It feels like we’re finally turning a corner. Yesterday I was invited to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. The rollout has been slower in Ireland than in the UK or the USA so it was exciting news for me. I can’t wait to travel abroad again! It’s still unlikely that I’ll be able to visit the states this summer, but we’re hoping my mom will be able to come here in August. One of the hardest things about being an expatriate is the distance between me and my family and friends where I grew up.
Last weekend we took our campervan out for the first time this year. We didn’t go far and it was only for one night, but it was a start! We camped beside the sea and discovered a lovely little woodland carpeted with bluebells nearby. On Sunday we went for a walk on a trail that lead us past an old farmhouse. The pastoral views were gorgeous.
As of the 10th, inter-county travel is now possible. Soon West Cork will be teaming with Irish tourists. I’m already amazed by the number of campervans on the roads as another year of staycationing takes off. Slowly life is moving forwards. Hairdressers resumed work a couple of days ago. It’s been 5 months since I’ve had my hair trimmed, and my roots have grown out. Unfortunately, the earliest appointment I could get is in June! Retail shops will reopen at the end of this month. I’m looking forward to things I previously took for granted such as eating at a restaurant again. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to go to the cinema or meet friends for a drink at the pub. We’ve been invited to a scaled back music festival in September and I am so excited! Even this introvert is ready to emerge from home and start having experiences beyond our garden walls.
Our youngest, “Blessing” (his name here on my blog), turned 4 last week! Our preemie has grown into such a strong, healthy child, which I never take for granted. To read about the difficult circumstances surrounding his birth, check out my previous post here. We’ve been in level 5 lockdowns for his last 2 birthdays so he hasn’t ever had a birthday party with friends. We did bake buns to share at preschool with the other children though. In the evening we had dinner with his 3 oldest siblings and opened presents. His American grandma gave him an incredible ride-on JCB digger, his new favorite toy. I stuck with Waldorf gifts and chose a classic wobble board as our main present for him. Dad built a wooden sandbox in the garden so he can use his digger. The main thing Blessing asked for was a child size wheelbarrow which his aunt gave him. Yesterday he had fun using it to help me with gardening in the rain.
Everything is slow to grow. It’s been unseasonably cold this spring. We still haven’t sowed all of our seeds for the vegetable patch. May has been wet and windy so far. I bought Blessing his first wetsuit a couple of weeks ago. I’m determined that we will make the most of the outdoors this summer no matter what the weather is like!
Yesterday I posted an Instagram reel of him playing in the rain. I’ve been intimidated by reels since they came out last August. I don’t know why I found them so daunting. I guess I thought you had to be funny or go to great lengths to make them worth watching. Now I’m hooked on them! I’ve only created two, but I love the short snapshots you can create of daily life. The content can be whatever you want: informative, entertaining, inspiring, clever, or something really simple. It’s fun having an additional creative outlet for self-expression. I love music so that’s part of the appeal for me.
Finally, it’s WIP Wednesday so I’ll share with you my latest project. I haven’t had much time for knitting so progress is slow. I abandoned my plans for the summer tops I’ve been looking forward to working on because the Fybersptates Faery Wings yarn in my stash kept calling my name. It’s so beautiful and soft! I started knitting a “Heliotropic” shawl, but the lace didn’t show up well with the mohair so I ripped it out. In the end, I decided to knit another Love Note sweater because it’s both easy and satisfying. I’m knitting it a size bigger so it will have 7.5 inches of positive ease with short sleeves this time. I’m undecided if I will make another cropped version or knit a full length tee.
What projects are you working on at the moment? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Creations of a Patchwork Momma 