Bubbleberries and imagination

Thank goodness for Sunday.

It’s been a big week – fun, but exhausting. Work deadlines to meet, some fairly impressive tantrums to diffuse, and a couple of big days spent back in the city.

Though Steve still needs to make the weekday commute, in the six months we’ve been up here I’d only ventured back to the city once – to meet with some clients and say hello to my old workmates. This week, though, brought two quick trips back to our old ‘hood of Dulwich Hill, Marrickville and Newtown: the first to catch up with a good friend and her little boy, and to meet her adorable new(ish) baby girl. Her little guy is one day older than Decs and the two of them love each other to bits; it was so good to see them tearing around like maniacs, giggling all the while.

Our long-time friends Matt and Michelle, who a couple of years back moved to Singapore with his career (and soon, to Paris), were also in town for the week. So all three of us piled into the car on Saturday and again hit the congested, roadwork-ravaged mess known as the M4, excited for another big day of friends and fun. An overtired little man was doing his best not to fall apart, but not always winning the battle; so much excitement for his rapid-fire little brain and body!

I’ve not given it too much thought up til now, as a freshly minted treevangelist, but spending time back in the Inner West made me realise that I do miss a few things, apart from people we love: being able to stroll up the street and within minutes be surrounded by cafes, action, and the cultural diversity that’s a little lacking up here. Not to mention Bourke Street Bakery‘s unbelievable soy linseed sourdough. But then there’s the noise, the concrete and dust, the stress of walking down busy roads with a runaway preschooler, and sitting in never-ending traffic. Nice to visit, but not sure I could go back there to live now.

And did I mention it’s gorgeous up here?

Quite literally on our doorstep. Autumn in the mountains is something else.

So anyway, with no plans for the Friday sandwiched between our big days out, Decs and I grabbed at the chance for a home day… a leisurely breakfast, some snuggles on the sofa, cups of tea in the warm autumnal sun (he loves a good cup of chamomile, though is immune to its calming effects), and LOTS of make-believe play.

It’s a beautiful thing to behold, this little guy’s imaginationland. I love watching his ‘cuddling guys’ (soft toys) chatting away about the wildest, most random things; getting down on the floor so he can rescue me from the hungry hippopotamus in the sea (the rug) with his rescue rope (a  tea towel or piece of string) for the gazillionth time; endless games of superheroes; having work meetings in his office (the cubby house), stopping for pretend tea and honey cakes before zooming off home (the veggie patch) on his balance bike. The other day he spent ages teaching his matchbox cars how to say hello in different languages, with the help of a little song (he randomly greeted me with “Shalom, Mummy!” the other day). Apparently Lightning McQueen was Italian and Mater was Japanese, and it made for entertaining listening as they struggled to make each other understood.

Declan is an only child currently, so the onus to play make-believe is firmly on Steve and I. Me, mostly, as the one that’s here with him most often. As an older first-time mum – I was almost 37 when Dec was born (referred to early in my pregnancy by one doctor, rather insultingly, as a ‘geriatric pregnancy’. Really. I wonder what he has to say about that 70-something Indian woman that gave birth to a healthy baby last month?) – the crawling, climbing, chasing, floor-based playing can be a bit wearing. The games can go on and on, and there are days where I’ve got to try and squeeze in some work for a client, or, less appealingly, clean the house. But creativity, for me, is the most prized attribute a person can have; the source of the most inspired ideas and incredible, smart solutions. I’ll count my run at parenting as a big success if he grows up chasing creativity and fueling innovation, rather than a single-minded persuit of cash and assets (let’s face it, unfortunately the two aren’t always found side by side). So foster his creative spirit we will. Just one more game!

These days, happily, no home day is complete without some time in the patch. We’ve recently planted out some new seedlings: snow peas, red cabbage, carrots, lettuce, and a few new herbs.

Decs is pretty excited about his new strawberry plants – a mixed punnet of traditional strawberries and two new variants: bubbleberry, which apparently tastes of bubble gum, and pineberry, with a sweet, pineapple-like flavour. I’m not convinced, being of the belief that strawberries are little bombs of sweet perfection that you just shouldn’t mess with, but the little guy is desperate to taste the strange fruit and is eagerly watching the tiny berries awaiting picking day. A little way to go just yet!

And now, Sunday. Still in our pyjamas, breaky outside, and several cups of tea and a movie already under our belt, recharging for the week ahead. And… BREATHE. It’s definitely a calmer and more connected life – most days, at least.

So what are you doing to recharge your body and your brain today? And how about your imagination?

xJen
seeding the wild