron's 36 questions. Well most of them anyway. It's one thing to use them to fall in love in the first place, and quite another to ask them of someone you've loved and lived with for almost 21 years.

This week I've been reading Roxane Gay's Hunger and thinking a lot about my perception of my physical body and also about how much space people take up.

I cast off my tree socks, ravelled here.

I opened a box full of information for my flower farming course starting early next year.

I ordered some cord to further my macrame obsession.

I bought and planted a couple of rows of flowering plants.

And I ate strawberries, and salads, and broad beans and peas.

This week we're celebrating our three girls who have had wonderfully successful school years.

We're loving the thought of six weeks off from the school commute.

We're planting and weeding and watering.


And while I'm hiding in our bedroom typing this Bren and Jobbo are putting the finishing touches on the deck that comes out from the sun-room and goes all along the front of our house (photos soon)(check my instagram story if you're too impatient to wait til next week), Jazzy and Pepper are painting on face masks and Indi is vacuuming the carpet for her birthday party tonight. I'd better hurry up and publish this so I can go and help her with the preparations.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend my friends.
Can you believe there are only two Fridays left for this year?
Are you starting to think about your bests, and worsts, and tallies for 2017?
Do you want to come and help me make a flower crown and string up the fairy lights?

Big love to you lovers!
See you next week.

Love Kate x



11 comments:

  1. That photo of Indi & Jazzy hugging is so beautiful! What a memory to have....
    It seems our relationships follow very similar paths- Tim & I just celebrated 17 years of marriage & we first got together almost 22 years ago. Those first few years were riddled with teenage bullshit but for the last 18 years we’ve been solid. I love that almost all my history includes him.
    I have not received a goodreads email but I do know I’ve surpurassed the challenge he I set myself & I love that I’ve read so prolifically.
    I don’t think I’ve reflected much on 2017....the stand out think of the year was our oldest graduating school. Quite possibly my proudest parenting moment to date. It still makes me break out in a huge smile. My thoughts are already in 2018, the changes that will happen, the new normal that we’ll begin living, the things to get excited about. I’m normally much more inclined to think about the past but not right now. Right now I’m so ready to step into the new year.
    And yes, I’d love to come make flower crowns & string fairy lights. Save me seat xx

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    1. I hope I make it through next year and come out the other end with a graduated daughter. Well done you guys, that's an awesome achievement. I'm excited about all the cool things 2018 has in store for you. xx

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  2. Beautiful knitted wraps and beautiful girls!
    XX

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    1. Thank you lovely, we need to make a plan for next June. xx

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  3. Great photos Kate, you have three beautiful girls. Those wraps look pretty and warm at the same time a great combination. Looking forward to seeing your deck completed you have all worked so hard this year.

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    1. Thank you so much Jackie! I hope you have a lovely last few weeks of the year. xx

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  4. As usual Kate, your blog brings sunshine to my Friday. I'm always impressed by just how much you do/achieve. I love that wrap and remember how much I loved it when you were making it.
    I don't like to look back much, usually find that I haven't done much at all.
    Are you a fast reader? Or do you just read in the pockets of time that I waste on my phone? I find it hard to read if there is other stuff going on around me, probably because I'm nosey and don't want to miss out.
    I'd love to come hang at your place and make flower crowns and string up lights. Who knows maybe one day I will get to sit on your deck or in your new sunroom and chat about all things with you.
    Cheers Kate

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    1. Hello lovely Kate!
      I'm a dreadful sleeper so I read a lot at night. I waste a lot of time on my phone too.
      I do have a little thought about having some small gatherings here in the future. I'll let you know. xx

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  5. Lovely photos and thoughts. Time goes so fast, too fast. Love that your girls seem friends, that alone is beautiful. Have a good week, Cathy x

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  6. That lighting in your photos is devine...........and I love that your girls still get in your pics....these are some of the most beautiful pics I've seen this week. I also wanted to thank you for your kind gift to my sister 3 years ago of the beautiful pink and grey (Nordic?) beanie you made for my sister who was going through breast cancer. She is now well has a new boob to match and is in love and has just travelled the world for 9 weeks for the first time with her partner. Your little hand made beanie meant the world to her from a complete stranger and she was so touched. Sadly my Mum has just come into her own health issues at 77 having undergone major surgery to remove a tumour from her bowel and will now have 6 months of preventative chemo. Even though it was bad she is relieved that the tumor is removed and she can look forward to her 78th birthday. Can't wait to see the deck on the sunroom which by the way is amazing....I love seeing snippets of your little farm life on your weekly blog posts. Hope you all enjoy a beautiful Christmas together in your new room and look forward to reading your blog posts next year. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

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Thanks so much for stopping by...

I do read every single comment you leave and appreciate it very much, but I should let you know that I can be a wee bit on the useless side when replying to comments, that's just me, everyday life sometimes gets in the way....so I'll apologise now, just in case.

Kate XX

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