Withywindle Wanderers

Snow on! Ice stomp! School's out! In Australia, growing up, school was cancelled when on super HOT days! Not here! Lovely Bens is reading Eowyn and Coco stories. We three, his girls, are going to miss him terribly - in fact, right now, getting through saying goodbye and the twenty hours from getting on the first plane at Seatac airport until getting off the last at Mascot airport seems such a huge obstacle I can hardly imagine being in Australia, with my dear Australian, English and Thai family, and the summer sun. Your prayers and well wishes are very much appreciated in these last days with Bens for a seemingly eternally long while, and as we travel on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks!!! To track our progress crossing the Pacific Ocean (!) go to http://tracker.flightview.com/hthawaiian/ff.html and enter the flight numbers HA 25 and HA451. (And coming home on January 19th, HA 452 and HA22!) We begin with a tiny flight from Seattle to Portland - AS2297. And we have to get up at 3.30am.

I'm curled up on the orange couch, watching gentle snowflakes waft down to ensconce our world. Bens is reading stories to Eowyn and Coco by the fire -'Dr Dog'! Bens and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary at the downtown apartment of our lovely friend Susan, who stayed at Bag End and cared for our girls. 'Twas fun! The girls went sledding on our hill (as did I! 'Twas fun!) Now, it's REALLY snowing! I'm going to go out in it, in my wellington boots and my great big galoshes. (I don't actually know what galoshes ARE, and whether I have any!!)(I just like the sound of John's great big galoshes in AA Milne's poem). It's amazing to believe that this time in a week, we'll be arriving at Lothlorien, my parents' home, to join in celebrating the marriage of Rachel and Victor! I am very excited about being reunited with my wonderful family, though feel particularly sad that my Bens won't be there, nor Anita, Eddie and Bump. I had an

stale hard Italian breads, chopped (enough to fill your turkey belly!) red wine (generous splosh) lemon juice (dash) parsley sage (lots!) thyme fresh ground tellicherry pepper fresh ground sea salt garlic mix and pack it in! yum! our thanksgiving was most festive, thanks to my stuffing! (OK, i'm taking just a LITTLE too much credit...)

Eowyn JUST fitted into her winter party dress for Thanksgiving today! As we're going to Australia in nine sleeps time, this could be the last time she ever wears it! Coco's still has lots of party-time left in it! They LOVE dressing up. Our dress-up box is rather exotic, with items from all around the world. I'm listening to U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - one of my favourite albums - It's on Miracle Drug - one of my very favourite songs. I've been feeling a disparity between my ideals around social justice, and my actions. Sure, we're into World Vision child sponsorship, and volunteering at a homeless youth drop in centre, but these things seem SO token - I'll sit here basking in luxury and unjustly cosy surroundings, while you suffer and die in the Third World, and I'll send my token monthly cheque to appease my guilt, and think of you no further. I feel angry with myself regarding this disparity. Bens and I both have a sense of calling into soci

hello! happy thanksgiving! i have just put a little slide show on my myspace (there's a link to the right there...) so what am i thankful for? this year, i am particularly thankful for opportunities to travel, which i love, and connect with people (YOU!), striking nature, etc. - our roadtrip around the states, australia in ten sleeps, and australia at the start of this year are all big THANK YOUs! i'm ever so thankful for my bens, my eowyn and my coco. and that we all get to spend lots of time together. i'm thankful for laughter. i'm thankful for my body and its strength and beauty i'm thankful for my friend susan, who is caring for eowyn and coco overnight this weekend for our SIXTH wedding anniversary! (happy birthday Mum!) i'm thankful for books, for brian mclaren, whom i'm reading now, for new paradigms and freedom of thought i'm thankful for the grace and acceptance and love of god. ((i never know whether to put god or jesus, as i was brought up wit

Seattle is gray, gloomy and dull today, so I wanted to brighten my blog with some colour! ... sentence interrupted by eager children running out of their room laughing when i put them to bed an hour ago...is this the common plight of parents, or just us? are other children, as i sometimes suppose, acquiescently and obediently lying peacefully in their beds, whilst mine run riot? They are being cats now. (actually, they're not - i just pasted this from an hour-old email, to convey the bedtime battle ... but needn't have - Eowyn's calling 'MAMA! Coco wants you! Coco needs you! Coco's crying!' Coco is doing her fake baby cry ... They really do have a delightful relationship, but ... they exhaust me ... or I am exhausted by them! What is your favourite colour on this spectrum wheel? Mine are the carker orange and the lighter green, because they're such jolly colours. Hope my little pic brings some brightness into your e-day!

