13 Aug 2013

Staying home


Those of you that follow A Peaceful Day on Facebook will be aware that Jemimah and her Daddy are in Falls Creek on their annual skiing trip.  Yes, I know, we just arrived home from the US on Thursday, and they left on Sunday - Jemimah is a very blessed little girl.  On the other hand, being free to travel is one of the main reasons we decided on homeschooling.

While they're away, I am spending a whole week home alone in Melbourne.  The snow is cold.  Some of you tell me that you wouldn't like that, that you'd be bored, but for me it is absolute bliss.  Here are some of the things I can do when there is just me to please:
  • Go to bed early with a good book and get up when I please (particularly useful when suffering from jet lag). I'm reading The Surgeon of Crowthorne.
  • Read frivolous magazines.  I bought a delicious bundle: Australian Inside Out, Mollie Makes,  Simple Things, and UK Country Living.
  • Eat Fromager d'Affinois (icecream cheese) and quince paste for dinner and lick the plate.
  • Play Beethoven's 6th over and over again. (You can listen with me if you want.) So inspiring.
  • Snuggle under a mohair rug on the sofa and hog all the cushions.  Turn the heater up high.
  • Visit as many secondhand bookshops as I can fit in every day and spend hours in each one.
  • Eat peanut butter straight from the jar.  Kraft crunchy.
  • Play on my iPad for as long as I want, and then some more.
  • Wear my velour tracksuit outside the house.  Shhhhhh.
  • Plan my day around the best place to buy a cappuccino (as well as where the next bookshop might be situated).
  • Leave the dirty dishes on the sink all day.
  • Eat Baci chocolates. Plural.
Anyone still thinking I'm deprived?  What would you do if you were at home alone?

13 comments:

  1. Jeanne
    Welcome home{{{}}} ah time alone, bliss. Definitely vote for 2nd hand book shopping. Reading and more reading and chocolate, oh chocolate. and I's splurge and buy some delis food I wouldn't normally eat. Lie in bed half the morning, get dressed late, ..can I come visit???

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  2. If I was home alone?

    A glass of wine, a book of poetry, and Zoe(dog) and Dora(cat) curled up with me. I'd put on a cd of rain sounds and pretend I didn't live in the desert.

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  3. You can sing "Dumb Ways to Die" at the top of your lungs if wish.... {snicker}

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  4. Deprived? No way!! I wish you every kind of quiet fun and bliss during your time alone. I also hope the snow is perfect for your loved ones.

    If I was home alone (it happens a few times a year, for a few hours at the most, but I have learned to make the most of any minutes) ... if I had a week I'd do some similar things to you. I too would play the on iPad, read and sleep on my own schedule, and buy books and music.

    I'd park in the sun at the beach to spot whales, read and listen to music, and explore country roads I haven't driven on ... go somewhere without planning ahead and if I liked it, stay a while. I would take a notepad because ideas for stories always find me on the road.

    I would read books which require uninterrupted thought and might journal my response or even write a review of it on my blog. I would finish going through my notes from the MumHeart conference I attended earlier this year. Write in my journal.

    I would attempt to recreate a brilliant, colourful tree painting I saw online a while ago (I'll share it on my blog when I do). I would do various decorating and decluttering projects, watch girly movies, surf and blog without guilt.

    I would read longer Bible passages and inspiring books (Amish fiction, historical novels, Christian fiction and maybe something by Elizabeth George, I enjoyed 'Following God with all your Heart"). I would have a cooking day to make easy meals - my Nanna's chicken casserole, a soup with curry, caramelised nuts.

    I work a lot of these wishes into my life anyway, like little daily holidays, but it does sound lovely to have a few dedicated, peaceful days in a row! Hence the dreamy essay ... which I actually kept short, as this is your blog post! :) Enjoy!!

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  5. I don't very often get time alone, but sometimes, when I do, I just sit. And dream. I watch sunlight silvering gum leaves, listen to lorikeets chatter and honeyeaters tweet (not Twitter; real). For some reason, I need to be alone to give myself permission to do: Absolutely. Nothing. At. All.

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  6. Time at home -all alone? That would be brilliant! I'd do much the same, except perhaps add a little Motown, some chick flicks (probably Twilight and some Zac Efron), waste too much time on Candy Crush Saga, take the dog for a walk down the beach, maybe finally book that massage and sip champagne. Yep. That would be very nice.

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  7. That sounds wonderful :) Enjoy your rest.

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  8. As always, I like the way you think! Sounds good to me!

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  9. Whilst having children at home is a wonderful thing - being an "empty-nester" is really very nice. I can sleep in on weekends, read in bed in the evening (and go to bed early) we can eat dinner when we like, we can take long baths without interruption etc.... it is nice to not have to think about children !!! Something for you to look forward to one day!!! Then the grandchildren will arrive but they can always be returned to their parents. Enjoy your time. And congrats to your daughter for a double holiday.

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  10. I would:
    -wallow in bed.
    -build a fire in the evening, no matter the outside temperature.
    -eat lots and lots of chocolate.
    -finish at least one thought.
    -watch a chick-flick for.sure.
    -have a stack of books by my bedside but probably wouldn't crack one open.
    -enjoy the sound of silence.
    -miss my boys nonetheless.

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  11. Your time alone sounds blissful! I love my three girlies, but when I can ship them off to Grandma's for a day or two, my favorite things to do are to get a cleaning or organizational project done and celebrate by bumming around the rest of the time...reading, catching up on blogs, ice cream...

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I'd love you to leave me a message. Tell me what you like - and what you don't. Just remember that this is what we do in our family - it doesn't have to be what you do in yours...