a little blue

Joel at 2. taken with old film.

This morning's dawn chorus was different. Instead of starting slowly, with blackbird and robin calling out politely to start a birdly murmur, there was a brisk and purposeful bird-wide chatter as if they all woke up at once and knew that the rarely-seen sun would shine for a few hours and there was work to be done.

I'm also jolted into action in the knowledge that tomorrow marks the end of the school term. There have been so many school and personal commitments filling up the days that I've kept my eyes averted from the calendar simply not to feel the acute sense of time limited. But they're suddenly here. The holidays that I've longed for just a few steps away. There is an odd sense of sadness about the closing of this term as it marks the end of Joel's time in the comfortable, homely early years. In September, he moves to another part of the school and another type of learning and a longer day that breaks my heart. Over these last months we've deliberated about home-educating Joel for the next year to avoid the working week school hours. That's what I would like to do. But he loves his school and his friends so on he'll go and we'll take it from there.

And on I'll go. I'll take my coffee outside now and watch the busy, birdly times outside. The buzzards wheeling lazily overhead now, confident of speed when they need it. The little wrens moving so quickly and beautifully from bush to fence to perch in the honeysuckle that's just beginning to bloom. Blue-tits hanging upside down on the willow. I'll sit in the noisy silence and have my fill of the solitude that will soon be a memory.   

Comments

[Tracy]

Thank you for that deep breath.

[Denise | Chez Danisse]

Your birds seem much like my birds today, almost as if we could be neighbors. Enjoy your quiet time.

[Monica]

oh how i deliberated over home educating, sigh.

enjoy the quiet, and the togetherness just around the corner.

[little house]

Tracy, I'm happy for that :)

Denise, I like to think of our neighbourly birds and you sitting watching as I watch. Enjoy your summer cottage and gardens.

Monica, we home educated Joel for what would have been the first year of school and it was lovely. It's a hard call isn't it? So looking forward to the togetherness though - 2 months of it!

[Debie]

The photo looked like a painting. It's pretty. :)

[little house]

Hi Debie, thank you. The way the film has processed does make the background especially quite painterly now I look at it afresh!

[Rachael | The Slow-Cooked Sentence]

By now, I imagine, the pause has ended and perhaps the sun and summer have arrived for good (like it has here), and you are enjoying being in the thick of things.

[Hila]

This is the perfect post to read with a cup of coffee in your hand, which is exactly what I'm holding at the moment. Thanks, Kate.

[little house]

Rachael, you're right. I'm happily in the thick of holiday boy-type things though summer is still dragging it's feet!

Hello Hila. I like to think of you properly at the other side of the world with your coffee as I drink my own today. It makes the world feel comfortingly small.