A Letter to Gabriel on his very First Birthday!

Friday 20 June

To our dear little boy, Gabriel,(aka Babacino Crispi! ) Written by your Mummy

Today, a year ago, it was exactly ONE week  until you were born. 

 It was the end of the week, and I was just finishing work,  that made you 39 weeks ‘almost’ old! You were born the following Friday at exactly 9.27 at night, after precisely 40 weeks worth of wriggly somersaulting and trying to explore my rib cage  every morning before work (which in hind-site,  I can only presume you were doing - based on your current devotion to exploring every possible nook and cranny you can find, the more hidden the better!) , and then us getting to know each other in a kind of unexplainable way. Perhaps only pictures, or dancing, or music  could get  even close to describing that most amazing journey, that I feel so privileged to have gone on. You and me totally together for 9 months solid, exactly! (as it turns out) . I used to sometimes wish your Papino could have a go to see what it was like! but he was with you too, 100%!

I loved every single day of our time together. Your Papino used to always ask me, from Italy, what is the Beetle doing now? And I would tell him how much you were eating, how much you were wriggling, when I thought you might be sleeping, and I’d play the ’ Il Piccolo Principe’ CD, from your Papino  to you (well to us! ) every morning before work.

Almost straight away, I decided that you were my very own little surprise ‘Beetle’ (sort of like a scarab beetle) in my tummy, and Papino’s too, of course, just not in his tummy!  And you were known to the world as  Beetle.

The day you were born, after not not such a long time of that funny word  ‘labour’ ,  perhaps a few hours, you finally arrived, and jumped right into your Papino’s arms. (I wrote about all that stuff here> The start of the Birth Story of Gabriel, you can read it if you like, its not all yuk, I promise!). Anyway, as I was saying,  I could see you peeking out with your little glowing brown eyes that everyone has come to love,  and a shock of dark hair, already wriggling and being a Munka Punka! Your Papino was with us all the time, in the hours before you arrived, as steadfast as a big big baobab tree.  And, your granny from SA was there too. Your Granny is one of your biggest fans in the world!

As soon as you arrived, I knew  that you were Gabriel , it felt  perfect. You were one  resolute little fighter, but also a tiny soft beautiful little soul who’d already made his mark  in the world and in our lives in countless ways, and THAT in itself is an important wonderful story for another time!.. As it happens, while you were still our Beetle, me and your Papino had each thought of an idea for a name to give to you, for when you arrived, because of course we couldn’t always call you Beetle!  Your Papino thinking away while in Italy, and me ‘lo steso’ while in London.  We had no idea that we were in fact , at the same time,  thinking of the very same name - Gabriel!!  Although, for me, it had always been a name I loved and something I saved in my heart, for – just in case -  one day! And that ‘One Day’ arrived on Friday the 28^th of June 2013, and brought us Gabriel Babacino Crispi!!

I still often wake up, with you right next to me in your little cot, and your Papino on the other side and it feels like a dream. Then I hear your little voice and I’m filled with joy and delight and it feels grounded and peaceful and wonderful to wake up so happy, knowing  that you and your Papino are there, again, just like yesterday and just like the day before.

Nowadays, most days, when I wake up, what I see exactly, is a  little scritcholo, (thats you!) standing up all by himself, in his little sleeping gro-bag (or not, with the weather so warm at your birthday time of year)  holding onto the rail peeking out over the top with the biggest cheekiest grin ever. And you do look the picture of cuteness especially with your golden wispy sticky-uppy-hair.  As soon as we look at each other, your little smile lights up your whole face, and you immediately fall down and I say “Oh dear, Boommm!” and we both laugh. And Then you clap your hands with glee, and we say Bati La Mani Bati La Mani, bravo bravo Babacino Bravo! And then if I haven’t remembered to move your cot far enough away from the shelf, your little hands reach out trying to open all the draws and grab any objects, books especially, that you can lay your hands on. And we have a little game about cheekiness!!

And then, it’s time for ‘a nice new nappy’ and ‘our day clothes’! This definitely involves a LOT of cheekiness. As soon as you’re” tutto nudo!” you race up to the top of the bed laughing your little head off, and I have to go and chase you and pull you back by your feet and make sure you don’t jump onto the floor! Then, you are “Monello Monello  Cheeky Monkey” and sometimes “Macaroniedo!” , and I think you feel most proud of your cleverness at this time! 

