endings, beginnings and in between....

It's been a busy week..... the celebrating

more celebrating......the eating.......the recovering......

and the playing.

Lots and lots of playing.... (some mostly to cool down)

Then more relaxing.

This relaxing today involved a long drive to the country....exploring spaces I hadn't discovered yet.....marking the end of the year.....

With views of the water, cows, horses and small towns together with cold apple pie to munch.

I haven't been one for finding time for much reflection yet on my year past....or for making many concrete plans for my year to come.

But maybe today's exploration could be broadly prophetic.....that silent time gazing out the window of the car at green expanses, watching and dreaming of exploring the spaces, maybe just inside myself, that I haven't discovered yet, once I wade through what's in between. It could be great.

Happy New Year everyone.

::: Noel :::

Well the sweeties are made, the shortbread baked, the tiny roly poly carrots picked for the reindeer, and there is a roast waiting for the oven tonight....

The handmade gifts are all completed.....

and wrapped just waiting to be given..... I like the giving.

There will be just one more jaunt to see our favourite street of Christmas lights (saved of course for a Christmas Eve visit) after dinner and pudding tonight, then a drive to take Grandpa home.....

Then I'm going to curl up on the couch with a cold liqueur and wait by the glow of the Christmas tree to play Santa before I curl up again to slumber in my bed.....'til the morning....

To all who have enjoyed visiting and commenting on my blog... a big Thank you.

And to all whose blog I have loved and been welcome at over the year....Thank you too.

Merry Christmas everyone......Peace......see you in a bit.....

holding stars in your hand

Happy Solstice to you!

It's no secret...I love stars.... and the sun being the central star of our solar system it's a fitting day to celebrate them and share a few we have been making to decorate our home.

Have you seen these little ones?
I found them over here where there is also a great and easy tutorial to make some of your own. Be warned however, you may find yourself with a bundle of paper strips that follow you around the house and garden so you can make them while watching dinner cook, playing with the little ones, while sitting, chatting....pretty much whenever your hands are free.

They also found their way into a larger star mobile we made which is hanging over our dining table.....it's not a great shot but it's so pretty turning in the breeze and with the warm light shining through it at night.....

And there is a string of them hanging decoratively from both of my babes bedroom doors...just a bit more festive primping.

Being on a bit of a paper-y jaunt we also made a bauble with a bell on the bottom for our tree....each year we try to add something new and special to our collection of tree ornaments.... it is made from old Christmas cards saved by Grandma from previous years which are now seeing a lot of renewed crafty activity.

Tonight we are going to finish our Solstice celebrating watching the faces of our little ones as they watch Christmas fireworks high over our city...and then drive tired little bodies home to bed just as we walked them home again last night after more exciting starlit sauntering.

How will you be celebrating your Solstice day?

melting summer

Thanks to a lovely blogging friend I have been able to breathlessly admire white "wintriness"....the kind of pristine white crystals I am never going to see here where we live.

So on this hot summer day of ours we decided, to make a couple of our own big summery backyard icicles to hang and admire in our garden.


And watch melt over a couple of hours......

Letting the drips land on grass, hands, heads, toes.....whatever would enjoy the cooling sensation and novelty most.....

Until nothing was left other than the jute rope, a petal or two and some pretty memories of moments just watching the melting....

living food

In a timely fashion we have been adding breakfast radishes fresh from the garden into our salads lately, as well as still nibbling and in some cases feasting directly from the patch on other goodies.
I say timely because it is definitely the festive season, and with so many celebrations and Christmas parties happening for me lately it's a little easy to indulge in, well, too many Christmas time treats.

Our radishes (which are the prettiest pink don't you think?) are providing the perfect zing to some needed detoxing and re energizing meals.....like this radish and orange salad, with cucumber of course.

Just add a dash of orange blossom water and a sprinkle of cinnamon and devour delicious life force straight from the sun and the earth.

The perfect tonic....

starlit sauntering

We've decided to go for evening wanders.
There are lots of Christmas lights glowing in the night of our neighbourhood.....just asking to be admired and just itching to inspire the imaginations and feed the excitement of the season for the little ones.

