- 30dayswild
- Advent
- Anna
- autumn
- baby
- beach
- beauty
- binface
- birthday
- blogging
- books
- brighton
- broken
- children
- Christmas
- church
- Dad
- dark
- darkness
- Easter
- Emmanuel
- family
- friends
- friendship
- fun
- God
- grace
- holiday
- home
- hope
- husbandface
- identity
- Jesus
- job
- joy
- life
- Light
- love
- loved
- maker
- moving
- Mum
- Music
- nature
- parenting
- peace
- prayer
- pride
- Questions
- rain
- rant
- reading
- reality
- rest
- running
- Sarah
- son1
- son2
- sonface
- spiritual direction
- summer
- sun
- sunny
- sunshine
- tea
- thankful
- tired
- trees
- waiting
- walking
- weakness
- wine
- wonder
- work
- writing
Follow me on Twitter
My TweetsInstagram
The writer in me woke up. Full post in the bio.. Yesterday I was reminded to be kind to myself. To take things slow. To be gentle to these parts of me that other parts of me find lacking and in want. I am my own worst critic. I absorb the voices that say you should do better, you must be more, do more, push through this pain to produce and be a force for change in this world.Yesterdays shout, bang, clatter and cry day would not have made good pictures. Thankfully the joy returned and we found some wonderous beauty to fill our souls once more. Phew. Especially heartening to hear the youngest loving this world. He struggles so much to do the things he loves and it is music to my ears to hear his squeals of joy at rocks and streams. #bloodybridge #mournes #wonder #rocks #scrambling #joy #nature #getoutside #worthitClimbed my first ‘Slieve’ today. Slieve Meelmore is my new friend. First time out on the Mournes proper and it was an insanely pretty day. Stunning views and a perfect introduction to wandering around these hills I look at everyday from my window. The beginning of a beautiful friendship. #mournes #slievemeelmore #firsttime #mountains #blueskies #happy #hiking #discoverniOne of those January mornings where you discover Spring’s ‘I’ll be back soon’ notes. High right now on cold water, sunshine, good coffee at my destination, a chat with a brilliant friend and a long walk on a sunny Wednesday morning. #endorphins #dundrumtonewcastle #walking #sunshine #paddling #joy #grateful #wherethemournessweepdowntothesea #murloughbeach #murloughnaturereserveI’ve lived in Northern Ireland for 2 whole months today. This is the tree I walk past each morning and I’m looking forward to seeing how this tree will change over the coming year. Winter trees are, for me, signs of hope and proof that flourishing looks like so many things. Standing waiting, waiting for the right time for the buds already there to open, waiting for the warmth. Here we are. Flourishing as we wait for many things and flourishing as we hold steady, reach out in love and are recipients of love. Here we go into the next couple of months. #time #flourishing #wintertrees #northernireland #dundrum #love #movingSnowy park of wonder this morning. Apparently we are in the mess of deschooling. This looks like the eldest at home doing a coding course plus a walk with his Daddy. Me and the youngest had a coffee shop date and some fun trying to break ice. Mainly we are focusing on trying to regulate emotions and adjust to the move. On mornings like this it doesn’t seem so bad :) #snow #northernireland #montaltoestate #amazingpark #goodcoffee #deschoolingArchives
Category Archives: Advent
Advent 23
I trace the wonder through the day: it was found in finding myself awake for a planning chat with my excellent colleagues, in getting out to some very quiet National Trust joy, in the blue sky and big clouds, in … Continue reading
Advent 22
As we approach the strange wonder of Christmas Day I am reminded again and again that the wonder is always found in the deeper magic, the story that goes back to the dawn which tells of the dawn to come. … Continue reading
Advent 21
And we’ve done it, 10 days in our house. Tomorrow we get to go somewhere. I’m not really sure I want to go anywhere, but the option is there at least. Today the wonder came in the gentle rhythm of … Continue reading
Advent 20
Today the wonder came through our two Christmas services, despite the strangeness of not being physically present at either of them it was beautiful to have such a light relief joy fest in the morning. Tonight it was odd but … Continue reading
Advent 19, the one with the wedding anniversary…
It’s that time of year where I get to say that we used to look like this: And now we look like this: And somehow 11 years have gone by, over a decade of adventuring through the ups and downs … Continue reading
Posted in Advent
Leave a comment
Advent 18
It’s getting harder… I’m frustrated and fed up today. In the small pockets where I wasn’t frustrated and fractious I managed to give the talk for our Christmas Day service on our doorstep, a talk that reminded me that I … Continue reading
Advent 17
Tonight I write from a tired and slightly fed up with isolation space. It feels hard to dig for the wonder and yet as my mind floats over the day I know it was there. It was there in moments … Continue reading
Advent 16
We made it over the hump day of our lockdown time (all being well…) 5 more days to go. The wonder came in swirls after a long crazy night with an unsettled youngest. But it was there. It came in … Continue reading
Advent 15
I think today I got some feels about Advent, about this Christmas time. The last few weeks have been full of illness and now lockdown and nothing has felt like ‘Christmas’ at all (to borrow a line). Today though I … Continue reading
Advent 14
It’s kind of felt like we have lived about 5 days today. Lockdown without being able to go for walks is not all that fun. Still. There was wonder to be found in all the lovely friends we have asking … Continue reading
The Long Walk Home 