Will Dig Life

It's nearly Lent again. I said in 2020 that we had the Lent to end all Lents - lockdown came in just as the season began, and continued way longer! - and all the ideas and practices we had looked forward to incorporating into our lives just went by the wayside as we adjusted to having to stay home all the time. In 2021 , I wrote a whole series on Lent as I followed a set of meditations. This year, Lent feels more familiar to us. We have settled into our Catholic life, living liturgically to some extent - certainly keeping Advent, and this now being our third Lent observed as a family; and we even celebrate some feast days and avoid meat on Fridays. Living in that liturgical rhythm is very much a process, a deepening each year as we go: and so it is with Lent. So, my thoughts for this year... I had planned to go TV free  for Lent in 2020, which of course wasn't feasible when lockdown came, but this year it definitely is and we're going to do it. In line with my recent drive...

Waaay back in ancient, pre-Pandemic times, we booked an easyJet flight. Frankly, I can't even remember where to. When the Pandemic hit, easyJet offered an unlimited re-booking facility (free to change destinations as well as dates) rather than a refund, so every time there was a glimmer of hope that things might be easing, we re-booked this flight; at one point, we hoped to go to Belfast to see the children's best friend who had moved away from Bristol. Every time, something interfered and we had to rebook again! Well, finally, we went. Belfast was no longer an option because that friend was about to move again, so we decided to take a holiday in the sun. The beach. A bit of warmth in the middle of the long, dark, drizzly British winter. No frills and self catering, we booked Spain: and only after booking did we realise that my nomadic sister , who lives in a van and tends to spend winters in warmer areas, was already there!  As a result, we spent a few days in the sun and had ...

 Our January was dominated by simplifying and a huge clear out , but we also got to do quite a lot of fun stuff.... Out & About We started with a New Year's Day walk on the beach, then had a few other outings - none of us enjoy the cold that much, so we're certainly not out for hours every day, but every so often it's nice to blow the cobwebs away. Clearly, that's my son. Hates the cold too much to play! Learning New Things As N(7) asked for and received a keyboard at Christmas, she's now also having piano lessons which she much enjoys. Both kids trialled Karate for a month as well; D(5) didn't love it at all, whereas N(7) was kind of ok with going but not enthusiastic. So that experiment got shelved again. Unfortunately no photos of either, because it turns out I only ever took videos of them playing piano and doing karate and Blogger won't let me upload those! Home Time It being winter, home was kind of our natural place to be. A gingerbread house (of...