I smiled when i saw this one today- my calm, loving, happy, gentle husband. The complete opposite of me but just what i needed. Who knew?

I took a leisurely walk at the beach this morning. I found a spot of to sit, the sun warm on my back, the ocean at my feet. The water was so clear and people were milling about. A few people were brave enough to swim.

At home, i sat on the porch with my toasted bluberry bagel and a cup of coffee. It is a very mild winter’s day today and the wind, although cool, is not biting.

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.

Today is my husband’s 30th birthday. Indeed, it is a very special day. I bought him a “learning Italian” CD and book since we’re going to Italy (And London! And France! And New York!) later on in the year. I love this photo taken of him carrying my cousin in 2006. It was eight months after we started dating and he had come with me to Singapore to meet my family for the first time. Everyone loved him. It was also during that trip that he proposed to me so it’s a trip that will forever be etched in my mind.

But i love this photo because it shows Jonathan in his element- loving children (and he is amazing with them. They always seem to calm down when he’s around.) and just being kind and loving. And i adore how happy my cousin looks being carried by him. She was absolutely smitten with this man during the trip.

Some days, i cannot believe that he is my husband- this wonderful person who puts aside his own needs to meet mine, my bestest friend. He loves milkshakes, always getting the chocolate one (even when he might prefer stawberry or vanilla) because he knows it’s my favourite too. It’s about the little things- the cup of tea made just right, how he makes sure the closet doors are closed before we go to bed because i cannot tolerate open doors, insisting that i let him chop up the onions so my eyes can stay dry. But it’s also about the big things- his dedication to his work, his love for his family, his generosity and his desire to do good in this world.

For all these things and many, many more i say- Thank you, honey. I hope you have a very special day and i pray that this year brings with it much favour, grace and hope. I love you.

I woke up to this today- 10 things i love about you. No.6 is a comment on my tidyness and how much he appreciates it.
He’s very sweet.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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.