You know that feeling you get when you stand at the beach and look out at the ocean? A vast body of water and a far-distant line dividing sea from sky… an expanse of surface with waves rising and falling and breaking… constantly, constantly. And as you stand there at the place where the ocean bows to kiss the sandy shoreline, you touch upon the infinite. Awe-struck. And humble. And whole. As one would expect to be when met by the mystery.   I once had a dream in which I (very matter-of-factly) told a woman that if I lived away from the sea, I would die. The dramatic nature of my…

Today has been a gentle day of quiet rest upon the sofa, with my knitting in hand. Stitch by stitch. Row by row… And yes, feeling really inward-turned. Seeking the still-point within and coming home to that place again and again and again. For it is here, I believe, that we meet ourselves with honesty and with great compassion. Where we ask ourselves what it is that we need, what it is that we desire. And where we can answer truthfully – without shame, without embarrassment, without guile. The ask… What do you need, my lovely? What do you desire? The answer… Rest. And quiet. And the rhythmic click of yarn…

This is one of those moments when, on the way home from visiting your brother, and it’s after midnight, and the bus isn’t due for another 5 minutes, you realise that you haven’t written or shared your blog post for the day. And if you are going to keep to your 365 challenge, and show up every day on your blog, then you’re not going to be able to sleep until you’ve posted something… anything…. And as the liminal moment when the veil between days gently stirs with the promise of tomorrow, I find myself strangely energised. Almost as if this… this… this is the moment when we can just…

It was a year ago this month that I was challenged to share a nature photograph every day for a week on FaceBook. I wandered over to the local duckpond, and discovered a family of swans living there. I took some photos, chose my favourite, shared it, and then returned the next day, and the next day, and the next. A year on, and I am still just as enamoured with this swan family. Last year’s cygnets have grown and flown. And this year’s cygnets are growing larger, stronger, and their feathers are changing from soft beige to snow white. And the mated couple… well, they remain a constant –…

So, I finished the jumper I’ve been knitting, and which I mentioned here at the start of the year. If you’ve been following along, then you might remember that I messed up the sizes on the pattern, and ended up knitting a Large/Extra-Large jumper rather than the Large that I’d intended. All of which meant that I didn’t think it was going to fit my husband – the one for whom it was intended. However, perhaps because I knitted a swatch and properly gauged my work, it’s actually not as huge as I was anticipating. I still don’t think it’s a great fit for him, but, I’ll find out when he…