And it comes to a screeching halt

Left shoulder has flared up badly. Typing is hard and painful so a month of blogging aint gonna happen. I am seeing a new physio tomorrow so I hope to have some answers that aren't the fears that I have - that I am going to go back to the very dark place I was in 2 years ago with the pain and disability. There have been tears and upsets as it's impacting on looking after Sally and breastfeeding which is why I hate and rail so much at this.

Day 05 – Your definition of love

Is holding me while I cry and telling me that you hear my tears.
The look on my babe's face when I come back to her.
How I feel about dumplings, about good white wine, and about food in general.
Is being accepted and welcomed for who I am and being looked up to for it, not in spite of it.
Always knowing that you're there to reach out to if I need you.
The warm completeness I have when I'm with friends and family.
Knowing that I have both, and am both.

Day 04 – Your music

I love music! I need music for company during the day when I'm home alone, and love the digital TV's ABC Classic FM station. I like a mix of music though. Some of my favourites at the moment would be:

• Elena Kats-Chernin, composer of Wild Swans and other pieces
• Katie Herzig
• Anything from the 1990s
• Anything with a decent backbeat or bass line
• Most of what I've sung of the choral variety
• Dixie Chicks

Which is funny, as I don't like listening to choral music and especially detest organ music where there's a bit of organ, and a bit of choir, and a bit more organ.

I've been singing in AICSA choirs since 1997 on and off. I've sung in choirs in Canberra, Adelaide and Sydney as well as attending annual festivals of the choirs from around the whole country in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne a couple of times, Adelaide and Hobart. I am a first soprano but also have sung alto a couple of times. I don't tend to sing solos or small groups due to some really traumatic experiences - I have a good ensemble voice.

It's that time of the year again...

Now that Beltane is over, I can think about the end of the year. Solstice, Christmas, Giftmas, Hanukkah, Yule is on its way! So how will you celebrate this year? What do you celebrate? And how will you survive emotionally, financially, logistically and happily?

We don't celebrate Christmas per se. We will celebrate the Solstice on 21/12 (it's a partial lunar eclipse this year!!!!) with dinner and presents, and Christmas Day is whatever rolls. If DH's family organises something and invites us then joy, we'll go. But I refuse to (a) organise (b) host (c) poke people to get organised, seeing as we don't really "do" it, and if it's left too late we will just do our traditional slow-cooker turkey roll, roast veges or bbq'd, alcohol and a Colin Firth movie festival at home on the day. We have an open house at some stage as well for all orphans or escapees from the insanity that is/can be Christmas Day.

We are handmaking most of our gifts this year. Here is a great list of gifts to make for toddlers and babies. I have bought Sally some play silks and shhhhh I have already thought about what to get TheHusband and YAY for the exchange rate! cause it means I can get him what I want to. We sat down in October and put down 5 things we wanted each, in case we needed inspiration. And wrote a list for Sally of things we would be happy for her to get - wooden blocks, books, that kind of thing.

NaNoBloMo Day 02 - Your first love

His name was Eward and he and his sister Jane were in my class. He smelled nice and was kind. He had lovely eyelashes and before I knew it we were trading our sandwiches - my plum jam for his strawberry.

We were 7 or 8? and I remember it being different to how I felt about my family or friends. I think there may have been kiss-chasey involved at some point too.

NaNoBloMo Day 01 - Introduce Myself

Hi! My name is Emma and I am 30. I am a complex, complicated soul who has had several lives already, which when I tell you about something like my previous jobs you'll question whether I'm just 30 or a pathological liar.

I am one of 5 children. I am a wife, and mama to one beautiful baby girl. I am a hearth witch in development, an avid cook, the proud owner of my sanity and working on squishing my Inner Good Girl and being true to myself and authentic. That means that I'm working on not pleasing people but being true to myself.

I don't have a good imagination. If you've met me in person you'd probably doubt this as I'm a creative crafty type. I've previously cut all my hair off and dyed in pink and purple - I'm planning a few chunks of colour in the near future. I'm all kinds of strange but mostly my "strange" is because I don't comply with what you think I should.

I may or may not shave my legs. I'm kind of lacking in the hair growing arena - even after 6 months my leg hair is only 1cm ish long, which is kind of sad. I have dry skin post-pregnancy so shaved them so I could moisturise properly. But I'm slack about shaving them so the hair will grow as it wants.

My hair grows fast. I have more than my fair share of it. I don't suffer from hayfever, I birthed my babe at home, I don't have a sweet tooth and do not like chocolate. I am a hopeless romantic and struggle to reconcile my intense independence and feminist ways with accepting that I am the heart of my household and if I don't lead then it ain't going to happen.

I am sensitive and observant and intuitive. I have a level of prescience that fluctuates and annoys me mostly because I don't take it seriosuly and often only in hindsight am aware of what I knew. I am insanely smart and skipped a few years at school. I do not like flying insects. I love to sing, I can't read music very well despite 14 years of singing in choirs and more than that prior to learn the flute. I have a crazy memory for things like the Prime Ministers of Australia (learned in year 7) and songs and music that I've not seen for years.

I have a very womanly body, even more so after carrying and feeding a child. I have wide feet and strangely crumpled little toes. I have chronic injuries from an accident 3 and a bit years ago, but have decided that enough is enough and I need to move on from that. I am sensitive to my hormones so pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding and so on has been a drag. I'm 5'6" tall, not especially fit but have a penchant for skirts and a preppy look. I hate jeans shopping with a passion, buy shoes occassionally and am not very hard on my possessions so still have awesome shoes that are 5-6 years old.


I left home at 16, have lived in a lot of cities, hail from Sydney but now live in Adelaide, and my favourite season in Autumn.

If I had to sum myself up right now, I'd say I'm a mama who practices gentle/attachment parenting, cloth nappying, breastfeeding, co-sleeping and loving her babe to piece, a student midwife, an aspirational herbal/aromatherapy healer, a budding photographer, a lover of tea, a great cook, avid writer and sometimes knitter. Pleased to meet you!