It is 5pm. I am in my study, trying to get a few frantic emails off before I start cooking dinner. The boys are in the backyard. Mr4 is running around with a lightsabre stuck down the back of his shirt, Ninja Turtle-style. Mr7 is bashing away at the totem tennis, whilst singing an assortment of songs at the top of his voice. At regular intervals, they call me. "Come and play with us, Mum!"
"In a minute." Standard response.
Suddenly, Mr7 bursts through the backyard. "Mum, you have to come and see this AWESOME sunset!"
The cursor blinks on my urgent email. Blink, blink, blink.
I turn away from its accusing glare. And run to the backyard.
"Red sky at night, fisherman's delight," Mr7 choruses. Then, an anxious look. "Does it still work if it's pink, Mum?"
It does. I grab the camera and take a terrible picture of one of those lovely, fleeting moments we have with our children.
Ah, those moments are precious aren't they? Well worth putting everything else on hold for.
ReplyDeleteVery nice. Sometimes you just have to let the rest of the world to deal with itself, don't you.
ReplyDeleteI've been reminded of this recently, as well.
I am working hard to experience as many of those fleeting moments as I can manage. They're what help me get through long days and longer nights.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post.
ReplyDeleteNow if you'll excuse me, I'm turning off my computer to play with my kiddies.
We grew up with "Red Sky at Night, Shepherd's Delight" & its friend "Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd's Warning". I can't remember if it was mum (English farm girl) or dad (career Navy), who was hanging out with shepherds?? My children chant it, so i must have passed it on, certainly getting some spectacular sunsets here in Canberra. Today it was snowing when i collected the children from school at 3p.m. brrr, cold & those beautiful big grey snow clouds, i felt like heading to Mt Selwyn, not home. Love Posie
ReplyDeleteI hate hearing myself say "one more minute.
ReplyDeleteI love that the sunset interrupted their furious ninja moves, and your frantic firing of emails. Sounds like Fam Fibro have their priorities sorted.
But we all agree that I'm not winning any photography awards here. I think I need an iPhone just for that hipstamatic thingumyjig.
ReplyDeleteHipstamatic does work minor miracles for on-the-fly snaps by less than perfectionist photographers (myself included).
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely sunset - but it is so hard to capture those moments in a photo. I know, I have tried many times! Sometimes I have spent so long trying to capture the moment that I fail to notice when the moment has passed. It might be hard to capture these moments in pictures - but you did so in words.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous sky.
ReplyDeleteThanks for cutting today's mother guilt in half here.
I had decided this afternoon that my little man asks me play with him so frequently because he doesn't have a sibling.
Nice to hear your TWO want your participation too.
:-)
Just fabulous Allison. It's a beautiful photograph, because it has a wonderful story behind it, sometimes I think that's more important than anything. What a lovely memory to keep forever.
ReplyDeleteI find myself snapping all sorts of things with my trusty little camera, because like yourself, I think "I would like to capture this moment, right here, right now".
I'm glad you dashed out to see it with your lovely boys xo
They are gone gone gone....way too soon.
ReplyDeleteI love this post, so real and simple and a reminder to stop and see wonder with our children,
ReplyDeleteRed sky in the morning shepheards warning....I know that one too!
ReplyDeleteLove it, especially fisherman's sky.
ReplyDeleteOh, if I had a dollar for every time I said "in a minute" to my kids.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely pink sunset.
Those moments are exactly the reason why I want to get better at photography. Not that your pic of that amazing sunset is anything but stellar, of course... x
ReplyDelete