Sunrise

When you're a mother of toddlers, these early morning sunrises usually bring a moan of 'go back to sleep'. When you're sleep deprived, first light just aft 4am is anything but thrilling...Where are the black out curtains? Where is my SLEEP?

But as a mother of teenagers who have perfected the art of sleeping in, I adore these early sunrises. It's a gift that says 'Veronika, here is a whole bunch of extra time in your day for you to write'.

And it's true. It's just me (after feeding the hungry cats), the sunrise, the calves in the field outside my garden, and the birds singing in the day. I hold onto every single minute, and the minutes turn to an hour, and some days, there are quite a few hours in which I write. All guilt free. And then, when the family has awoken to the day, and it's clear I'm not going to be able to write a thing, I magically turn into a mother and wife again.