Navigations. . . .On Fog and Catching Up.

My Sunday survey makes it clear that my postings have become fewer. This week, I only managed three:

On Monday, I showed you some Marine Style.

Wednesday’s post was a long one, thinking through Generational Change and/in the Work-Life Balance, all from One Nana’s Perspective

and then on Friday, I once again posted Five Things (including a shiny new pair of flats!)

Looking back over the week of postings, I also thought I’d share this little photo-story of our commute to town in the fog last week.

Not the best photos, they were taken with my phone, but they do give a sense of the fog’s density, the eerie beauty of its imposed palette.

Here, I’ve peered over the bow window to show what we can see. Not much.

Pater studies the GPS, trying to maintain direction while keeping an ear open for other mariners. . . .

And finally, with some relief, we nose our way carefully into the Harbour . . . .

The fog has lifted, at least for today. But it’s damp and cool, although I’ve built a fire in the wood-stove, and coziness is gradually leaking into the room. Pater’s headed off to put in some baby-sitting time in Vancouver before heading to Alaska for a few days, and we’re looking forward to meeting at week’s end to attend Tosca, the first opera of the season.

Meanwhile, I’ve just said good-bye to a charming house-guest, Lorrie (from Fabric Paper Thread), who was here taking my friend Alison’s weekend course inThe Illustrated Journal. Now I’m heading to my armchair with the last few essays to mark, and I’m nurturing hopes of turning to the weekend paper when those are done. With a big hot cup of smokey tea. Ahhhh.

And you? What are you up to?

15 Comments

  1. LPC
    20 October 2013 / 9:44 pm

    You're still posting more than I am, if that helps at all:).

  2. NancyDaQ
    21 October 2013 / 1:39 am

    Always worthwhile, no matter what quantity!

  3. Susan B
    21 October 2013 / 3:20 am

    I love foggy days, if I'm able to stay inside with a warm fire and a snifter of something. 🙂 I'm still ruminating on your post from Wednesday, and do want to circle back to comment. The short version: I think we are often way too hard on ourselves as mothers.

    • Unknown
      21 October 2013 / 4:30 pm

      I agree with you. I know I'm too hard on myself.

  4. Lorrie
    21 October 2013 / 4:40 am

    Thanks, again, Mater. It was so lovely to meet you and Paul. My mind is whirling with painting and drawing possibilities since I arrived home. But I'm too tired to do anything other than let the ideas whirl.

    • materfamilias
      22 October 2013 / 3:50 am

      Lovely to meet you as well, and I'll be interested to see whether you pull some of your sketches into your blog.

  5. Unknown
    21 October 2013 / 4:32 pm

    A fire in your wood stove sounds cozy but I know how persistent that fog can seem.
    I hope you have a great week and can get some knitting time in the evenings.

    • materfamilias
      22 October 2013 / 3:50 am

      And I hope you have loads of cuddle time with your new grandson!

  6. Duchesse
    21 October 2013 / 6:00 pm

    For years I owned a poster of the much-loved shot that was the cover of Freemasn Patterson's "Photography for the Joy of It", till it was damaged in a move: a ship gliding on the foggy horizon. You brought me back, thank you! I love fog- from the land.

    • materfamilias
      22 October 2013 / 3:50 am

      It's so beautiful, in its eerie way, isn't it?!

  7. Cristal @ Dapple Design
    21 October 2013 / 8:01 pm

    Hello, I'm visiting from Lorrie's blog. I enjoyed your fog story — could feel the damp and hear the quiet.

    • materfamilias
      22 October 2013 / 3:51 am

      So kind of you to take the time to visit and, even better, to leave a comment. Glad you enjoyed my foggy post!

  8. Tiffany
    21 October 2013 / 8:55 pm

    I wish I could comment … I've been trying for weeks and my comments just disappear.

  9. Tiffany
    21 October 2013 / 9:05 pm

    Oh my goodness, a comment finally got through! Hurrah.

    I love your fog pictures. Here we have a fog of smoke from raging bushfires – and a PM who doesn't believe in climate change although our weather keeps breaking records for heat. Anyway, I digress.

    I wrote a long response to your recent post on the working mothers/Lean In issue but it got eaten by the ether. The gist of it was that I understand your daughter's discomfort (?) with her returning to work being phrased as a choice. The choice to stay home was never available to me because we live in an incredibly expensive city, and moving somewhere cheaper would have been a) unfeasible from a work perspective and b) impossible for Spouse. I suppose there was a choice (to leave Sydney), but we were not prepared in any way to leave our family and friends and our work networks so that I could give up work. So I've always worked. But I have been lucky to run my own business and work as a freelancer and teach casually – around for the kids most of the time while still kicking in for the mortgage. I like to think I would have been bored out of my wits staying home and not working, but I certainly did not have the choice of finding out! My mother always worked (much as I do – writing, mostly from home) so I think I expected to also. I do wonder what it will be like for my daughter …

    • materfamilias
      22 October 2013 / 3:55 am

      I'm so glad you persisted and finally got through.
      And I'm glad you echoed and amplified my daughter's comment about choice. I'm quite sure she would have been bored silly at home as well, but given the cost of Vancouver real estate (another ridiculously expensive city), she'll never have a chance to find out. I don't think I realized how often I phrased what she was doing as a choice, and until we worked through that post together, I never recognized how irritating it might be.

Copyright

Unless otherwise stated, all words and photographs in this blog are my own. If you wish to use any of them, please give me credit for my work. And it should go without saying, but apparently needs to be said: Do not publish entire posts as your own. I will take the necessary action to stop such theft. Thanks.