It’s been raining a lot in Sydney this last week. This summer sure has been unusual. I’m hoping that the weather clears up a bit early next week because Angus is starting preschool on Monday and I want it to be a sunny, cheerful day for him! I know – preschool? Where has the time gone?
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Remember this? Today we set up a new cubby house at our new place under our new dining table. The boys loved it. Despite how exhausted I was, I couldn’t stop laughing as I watched them playing together yet each still doing their own thing. Gosh I love them.
Anyway, today is Chinese New Year and I’m missing my parents who are currently in Hong Kong. Part of me wishes I were in Hong Kong with them, celebrating the new lunar year with all our relatives and, of course, amazing food. I probably could’ve initiated some sort of a celebration for us here, but without mum and dad here, it just seemed rather meaningless.
Sometimes it saddens me that I’m not passing on much, if any, of my Chinese heritage onto the boys. It’s so strange, and in a way startling, how different their childhood is compared to mine. I grew up in a Chinese household and family. They’re growing up in an Australia family, with only small hints of their Chinese roots popping up occasionally. Perhaps that’s just the way it’s going to be, and I need to learn to be okay with that. Or perhaps I could make more of an effort to ‘learn’ certain things from my parents, so that I can in turn pass it on to the boys. I have yet to work it out.
In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful start to the lunar new year!
Bring it, dragon.
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Our Eames rocker arrived this week and oh my gosh, it is as comfortable as it is gorgeous. Rick, Angus and I all approve (Pete and James have yet to cast their vote). Now I just wish I had one in every single room of the house. A girl can dream, no?
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It’s safe to say we’ve been ridiculously busy around here, what with moving, Christmas, unpacking, settling in and Rick starting his new job last week. Updating this blog has taken somewhat of a backseat as I wade my way through setting up a house that is almost double the size of our last. The amazing thing, however, is that at some point during the craziness of these last few weeks, this new place became… home.
Tonight after we put the boys down, I finally got my act together and actually picked up the camera. And so I give you – our kitchen. The very first room of the house that I set up. And no, those numbers are not significant in any way (although this is the fifth home that we’ve lived in, and this is the first month of the year) – they were simply the ones that came in black and that would stand up straight. Clearly, I’m all about the deep and meaningful.
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Despite everything, we managed to get our tree up just in time for Christmas. All three boys helped out while Pa and Nan watched on (actually, Nan did more than just watch – she was the main reason ornaments actually got hung!). Even though holiday decorations aren’t really my thing, it was heartwarming to see Angus’ excitement, Pete’s curiosity and Jamie’s intrigue. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the very best for the new year! Thank you for reading here, it means the world to me.
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Our new home. Lots of rooms. Lots of space. Lots of doors. I miss our old home, but I know we will create new memories here. Every day, we are settling in more and more. Today, I actually finished unpacking the last box, and Rick even got the internet set up. My head is filled with a billion thoughts, and my body is running on adrenalin. Will share more in the next few days, but for now here’s a tiny sneak peek. Can you spot the Christmas stockings?
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It is officially summer now in Sydney but the rain – stubbornly and annoyingly – refuses to relent. Thankfully, we had a few hours of rare sunshine yesterday so Rick and I whisked the boys off to Balmoral as soon as we spied the blue sky. Not long after midday, though, these majestic clouds started rolling in and it was quite amusing watching all the couples and families fleeing the beach to avoid the downpour. We made it out just in time ourselves.
Anyway, I was working on my visual diary last night using my Cross Process snapshots and I realised just how much I’ve missed sharing them on my blog. Naturally I am loving my Canon 1.4 USM lens, but there’s nothing quite like capturing fleeting moments on the iPhone and then watching my photos being ‘processed’ into dreamy film shots. Plus, the fake analogue shutter sound that’s synonymous with the Cross Process app is just delicious.
So, for better or for worse, I’ve decided to bring back my snapshots. Brace yourselves.
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I know you didn’t ask, but I’ve spent the last few days slaving away finishing off the boys’ scrapbooks for the year. Yes, I hereby declare that after tonight, there shall be no more photo-tagging or photo-booking or scrapbooking until the new year. That’s a whole three weeks! Woot!
We got to see our new home yesterday. Being able to actually visualise where we’ll be living has definitely helped me to feel better. It’s a lovely house, with plenty of space for the boys to roam, play and be creative. And my goodness, there is so much storage space. I can’t believe how blessed we are. First step: purge!
Thank you for your kind words on my last post. I’m seeing a bit more colour already. Still, I think it’s good to acknowledge the grey. Only then can we appreciate the colour all the more.
Don’t these photos make you smile? I took them at my friends’ wedding a month and a half ago and they’ve warmed my heart today. I hope they do the same for you.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
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Grey.
I am feeling grey.
Parenting wearies me.
Lack of sleep drains me.
Leaving our home saddens me.
Changing churches grieves me.
Moving unsettles me.
The future evades me.
All I can grasp right now is this hour, and the next hour, and perhaps the hour after that.
I am too exhausted to fathom even tomorrow.
I know in my head that I am richly blessed, but my heart is weary. So very weary.
It has been such a long and hard year; so many stumbling blocks have thwarted our path –
I know it is all finally catching up with me now.
Perhaps tomorrow when I rise, I will glimpse colour once more; but for now, all is grey.
All is grey.
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I like yum cha. And I like chicken feet.
That’s right: I’m Chinese and slightly eccentric.
Anyway, this particular outing was in celebration of my mum’s, ahem, thirty-fifth birthday – or thereabouts. (Who am I to tell the internet my mum’s real age?)
Pete was a big fan of all the yum cha dishes, which my parents were pretty pleased to see. It’s funny how when Angus isn’t there (like on this particular Friday when he was at daycare), Pete seems to come into his own a bit more. Or maybe it’s simply that we have more time and opportunity and headspace to pay him greater attention and discern all the little things that make him the delightful boy that he is.
To my dearest mum, happy birthday and thanks for everything you do for us.
We love you!
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