And two or three continents. Living in Melbourne, Australia and writing for publication in the USA and Europe keeps me on my toes. How often I wish I could be in two places at one time!!
Instead I am online working in two different hemispheres at the same time. It is Thursday here and Wednesday in Illinois.
I am living in two time zones – always mentally changing two or more clocks.
7.30 am here . 2.30 pm there.
Following two weather patterns from different hemispheres.
Illinois. USA
Victoria, AUS
In two minds all the time. And soon I will switch back again. Monday at noon I will leave Melbourne and travel for just under 24 hours then arrive in Chicago on Monday night of the same day. If all goes well. It looks like snow so in the interests of safety I might stay the night in Chicago and travel down into the country on Tuesday morning.
I like it. I like to travel. It keeps my mind solidly busy as I juggle the timelines in my head so I don’t lose anybody.
And I can’t be in two places at once.
I will be back here (in Aus) in a few months.
The big news.
The game changer is: My daughter is pregnant and we have decided that I will be her support person for the foreseeable future. It is very, very tough to raise a child alone. I know this well. I did not have a mother to support me when I was raising kids alone. So it is terribly important to me to remain a real involved mother to my own grown up children and their children. My journey as a young Mum was rocky due to lack of support. It was dangerously tough.
My daughter and I live together well. We are both calm people. We both love to walk. We both love to cook and eat fresh food. We both love to read. We are excited in a gentle kind of way. She will be a great Mum. And I will be Granny Nanny.
Baby is due late May early June.
And I have travel out this way booked for March anyway, so those fares are covered. I will be back to Australia by April for a number of months.
My real work will begin when she goes back to work. That will be early next year. But I will be here for the delivery and baby’s early months too. Tiny babies are a lot of work and I am here for all of it. I do babies very well. And am totally confident. My daughter will get good maternity leave so I will just be another soul in the house to help with the insanity that is a noisy baby. Another pair of hands. A shoulder. Someone to hand baby off to when it all gets a bit much. Though I do not doubt that she will do marvelously in this new chapter as she welcomes a mini human into her life.
And then after another period back on the farm I will be back to be Nanny.
For you this means I will be off the farm for longer periods of time. (Thank goodness we have Rhonda and her kids and John and his kids to help on the farm).
The Compact Kitchens Garden and the writing of the little ebooks will come into play. I will also be recording more books and you all will be along for the ride.
The journey of a Granny Nanny will be very real. In fact I will get out my Nanny writings (I was a Nanny in the UK for a few years before going to the US) so it will be a great opportunity to finish writing that book and publish it along with the rest.
John is very supportive of me helping my daughter as we believe that for a woman to have a choice whether to have baby or not; she needs real choices. And support – real support – should be one of those choices.
She has a good job with excellent maternity leave but no family in the country – so I am stepping up.
Once baby becomes an older toddler we will look at child care but until then – mums the word.
Things change all the time. We are with changes – you and I. We are water. Edging on here and there.
And I will get back to the farm as often as I can. But that sadly does depend on funding so I will need to work hard at getting more paid subscribers at SubStack. Maybe I will walk dogs!
We are still being low key about this new job of mine, as Granny Nanny, but you have all been with me for such a long time – I wanted to tell you – you are my own network of support and I am happy for you to know. We just needed a few more pieces to fall into place. But I am also superstitious about announcements so let’s just wait and see how things go. So far, so good.
It is a huge change for all involved not least of all my daughter. She has my complete support. There was no question about that.
Have a great day.
Celi
PS It’s a boy!! 😀
The Kitchen's Garden 
41 responses to “in two minds and two hemispheres”
I hope you have a good flight and Happy New Year!
I hope all the flights line up too but if not I have contingency plans!
Cool!
Oh that is wonderful!!! What a force you two will be for the little guy. You have been nesting. The farm is evolving into a more cooperative venture just in time. Happy for you! Xoxo
It is quite fascinating to watch each peg drop gently into the slot for this new step in our lives. Everything came together at the perfect time. Almost foretold.
