Last weekend, Poppy, my sister and I went away camping. 3 days in a tent with a year and a half old bub was slightly daunting but worth the effort. It was a treat to be with her every moment for a whole weekend, moving at her pace and seeing the world through her eyes. Walking to the toilet takes 3 times as long because there’s a beetle must be investigated. First thing in the morning she says hello to the sky, trees, road, rocks, and a bird. There was a major challenge with not wanting to wear shoes and a camp ground with old broken glass not safe for bare feet. She went bare feet in the tent, car, and on a blanket, the rest of the time was shoes or being worn on my back or shoulders. A bag of extra old rags and towels came in handy during a rare pee on the bad during a nappy change, but none of this was even choose to the stress of our last camp together where she wound up in hospital on a nasal gastric tube after contracting a terrible virus!

I loved the moon rise, afternoons making art together, listening to my sister read books to Poppy, the gorgeous little wrens (juveniles!) and a rare robin. But by far my favourite moment was the last night, listening to the weather change. At night we were snuggled together in bed under Rose’s favourite blanket. The wind picked up and tired through the trees and Poppy was afraid and clung to me. It rained lightly and the wind blew leaves onto the tent with a tapping sound. I held her close for several hours and stroked her back and soothed her back to sleep. It was primal. I felt more connected and close than I have since her birth, where I was taken away from her for surgery. No one interrupted us, we just lay close and held onto each other, listening to the wind in the trees. The dark was a bit frightening so I set up a torch to offer dim light and she calmed and feel asleep in my arms. It was very precious. I’m so glad we went.