Our Power Bill

You might remember that we recently got solar power put in? Well, ours is not even in the optimum position (it's on the western, rather than the northern side of the roof) but guess what our bill is now? About $35 a quarter! And this quarter, it was $36 credit! It was really worthwhile. If you're considering installing solar, I urge you to go for it!

On the Needles...

Ponies and carrots

Magnetic fishing game

Cath Kidston handbag

Wedding gift cushion covers

Alas, friends, it has been too long! As I mentioned, I have lost many photos and am still getting my head around (stupid, STUPID) Windows 7 Photos (where you can't even tag stuff, let alone edit it) so blogging has just been in the Too Hard Basket. Plus I can never seem to think of anything interesting to write. So, I'm not actually promising that I do now have anything interesting to write, but it's time to get back in the game. And I'm missing you guys! Above are some things I've been sewing. (Of course this writing was supposed to be at the top. No cut and paste in Blogger! Sigh.) xx

Hope You Had a Happy Easter

I hope you had a very happy Easter! I have a little bit of time before bed so I won't write much, just share some photos of our weekend. This was a camping trip we'll do again because there was something for everyone: riding for Matt and Kees, exploring for the kids, early morning walks for me, swimming at the beach and fish and chips for everyone, hanging out with the Munros, an outside bath (with frogs and stars) and making a camp fire, Kees' absolute favourite thing - he makes pretend fires almost every day! The Easter Bunny managed to find us, luckily, and we enjoyed the excitement of a rainforest egg hunt. I can't wait to steal some more time to look at your blogs and see what you've been up to. xx

Beautiful, restorative, fresh, early morning walks. Alone! Ahh.

Misty Wollumbin - the cloud-catcher

Worn out kids .... yesss!

A wicked pump track

Goodmorning!

Fighting already. See what chocolate does?

Gorgeous Fingal, like a little bit of Straddie and a little bit of Byron

For some, stealing the last glorious swims of Autumn...

For others? That all just seemed a bit too much like hard work.

Our happy little beach bum. ;0)

Oh little one. Don't change too much. xxxx

A Barbecue and a Fairy House

I don't know about you, but my kids and I usually need to get out with some company most mornings. Today we had a nice morning planned, going out with friends, but then they .... cancelled! I went into a little panic, dithering about what we would do now, and would we all drive each other nuts? Would the kids start to bicker or mess up the house, or would I find my patience starting to ebb? (If you know what I mean.) Would I succumb to that very convenient evil of evils: television?

No! I packed up a basket of things along the lines of our Autumn theme and we headed off to the park. I like to pretend we live in the country and this is our "back paddock". ;0)
We sat on the green grass and read a couple of echidna books, then we coloured our cardboard echidnas. We glued pine needle "spines" on to make them complete.

We wondered about mushrooms...are they edible? I'm really curious to find out more about them. This one looks a bit like a nipple.

With the art and craft all over in about two minutes, it was time for some serious play.

Jimmy put on his man voice and serious working frown and got down to business cooking pretend sausages on his pretend barbecue.

Kees became engrossed in building his fairy house, and I enjoyed that too.

Altogether, we had the most lovely morning. By the time we mosied home we'd been out for two hours; it was a really peaceful and rewarding way to spend time with my little ones. Everyone always says how short this time is, when they're tiny, so I want to make the most of it. xx

My Dad Caught Himself on Fire

I think the charred remains of the t-shirt say it all. xx

Hello! I'm sorry I haven't blogged for SOOO long. Our computer has been updated to Windows 7; it is absolutely hopeless for photos. (I realise it could be me that's hopeless.) I have also lost many, many photos - more than six months' worth - that were supposedly saved onto external hard drive. It is driving me nuts. Is anyone using Windows 7? Can anyone give me a clue or is it really as bad as I think? It's very difficult to keep up a blog with this program. Eugghh. Anyway, as you can see, things are pretty normal round here. xx

PS: Tamara, don't worry about your bald spot; have a look at the bottom photo on that gardening post. I've got one too!! How funny is that! Must be my camera. I'm going with that. ;0)

Community Gardening

We really enjoyed this afternoon at Tamara's, pottering in the garden with friends. I loved how each person became completely absorbed in his or her own tasks: weeding, watering, making soup or collecting things. It was just a lovely afternoon.

Ever since I became a mother, I have found our modern, mainstream way of parenting could leave me feeling like there must be a better way. I have often wondered if a tribal or extended family situation is the more natural way of being. It can be so difficult for one parent to be responsible for the children all day: no-one to pass a crying baby to, no-one to watch the new baby while you have a shower, catch up on sleep, or just eat your food or drink a cup of tea while it's still hot! Or what about those days when your kids just play up all day and you feel like you can't stand it anymore? I am extremely grateful for the company and help of lovely friends and family, but often you just need someone in the moment. It's always great to go out to see friends and let the kids play, but you can't always do that: sometimes, the fact is, you just need to cook dinner, do housework or get some jobs done at home.

When I watch my children play with a group of kids of mixed ages, I really love how it just works. The big ones look after the little ones, lead the games and sort out any scuffles. Everyone just seems to find their place. They never get bored and they rarely fight. It feels right for children to play like this. It feels like the natural way for humans to be, not little families all boxed up in individual houses with big fences all around. I recently watched a documentary about the main slum in Mumbai; even though the people there were very poor, they were rich in community. I just love the idea of that freedom for children, playing, exploring, running around - I've always wanted to say to my kids in the morning, "Righto, here's your lunch, off you go and be home by dark. Have fun!" (And not just to get rid of them!)

I'm really glad our kids seem to be forming a lovely neighbourhood gang around our block. Regular afternoons are now spent riding bikes around the cul-de-sac, climbing trees, throwing grass in the duck pond and running up and down the football field singing loudly, all while us parents have a nice chat. Of course they are little now and need our supervision, but it won't be too long till they're off on adventures on their own. How exciting!

Thanks Tamara, we enjoyed helping you in the garden. And here's the recipe for that delicious Wild Rice Salad, since you were complaining that I hadn't posted it yet. ;0) xxx