Song
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest;
Home-keeping hearts are happiest,
For those that wander they know not where
Are full of trouble and full of care;
To stay at home is best.
Weary and homesick and distressed,
They wander east, they wander west,
And are baffled and beaten and blown about
By the winds of the wilderness of doubt;
To stay at home is best.
Then stay at home, my heart, and rest;
The bird is safest in its nest;
O'er all that flutter their wings and fly
A hawk is hovering in the sky;
To stay at home is best.
***
Gosh. For one mad moment I thought it would be fine to take a baby out in a pram for a walk. I was looking at some mummy blogs with cute photos of teeny pups swaddled in soft muslin and came over all nostalgic for those foggy days of baby and toddler-hood when we'd take off for a wander round the neighbourhood pushing the pram. Somehow, despite the fact they those days were chaotic and tiring, they seem to be more relaxed than now - the tween years. High school has deposited itself into our domestic setting with a jolt. Makes the old, heady routine of feeds, nappy changes and sleepless nights seem so much simpler, kinder and uncomplicated. We could loll about on Sundays. But now it's sport and parties and electronic devices and homework and a larger ironing pile than I ever thought possible.
