Hurray! The eternity that is the last month of winter is over and it is finally spring! I do think that one thing the pandemic has given me is far more tolerance of winter – I really didn’t have a good alternative option – but it’s definitely not my favourite still and that’s never more evident than it is in August.
It’s a funny month though, going from ‘most definitely winter’ to ‘something’s happening but I’m not sure what’. The air grows softer and everything starts feeling a bit gentler towards the end. Many of my highlights this month relate to that, to wit:
1. Longer days
Once a week I drive Amelie a long distance to gymnastics because I am a crazy person (or, more likely, I have guilt about moving her from a place that had every activity you can imagine virtually on our doorstep to one that offers very little in the way of formal extracurriculars to children). That’s meant that once a week it’s been well and truly dark by the time we get home. August marked the first time we arrived home from gymnastics before it was dark and I was honestly extremely grateful.
2. D.S. & Durga Big Sur After Rain
I got this car freshener as a freebie from Mecca and I truly hate how it looks in my car, but it smells so good I deal with the aesthetics. My favourite scents ever usually evoke the sea in a sweaty, salty, sunscreen-y manner (but nice, just trust me on this) but this is like incredibly clear, cold salt. Somehow. My scent receptors work how they work, okay? Anyway, it smells really good.
3. Well, hello there creativity
I’ve been feeling very ‘routine-y’ and not at all creative most of winter but suddenly I have the drive and the passion to create again. I generally try to follow the idea that creativity is a practice, and if you do something creative every day you’re building on it, no matter how you feel…but all the same it is a blessed relief to feel inspired again!
4. Early spring flowers
Certain parts of Mangawhai smell absolutely delicious these days, with freesias popping up all over. I adore the smell of freesias. They’re not sweat, sure, but delicious all the same.
5. Go-To Face Hero
This facial oil is dreamy. It helps my skin retain moisture (good, my skin needs all the help it can get) but I swear I can see a huge improvement even when I’m not using it. My skin just looks calmer, clearer, even (dare I say) luminous?! Pretty good for the end of winter!
The Judd Crew 