We're reading 'Little House on the Prairie' at bedtime, which was the very first chapter book Mum read me! Eowyn loves it, and it's especially fun, as we crossed the endless prairie last summer! And NEXT summer is only two weeks away! We are so excited!! We talked to Rachel-the-bride today, as it is her birthday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RACHEL!!

Guess I forgot the pic for the last (next?) comment. Our wood stove, usually warm and cosy and toasty, won't light tonight. I am very angry with it! What ho! Just as I wrote, my friend Lisa arrived with a HEATER! I'm back, having turned it on, and oh it is good to be warm! To think, there are people out on the streets in this cold, cold weather. Oh that I could encompass them all with warmth!! Next week, we're having Thanksgiving for the homeless youth at New Horizons - a very jolly affair!!

Poor Ptolemy! Made it all the way around this country and now... Coco took this picture of Ptolemy's last stand. My dear old friend Kerstin, whom Ptolemy carried us all the way to South Carolina to visit, was, significantly, on the phone during Ptolemy's final foray into the world of ... roads? Eowyn got some soap and made a mohawk for Coco, and drew curious and unique purple designs upon her visage. I love her creativity! Many days she goes to school with interesting designs on her face ... I sometimes wonder what her teachers might think...

This is Eowyn's lovely friend Lulu, with whom she rides the yellow school bus!!

I am in awe of the kindness of people in my life, which I am discovering in a new way, now that I don't have a car. THANK YOU!!! This pic is of Coco, during our weekend excursion (back when we had a car!) to REI to buy warm socks. I am so chuffed, Round Table Women, that you enjoyed the pavlova so very much!! In my family growing up, pavlova was a regular treat. My Mum gave me the recipe when Bens and I got married! Here 'tis!! PAVLOVA Ingredients: 3 egg whites 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla (I use kahlua in its stead when I'm out of vanilla) 1 teaspoon vinegar Methodology: Beat 3 egg whites until stiff. Add sugar, beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and vinegar. Beat to mix in. Shape into a mound onto silver foil paper, and bake in a very slow oven (250*F) for one hour. When its cool, pour on lashings of whipped cream, or lemon cream (recipe below!) garnish that with sliced fruit (kiwi fruit and passion fruit both work really nicely!) or (as I did today!) grated dark chocol

Coco and I met Eliza today, which was really exciting! Until now, Eliza has existed in our life merely (yet wonderfully) as an e-persona on one of my favourite blogs, http://conversationattheedge.com Now, she's a real-life, flesh and blood person!! Funny ... think of all the real-life, flesh and blood people we've not had the honour yet to meet, or engage ... people who right now in our lives are background strangers we pass on the street, or e-personas we've not met in the flesh, or irritating drivers who got their licences in a cereal packet ... who'll some day be very important people in our lives ... and we don't even know which ones they are!! This element of life delights me!!

I've just read Abe's second inaugral address, given just one month before his death, after the civil war ended, and was utterly struck by his excellent concluding words: "Let us strive...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." I wonder what Abe would say to George W. about what he treats as valuable, should the two of them happen to meet?

Our faithful car, Ptolemy, who faithfully transported us eleven thousand miles, all the way around the USA, 33 states in all, AND Mexico, has finally stopped going today. Thank you Ptolemy, for being such a trooper!!! We'll miss you!! Bumping over mountain roads to remote hikes, zipping along the freeway, rushing our girls to school... The Ady family's form of transport for the next chapter of our lives shall be our bikes, and bike chariot, which the girls ride in, snug and dry! Seattle is hilly (and rainy), so we shall be fit (and wet!!) Her public transport system is nothing like that of Sydney, or London, or New York City, but there are buses handy, and the girls LOVE riding the bus!!!! It's often a bigger treat than the supposedly exciting destination!!!