I too have been a Granny Nanny although not 100% of the time; my girls both live close and the younger is a single parent, so I’ve been as present as possible while juggling care for my 92 year mom and activities in my own life. Tough at times but important. Parenting/supporting our children doesn’t end at 18.
Absolutely right Margaret. Just because our babies have grown up and left home does not mean our job is done. I also am having to manage a very grumpy 88 year old in Illinois too – but I have found it is important for us to build our own support network as well, with meetings and roles and responsibilities . Do you have help? Who helps you.
My boyfriend helps sometimes, not so much with mom but with other things. My brother does what he can but is still working full-time and has health issues of his own. My daughters have jobs and Littles so it’s tough for them to help anyone else although they do try. To be honest, most of it falls on me as the retired daughter/grandmother who lives close.
That is how it goes. I wish I lived close to any one of my little families. So grandma would be ordinary for them . I think I’d like that.
Are we to hold our congratulations for the time being?
We are keeping everything low key for a few months yet – I don’t know why I am like that – not wanting to tempt fate and all – but she has come far! And just that is worth congratulations I think.
congrats to you and your daughter and you will be a lovely granny nanny!
I was so privileged to help raise both my granddaughters from being their moms doula at birth, daily care while parents worked and right up until the time they each went off to begin school. I feel such a special bond with both girls and perhaps, given some still quiet plans, I may be able to return to them and their lives as they move into the challenges that are the teen years. Your journey will be magical C.
Thank you for telling us. It is such a lovely community here 🙂 I’m glad I found it!
I do hope you will continue writing here / on Substack when you become Granny Nanny.
Safe travels back to the farm.
Roll with the times as they say, and these are special times in all your lives. And somehow it will work. You can write from anywhere and you put in the groundwork on the farm to cover your absences. Congratulations.
Congratulations Celi! I was a granny nanny for a few years and those memories are my biggest treasure
We are a big group! Lots of granny nanny’s here!
Safe travels back to the US on Monday. And congratulations on the impending arrival of your new grandson. So exciting and your daughter is lucky to have your support.
This will be grandchild number nine! Goodness.
I was never a nanny granny to my four grandsons but I was an integral part of their lives. Now they are all grown and flown the nest, literally, all living in different parts of the world but still in regular and constant contact with their granma. I hope you have the same connection with this new baby in 25 years.
Lordy! I will be so old in 25 years!
As am I!
I
I am a very part time great-granny nanny. I watch my step-great-grandson on a video monitor while he naps (he usually just plays in his crib). I’m just not able to do much more than that and as he’s an active two year old, he’s more than I can handle. It means both his parents can work so it’s at least a help for them. Father puts him down and mother gets him up. So far their jobs allow that but will be changing and they will have to make other arrangements when that happens. There is also talk of moving for all of us in this new year.
It will certainly be a different way of life for you and yours. Our little was a good sleeper as an infant and that helped. I have noticed that he’s gotten sort of withdrawn and I have noticed behaviors that indicate possible autism, He wasn’t that way last year this time or even less so as a tiny infant. I have my suspicions about the cause and it upsets me because the parents are oblivious to the autistic behaviors.
I hope all the best for you and your daughter, it’s a big life change.
things do keep changing. That’s for sure. I am interested in you watching baby on the monitor. That sounds kind of cool. How does that work. Do you call someone when he is ready to get up? Will you be moving with them?
autism has such a broad reach. I think many people I work with are on the spectrum. Hope baby is not too limited in h their communications .
All those time zones would be a challenge! Thankfully our devices make it a bit easier.
What a blessing you are, to be able to be there for your daughter. I know she will truly appreciate the care. An exciting chapter ahead, more stories to write! All the best as you walk through this time with your feet in different hemispheres.
Patti
I do feel that I am straddling two worlds!
Seeems you’re looking at life from both sides now . . . From many different directions!
Yes. I really feel the lack of not being able to be in two places at the same time!