Bread and Jam

Nadine was bemused -- and delighted -- to be invited to a bread-and-jam making morning with Terese and me. I mixed and proved the dough early, then when the ladies arrived they shaped and baked (and the children made their own rolls for lunch, too). While the bread rose and browned, we chopped and stirred homegrown rhubarb, oranges and lemons to make rhubarb-and-ginger jam.
One still-warm loaf was scoffed for lunch, then the visitors departed laden with bread, jam, lemons, eggs and flowers.

Golden Trumpets

A chest infection that won't go away meant a morning appointment at the doctor's, then a trip into town for antibiotics. The rest of the day was spent quietly, slowly doing just the bits the housework that really had to be done, reading books, colouring in, and playing board games.

We also took a turn around the garden, admiring the golden trumpets of the daffodils -- then picking them to 'blow' and take home to put in a vase.

Jessie Up a Tree

This dear creature came to visit today, together with her beautiful older sister, gorgeous mum and cute little brother. Such lovely, bright-eyed babies -- all of them!
We shaped and baked bread, hung out paper washing, feasted on biscuits and little packets of fruit-and-nuts, then wandered through the garden chasing chickens and picking flowers.

A Boy's Gift

My nephew Oliver -- the middle one, with the glorious smile and penchant for order -- made this tote in sewing class. He tie-dyed the calico, then sewed a generous freeform bag, with a thick strap of doubled creamy fabric.

To my surprise he gave it to me -- and it now hangs at the front door, filled with hats, mittens and scarves. I see it everyday, and feel incredibly favoured each time I use it.

Best Laid Plans

Our kitchen plans have been discussed, drawn and determined on -- and I am delighted!

By moving the kitchen door to the family room, I've suddenly gained a whole wall of cupboard space and counter tops, and turned what was virtually a walkway into a room in its own right.
The design has everything I wanted -- plenty of cupboard and shelving space, a breakfast bar, new one-and-a-half bowl sink with mixer tap, powerpoints everywhere and, best of all, a walk-in pantry (something I had sadly decided would need to be sacrificed for space, but which, it seems, can now fit beautifully).

Now we just need to pay the deposit (and it all comes in pretty much to budget!), then this week I'll choose laminates, tiles and a rangehood.

Midwinter Madness

This is what Australian children do on a midwinter's day -- when the sun is shining brightly, and the weather is an unseasonable 21C. Boo and Lexa stripped down to undies and hats, and spent a happy morning chasing waves and building sandcastles.
Today it's back to grey, cold, winter weather, with drizzling rain and miserably cold winds.

Dear Daddy

Boo made his own card this year (without any help -- except the writing -- from me), and decorated the cake himself. He also made sure Daddy would be getting a bag of licorice, just incase he wants to share it with anyone small who loves licorice, too.

Dear Daddy,

I hope you have a happy birthday. You have been the best Daddy and I love you very much and you tell very nice stories, and I like it when you take me in the van in my booster seat, I love when you swim with me in the summertime, I used to like taking Eewee for walks, you sometimes give me cordial in the night.

Love from Boo

Daddy I love you deep, deep, deep outer space.

Remember ...

... sticking plumbago flowers onto your earlobes to make earrings?

When the Cat's Away ...

My mother generously lets me pick flowers from her garden, and I often gather glorious bunches to brighten up my house. But her roses and flowering bulbs are out of bounds, as they provide a lovely display which she can see from her bedroom window.
Early yesterday morning my parents left for a five-week trip to Africa. Jumps kindly drove them into the city, and Boo went along for the trip (now that there's a DVD player in the car long drives are not a chore for him).
Which meant I had a delicious morning alone ... just me and a pair of secateurs!

Little Darlings?

Boo and Cordy in the bath, painted with soap crayons.

Cardboard Castles

I knew I'd be childminding most of today, so planned something special to keep the children busy. After shopping yesterday I stopped by the dumpsters at the furniture megamart, and pulled out three large boxes, which I squeezed into the boot of the car and brought home.

Today, we taped and cut and coloured -- and transformed a heap of cardboard into our own medieval castle.

The drawbridge actually goes up and down (thanks to a length of string and heavy can of tuna taped to the underside), and our knights and damsel made their own swords, shields and crowns.

And now the building's done I'm sitting inside with a cup of tea, hoping that the novelty of playing lords and ladies lasts all afternoon!

Treats on the Cheap

We had such a marvellous time today -- a perfect holiday day. It cost only pennies, and I was pleased that we could have such fun while still meeting my frugal goals.

