I was sick on Monday- the sickest i’ve been in a while. Food could not be kept down and Jon came home from work to drive me to the doctor, who said it was probably a virus. I had an injection, threw up two more times and then proceeded to sleep away most of the day, only having a sip of Gatorade or ginger beer now and then to sustain me. Today, i still feel weak and am trying to muster up the energy to shower and then do some grocery shopping.

Jon was a sweetheart the last two days, putting aside his deadlines at work to care for me and attend to my every need. He let me lie on him for hours on end, held my hair back as i threw up, fed me toast when the smell of food didn’t actually make me heave, bought me some organic bananas, got up in the middle of the night to get me a drink and give me my medicine and never once told me to not come too near to him in case he fell sick as well.

Unfortunately, this reminds me of the sort of carer i am when Jon gets sick. I usually tell him that we cannot hold hands or kiss since God forbid, i get sick as well and then the whole world would crumble. I also tend to start on my “come on now, just because you’re sick doesn’t mean you have to stay in bed the whole day and feel sorry for yourself” attitude, which of course, when you yourself are sick, realise it’s the last thing you want to hear.

In the last two days, my husband has shown me what it means to care and really love. Somedays, i chastise him for not buying me flowers more often or doing the laundry or cleaning the house. But i’ve come to realise that we love differently. And that’s really ok.

In other news, we are going into winter. Most mornings, i wear my gloves when i go for my walk in the park. Also, a cup of hot chocolate has never tasted so good. Jackets, coats and scarves are strewn everywhere. And  i got a new black hat! Really, winter doesn’t seem like the end of the world anymore.

In other, other news, we watched “Ghosts of Girlfriends past” last week. It was a horrible movie. DO NOT watch it, even if you love Matthew like i do. That’s all.

Words cannot describe how stunning today is. It is 27 degrees (84F) and bright. I woke up early this morning and did three loads of laundry, had breakfast, baked a batch of cookies and made some spiced nuts for a care package i’m sending to my aunties and cleared my pantry. By 11am, i was feeling very fulfilled, especially since i had done things rather than sitting in front of the computer clicking on a hundred blogs- blogs i love but still, it takes up time and makes me so tired after.

I walked to the post office to post the package and heard a violin being played in the house with a circular window. The sun high in the sky, the breeze blowing just so and the violin- it couldn’t have been more perfect or right for this Wednesday afternoon.

I love autumn mornings. We are still on daylight saving time and it only gets bright at about 7am, as the days grow shorter. Our room faces north-east and i love to get woken up by the sunshine pouring into the room, through the light curtains.

I went to the beach for a swim after work to regain my sense of equilibrium in the world. When i opened the door to my house at about 5.30 in the evening, i was greeted by the early evening sun, casting shadows in my hallway. It was a beautiful sight and the light was just delicious. I had a nice, warm shower and then started preparing dinner. As the sweet potatoes and red capsicums were roasting and the red onions were caramelising on the stove, i made a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table with an orange and two squares of dark chocolate. It was a lovely way to start the evening.

Dinner turned out to be amazing and i thought i’d share the recipe with you.

Pasta with roast sweet potato (or kumara), feta and basil (adapted from this recipe):

500g sweet potatoes (cut into 1cm slices)

2 red capsicums (bell peppers)

3 red onions

300g fettucine

125g feta cheese (crumbled)

1 cup basil leaves

Dressing:

1 t. lemon zest

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. olive oil

Roast sweet potatoes for 25 minutes and capsicums for 40 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees celsius (about 400 F) with olive oil drizzled on top. Heat a frying pan with 3 T. olive oil and cook the onions until caramelised with some burnt bits for good measure. This took me about an hour. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Put all the dressing ingredients together and whisk. Combine pasta, roasted capsicums, caramelised onions, feta and basil together. Add the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Stir through sweet potatoes and serve. We had this with a warmed fresh baguette from the bakery and real unsalted butter (none of that low-fat nonsense we usually have). SO YUM! I think it would be a nice spring-time meal as well. My neighbour commented as he passed by our house that something smelled amazing. And the house did indeed smell wonderful when all this was cooking.

I was in a baking mood and whipped up some brownies for dessert whilst Jon was at church for band practice. He just got back so we’re going to enjoy the brownies with some hot chocolate. Oh, how i love good food.

So, it’s really autumn. I felt it a few minutes ago when i opened the windows and felt a cool breeze rush in. And then i felt it again when i took the towels out for a wash in the laundry room outside and smelled that crisp, chilly air.

As much as i enjoyed summer, autumn itself brings with it possibilities and activities and the unveiling of my new red peacoat.

I start teaching at the university again next week and apart from the usual first-day-of-class nerves (that even teachers get i’m sure!), i’m excited to see what new methods i can employ this semester to make learning fun.

Later this morning, i’m taking a walk to the library. It seems like the perfect day for a walk and the library is a great destination to look forward to. Lesson planning in the afernoon (if i can keep me hands off the library books) and then maybe a swim in the evening. A good day, my friends. I hope you all have a good one as well.

The heaters have to be turned on at night. In the day, scarves and gloves protect from the cold. Summer seems far away now and i can’t believe that a few months ago, i walked to the beach in a tank top, shorts, slippers and hat. It is hard for me to see the days getting shorter and shorter. This week, i’ve had to turn on the lights in the house at 4pm.

The upside to all this of course is the food: breakfast out with my husband-coffee, hot chocolate, banana bread and sourdough with a poached egg, baked beans and chorizos- on Tuesday morning before he works from home for the day. Pumpkin soup with a dash of allspice and nutmeg for dinner. A quince and pear crumble for dessert this Friday. All serve to offer comfort for cold bodies.

Today, i met Jena for coffee. I have come to rely on our weekly catch-ups to keep me on track with my life. I need someone whom i can talk to about my relationship with Jonathan knowing that it will not be part of next week’s gossip session. I need someone to help me on this journey that is sometimes difficult and who will not judge or persecute. So, for rekindled friendship, i am grateful.

I asked Jena if i could please take some photos of her at the beach this afternoon after coffee, The afternoon light was delicious and she is a beautiful subject. We only had five minutes but it was worth it. I felt happier and so much more in tune with myself after our little session.

And that’s how i know that photography is a big part of my life. I love it so and i feel excited after to see how the photos turned out. I’ve got an eye for good shots and lighting and i think with some studying, i may actually be quite proficient with the technicalities. In the meantime, i must save for a camera. The Canon DSLR i have been using for the past few weeks was on loan from a friend and tomorrow, i must return it.

But in a short time, it has revealed to me what i already know but found hard to believe- that i can follow my passions; that i can be good at many things; that nothing is impossible.