indulging

School holidays have been providing us this week with time to indulge ourselves a little.
Time to take things slower and potter and plan and create and play.

My girl has had time to find her own feet again and taste her own rhythm....a small saunter into her growing self.
And I have found the moments within this new found freedom now to both observe hungrily and participate at her request. School holidays are growing sweeter and richer here indeed.

I've also found a few moments for myself. Not so much for the Mama but for Me. Just a few dreamy moments to feed all those other parts of myself that need nurturing... mostly through the form of books like this one (again) and this and this. A nice satisfactory selection of reading sitting right on my bedside and some following me throughout my day. Handmade Home fell lovingly into my lap from a generous giveaway by Melissa...Thank you again Melissa! I believe the universe met with my wish the day my name was drawn by your sweet girls!

As I write I can also smell more dust from our second dust storm of the week and can see, even in the dark, the misty thick signs of its surrounding us in the glow of our neighbours lights through my window. A reminder that I will have more indulging to do this next week....maybe in the form of some serious cleaning up! Despite closed windows and doors the floors and everything we touch is gritty, the shelves are layered in a fine talc and I expect in the morning I will be greeted with the sight of more than a layer of our Australian red dirt over everything outside also.
Ahh mother Earth....she likes to indulge sometimes too.

(Melissa also has some great photo's of storm number one as we experienced it on her blog too.)

he's two

Our little Bam turned two last week.

Of course it was celebrated in the obligatory tradition of a three or more day festival that both our little one's birthdays seem to have become! It's tiring for a Mama....but really I don't mind because it's so much fun and the joy it brings is worth much more......plus traditions are so so good aren't they?

So running with tradition our Bam woke to balloons scattered throughout, pretty homemade birthday bunting hanging across the ceiling (it's the bunting that hangs, as Kyle says, when you know there is something to be celebrated) and his birthday crown to wear at his choosing....for the second time.

And there was cake to be baked....chocolate cake of course....to be eaten with homemade lasagna for a dinner filled with all the birthday boys favourite things that night.

The festival continued with a small party and bbq in the park on Sunday followed by wheelie driving and scooting, paper plane flying, attempts at kite flying, swimming and paddling......and cake number two!

A late night chocolate collaboration between Mama and Papa of his very very favourite *person*. (which we found inspiration and instruction for here!)

Tell me do you not love Wall-e too?

That solitary hard working little robot who re uses and re purposes all amount of goodies, falls in love and saves the planet too?

Yes we do love Wall-e here...thanks to Bam....

and it turns out he's not bad to eat in cake form either once you figure out just how to go about it.

Hmm maybe if you just go straight in for a bite?

But however you go about it, it seems he tastes pretty good....

and so does being two....pretty good indeed!

Happy Birthday little Bam!

the colour of sunday

These are just some of the colours of my Sunday.

Golden yolks from the backyard to fill hungry tummies and fire the morning, followed by a trip to the farmers market.

An afternoon bbq with family and quite a bit of nibbling on fresh loquats and star apples bought for a steal.

A feast for the eyes... and the belly.

banksia men and bottle brush velvet

A rainy sunrise car ferry ride saw us safely to our island destination on Saturday morning.

A local piece of paradise right in our own bay.
We ventured to our weekend getaway....camping by the sea.

It was our first beach trip in the 4x4. Our first experience of sand driving....and considering the idyllic destinations that can take you to, we are now yearning for just a little bit more.

We immersed ourselves in two perfectly shiny days to play and then dream to the sounds of moonlit waves only steps away.

We made discoveries too....

and fed fat banksia men.

We scraped fallen bottle brush flowers to make soft natural velvet.

And this Mama sighed under a perfect Sunday sunrise....

and drank jasmine tea on the beach while her little ones frolicked...

and collected pumice to learn how it floats.

There were kookaburra's and a kangaroo visitor.

And there was another beach drive to a freshwater tea tree stained lake to swim in, catch fish...

and just dangle our toes.....

but best of all there were happy faces...

and just one or two banksia men and bottlebrush velvet stems to come home with us as a reminder of our sunny beach days away.

springs beauty

it's here

springs beauty

in my garden

it's bursting forth in new grape leaves from dormant bare vines

it's in the apple buds and their delicate pink petals

it's in the lemon and blood orange flowers

it floats sweetly with their precious scent

it's in the peach blossoms

it's in the furry baby mulberries

yes springs beauty is in my garden
just ready to turn into springs and next winters delicious bounty

Welcome September
Welcome sweet Spring