Neve Cicely

my darling little girl slipped into the world quietly & her brightness takes my breath away. she was ten days early & only gave us two hours notice- so I still can't quite believe she is here. johnny had promised to have the nursery painted by Sunday night, but she came on Friday. all these things that mattered, didn't. what matters is that the world felt hushed. dark, messy & wild. that is how life began. she has much to teach me. 

Neve was the name suggested by our dear friends- they live in a cottage by the sea in Ireland, she makes chocolate & stained glass windows, he makes music. they live simple, beautiful lives. they grow things. you can hear his music here. I hope when she all grown up she will pack a bag with a few things & spend time with them. Neve means brightness & radiance.

Cicely was my nana's name. she taught me how to draw, how to make castles from shoe boxes & strange & wonderful worlds using a few old things & my imagination. I see Neve stretch out her long fingers & I pray she will have some of that same spark my dear nan did, that she will live her life gleefully.