So with dinner enjoyed and little bodies bathed and clad in cosy pyjama's we eagerly wait....for the sun to dim, just enough, to set off on our starlit adventure....out into the warm night to find the next lot of lights and glowing houses we haven't yet seen.

We walk far with much pointing and little cries of "Sanar" (Santa) and "pitty" (pretty) ... and bigger cries of "look Mum over here" and....."I don't want to go home".

Oh there is enough for plenty more night time sauntering yet.

And just now, tonight, two little bodies have curled into bed and drifted easily off into sleep....I wonder what colours they are dreaming of?

my christmas came early.....

I have some pre-Christmas eye candy for you...

Yesterday was my beautiful little sister's big 30th Birthday.
On stopping by her abode to offer homemade gifts, kisses and singing yesterday I wondered, well quite frankly, who's birthday it was.... I walked away with this rich stash she had hoarded up in her cupboards for years.
She giggled because she saved it (her carefully chosen little bundle of funkiness) from suitcases full of the same that was on it's way to the Red Cross from our Mum and Grandmother's stash years and years ago....and she has never been a sewer. I on the other hand, cannot even remember where I was at that stage of my life having walked to and fro from my sewing and creating world at various times in the past. Yes I am regretful. I am wondering if some of you thrifty Australian ladies own some of that fabric now....and that makes me happy....just as happy that this pretty lot now belongs to me too.

And just for herself....and because it was her birthday after all.... she did keep one little number for the kitchen though.....

Suits her.....don't you think?

Happy Birthday Jen.....

and Thanks again for my "early Christmas".

I won't forget our chat about wishing you had learnt to sew.....there is no wishing with sewing.....it will be your "next year thing".....we are going to teach you girl! x

the crowning day.....

I fought back a few tears today.....

It was the last time I was going to drive down this little leafy laneway, beside the old hall (well for a few years anyway) ..... the same laneway my mother drove me down when I was 3 and 4 years old, oh my maybe 33 years ago.....

I am going to miss this place......all those early morning smells; the birds; the trees we stopped to touch and look up ritually on our way to the gate; the faces of the other Mama's and thier little ones who I have grown so fond of, and the teachers.....of my those wonderful teachers......one of Mia's being the same as my sister had 27 years ago.....too precious!
I wanted to just squeeze her in the throes of "goodbye" today..... I should have.

Beside all this, I have a new treasured possession, in addition to my baby girl, who is not such a baby anymore it seems.

It's this folder.......

It is overflowing with a years worth of creations, events and achievements.... a rainbow of memories of and for my girl...

(I've just realised she has painted herself with wings in this one above)

As hard as I try I haven't been able to block my desire to devour it yet, or her as she sleeps while I write this....

slow gifts

Yes there has been slow gift making going on here..... slooow gift making.

I think maybe slowing down has giving way in a small amount to my procrastinating...just a bit. I am fighting this demon....with much enjoyment and achievement though, I might add, once the battle has begun. Such silliness....


With a pinch of risk I am sharing a tidbit of what is being created around here so far for my handmade Christmas.....I can't give away a lot of course but the colours are nice.....

More to come.....

Happy gift making.

the big and little things

The weekend saw scorching days here in the city.
Summer has definitely arrived now, despite being just a tad late, with 34+ degree days....and my decision to escape with the two lil'uns on Saturday saw it no cooler on the coast at "the farm".

It wasn't long before a little cooling off was required thanks to the water tanks and all the recent rain......

Our soothing water play quickly grew, aided by the adventurous and fun loving side of a special Grandad, into something much bigger and much more entertaining.

I think our howls of laughter must have been heard for miles....

And after all that cooling off.....there was a little time to enjoy the big view....

and a few of the little things.....

It's funny....most of the family ended up converging on this little pocket of the world on the same day, over an hour from home, for one reason or another.....my brother to service the tractor and ride on mower; my sister on her way to a portrait shooting for my other brother and his family; myself, Mia and Bam just escaping the city, plus Mum and Roger who are there preparing to move in.....

I wonder if they think they will have quiet weekends away from us all when they are finally set up in the house there?