Waking up to sadness that we are so far from my family.
My Oma in Germany has had a serious accident and as often before I wish I was close enough to see her and be with my family.
I was the first born in my lineage in Australia. My parents are of Swiss and German heritage.
We have a beautiful big extended family in europe whom we have oft visited and write and email on occasion.
But I do mourn the lack of intimacy in these relationships. We simply haven’t had much time and shared experiences.
Sometimes I watch families gatherings and wonder what It’s like to have 12 cousins and their kids together!
It’s probably a familiar story for a lot of people.
And here I am with four sisters and a brother in Australia and I choose to live on the other side of the continent for climate and lifestyle choices at the moment!
When I saw my younger brother and sister from Germany last year I was moved by how gorgeous they are and how little I know about how they have grown up.
My sisters and I have often said how we missed having relatives nearby and how we have become very sentimental about these pieces of old family furniture and carpets and objects as symbols of family connection.
I cherish my gifts from my family, among them mums little cast iron pancake pan!

So Letter writing and drawing was the order of the morning. It’s a joyful, still activity which I share with Lily and now Cedar who wants to come and have his hands and feet traced and draw all over everything! The big two year old circles.