The weekend, a messy shed, midlife crises and pretty views

We are at the last stretch of a two week long October break. I've enjoyed it to the full. This is the year of no plans so we've spent this school break at home. Luca Bo (who has started his four year long apprenticeship to become an awesome wood worker/carpenter/builder) has been working most days as he no longer can benefit from school vacations. I think he was a little bit upset when reality sunk in last week, being the only one who needed to get up at dawn while the rest of us slept in. I'm so beaming proud of my boy, who gets up at 5.30 am making himself a frothy coffee and grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast. He prepares his lunch sandwiches and get ready to leave the house an hour later to catch the bus before sun comes up. All by himself. As a mother with a built in supervising radar, I usually wake up about the same just to make sure he is up (without him even knowing... I just put my "Mama elephant ears" into practice and listen for noise from his bedroom or the kitchen and as soon as I hear him I turn around and fall back asleep...) and not one single time has he overslept. In fact, he has never ever missed a school bus or been late for school in his whole life. That is more than I can say about myself...

 

While Luca Bo has been working - learning how to set a tile floor, renovate a wooden chair and build a door (I love love LOVE that he has chosen this professional route, it is so him!!!) - the rest of us have had sleep in mornings and little on our agendas. As I work at an International school as an After School Carer, I have school break too and I've made the most of it by diving back into my crochet hobby. I've spent lots of time making slow but satisfying progress on my, for the moment, three WiP's:

• The Blanket Of Hope to stay sane

• The Cluster V-stitch baby blanket for unknown baby

• Some Thermal stitch potholders for my home

 

The weekend gave us fabulous autumn weather with crisp fresh air and sunshine. I decided to tidy up the shed, which was a complete disaster... Some of you might have seen it on my Instagram @myrosevalley. It was one of those spontaneous projects that you start on a whim with great enthusiasm and after 10 minutes you ask yourself: "Why on earth did I start this???" I stuck it through, dragged everything out, swept the floor, cleaned up all the mice poop, spider webs and dead bugs. Sorted, cleaned and re-arranged. I put up a number of big nails on the wooden walls to hang things. When all was done I was so chuffed with the result that I had to show it to every family member and get praised for my efforts (like a child... I know...)

"Oh Mama, you've done so well. It looks great. Bravo!!!" Bless my children for knowing I need praise just as much as they do.  

 

On Sunday Jay and I took a long walk chatting about future plans. As a couple in our early 50's and with only teenagers in the house nowadays (how did that happen?), things are changing dramatically for us all and you start to think about what is coming next... Who are we? What do we want to do? Where are we going? As much as our youngest Emmy Bo is having a challenging time with existential thoughts in puberty, I guess we are going through a bit of the same thing... It's all new to us and it is a bit of challenging times. I think they call it midlife crises... 

 

A friend once asked me:
"Annette, you - who always are in some sort of crises - can you help me because I think I'm having a crises and I don't know how to deal with it." 

 

Yep, that's me. And often I've been ashamed or annoyed of being that deep thinker, analytic person, questioning and putting to much thought into things... It hasn't been easy, it still isn't, but it is who I am and who I've always been. I guess you can say I've been in puberty crises, friendship crises, being single crises, changing job crises, love crises, moving country crises, getting married crises, becoming a mum crises, missing my home country crises, loneliness crises, who am I crises, low self esteem crises, I'm not good enough crises... Do you want me to go on?  Crises has such a negative sound to it though and I prefer to call all these things challenges of life. 

 

As we travel on this journey through life, obstacles will occur and we will find ways to get around them. We will find solutions. And if we didn't have these challenges that forces us to reflect upon where we are, what we are doing and what we really want, how on earth would we be able to grow and dare to open doors to new exciting paths that might, or might not, lead us to new places, people and personal growth? I'm not saying that it is at all easy, but I do believe we sometimes have to stop and reflect on which path to take next. 

 

So anyway, we went on this beautiful afternoon walk up the mountain above our house and chatted lightly about this next phase in life. "The middle aged couple with grown up kids" phase. What does that mean? I'm not sure. I can recall so many people telling me throughout the years to really enjoy and cherish the time I have with the kids because one day they will be big and wanting to leave the nest... And I guess I always knew that, of course, but even if I did it has kind of sneaked up on me. It feels like it has all happened so suddenly. I just didn't really see (with emphasis on that word "see"...) it coming. Now I am the one saying the same thing to other mothers with young children. So bizarre... Time passes so quickly without you even noticing. Today is coming to an end already and a new day is to arise... and so life goes on. Somehow it feels like time is passing quicker and quicker the older I get. Do you feel the same way?

