Dear Stacey (24 Nov 25)

Dear Stacey,

I loved reading your letter from last week and wanted to reply sooner but here we are in the middle of a little thunderstorm with big thick rain drops on our farmhouse tin roof. It's been a muggy day and I have felt very anxious today. This happens to me now and then, maybe I had too many coffees today?! I have been trying to get through these days as best I can when I am solo parenting while B is at work and I am with the hectic but adorable toddler. 

We weaned E this week from her dummy which she called "Nigh". I didn't feel any pangs of sadness like I did at the end of breastfeeding. The "Nigh" was more trouble than good. It would always be reached for, it made her sleepy all the time and during the night she would wake for it. Now she is like a different person! She is bubbly and chatty and BUSY! She goes out like a light at night. It is bliss!

Suddenly I feel like it is possible to have a small amount of downtime in the evenings again! I just did my BAS and have been doing some other admin too. I am always trying to fit things in around my life.

I am looking forward to studio time this week. I have been working on a secret collaboration project which I think I have finally worked out so I can work on some more personal projects again. 

What are you reading this week? I just finished Americanah by Nigerian author Chimamandah Ngozi Adichie for book club which was great! And then a short story called Cove by Welsh writer Cynan Jones which I also loved but it also puzzled me. Will tell you why if you ever read it. Now reading The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow and loving that and also the Sally Mann memoir. So good.

I'm going to leave this brief and get back to a few rows of knitting on my Salty Days Sweater and then soon to bed. Tomorrow I am off to Melbourne to meet an old school friend and her daughter at a playground for our monthly catch up (we sadly had to skip last month)

Hope you're getting a little bit of rain there too.

Lizzie x