My family was woken at 5 am last Wednesday by a very loud bang. That sound was caused by an electrical pole being knocked over by a falling tree.
As a result, we lost power. Little did I know at the time that we would be without electricity for 13 hours. It didn’t take me long to realise that our family does take electricity for granted, and we needed to find creative ways to fill our day.
It was the first black-out Cam had experienced and she was a little concerned, especially because she couldn’t start her day with a little bit of television. You don’t want to be around me in the mornings. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve slept, I’m always grumpy when I wake. To save Cam from enduring my negative morning disposition, I let her watch television while I freshen up and prepare breakfast.
If the news about the television wasn’t enough for Cam, I had to tell her that we couldn’t dance to music, do any baking or even have toast for breakfast.
I was quite proud when she suggested we read some books. Using a torch we each hunted around the house for books we’d like to read, and still in our pyjamas and dressing gowns we embarked on a day of reading.
While we were reading For All Creatures (shortlisted for CBCA’s Picture Book of the Year, 2012 ) it struck me that the book read a little bit like a prayer.
I thought it would be a nice idea to make a God’s Eye: a good old-fashioned craft with no power required!
We collected some sticks from our backyard (we were spoiled for choice, given the storm the night before) and I found some wool in the cupboard.
I began to weave the wool around the sticks to create a cross.
Cam was excited by the task but it was difficult for her little hands, given the need to wrap the wool around the sticks with one hand and rotate the cross with the other,
I sat Cam upon my lap. Cam’s role was to wrap the wool around the stick, while I rotated the cross.
It was a lovely morning where we sat close physically, learning something new and working together to create something quite beautiful.
I had intended for our creation to be a God’s Eye; something we could hang in our house as a reminder to be thankful.
Cam, however, thought it looked like a spider web, which really is quite fitting because the story starts with:
‘For weavers and wisps.
For silk spinners and spiderlings,
Lace and loveliness
And for webs, we are thankful.’
Some of the other books we read:
- Where are you Snugglepot and Cuddlepie?
- That’s Not a Daffodil
- Ten Blue Wrens
With the toaster, sandwich press, oven and microwave out of action, we needed to think creatively about lunch. Cam excitedly suggested a lounge room picnic with sandwiches, fruit and biscuits.
