It is such a summery day today and thoughts of winter are so very far away. I am wearing slippers and a tank top and a warm breeze blows through the house, where all windows are open. The windchimes sway in the wind. Colbie Caillat is playing on my itunes playlist. It is the perfect day to have lunch outside on the balcony- turkey, avocado, mayo and freshly ground black pepper on wholemeal bread, a salad of lettuce, red capsicum, mushrooms, cucumber and radish with ranch dressing and a cold glass of OJ. Today feels good.

Words are not flowing today and i’m feeling a little mellow but here are some things that are inspiring me and making me happy:

This video of Alanis Morisette’s Not as we. Just beautiful.

Eating well- homemade beetroot dip with carrot and celery sticks, chickpea and zuchinni fritters with a spinach and tomato salad, oatmeal and raisin cookies with a cup of coffee.

Pilates.

Date night at David Jones, where we are perched on stools, drinking our coffees and milkshakes and maybe having a slice of carrot cake.

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth. She never disappoints.

This blog.

Peonies.

This local magazine.

My new white summery top.

Summer in 4 days.

Walnut and raisin sourdough from Sonoma, toasted with butter and honey. Is there anything more satisfying than good bread?

Dreaming of a sweet, charming and welcoming home for our future.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating. We don’t celebrate thanksgiving in Australia but i know we all have something we can be grateful for at this very moment.

I made Jonathan pose for some pictures for me last weekend when i wanted to try out my new camera and this is one of my favourite shots.

On Sunday, we’re celebrating our one year wedding anniversary. I can’t believe a year has gone by so quickly. I still remember how stressful the week of the wedding was and how glad i was to be on our honeymoon, having got the wedding out of the way. It was an incredibly beautiful celebration but i would do it so differently now, with far fewer people being invited and cost cutting on things like elaborate bouquets when i would have been happy with a bunch of daisies held by a ribbon.

It is too easy to get caught up in the wedding but we all know that what comes after, is what counts.
We have faced many, many challenges this year and have had to cling to each other even more tightly than ever before. But when he makes me tea just the way i like it and performs silly dances for me to make me smile, i know this is it. The real thing.

Happy anniversary, baby.

It is a beautiful morning. The windows are open to let the very fresh wind bring a little bit of spring into the house. The washing has been hung out to dry. I am perusing blogs, listening to Mary Beth Maziarz and my dusty pink blanket is wrapped around me. There is nothing extraordinary about this morning but to me, every day that i wake up and am able to breathe and do the things i love (such as writing or reading or having a shower while the sunlight streams into the bathroom) is a blessing. Every day that i can spend on my own, doing my own thing at my own pace is sweet. At night, i welcome my husband back home, all the better for having spent a day lost in my own thoughts, day dreaming about days spent on a porch swing and having the fragrance of peonies wafting through the house.

This morning, sunshine is pouring into the sunroom, warming my face as i sit there and have my toast and coffee. I am reminded of a song i used to sing in church, based on Psalm 19: The heavens are singing the glory of God. And all creation is shouting for joy. Come dance in the forest , come play in the fields. And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord.

Today is the first day of spring (yay!!) and we are celebrating the season by driving to the snow next weekend for some sledding in freezing temperatures! I’ve never seen snow before so this will be a dream come true. I can’t wait!

I also can’t wait for the trees to be full of fresh green leaves, like the picture above. My pots of pansies are just beginning to bloom and i take much delight in watching the petals unfurl slowly- red, purple, cream. That is a lovely afternoon activity.