In the morning the kids all piled into a movie theatre at a local club, clutching bags of homemade popcorn, fingerbuns and bottles of juice from home. The free school holiday movie was the Shaggy Dog (which bored me senseless, but entertained the kids). Afterwards it was off to a glorious little park by the beach, where the kids divided their time between building sandcastles and climbing on the equipment.

Hours later we set off home, where the kids were happy to potter until I'd done some housework. Then we set off for a picnic at the treehouse.

Aunty Margaret and I lay on a rug, leafing through magazines and chatting, while the boys hauled drinks and biscuits up into the tree by means of a bucket tied onto the end of a long rope. Cordy hung out paper washing, telling us all about the "three twins" who were her children.

And the chickens followed us down the garden, then clucked curiously about while the children played and we drank tea.

Pieces of Sunshine

There are primroses on my table, and the chickens are scratching around the first daffs blooming in the garden, so we're keeping winter at bay with our own little pieces of sunshine.

All the cousins are here -- the boys at Granny's, and Rory and Cordy at Grandmas. Everyone pops in whenever the fancy takes them, so at times the house is empty, then suddenly we're overwhelmed with guests.

Last night we watched The Sting (fabulous!), and Jumps opened his early birthday present over a bbq dinner. He's been given 666 shares in a printing company, which hopefully will climb in value so that he can sell out before next October and have enough to buy a ticket to Africa. It will be exciting following the stockmarket to see how he fares.

I somehow managed to also score a gift -- an early Christmas present of a new kitchen (with a dishwasher to boot!). The kitchen guy (who also happens to be a friend's husband) came yesterday to measure and quote, and came up with the inspiring idea of moving the doorway, which would almost double the size of the room, and improve the whole layout of the house in turn. So exciting things are underway.
Time for lunch and a shower -- then I'm off to fetch the littlies and take them to the indoor pool to work off some energy.

We Have So Much

A friend recently shared with me that, once when she complained to her husband about lacking something, he turned to her and quietly said, "But Heather, we have so much".
I've thought about this so often lately when I've felt disappointed or unhappy or impatient or jealous of others: I have SO MUCH.
A healthy, happy, charming child; a family who I adore and who cares for me; a beautiful home; plenty of tasty, healthy food; good medical care; a safe country in which to live; a gentle, kind, faithful husband ... everything, in fact, that I need to make me perfectly happy, providing I allow myself to be content.

Hello Handsome

Last week Nicki suddenly decided to lop off his long locks, and sport a short-back-'n'-sides. Just in time for his birthday treat -- a three-day trip to the ski slopes with Granny and Papa. They're leaving today, and will be back on Sunday, the day before school holidays begin in earnest. We'll have all Boo's cousins down for a week then, which is always marvellous fun.

The Caravan Arrives

Following a marvellous road-trip holiday with a hired caravan, Granny and Papa determined to buy their very own house on wheels.
Today, this 18-foot beauty arrived at the manor.


Boo was jumping up and down with excitement as the van parked, and wasted no time going inside to busily explore every nook and cranny. He opened doors, windows and blinds; peered into cupboards; and tested the beds.
This little house has its own shower and toilet, fridge, sink, stove and microwave, a double bed and -- best of all in Boo's opinion -- the dining table converts into a little 5-foot bed, just the right size for him.

To his delight the adventuring began tonight, as Boo and his grandparents are camping in the field beside the manor. Just the three of them, snuggled up in their own little cocoon. "Tonight I'm going to open my eyes in the darkness", Boo told me as he left the house in his pajamas, his little backpack filled with lego, a bottle of milk and a packet of biscuits. "And I'm going to look up through the skylight at the pleasant moon above."

Sleep-over

Boo had his first ever sleep-over last week, with Lexa coming to stay the night. She is so marvellously self-contained and quietly sure of herself, and didn't even want to phone home to say "goodnight" -- I had to make her do it! She's very sweet and thoughtful with me and Eric, but won't put up with too much nonsense from him, which is great.
The kiddos stripped off and played in the paddling pool (while I carted buckets of hot water out to them), then biked, picked flowers, played with the train set, helped me with the washing and played on the swing, watched playschool, went for a walk, ate dinner and watched Diego and Dora on the big screen at Granny's house -- and finally were snuggled in bed to read books.
All went well until 3am in the morning, when Boo woke from a bad dream, shouting "There's a reindeer! And it's turned bad, and it's hurting people!" So two little people climbed into bed with me, where they slept soundly until the sun came up.

Boy with Chopsticks

Boo was excited to be taken out for lunch to a Chinese restaurant, and thought his bowl of egg noodles looked delicious. Although his Daddy and I counselled that chopsticks are very tricky to use, he was determined to use them ...

... and managed flawlessly, to our surprise.