 Eventually we get you into your day clothes followed by lots more hugs and kisses and your chatter box mummy talking probably the biggest lot of nonsense on earth, with Babacino following closely with increasing chattering by the day, if I may say so myself!  Your favourite sound at the moment Is daidaiii daidaiiii, and you wave your little hands in the air, doing some kind of finger acrobatics, often followed by more clapping. Perhaps one day, you will become a music conductor or a mime artist, or a wave the aeroplanes into the runway with the big coloured paddles.

By that time, when you’re all dressed and ready for your day with your Papino,  your Papino has actually been awake for a few hours already, squirrelling away in his den, writing stories, collecting delicious morsels of information or reading his myriad of books positioned around the flat, on a great variety surfaces. “Happy Banana!” we say, “Happy banana, happy banana” (and that is another story all together, for another another time, how “happy banana” came about! Although, I think maybe your Papi has written the Happy Banana story already, we shall have to look at his internet story book and see!) .. followed by family hugs and cups of tea for the Mummy and the Papi.

If it’s a work day, which most days are, and it’s still early enough, which usually it is,  then we have some time to play before the Mummy has to go to work. This often involves you turning into a real live cheeky little monkey, again,  crawling as fast as you can into whatever space you can find, that is not in the middle of the room. Your preference in these matters is to go under chairs under tables, through the easel and your favourite, onto the little balcony to  stare at the world, including through the wooden floor boards to the balconies below. Naturally, like any little cheeky monkey you are also on the lookout at all times for things to put in your mouth and that is a full time occupation and mystery in itself!

Because we’re talking about the morning, I’ll explain a little bit about you and your Papino.  Your Papino has the very important and best job in the world, he looks after you all day, while I go to work.  In the morning, maybe because I look after you in the night time, the minute you see your Papino, when we do the Happy Banana Happy Banana bit, your face is filled with anticipation, and your little legs start wriggling and squirming and your little arms shoot out  and grab onto him, like a little koala bear. Sometimes he hides  away and you can hear him but not see him, you peer into  his ‘office’   ( the far side of the dining room table ) looking for him. “Dove Papino? Dove?” and you look even harder. No matter what time of day, or how many times you see your Papino, you always react in the same way, so thrilled and delighted to see him. I think you absolutely adore your Papino. I feel such pride to see such a natural wonderful bond between you two. I try to wish and believe the memory into your bones and your heart (and mine too!). Though, I am sure, it is happening very well all by itself.

I am writing this, because I wanted to write you a little letter , (which is turning out to be not so little)  before you turn one, and while I remember the details and little things of how you were when you were nearly  one. And then one day, if you ask me ‘what was I like when I was a baby?”, I’ll look into my heart and tell you all the feelings I remember and all the little things I can recall about you, and I’ll have a little box of saved up things to show you, and for you to keep. But, I wanted to write it down too, so that I don’t miss things and so that you can read it and hopefully you’ll know,  how much you were and are cherished and how every single moment with you, even when you are sleeping  is a privilege and a joy.

So, what are you like?  Well, you have quite a dark skin, it  is very Mediterranean I think.  A lot of people say you look like your Papino because of your dark skin and your deep brown eyes. I like that, that you look like your Papino. I think its ok that you don’t really look like me, because I think we share some kinds of feelings, and responses to the world. We take our time to get to know people, we don’t like big loud noises, we wake up easily from sounds, we both love hugs and kisses and affection, and we love to be bare foot with sunshine on our skin. We love to watch hanging mobiles and light falling on different things , AND we both love bananas and yoghurt and anything sweet!! And most of all we both love your Papino and my Mauri to pieces! That’s a good start, don’t you think?  
But also, you are different, and your own little person. Every day with you is a surprise. You’ve just started giving  your toys to your Papino. I think it shows how much you love him. I think you are learning how to be, from your Papino!

You love things that roll or turn, and balls  especially soccer balls. You can spot a game of football, from a mile off. Your little legs go crazy and you start squealing. We’ll have to try you out at ‘Little Kickers’ as soon as you can run! You love dogs too, any kind of dog, even big giant sheep dogs. You can see them or spot them in the biggest crowd, and you crane your little neck as far as it can go to keep watching the dog. I think you are wishing it to come and say hello to you! And that reminds me, you're also really affectionate, which I am so happy about and love about you. I hope you stay that way! I don’t know yet if that is your personality, or if its because we've always made a point of carrying you close to us in a sling, when you were tiny, and having lots and lots of family hugs and kisses, which a kid, or a grown-up for that matter, can NEVER have too many of! I hope that you can be comfortable being you, being Babacino, and that starts with the basics, authentic human contact, and that’s what affection is all about! I shall have to write about that some more.. its a great topic Babacino, and of course it is very Italian, so tutto posto!!

