Jennifer Michie

Tag: Illustration (page 1 of 4)

March 1, 2023 / 0 Comments

HELLO, March

Hello, March. We’ve already seen a few signs of your spring-y arrival, here and there with the bursting forth of snowdrops and daffodils. They’ve been dotting hills, lawns and gardens with little dazzling white and custard yellow bursts of magic against the green. 

We’re ready for you to continue lengthening our days little by little. We’re ready for more ramblings in the woods and along the coastal path. We’re ready to wear the green for St. Patrick’s Day and feast on my Nana’s Irish soda bread. 

We’re ready to dance in our kitchen, crafting meals that allow us to cook with the season. We’re ready for more movie watching, popcorn eating, puzzle doing, quiet weekends just getting to be together. 

We’re ready to carry on in this season of Lent and use it carefully as a time for reflection and an opportunity to commit even more “random acts of kindness”. In my family we always “added” too Lent, alongside abstaining from something of our choice for 40 days. My parents instilled in us a need to do good within your own community and we have carried that into adulthood. 

We’re ready to continue to cherish the little things, to stop and be present and to find peace in the quiet moments. 

Welcome March, we’re ready for all good things. 

{Daffodils by Tatiana Boyko // Central Illustration Agency | Pinned HERE}

May 1, 2022 / 0 Comments

HELLO, May

Hello, May! If you’re anything like your sister April, you will still usher forth chilly mornings that swiftly begin to warm up when the sun comes out. Offering us a minuscule taste of what summer shall bring, when the glow of the sun is on our backs. 

Today, you herald in May Day and the appearance of the Green Man who will parade through our village with his beribboned and festive court in attendance. We’re ready for the days to continue to gradually lengthen as we eat dinner with the windows open and a breeze blows in. We’re ready for the bounty that will begin to arrive in earnest at the green grocers and the taste of the first heirloom tomatoes and yellow squash of the season. 

We’re ready for longer beach walks and the hopes of catching a seal or two sunbathing. We’re ready for early mornings where we quietly read and sip coffee as the sky turns from purple velvet to a soft awakening pink. We’re ready to continue to appreciate the little things and we’re ready for the adventures that await us.

{An image from, Summer’s Coming In by Natalia Belting, illustrated by Adrienne Adams, 1970}

December 28, 2021 / 0 Comments

The In-Between

I cherish the pace of these in-between days. I treasure this time between Christmas and New Years. The time to be, when days seem to stretch out in front of you. These are precious days indeed, that do not come often. 

We have enjoyed each other’s company, gone for long strolls, read, cobbled together sandwiches from leftovers, watched a plethora of old movies, listened to Christmas music, basked in the glow of the Christmas lights and have just generally been happy to be. 

The days are moving a bit too quickly for me now, I’m nowhere near ready for our Christmas break to come to end. But, I’m taking pleasure from being in the moment and drinking in all it has to offer. 

These days, these in-between days, hold so much and so little. These days, these heady days, hold so much magic in their offering.

{Image by Fritz Baumgarten // Pinned HERE}

December 21, 2021 / 0 Comments

Winter Solstice

❄️ Happy Winter Solstice! ❄️

We were greeted by the sunrise over the water this morning and the sun has stayed out as the day has progressed, which has been a first for us in a little while. The air is crisp and clean. Our walk was full of woodland creatures and there is a magic in the air.

Happy Yule!

{Interior illustration from The Shortest Day, by Susan Cooper, illustration by Carson Ellis // Image taken from an article on the NPR HERE // Carson Ellis website HERE}

November 1, 2021 / 0 Comments

HELLO, November

Hello, November! We’re ready for the full shift to autumn that you will bring, early nights and darker mornings. We’re ready for leaves crunching underfoot and the smell of woodsmoke in the air and crispy apples packed as snacks.

We’re ready to feast by the glow of candlelight and sip hot apple ciders and munch on gingersnaps for our evening dessert. We’re ready for the promise of Thanksgiving that comes near the end of your monthly reign this year. And the smells of turkey and gravy and baked sweet potato pie that will fill the air.

We’re ready to move into “sweater weather” and take rambling walks with our wellies on, through the muddy fields and up to the hills to look out over the water. We’re ready for twinkle lights to glitter from every nook and cranny and we’re ready for the stillness that you bring with late autumn evenings where all the world is quiet except for the whistling of the wind.

Welcome November!

{The Mushroom Gatherers, by Abigail Halpin // Pinned HERE}

March 1, 2021 / 0 Comments

HELLO, March

Hello, March. February brought us the first flush of bulbs pushing up from the earth and bursting into bloom. The world around us has slowly been polka-dotted with the whites and purples of crocuses and the eruption of saffron painted daffodils. We’re ready for you to usher more pops of colour into the landscape. 

We’re ready to spend more days in the sunshine and for dusk to take a dash longer to arrive before the curtains close on the day. We’re ready for more chances to picnic outdoors and for longer evening walks. We’re ready for St. Patrick’s Day, where my Nana’s Irish Soda bread will grace our table.

However, we’re not quite ready for our rhythm to change with the latest government announcement that all children will return to school in one fell swoop on the eighth. Selfishly, I will miss the opportunity that this time has afforded us (Mr Michie and I) to work around one another again. I will dearly miss being able to pop out of one room, while on a break, and see Mr. Michie’s beautiful face working in another. That has been a gift that I have cherished.

We are blessed during this time to still have a roof over our heads, food on our table and jobs when so many others are not in the same circumstances. I think it’s easy to say during this time, that we’re all in the same boat. But, in actuality, we’re not. We’re all in the same fleet, but each of us face different challenges in our own boats. We should strive to be physically, mentally and emotionally aware of that. We are navigating these waters as best we can. 

So, let us continue to live in the moment and not let the small things pass us by. Let’s celebrate the coming of spring and welcome her with open arms. 

{Image by Barbara Dziadosz found HERE // Pinned HERE}

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