August always seems like such a fickle month. Reminding you one day, that it’s still winter (cue lashing rain and wind) and then teasing you the next with sunny skies, and just a hint of warm breeze. A month where you know you’ll be wearing your winter woollies most days, but you keep on seeing pretty, floral dresses and daydreaming of bare legs. A month where you make sure you get your fill of stodgy cold weather stews and casseroles, so you’re ready for the salad.
This is what’s been making me smile this month…
Afternoon light
The days are getting noticeably longer now and I love the way the late afternoon sunlight pours into the front of the house at this time of year. Come a few months time when the sun is at its ferocious summer peak I’ll be cursing all that light and heat penetrating through the glass, but for now it’s just lovely. Every day the shadows change ever-so-slightly and I love seeing how all the bits and pieces around the house get highlighted by the streaming sun. It’s amazing how different certain rooms in the house can feel at certain times of the year – all because of the sun.
Billy Buttons blooming
Way back in autumn I decided to plant some Billy Button or Craspedia seeds. After many months of tending and watering my seeds have grown into happy, thriving plants. I’ve got three pots full of Billies and I’ve counted about half a dozen flower heads. They’re still small and green, but hopefully over the next few weeks they’ll get bigger and develop their unique yellow orb. I’m rather chuffed that my plants have survived the winter and that the conditions I’ve created for them have resulted in blooms. You never really know when you plant something new in your garden if it’ll flop or flourish, but I think I’ve managed to find a sweet spot for these natives. The best part is they’re a perennial, so I can look forward to more flowers for many more years to come.
Evening ‘me time’
Any parent will tell you just when you start to feel comfortable in your routines with your little one, they suddenly need to change. When Paul fell ill a few weeks ago his overnight sleeps got completely messed up. The whole house was surviving on very little sleep and often as soon as Paul went down, Adam and I would crawl into bed utterly exhausted and keen to try and get as much sleep as we could before the first (and second, and sometimes third, fourth and fifth) wake-up would occur. One night out of sheer frustration we changed a few things in Paul’s evening routine. He ended up sleeping for more than 12 hours straight and Adam and I suddenly felt we had a new lease of life. It’s still early days, but this new order things is yielding pretty good results. Suddenly we have our evenings back – to read, watch something, or just hang out – and it’s so nice.
What’s been making you happy this month?
Have a wonderful week.
M. x
Wattle and Ash 