In Palermo, a few weeks ago when we went to visit, we think, that you had learned your first word, which was “da” which we kind of figured might  be short for Frida (Frida is your Papino’s dog in Palermo. She is quite old now, she knew Franci when he was little too!) . Even now, when we say “Frida” you look around for her, and when you cant see her, your little face looks a bit forlorn. Somewhere or somehow you remember something to do with Frida. I think you are already making attachments and connections

You’ll quite happily crawl at the speed of sound right across Tata’s house back and forth chasing Frida just for the possibility of  being able to touch her fur. When you do manage to get near to her, like in Tatas car, we have to say “piano piano, careful careful” and show you how to stroke Frida without wanting to pull half her hair out in excitement and affection.

And now it’s Sunday the 29th of June, the day after your birthday, you’re fast asleep in your little rocking chair next to your Papino who is fast asleep with his book on his head! We've been out for a nice long walk with Tata, looking at boats, stopping to play on the swings and the see-saw and the slides, stopping for coffee and we even stopped on a little beach on the side of the Thames, and your Papino made a video!

video of the visit to the (Thames) beach

Already when I read back on what I wrote a week ago, you’ve changed. Now you reach up and practice your standing all over the house, you’re getting excellent at standing and your Papino tells me you even walked from one side of the table to the other all by yourself when I was at work! 

Yesterday we had a party for you, with balloons and everything. I think you loved the balloons the most, AND of course some sneaky tastes of ice-cream. I think you were quite fascinated by all these mad grown-ups singing a funny song and all staring at you, and then your Papino blew out the candles of your cake. Gabriel Babacino , I must confess, I did really try to make you a cake for your birthday, I wanted to make you something with my hands. But I never quite managed, I tried 3 times!  Next year will be better! I have a whole year to practice. I always want there to be something made with our hands when we have family celebrations, and even just any time, its important, its about care, and creativity and connection and giving and its about communication and stories and making beautiful memories out of every day life.  (End of Lecture!)

Zio Tata came all the way from Italy to your party!! It was such fun!! And Kaelin and Kyle had icecream in South Africa for you, and Dindsy sent us the pictures, one day we’ll have to invite them, with your granny to your party!

What else can I tell you Babacino? Well since I started writing this little letter to you, I have realised that if I were to write down all the things about you on that month or that week or even that day, you change and develop so fast, and you are so full of surprises all the time, that I would never finish writing it down, or wanting to tell you everything! So maybe I’ll just write you more letters over time, and tell you little things as we go. I suppose what I can say, which doesn’t change, is that without a doubt, me and your Papino love you soooooooo much, and every day we love you even more, and every day I realise that it IS possible to love what you think you love the most, even more!   I hope that is how our family will stay, for ever!

Oh, I forgot, I have to mention dancing! You love to bop around to music, I think its partly a baby thing, but for me, its definitely a Gabriel thing too. When you hear music, you start bouncing and bopping your head, your whole little body reacts to music. There are certain CDs you like the most at the moment, like ‘Sette veli intorno al re’. The first song has children singing, and you love it and bounce around an extra amount! And the other one you love is “The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Mandela Long Walk to Freedom’ That you love!! One from your mummys country and one from your Papino’s country I’ll keep them for you!!

Lots of love and Happy Banana Happy Banana Buon Compliano Babacino! We Love you Gabriel, from Mummy and Papino xx

And here are some pictures, well a LOT of pictures, I can never choose just a few, its impossible!! They are from just before your birthday, your first birthday! and just after.  They’re in a bit of a funny order too... but I hope you like them Babacino!! They are all about you and our family!!   (Except that we would have loved Kaelin and Kyle and Dindsy to be here, but they are far far away in Africa, but we'll visit them again one day or they can visit us!! but there are pictures here of them eating ice-cream for you, in the middle of winter in SA, they’re the pictures right at the end)

So, I'm going to end this now, its already way past your birthday time! I better start collecting again for my next letter! Watch this space, oh Babacino followers!! xxx lots of love Babacino's Mummy!

Something about a most important little family jaunt - Our Wedding Day!

