Turning my back on chaos

I feels quite liberating and exciting to wake after a good night's sleep knowing I have the entire day, week, year with no commitments other than those needed to take care of my family and run my home. Ideas come to mind, I decide to make a list of projects I've put off because now I have the luxury of time to do whatever I want.  My needs and ambitions are simple though and all my current plans involve home projects and fluffing our nest. I'm so grateful to be at this point and I'm happy to be able to share it with you.

The evolution of our bathroom. The story continues ...

The house is chaotic today because we have workmen here demolishing our old bathroom and making way for the new. The sound of their work belies the true nature of our calm home but I know there is a time for everything and out of this busyness will come a bathroom that will serve us well for many years. Soon the noise will stop, making way for quietness to return and be part of our days once again. But for now our bedroom is swathed in old sheets and there are towels on the floor to keep the renovation dust under control. I'm staying out of there too because of my asthma. I just creep in there for quick photos.

A basket of vegetables for Sunny and Kerry.

One of our sons has been staying with us for a few weeks while he established himself in a new job and searched for a new home for his family. That's done now, he put in the hard yards and yesterday he left to drive north, pack his family up and return here to a little country town to the north of us. I am so proud of him and his commitment to his family and his work. It will be good having everyone here on the coast, not that we'll live in each other's pockets, but the potential for visiting and helping is always there. That's what families do best.

Last week I discovered the musical Hamilton so while the 2016 Tony Awards were being presented yesterday, I wrote this blog post and listened to the Hamilton soundtrack quietly in the background. I'm very pleased that the rap musical won so many awards, especially as it's already won a Pulitzer Prize for drama. Generally I don't like musicals but this is exceptional, creative, inspirational and joyful. I've heard the music so much over the weekend, that it plays in my head long after I stop listening to it. If you've never heard the music or of the musical, check this out and this and tell me what you think of it.

An easy one-pot meal - lemon and herb chicken with vegetables. I'll used the carcass to make pumpkin soup for today's lunch.

The house looks like a bomb has gone off but I'm happy to leave most of the cleaning until the workmen go early next week. There have been a few tidy-ups and some laundry done, and of course the meals but for the next week, little else will be done.  I know the world will not fall in on my head because we have a few days of disarray, soon it will be over and all will return to normal. I hope to be out in the garden for a large part of the next few days. We've been harvesting quite a bit from the garden to eat and share and it all has to be replanted to keep us in fresh food over the months to come. I want to make calendula soap this week and if I have the time, I'll defrost some rosellas and make up some jam. So much to do!  But maybe I need to pull back and just wait until the house is back to normal. Maybe I should just spend this week in the garden and work on my projects when order is restored here. You're such a wise thing, blog, thank you for helping me organise myself. :- )