What beautiful girls! Eowyn is wearing the purple cape Seren made her, and Coco the cat hat Sam gave her! Our lovely morning entailed numerous stories, read snuggled together on hte couch, stimulating conversation with wonderful Bens and really high swinging at the park. Autumn is fun!!! Wanna know what happened just after this pic? We'd nearly made it up the hill from the park, in the rain, when Eowyn and Coco decided to run back down the hill, despite their mother's urging not to. Mother lost her temper and stormed off up the hill, scared Eowyn followed her, and delighted Coco began her exploration of the hill... At Mother's continued urgings to climb the hill, Coco beseeched Mother to carry her up, and had a tantrum on the muddy wet grass when Mother said no. Mother decided she might as well lie down next to Coco, seeing she didn't know how long this tantrum might go on for. Initially, feeling the soft, cold rain upon her face was lovely. Then, a foul odour. Mother

A Jones-ish ad, and a very scared me trying to climb a wall. I had NO IDEA how terrifying it is to have to trust a rope and a stranger below me holding onto it! Blindly confident, I set off on my ascent, to find inordinate amounts of adrenaline surging through my veins about half way up. (Would Arch Hart disapprove, Father?) PS Got new socks today. Now I can face winter head on, armed and dangerous! Winter, beware!! PPS I've been having a horrid struggle with seasonal affective disorder since the weather turned gray, cold and rainy. Basically, this means I feel sluggish, depressed, hopeless and pathetic. Some days I don't fight it and just try to trudge through the day - other days I endorphin-up with exercise, and stand a little chance. It's horrible, because I want to be present and able to enjoy being with my beautiful Eowyn and Coco and Bens. Going to Australia in 3 weeks shall be a wonderful reprise, but returning in January after summertime scares me. Last time I came

I am very thankful for our friends here, little-ish and big-gish! Here are our girls, Keean &Mary, and Keean, Coco & Jack! (Our budding photographer Eowyn took that last one!!)

Eowyn had a lot of fun with her first ever lipstick! Coco seemed to enjoy the proceedings too...

My sorrow, when she's here with me, Thinks these dark days of autumn rain Are beautiful as days can be; She loves the bare, the withered tree; She walks the sodden pasture lane.... The desolate, deserted trees, The faded earth, the heavy sky, The beauties she so truly sees, She thinks I have no eye for these, And vexes me for reason why. Not yesterday I learned to know The love of bare November days Before the coming of the snow, But it were vain to tell her so, And they are better for her praise. Robert Frost (Thanks, Mum, for reminding me of this one!)

Sweeties, sweeties, yum galore Sweeties, sweeties, let's eat some more! One for Pooser and one for me And one for Coco who smiles with glee! One for Mummy and Daddy too... But just one left? What shall we do? From furthest Africa we'll fetch the rock That people say "smells awfully like sock". But what sets it apart, is it can cut through anything. So we'll take our sweetie and together we'll sing... "Sweeties, sweeties, yum galore Sweeties, sweeties, let's eat some more! One for Pooser and one for me And one for Coco who smiles with glee! One for Mummy and Daddy too... But just one left? What shall we do?" BY OUR UNCLE SAM!!

And congratulations, Aeriel, Wyly and Joel!

Coco is much better this morning, 'though she still sounds a little like Darth Vader!!!! I said 'Bless your little heart', to which she replied 'I am blessing it!' Dear Coco! I'm popping onto this post an eclectic array of pictures, including Eowyn making Grandma's delicious date slice recipe for Benjamin's birthday. We ate Lyn Jordan's beef stroganoff recipe for his bday dins, and Becca's soft centred chocolated puddings for his cake! They were DIVINE! And Coco was already better enough to eat hers ... with LASHINGS of creme!!!! Thank you all for your care and concern for our little ones! Love, Megs

Eowyn and Coco fell asleep tonight in front of the TV. Bens and I were enjoying his special birthday dinner, & a bottle of Aussie Lindemann's red, when we heard the most awful sound from the Spare 'Oom. Coco was struggling with all her might to breathe, sounding like each gasp was her last. I held her and ran out into the cool night air, Bens called 911 and Eowyn ran to get Coco's blanket (which we all call 'My Own Blanket', because Coco does!) Coco's beautiful blue green eyes were filled with fear. Her whole body strained and heaved to suck in each breath. We surrounded her with our words and bodies and love. A bright red fire engine arrived, lights flashing in the wet, dark night. What if they couldn't save her? What if nothing any of us could do would keep Coco alive with us? My worst fear. The firefolk brought a peacefulness with them. Coco's breathing became less laboured and squeaky. She looked at them with compliant reserve. The eldest

This is wonderful Rachel, until two days ago whom I had only known as a e-persona on one of my favourite blogs!

Ella and Eowyn are life-long friends, and Jana is one of my favourite people! Here we are on Guy Fawkes night, still in Halloween costumes!!

Our two lovely little bumble bees and their Queen Bee (that'll be me!) & King Bens are just home from trick or treating, warm and snug by the fire after the frosty, chilly sub-zero night. Now we know all our neighbours, and they're delightful!