It’s birthday time in the Bumbumbee family. Our gorgeous Rosie is a ‘wild ONE’ and we just don’t know where that whole year has gone. Given that late September and early October are the busiest months for births we know there will be a few of you out there that feel the same.
It has been the strangest year for sure, but at least our busy little bees don’t really allow us the time to wallow too much in the doom and gloom that could so easily take over otherwise. For now, the family unit and a few close friends, are all our little one-year olds really know. With many of us working from home or on maternity leave, the current situation has allowed us to keep our babies close just that little bit longer.
The end of September and the early days of October signal a change in the seasons in Scotland. Like our Nordic cousins, we share a high latitude which means we have enjoyed long daylight hours and an extended twilight for many weeks. The wildlife and birds are busy well into the evening and the air seems to hum in the background. Our coastal walks around Burntisland have been filled with adventure and wonder – seeing everything through children’s eyes – like the air – refreshing. Everything feels so alive.
As we move into Autumn, the days draw in and a quietness returns – though we may still experience a few days of lingering summer sunlight here and there. So yes, the days will soon get shorter, but we know we can look forward to nature turning up the heat in a burst of oranges and golds and reds. The cusp of the seasons provides a truly beautiful and vibrant kaleidoscope of colours to inspire.
Looking back over Rosie’s first year, I genuinely feel art, nature, the seasons and the great outdoors (when we’ve been able to venture out) have been a blessing in the truest sense. We can use art to express our innermost feelings and emotions (vital for us all) as well as to bring nature indoors when we can’t get outside. Those summer days have been filled with buzzing bees and songbirds one day, and the sounds of waves and seagulls the next. Nature’s orchestra has been the backdrop to our children’s shrieks and giggles – these being the most treasured sounds of all.
As I wrap the last of her presents in wrapping paper I created especially for her, I feel fairly sure in a few short years from now, Rosie will tell me she’d much prefer the latest ‘manufactured’ Disney Princess themed characters all glitter and pink. I’m sure I will happily oblige (read ‘give in’), but for this very special birthday my little Rosie will surrounded by the raw and resilient Scottish Wildflowers from the landscape of her birth with a little hint of vintage for that timeless twist and a reminder of the greens, yellows and pinks of her first summer.
We’d love to hear how you spent your little one’s first birthday and your reflections of a very ‘different’ year.