Little Joys

+ My cat looking at the moon.
+ Freesias & jasmine.
+ Toddlers eating icy poles.
+ The smell of gouache paint.
+ A clean work space.
+ Birds eating nectar.
+ Patting cats on the street.
+ Finishing an assignment on time (for once).
+ Dirty bare feet from playing in the yard.
+ Theo's dancing.
+ A cool breeze.
+ House plants.
+ Maple syrup.
+ Old books with lovely colour illustrations.
+ A bag of herbs left on your doorstep from a neighbour.
+ Funny little compliments from strangers ("I love your bag! It's pretty and shaped like a heart, just like you! I hope you have a wonderful life!" - Drunk French man at work).
+ Learning new skills (I'm a bit addicted to Skillshare).
+ Eating vegan cheesecake on the floor at Holly's house, reading her collage books.
+ A street fiesta.
+ Babycino moustaches.
+ Theo laughing at dogs we pass in the city (and pointing at them calling them cats).
+ More hours of sunlight in the day.
+ Waking up with a cat asleep on your belly.

I've got a little bit over two weeks until my folio for my degree is due. I'm making okay progress and I think I'll get it finished in time to a standard I'm happy with. C and Theo are going away to NSW for two weeks next Friday and I've not spent that amount of time by myself for about 5 years, so it will be interesting to see how I go. I do have to admit that C had to teach me how to use our washing machine (he always does our washing) and I'll have to learn how to make my own coffee in the morning. I have a kind of learned helplessness, where I've gotten so used to C doing certain things, I feel like I wouldn't be able to do them myself. But I think it will be good for me to spend some time taking care of myself. I plan on working really hard to finish my uni work, painting my piano (and maybe the ceiling in our lounge room), working on commissions, watching lots of Grand Designs, going to Film Society, gardening and rearranging furniture in our house. I am going to miss those boys so much, but they will be having a lovely time staying with family and going to the beach. Theo is going to love hanging out with his cousins so much and C is going to enjoy actually getting to have more conversations with adults and playing squash (his brother runs a squash court).

I really love this time of year. It seems kind of cliche to say so, but I can't help but feel positive when the end of the year approaches, the weather starts getting warmer and the days get longer. This year I feel like I've developed a lot as a creative person and I feel a lot more confident in myself. Since I was a kid a lack of self confidence and self esteem has stopped me from doing a lot of things, so it has been nice to push past some of that this year and feel proud of my achievements.

I might not get a chance to post again until my folio is finished, but I look forward to being on the other side of that due date and being able to post more often.