 

At the end of the weekend I packed up my crochet, put away all my "bench time props" and closed the now tidy and organized shed. It really was an awesome, productive and relaxed weekend and although this week has been a bit hectic so far, I'm still making the most out of my "staycation", focusing on what I want to do instead of what I should do. And who knows... maybe this "staycation" will continue for a while... I suspect a new lock down might soon be reality... Corona is not giving in... quite the opposite. 

 

Take care my lovelies. Stay safe. But live. Don't forget to make the most of every day you have on this planet. And if that is making big changes, taking action on projects or just chilling with crochet, you decide.

 

 

Kärlek
Annette

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Sunday rambles

I walk down through my village, the sun is coming in and out behind the clouds. Trees are starting to change colors. I pass the flowers shop and all the beautiful autumn flowers arrangements. I take a mental note to tidy up my geraniums when coming back, preparing to change geraniums for autumn colors at the front of my house.

   

I cross the fields with my village on my right, walk along the river, into the woods following the path between the pine trees shooting for the stars. An hour later I'm back home longing for a frothy coffee and some crochet time on my bench. One has to take the chance when the weather is nice, right.  

 

I prep my favorite spot: blanket and sheep skin to sit on, pillow for my lower back. Table cloth on the stone table. I bring out my crochet WiP, the Blanket Of Hope. Oh my, I need some Blanket Of Hope therapy on this gorgeous day. A newly purchased pot with autumn blossoms and a bright orange pumpkin at the foot of my bench will make my spot even more cozy. I get distracted and spend a good half an hour taking care of my geraniums at the front of the house and by the time I come back, with frothy coffee and all, my place is stolen by a little Miss Maya the cat... She refuses to move. I gently try to pull the blanket a bit, but she is moving at all. I don't have the heart to push her off... Big sigh... there goes my crochet time...

 

Well oh well, luckily I'm a multi project kind of girl with a number of WiP's on the go at the same time... I fetch WiP no 2, the Cluster V-stitch Baby Blanket. It will do. We sit there, Maya and I, until my coffee is gone and my fingers cold. It starts to sprinkle and I pack it all up, put all the blankets and pillows in the shed and rush inside before the rain comes. Next time the sun is out I'll do it all again... prep my space, get distracted but eventually I'll have my moment. Sometimes just 5 minutes, other times more. I love my spot. I love my bench.

Kärlek
Annette

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Dahlia love

Oh dear Dahlia beauty! Now I get it. I get why some people have gardens overfilled with with these beauties in all shapes, sizes and colors. They are just G O R G E O U S! Simply makes you happy no matter the weather, mood or situation.

We planted a number of bulbs in our garden during lock down and in July they started to bloom. At one point I had a flower big as my head in the garden. That was a great moment. This year has been a Dahlia trial year for us. Some varieties worked great while others didn't do that well at all. I think we need a little bit of schooling on the subject until next year. Any advice you might have is welcome.  I also want to grow zinnias, echinacea, phlox, cosmos, and so many more flowers. I'm not sure about growing from seeds... I seem to always fail. Any advice there too?

With cats running around my legs and the sun slowly descending on Saturday afternoon, I collected some over bloomed and broken flower stalks. Apparently that is what happens to Dahlias this late in the season, the stalks bend and all flowers end up hanging or laying on the ground... But even these upside down, weather bitten, broken and dirty Dahlias takes your breath away. I'm in love! I tied two bright and colorful bouquets to bring inside. One bouquet found its place in the bathroom window, the other one in the living room. They might not last long but ooooh they make me so heart skippy happy! 

This winter I want to teach myself a bit about growing a flower garden. How to choose seeds and bulbs, plan the garden beds, how to plant, when... Next year I want my garden to look like Kate's at the blog Foxs Lane (look here, here, here and here... isn't it so dreamy... like the most delicate, beautiful, passionate and frail love story...). I know, I know, she's a flower farmer and has green fingers, a big flower patch to grow on, many years of growing experience and all that but still. One is allowed to dream. To wish. To hope for a flower garden dream to one day come true...

 

Kärlek
Annette

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