This blog is about the 1st of May and some of it's tenticles.
The first bit, I wrote exactly 2 weeks ago,  on the 4th of May, on on an envelope and now I'm transporting and converting it into slightly more legible, and visible writing. As usual this is to help to ground and save my feelings into the earth a  bit, and to add to our saved circles of family memories and jaunts

Today is Sunday the 4th of May, I've been married for 3 days, about, since the 1st of May! We're staying in a little family run guesthouse, (taking up nearly all the rooms, our little family of 7 including one baby!) It's on Hawkshead Hill near Ambleside in the Lake District, and just down the road from the majestic beautiful Tarn Hows I am drinking the mountains and the trees and the hand made stone walls and the lakes and the light and colour and sounds and SPACE into my bones and my very being and wrapping it around our little family like woven silk.

I collected some fallen wool from the sheep today, at  Castlerigg Stone CircleThe stones are in a big field surrounded by other farms and fields and it seems, the sheep are free to roam around the stones. You can just walk through a little gate up to the stones when ever you like, and park right outside on the verge just next to the icecream van. Immediately going through the gate, we ran up to the stones, even Tata's wheel chair I think must have done a little leep of joy for the freedom and magic of it. Then we played games and did little plays around the stones, and chased the sheep and imagined how the first stones arrived and it wasn't at all like Stone Henge, and it felt, for that time as if there was a connection between us and all the other people who chose to be there on that day. Another time, I'll make something with the wool I found

I can't believe I'm married, I can't believe how much I love my little family, Mauri and Babacino. I want to be be with them all the time and look after them and play and explore and lie on a bed in the afternoon reading, imagining and listening to music.

It is strange that something I never felt that I particularly missed and certainly never really strove for in my life, is now something I cherish more than anything, and I feel as if I'm experiencing a growing love, more than I ever thought possible. I used to think that love was an instant thing that is or isn't.  Maybe it is sometimes like that. Perhaps, for some people, or with books or places. Looking at my life, the most valuable and solid and grounded things and feelings or ways of being - authentic ways of being -  the ones that feel right, seem to be gradual and build slowly. I think those are the types that I can keep up with and properly absorb and breath in to my being and my soul. They are stronger, and last. I think its like when you run a race that is very long and you know that you'll be running, not so fast, through the day and the night and even the next day. It is a far more complex and intense type of run and the memory as it etches into your soul ripples for a long time afterwards. I dont think it matters if you come first or last in the race, it matters that you ran and experienced.

I am trying not to do that familiar thing where if something is so beautiful and connected and even safe, that I fear it will break or disapear. this time I am holding on and believing and protecting with all my mite. I want to keep on learning and discovering the hearts of my husband and our little boy and I want us to grow and love each other more every day.

In the Lake District, you could look at the same view every day and it would be entirely different and utterly beautiful, no matter the weather.
Imagine if we could look at the people we love, at their unique being, like that,  in awe and wonder and curiosity and gratitude. If we could at least try to do that for a little while each morning, surely that will be a wonderful way to see us through all the seasons of our life.

There is lots more to say about our jaunt to the Lakes, and Mauri has already explained a lot in his blog, and he has more to do! for example this little story about our visit to  The Pencil Museum where we all drew postcards with fresh pencils in the coffee shop! I will try to write more another time.

Here are some pictures of our wedding. Unfortunately we were a bit disorganised and we never got any nice ones of Babacino with us on our wedding day, and some others, but, these are still nice!
We have lots of time in our life for more pictures and every day is as special and unique and memorable as you make it!

Our family outside the guesthouse before we left for our wedding -

My mom, Franci and Babacino, me, Mari then Tata, Raul and Signora Maria!

Me and Mauri before we got married!

getting married

just married!

ofificially just married!

Our family once we were married!

About Endings and Beginnings and Rituals, and Our Family

Tuesday 7 January 13: 

This kind of follows on from yesterday’s blog about my Mondello Run. The vague intention of that blog, at it’s start, was that it was meant to be a way of writing down, and thereby making more concrete, my New Years Resolutions. But, as it happened (as is the way of writing with hands) it sort of ended up delving into all sorts of sparkly toy boxes full of daimons and acorns and circles and synchronicity, and then there were the voices of hands and feet, and of course anything to do with resolutions, is ultimately going to be about us, Me Mauri and Babacino. So of course a blog about ‘a run’ is about a lot more besides!

