Woodland walks and New Year thoughts

We have had some lovely restful walks lately, last night we took on to find fruit and veg from the shops and then it turned into a lovely long night-time meander. The darkness and the cool air is very restful and good for getting the children to wind down. We should get outside more often - I can't wait for the warmer weather and to be in my garden all summer long again. Today we went to the woods with Paul and Maarja, and my mum. Kicking leaves and looking at fungus, feeling the moss and exploring the narrow paths that lead nowhere and get you all tangled up in brambles. Perfect.

It's good to get to spend some time like that with my brother too, it's strange to see my children playing with him and how readily they accept him (and Maarja) as their own. They have seen so little of him in their lifetimes but the love is real and Jenna prays for them all the time. She has an amazing memory for people and always asks about them. She can point out where they are on a map too, though I doubt the scale means much to her apart from that there is distance between us.

Since a few months ago when Paul got in touch and we really made peace, I've been missing him a lot. He was a great friend growing up, and the couple of years between us never seemed like much. He was on the same wavelength and going through the same stuff, we shared a lot of our friends at school and a lot of the trials there too (both being a little non-conformist though in different ways).

I can't think what else is going on for us right now, but I wish you all blessings in the new year and every possible joy.