One Rainy Wish

I've just completed my first week back. All around me I see familiar faces returning after a long break away and there is a fresh buzz in the air of school leavers and crisp lined pages turning. I think that it is safe to say that I will miss this place when it is time for me to go (though that may still not be for a while yet - I'm contemplating postgraduate studies), and I will also miss the walk to and from my campus. 

February here is the rainy season. The skies darken slightly with low layers of clouds and there is a long awaited verdancy. Yesterday evening's walk home was just delightful. It had been pouring heavily and through the window I could see the force of the rain against the world. I got completely soaked despite being equipped with an umbrella and my shoes would no longer cooperate, so quite simply I walked barefoot. I love walking in the rain, especially during twilight. The world falls silent with only the sound of raindrops upon the surface of empty roads to be heard. There is a vibrancy among all life that is rejuvenating for the soul and to see the soft glow from distant windows and imagining families warm and dry inside is comforting. This is only reinforced by the aromas of hot cooked dinners filling the chilled air, calling to mind memories from my childhood of a gentle urgency to be home in time for tea. I thought I'd share some picture that I took when the rain had momentarily stopped and before it got too dark.

Title: "One Rainy Wish" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Love You, Love You

And so another Valentine's Day is here. I understand that many people have mixed feelings about this day, believe me - I was once there too - but now I've come to see just what it can be. It is not just a day dedicated to soppy couples and expensive candlelit dinners, but all kinds of love; the kind that we all live and breathe off. Love as a basic human need. Love of family, friends, partners and pets (mustn't forget them!) and, perhaps most importantly, love for ourselves. Some of you may think, what is the point? Shouldn't we express these feelings everyday? Well of course! But I think any excuse to go out and go overboard with expressing such a wonderful thing is a good excuse, so why not? I've been keeping the spirit of the upcoming day by wearing lots of red recently and my feet are practically glued to these Mel heart slippers of mine. Perfect for the occasion, no? 

Whichever way you choose to celebrate the day, whether it be having a day out with friends and family, a night in with your sweetheart watching Netflix, or indulging in a bulk load of chocolate and a rose petal bubble bath, I hope that you have a marvelous time and remember to spoil yourselves.

"And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make"

Title: "The End" - The Beatles

Norris

After almost six months I finally go back to my studies next week. Though times have been rough I am honestly quite glad to be going back. Time off is great but I believe there is such a thing as too much time off. I need structure, regularity and routine. Life has been chaotic as of late. Living back and forth between homes, looking after two very lively younglings and still trying to tame the overflowing wardrobe of mine. I've discovered that my favourites days as of late are those in which I can stick to plans and just get things done. 

Don't quote me on that though. As mercurial as I am I may change my mind mid semester and just want to lie in bed all day with no cares, worries or deadlines. Kind of like 'Norris' here who surprised me the other morning upon waking. No, that's not actually her name. Anyone else like to christen their pets (and perhaps partners) with ridiculous titles that have no relevance or resemblance to their actual names? I'm notorious for it.

25th Jan

I had to post a photo of the sky from a not long ago evening here, not just to share with you but also so I don't ever forget it. It was a very quiet day. Not the kind of quiet of hushed voices and dripping taps but the kind that you can feel in the empty spaces around you as if it had its own tangible presence. Things are different now. Plans have changed and we can't control it. We cannot control life. It just happens like water from an endless stream overflowing into a tiny cup that is our time here on Earth. But we can control how we see things, like this evening sky that came, I believe, at a time we needed most: storm clouds forked with lightning and rolling gently in over the mountains. Rain coming to soak into the ground and into our minds.

Life ends, but life also begins.