first

On new year's eve, just after last year became this year, our friend Melissa handed out white sage leaves from her garden and invited us to go around the bonfire circle, burn our leaf, smudge ourselves and take a moment to let go of the past year and speak of our intention for the next.

When it came to my turn I spoke of how last year around this same circle I had announced that I felt like something big was about to happen in my world and that I was just waiting to see what it was going to be and that not long after that I had had my breast cancer scare. This year I'm hoping for calmer seas and nothing quite so dramatic.

I remembered that last year I had a burning desire to learn how to knit socks and had decided that in order to feel like a real knitter I had to make that come true. In August last year I cast off my first pair and have been pretty much sock addicted ever since. This year I told the circle, I'd like to knit a fisherman's sweater full of twisty cables, the more complicated the merrier.

And finally I thought that I quite liked the word even to carry me through my year but I've since changed my mind and decided to use grow instead.

Today we've had the slowest day in months. We got up late, watched episodes of The Honourable Woman on my computer in bed, read pages of my book, knitted stripes on my socks and had two other families over who ended up shelling four crates of broad beans. It was a gorgeous, restful and happy day.

And at the end of the first day I feel like everything is open, filled with potential. Hopefully in 2015 we'll grow and preserve even more of what we eat, hopefully we'll make a start on the wool project, hopefully we'll travel overseas, hopefully our school will move and become bigger and better, hopefully our girls will continue to find paths that inspire them and fill them up, hopefully my farmer boy and I can work hard on the farm and still find time to follow our other creative dreams and hopefully, as my farmer boy said so well last night, we as a planet can realise that we are all connected and be kinder to each other and make movements towards peace.

And I wish you lovely friends, the sweetest, most creative, love-filled and peaceful 2015.

Do you have a word, a feeling, a project or a resolution to kick it all off, or are you keeping your options open and hoping for the best?


LoveLoveLoveLove

xx