Bards for Babes

Having fun with poetry, whilst doing daily tasks with my daughter.

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Just getting a ‘kebe’ (butter) hair steam and enjoying the smell of freshly roasted coffee (buna). Butter steams are a big thing here (as is coffee) and they’re supposed to be amazing for the hair and skin. Ethiopian butter is VERY different and often romanticised in fiction. I think it’s in ‘Cutting for Stone’, that I laughed, when he goes to America and finds an Ethiopian Restaurant that declares everyone comes here because they get their butter imported from Ethiopia and you can taste the difference. It’s also a big part of finishing Doro Wot and mixed with raw beef. Well the steam was 👍🏼and I had an hour away from WFH/feeding Rosa. I love this country and it’s culture. In so many ways undiluted and so beautiful. ❤️ 🇪🇹. (at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BubBpDjFkmw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xcd9udez7rp3

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Super Noodle

[bctt tweet=”There’s a silly noodle on my plate, It won’t be picked up or cooperate.”] There’s a silly noodle on my plate, It won’t be picked up or cooperate. Though I can put a smile on a face Or I can pretend to be a shoelace. This noodles here for me to doodle And make the world mine, absoloodle!

You see this silly noodle on my plate, You won’t be able to confiscate. I’ll eat it up and let it…

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Christmas in Addis Christmas in Addis is really quite bizarre. No, really it’s bazaar after bazaar And when you see baubles from Habesha beer,

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Boys Fishing on Lake Awasa Ethiopia

Ethiopian young women in Lalibela

Fishing on Lake Awasa Ethiopia

Table Football in Ethiopia

  Never been colonised, what does that mean? More identity than I’ve ever seen. The lost and found or just lost look I see, Searching for ownership of identity. Never forced to believe their way is wrong, Never had to march to an alien song, Never stripped till the memory is a blur, Though there are internal bumps, I concur. They’re their bumps to own, not whipped from abroad, They’ll whip themselves with their umbilical cord. Stubborn and proud, means valued and free. Black pride here really isn’t necessary. There’s nothing to prove, the battle was won. Their year, their time, their rules, nothing has gone. I miss this, it’s something missing in me. I grew up begging for diversity. Displaced, misplaced, some gone without a trace, Family, history of an entire race. Now hanging somewhere where everything’s changed. Where fitting in has to be arranged. Never been colonised, what does that mean? So much more in the faces that I’ve seen. [bctt tweet=”Never been colonised, what does that mean? So much more in the faces that I’ve seen.”] Mama Grace

Ethiopian Wedding Lalibela

Ethiopian Wedding Lalibela

Orthodox Church service Lalibela

Priest in Lalibela

Priest in Lalibela

Man in the Lalibela market

Never Been Colonised   Never been colonised, what does that mean? More identity than I’ve ever seen. The lost and found or just lost look I see,

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Rice Cake Dreams

There are so many things that I enjoy, There’s a fallout from my nightly dreams. I’ll wake to bring them all back together, Then rest full from joy, bursting at the seams.

The same satisfaction comes day and night, I’ll reach for the stars when I see a crack. I could toast in sunshine or jump in clouds wee, With the same mmm, as having a rice cake snack.

[bctt tweet=”These rice cake dreams are my…

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This Mum is on Fire

This Mum is on Fire

It was an exciting challenge to be given the words of new mums and collaborate for the documentary ‘First Time Mum’, in order to write a poem that encapsulated their experiences. After being given an email, where each mum wrote their experience down, I ended up using a version of blackout poetry, as a stepping stone to expose the essence of what they’ve been through. After blacking out everything…

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Baby Break No, you heard right, this isn't a mistake. This mummy's going on a baby break. You see I've been with her here all the time,

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How do I fit?

How do I fit?

I want Grace to be true to who she is and to trust her instincts in life; doing what makes her happy. In my experience, it’s hard when your parents want you to take a path that you don’t want to take and equally don’t want you to take a path that you’ve taken.

I’ve had two sayings in my head.

‘You can’t force a square peg into a round hole’

and one that was a central belief when I worked with…

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Ode to Gina Ford

Ode to Gina Ford

Being a mum in this world is much like anything, everybody does it differently and when mums meet up we talk about what works and what doesn’t, in our opinions.

One thing that has worked for me is Gina Ford and I know there are different opinions and I fully respect everyone’s experience but I’ve had a positive experience and would like to speak up for it. This is especially as it gets pitched…

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Where's Your Shoe?

Where’s Your Shoe?

Help me out, Where’s your shoe? Let’s get out, Where’s your shoe?

You had it, Where’s your shoe? I saw it, Where’s your shoe?

Remember, Where’s your shoe? Please blabber, I beg you.

Please help me, Where’s your shoe? Point and see, Where’s your shoe?

I love you! Here’s a shoe. It won’t do, We need two.

Come now, Where’s the other shoe? But how? Where’s the other shoe?

Think now, Where’s the other…

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Peeing on Lego My 16 month old just asked for the potty, hooray! But wanted to take her lego, okay...

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Jambo! Buying cushions and breakfast @waspandsprout furniture makers and great food, again. @sophiajoshua @sophiajoshuaart you'd love it here. #kenya #africa #interiors #kenyanprints #shoppingandeating #bakedeggs #dawa (at Wasp & Sprout)

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@zengardenkenya what a beautiful restaurant. The food was delicious, love their Asian menu. 👍🏼 play area and changing facilities. #kenya #africa #travellingwithfamily #familyabroad #eatingout #zen #peaceful (at Zen Garden)

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Back with my baby to see the baby elephants. ❤️ the work they do, hate the reasons they have to do it. #kenya #africa #bornfree #conservation #endpoaching #backintothewild #banivory #familythattravel #familyabroad #DavidSheldrick #wildlife #pbloggers #elephantorphanage (at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust)

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Back at the first place hubby took me to convince me to make the move to join him. @tinroof.cafes still a great menu, service, shops art gallery and a lovely little retreat in busy Nairobi. Plus wifi and baby changing. #pbloggers #kenya #africa #familyabroad #familythattravel #goodfood #cassavapancakes #eatingwithfamily #thesouk #shopping #shoppingandeating #art #artgalllery (at Nairobi, Kenya)

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Jambo! This place is always a must for me. I could read about the Mau Mau and 🇰🇪 independence all day, plus Turk Boy. There's a great exhibition of East African birds here at the moment too or as Grace says 'Bir'. #kenya #africa #nationalmuseum #iknownothing #maumau #independence #eastafricanbirds #turkboy #harambee #museum (at National Museums of Kenya)

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I was inspired by a quote I saw on Instagram. I can't remember who it was by or what it said exactly but it was something like 'I can do with one wipe, what my husband does with five'. It made me laugh because all our parenting styles and skills are so different and I can get frustrated with the OH but more than often I'm reminded how much he brings to our rhythm as a family. I instantly thought of Uncle Bob and the happiness of 'We're Jammin', so I wrote my version of 'We're Jammin' for parenting. I hope you like it. Mama Grace. To read my latest poem follow the link in my bio 👆🏾 #bobmarley #unclebob #poetry #werejammin #poetsofinstagram #parenting #jamminparenting #harmonyhouse #bardsforbabes #poemsforchildren #writing #inspired