Just ordinary days...

 These autumn days are still warm, around 29C (85F), though the wet season has passed so they are dry days now. The nights are down to 20C (70F) and there's dew on the grass each morning; the flowers glisten as the early morning sunlight appears over the mountain.

I'm reading through the book of 1 John with my breakfast this week, slowly pondering each verse and applying it to my life and character.

With the cooler mornings it's time for porridge again, which I sprinkle with hemp seeds, cacao nibs, fresh berries, a little coconut sugar and oat milk...simply delicious.

I've had those hemp seeds and cacao nibs in my pantry for ages and not used them so thought it time to do so.

I began a new crochet blanket at the weekend. The pattern is from Lucy at Attic 24, the Hydrangea Stripe Blanket, which she shared back in 2019. I gathered my new and used balls of DK yarn, then set about choosing fourteen colours I though would blend nicely.

After laying out all my balls of yarn and deciding on the flow of colours I hole punched some cardboard and added short lengths of each colour in sequence so I'd not get confused later. I find this one small thing helps me whenever I crochet a striped blanket.

A row here, another couple there, when I sit down for an afternoon break or in the evening...

...and just the enjoyment of adding the next colour to see how my vision for the blanket is coming along is enough to keep me going with one more row before bedtime. Not much was done yesterday though, as it was a day for deep cleaning the laundry and kitchen, but I did finish the darker blue rows after dinner. 

Fresh bread baked, and leftover chicken curry thawing from the freezer, dinner was organised early.

Taking some time out with a cup of tea and ginger slice was welcome relief mid afternoon. I don't know about you, but I like to make those breaks a little special by setting everything prettily on the table, regardless of the cleaning chaos still in progress and things waiting on the table to be put away.

A gentle moment in the midst of a busy homemakers day is restoring and calming...

Four loads of washing, a sprinkle of bi-carb soda and eucalyptus oil over the rugs and couches, vacuuming the floors and couches afterwards, pulling the oven door apart to scrub it clean, dusting the furniture, reorganising as I went along...it was a lovely day, quite fulfilling to my homemaker heart. 

There's so much gentleness in days like this, and I relish them more with each passing month. One thing which has added to the delight of cleaning and baking and everyday tasks is music playing in the background. Here's a very calming 3-hour instrumental I've been listening to the past couple of days...

I will be having Cully May and Rafaella today and have planned a few fun activities for us to do while Blossom catches up with her own homemaking chores and tends to Charlie David who is in the distressing process of cutting his first tooth. 

Last Thursday I had the girls and we went to the beach playground, ice-cream shop and library before coming back to my place for afternoon tea and beading. They had so much fun (and Blossom got lots done at home) that we decided to make this a regular thing, though we'll swap the days to Tuesday or Wednesday from next week. 

I shall leave you with photos from the autumn garden today. May your own days be quietly blessed with gentle rhythms which bring joy, satisfaction and gratitude to your heart. God bless.

hugs