As a result, I think I left it quite unfinished really, like a sort of a labyrinth in the middle of an exploration, and all leading to some sort of ending, but at the same time to a beginning. I think as soon as it was ‘written’, it started demanding more attention! And here we are again today!

Low and behold ( I do sometimes think Mauri has a sixth sense) Mauri had the grand idea of us going to Alta Villa today, with Tata too. Of course, my hands and feet jumped with glee!

Today would be the last time we would visit Alta Villa before we go back to London, in precisely one week. More ‘endings’ to make up the goodbye of this phase of our journey.

We love going to Alta Villa, I think it’s like Mauri’s canvas where he is for ever inventing things, fixing and making things and generally playing, and often making fires, creating some kind of order out of mild chaos (no offence but in Sicily, everything grows just like in Jack and the Beanstalk, especially cactus's, so you have to keep keep organising if you don’t want to be overgrown, like the story of the princess who fell asleep for a hundred years in her castle over grown by thorns, until a prince found her and free’d her and then her whole family also came alive again! ) and ALSO very often making the most yummiest of things to eat! 
For me I guess it’s just the epitome of what I love, it’s a home in the middle of nature, surrounded by mountains, and trees and space and sun and colour. I love being there with Mauri and Babacino. We are going to plant a tree for Babacino, we are finding the right one. 

Lately, on our visits to Alta Villa, me and Babacino have been making little sculptures and temporary ‘land art’ just for fun, from the things found on the land. The images are never intended to last, they’re just made for the moment, with no real agenda other than to just enjoy the senses and perhaps also, to listen to any messages we might get from our hands or from the land. I like the idea of Babacino being in the midst of creativity and nature and all those types of energy. It’s also a great environment for him to do his gazing at light refractions and shapes and touching all sorts of textures (with mummy’s beedy eye watching, of course!) 

In terms of our temporary land art creations, I must also say that I do admit to sometimes getting quite curious as to what may have transpired with these images, when we return some days later. (I like the idea of temporary art, as it kind of takes away the notion of ownership, or the feelings of protectiveness or possessiveness we - or at least I - can sometimes get about my makings. In fact its a whole topic, often explored by artists, think of street art, graffiti etc)
And, I love to re-use some of the pieces in new images, to see how they change and to see what may happen when a meaning or symbol is transformed. I think that’s part of finding the treasure in the organic-ness of the creative process.
here are some:

scroll down to see the picture of the Mandala, made at the time of the Olive Tree cutting
and
This one!

Ok, so about today’s sculpture. I wanted to make something 3D and a bit more solid or chunky, and also so that it could be like a kind of deity or little amulet (of a type). I wanted it to be something that could speak of protection and nurturing and guidance for us as a family, on the next phase of our journey. I felt this was really important in the processing of moving onto the next phase of our lives, definitely for me. But also for us as parents in Babacino’s life so far, given that he has now lived a full half year! And that half year (as well as the next to come) are probably two of the most important times of his life in terms of how his sense of self and his patterns of human attachment are formed.

As it turned out the creation was not something me or Babacino or Mauri could put in our pockets, but because we have the photo’s and the internet has invented blogs, then maybe it can be a kind of a virtual amulet! We shall see… you can’t MAKE something an amulet , it chooses to be so.. 
But also, I didn't have a lot of time, for the making. So it needed to be quite simple and intuitive and working with what the land had to give or lend us at that time.

My original idea was to create some figures out of all the chopped wood, which we have now after the olive tree cutting. I had this idea to create our family, and to fill the figures with treasures from the land, but very organically just seeing what happens. It’s wonderful making things from the land because you just walk around and suddenly things pop up and you choose them and they fit into the puzzle somehow or if not, they - or the idea at least - is saved for future pictures! Sometimes admittedly, it is hard to find something particularly specific to fit the puzzle. I think, at least in terms of my own process at the moment, that when that happens, it is primarily because it is my mind trying to impose something on my heart, maybe. Like out of some sense of duty or loyalty to ‘the norm’ or old internal repetitive messages. 

And so, for this sculpture (and in general actually) I think it’s better to let my hands decide on what to find, they are the direct link to my heart (just like feet in running, sort of, not the same, but sort of!) For me, it is better to intuit and feel the solution, rather than think it. Interesting… (maybe that’s sort of how the Olive Tree Cutters work ? Now that is something that continues to intrigue me. Maybe in my next life I will be an Olive Tree cutter, or a Tree Surgeon!)
On this blog post (and FB) there are 17 pictures (+4 of a daddy and a little boy in front of a fireplace!) which show how me and Babacino made the sculpture. But I’ll explain a little bit. 

