Home Again

We arrived home to Summer in full swing. It's hot hot hot, and looking like it will remain so for the foreseeable future.  Home is sandals and sprinklers and stone fruit and snags for dinner. It's catching up with old friends and old dogs, starting school, losing teeth.  Already winter, snow, ice skating and thermals seem a bit like a dream. Life resumes as normal, though perhaps something has shifted, perhaps something, maybe just something small, has changed. We shall see. 

The three oldest girls started school with high excitement to see friends again.

Lily strode off to four year old kinder holding a bouquet of gum flowers for each teacher and not looking back- until we got to the door and her confidence faltered. 

Craig almost immediately entered straight into the thick of it, with 3 interstate trips already lined up and a full court appeal the day after my birthday. Bluergh.  

I sensibly took the week to get everyone settled back in and to unpack from the trip. We had tenants in our house so there was a lot of unpacking to be done. After three months of living in 1 pair of trousers, 2 skirts and a dress, the ridiculousness of having wardrobes bulging with rarely worn clothes struck home. A large boot full was offloaded to the op shop. 

We are walking more. Partly because our clocks have not yet adjusted and we are all waking early, giving us time to get places without driving. But also being without a car altered the default - the kids are always slightly surprised when we drive now. I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible.

I'm reminded daily of what a truly fortunate life I live. I'm clinging as hard as I can to this time, to notice more the things I love about my life so I can remind myself in the moments when I forget.