Daniel remembers when he was little and he would fall asleep with a book open across his face – because he loved the scent of the pages. I read to Ché when he was in the womb and at our recent trip to the ashram, while reading to him before breakfast, we were joined by a couple of swamis who sat, quite happily, listening to Emily and Daisy. “I can’t remember the last time I heard a mother read a book to her child,” one man said. It was one of those moments I’ll cherish and it really spoke wonders of the beauty and the preciousness of storytelling, of stories.

Daniel is in Melbourne for the week, drinking good coffee and watching the Australian Open. Ché and I spent an hour in our local bookshop today to quell the melancholy of ‘Dada gone’. Perhaps that’s a little dramatic but we are so so missing him. I worked in bookshops for 7 years and it is a job I miss. I loved knowing the insider goss on publication dates, new writers to watch, which books were becoming surprise bestsellers. I even started talking to a customer in the store today because I missed that interaction with strangers who had a passion for words (so many of the strangers I met in bookshops later became friends). I’m reading this at the moment (loving it) and picked up this today…I can’t wait to start. Ché chose:

which is one of those books that will stay with us for years because of it’s beautiful reminder:

“Hive, bee, wings, hum
Husk, cob, corn, yum!
Tomato blossom, fruit so red
All the world’s a garden bed.”&

slightly less memorable but cute all the same.

After the shops we headed to the park where I sat happily reading while Che went up and down, up and down the slide, occasionally pointing out: “Mum, look, a boy!” The said boy was a little alarmed at Ché’s enthusiasm but to me it was gorgeous. He loves his little, sweet friends and wants to have a playmate around daily. Perhaps a permanent new friend may come along sometime soon.

Speaking of friends, yesterday I was so honored to meet and teach Anna, her belly and her husband, Chris. They traveled up from Sydney to do a 3-hour private birth preparation class with me and it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. That little bub of theirs will be welcomed into such open arms and loving hearts. Blessings Rummey Bears for your homebirth….I can’t wait to hear about baby bear’s arrival.