First I started off with 3 nice solid wooden poles, and they represent me, Mauri and Babacino. I put them in a row standing up, with Babacino in the middle, so that he would be protected and held by us. I also like the feeling of the number 3 and of 3 objects connected, it has a calming peaceful sort of feel to it, in my world of feeling.

Then, I found some little baby pine cones, which I’d actually used in the Mandala which me and Babacino made at Altavilla one of the last times we were here. The pine cones had to act as stand-ins for acorns because we don’t have any at this time! I joined the poles together with half circles using the ‘acorns’. That links to what I was talking about yesterday about James Hillman’s myth about the acorn, and which he writes about in his book ‘The Soul’s Code’. Also importantly this intuitive process, or you could say need, is further explained, in a way in his concept of the Daimon, which is a Greek word and which is essentially our ''in-dwelling spirit''

The Soul's Code  
And 
Hillmans books are written in Italian too!

From there, the 3 ‘poles’, and the ‘acorns’ it felt as if that wasn't really a strong enough bond between us, and that Babacino might not feel connected enough or safe enough. So I added some olive branches to Babacino, to wrap him up and protect him, and of course the olive branch is symbolic of peace, and that is a good attribute for us to aim for and for Babacino to feel in his life.

I also added a piece of rock that I found which has 3 layers of different type of rock, to ground him and ground our family. I often speak of mountains, and that they are a sort of a spiritual home for me, and so this rock is kind of symbolic of that, stones and rocks are mighty, we need them!

So things were looking good, Babacino was getting layers and protection, but then I felt as if me and Mauri needed something too, to compliment and guide Babacino, so the land gave us some gifts. 

I also decided the ‘figures’ for me and Mauri need to be interchangeable, because our roles need to be interchangeable and I like the idea of us being equal partners and sharing in all to do with the life of Babacino. I think Babacino will have a richer childhood for it, and certainly how we experience life will be that much more interesting! 

First I found some rosemary to wrap around the one pole. And very strong and beautiful and pungent rosemary it was. In the meaning and symbolism of herbs, rosemary is often described as symbolic of: remembrance, love, loyalty and fidelity. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray you love, remember." Rosemary also reminds me of a warm homely kitchen full of family and creative food making. So I think that’s a good one for our sculpture.

Then on the other figure, I added a branch from an Almond Tree. I like the leaves of the tree, they’re quite delicate looking and soft, and the tree is like that too, although it seems very strong and supple, as I found out when I tried to break a small branch off! I added that because it reminds me of the ‘confetti’ (an Italian tradition, used most in major life events and celebrations) we had for Gabriel’s baptism. These were hand-made and given to us by Nona Nica and her friend, and, of course, there were almonds in the’ confetti’ with little lady birds. Baptisms are meant to serve as spiritual foundations to protect and grow a child, so I think the Almond tree branch has a good place in our sculpture.

By that stage the sculpture was feeling a lot more alive, but I felt it still needed something, perhaps a kind of environment and a bit more of a stronger message. So, we took some of the little pieces of ceramic that we had used in the Mandala and to make the Gabriel sign, and made three little circles, next to each of our family. That felt for me like a visual description or message of the ‘Axiom of Maria’ which I was explaining yesterday 
“One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth” 
Finally, the very last addition, was to make a little TeePee in front of the figures. This I think is about grounding and a home. One of my New Years resolutions is for our family to be grounded and stable. So even though we’re in a bit of flux and there is a lot of change on the horizon, which is not yet entirely structured, we can still create a home and roots as a family where ever we may be. For me that is important, for Babacino to have that feeling strongly. I want him to feel secure and protected in this and in his place in the family.
Also the TP is made of wood, so it could also be a fireplace, to keep us all warm! (Mauri thought of that, I like that!)

As it happens, when I went to download the photos of my sculpture, I noticed that we had 4 pictures of Muari and Babacino in front of the fireplace in Altavilla. They are like a little story in their own of Mauri carefully and so caringly showing Babacino the fireplace and sitting him down in front of it to look at the flames, but holding him and keeping him safe. So maybe we need to remember to have a ‘fireplace’ in our family and to sit in front of it and watch the flames and just be!
“One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth” 

And now, time for the pictures. They are all in order. No more words… except! : what this space for the next phase of our journey, this time in London!