The sweet cloud

autumn_1 (1 of 1)

There is a very old poem written by a Polish author Julian Tuwim called ‘Dyzio Marzyciel’ – ‘Dyzio, the dreamer’. It is about a boy who imagines that clouds are different types of sweets and that he is able to reach for them while lying down on the grass. While I was reading it to my son the other day, he enthusistically exclaimed: ‘Mummy, I want to get inside this book!’ I laughed and I agreed with him that this would indeed be a pleasant state of affairs. I then forgot about this little conversation until I came across this thought put together by Barbara Kingsolver:

“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.”

I really like this idea of ‘living inside our hope… under its roof’, about being surrounded with it. Perhaps, just like Dyzio was dreaming of clouds of sweets, we could imagine the clouds of hope that we could reach to just when the going gets a bit too hard. I know that clouds tend to signify oncoming gloom, but maybe they shouldn’t? Maybe next time when we look outside the window, when it will get darker, and cloudier, we could say ‘hope is coming.’

Hope is coming.

Time

A couple (1 of 1)

 

“Time is how you spend your love.” ~ Zadie Smith

Summer

6J8A20286J8A19976J8A19216J8A19586J8A1986

6J8A1931

 

“In truth, there is enormous space in which to live our everyday lives.”
― Pema Chödrön

Speaking to your child

6J8A9770

I’m popping here just for a minute to share with you this magnificant lecture that I thought EVERY parent should watch and enjoy. It’s a shame I did not have access to it when my son was between 0 and 3. It would have been much easier for me to reject all the criticism that I was getting for talking or reading too much to him. This is such an important message which basically emphasises that you should grab every minute of those early years and enjoy them with a full heart.

Play people, play, play with your kids. It’s worth it!

You can find the lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSNRtJtNHT4&feature=share

Please share the link further!

When you are aware, the journey is over.

Note in Polish: Zachęcam gorąco do obejrzenia tego wykładu. Szczególnie rodziców dzieci w wieku 0 do 3 lat.

Les Vieux Alpages, Agriturismo, Aosta

6J8A91546J8A91416J8A90776J8A92016J8A91966J8A90876J8A90926J8A91406J8A91656J8A91716J8A91946J8A9212

This is one of the highest agriturismi in Italy (and Europe, I guess) at 1881m. This is also the place that encourages you to drive for one hour up the mountains just for the food. The views are a bonus.

We stayed there a couple of years ago with our small son and we were delighted by the breakfasts and dinners. They make so much themselves on the farm and what they don’t make is local. It is an exhibition of regional cooking. And at its very best.

As parents of a small child we appreciated it so much. Such an amazing escape from the mundane and what a pampering for a tired mind. This year we went back to see the familiar faces, admire the views and eat their abundant homemade food. We were very sad to leave.

You can contact Les Vieux Alpages and read more about it following this link: http://www.agriturismo.it/it/agriturismi/valle_d_aosta/aosta/LesVieuxAlpages-2960339/index.html

I hope you will enjoy your holiday as much as we did.