Christmas has been a quiet affair for the family and I this year, dare I say it has been slightly understated even. After waking up in our own beds and opening presents and watching those lovely little faces lighting up with excitement and pottering for a couple of hours on christmas morning, we headed over to my mums - a half hour drive away and enjoyed the luxury of sitting around chatting/watching tv/playing games with the kids whilst mum prepared us christmas lunch. We stayed overnight and even mine and mothers traditional scrabble game didn't take place. This was partly because I forgot to take it and for nostalgias sake it simply must be played on the scrabble board game that Grandma Peppermint passed down to me, and partly because I fell asleep whilst mum was watching Downton Abbey. There's something about returning to the home where I spent my teenage years that makes me regress ever so slightly, it's strange. I find myself lying on the settee in a way that I never would anywhere else, I fall asleep almost against my will, I even feel a simultaneous freedom and restless just like I did all those years ago growing up in that house, that area.
We headed back to our neck of the woods on boxing day in need of lots of fresh air and good walking which we had been hindered to do in the quantity we desired because of dreadful drizzly weather. We have since given up waiting for dry spells and have been enjoying many walks, squelching our way through mud and layers and layers of autumn leaves, although both mine and hubby's converse are very angry with us for the ill treatment. We always see those families with the waterproofs with hoods, the fancy knee high wellies/walking boots and they used to raise a smile in me but now as I see the bitch slapped converse weeping in a corner, I wanna be the hooded, wellied family that you suspect all bear a slogan necklace that reads 'Always prepared' beneath their waterproofs! Being outdoors, just the four of us, has definitely been a highlight of the festive period, simple and plain, straightforward and easy. But then hubby and I are self confessed grinches and were it not for those lovely boys of ours, we would more than likely just repeat one of our favourite christmas's - just the two of us, wine, good food, on the sofa under the duvet, watching a great box set (one pre-kids x'mas it was Northern Exposure another post kids x'mas it was The Wire) ... Bliss!
It is of course always wonderful to see nieces and nephews and little ones, this self confessed grinch cannot help but have a heart that skippety skips with gladness at seeing them ... but the grown ups I could pass on! Only kidding! My heart also skipped a few beats when my boys first front tooth finally came out a few days ago!!! I love, love the photos I took ... there's nothing better than a boy with his big hair tied back looking all vulnerable and little in his pj's!
Finally, I am aware that 2013 is not far away and I am pondering what my word for the year might be. I have some thoughts about what 'Nurture' (my chosen word for 2012) meant now that I'm reflecting on it, it didn't quite surface or embed in my life in the ways that I had planned but I think some fruit has been yielded none the less. I feel a great peace after finally getting my inspiration wall up, it helps me so much with clarity about work that I would like to make and also helps me to divvy up projects - something that I have really been struggling with. On and off but for many years, I have meant some serious 'making' business once that Louise Bourgeios portrait has gone up on my wall. I think it's just around the corner ... perhaps, maybe, definitely.
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