Farewell to Pixie

Pixie was a 'family cat'.
She was adopted by my sister-in-law from the foundling home for kittens when just a few weeks old, and lived with Margaret for several years. When the kids came along Pixie passed on to Grandma and Granddad, where she happily sunned herself in the garden. Then when they went to Scotland for six weeks she visited Gran ... and here she stayed. My parents would never have chosen to get a pet because of the wildlife that lives in the garden -- but Pixie never even considered chasing a bird or possum.
She was the perfect cat for Gran and Papa. Every morning Pixie jumped on their bed, and purred at their feet while they drank their morning coffee. She was the first of our cats to adore Papa, whose loud voice and heavy footsteps had sent our other cats running. Pixie never seemed to mind, and would sit beside him on the sofa for hours.
Then several months ago Pixie stopped eating. She became thin and weak, and the vet diagnosed cancer. Chemotherapy for cats is expensive but Gran was determined, and before long Pix started eating again and looked healthier.
But then the cancer returned, and this time the vet said there was no hope.
So on Friday morning our Pixie was put to sleep, and buried in the wild place in the garden.

Crafting

Finally I've made a few long-overdue banners for birthday gifts -- these two are for the children of a longtime schoolfriend.

Lately it's been bedtime at 8pm for me (Eric goes to bed at 7:30-ish, and Adam at around 6:30pm), so that doesn't leave much time for craft.


And as Adam demands a 5 am (or earlier) feed, getting to sleep as soon as I can after the boys do is my priority.
I'm very aware that I'm not someone who can survive long cheerfully or happily on very little sleep, so I make sure I get as long as I can in bed, or I know we will all have a miserable day the next day.

Basket of Blooms

Pink azaleas and fragrant lavender spill out of a woven basket; there's very little prettier or more indicative of spring, I think.

Rather than being a large bunch, there were four posies bunched together in here. The lavender hedges are being trimmed, and I just couldn't leave the blooms to wither and die in the grass. So these made lovely end-of-term thank you for Eric's wonderful preschool teachers.

Ready ... Aim!

Adam changes every day. Three months is an amazing age, and I'm having such a happy time getting to know him.
In the last few days, he has begun to hit his dangly toys with a deliberate aim (and with great concentration, as you can see in the picture below). He uses whichever hand is nearest the toy, and connects almost always.


He's the first baby I've met who loves tummy time, and will happily spent five or ten minutes lying on his front and lifting his head with his strong neck.
I've stopped swaddling him before bedtime now, and he seems to prefer having his hands free, as he can suck his fingers for comfort.
Speaking of sleep, last night he had nine-and-a-half hours of shut-eye (and so did I!), so I think we might be onto a roll. Jumps remarked the other day that Adam sleeps longer than Eric has ever slept. I'm not used to such lovely long naps at night -- it all seems so easy at the moment!
When baby is awake he is almost invariably good natured (except perhaps for an hour in the evening), and smiles, coos and laughs at everyone who walks by. He loves to be in company and will chat for ages -- taking turns in the conversation, and grinning from ear to ear.

Dandelion Afternoon

The Wedding

Eric announced yesterday evening that today we would be hosting a wedding for Big Ted and Mi Mi the rabbit.
Luckily I had two pretty note cards in the drawer -- these were delivered by hand bearing the following message:

"Dear Granny and Papa,
You are invited to a wedding in our garden at 2pm tomorrow.
RSVP to Eric"

The preparations this morning were great fun.
We made lemonade, baked and iced a rather modern wedding cake ...


... picked posies for bouquets and buttonholes (below is Cottontail, who was Mi Mi's bridesmaid) ...

... made a new mauve dress for the bride (who has a most unfortunate figure as she is, infact, a knock-down toy and so is completely spherical).

... set chairs out for a garden ceremony, and greeted and seated guests as they arrived.

The actual service was very sweet. Boo gave a little speech asking the bride and groom if they loved eachother, then pronounced them man and wife and helped them to kiss.

When asked whether the toys had known eachother long he replied "No, not long. Only a week." Which is true, since Mi Mi was gifted to Adam just a short while ago. She certainly hasn't wasted any time getting to know the other toys!

Eric and the Six Lollipops

Often in the mornings I'll ask Eric what he'd like for breakfast. There's usually a choice of waffles or french toast, toast or porridge. This morning my silly boy stated, "For breakfast I want six lollipops!"

"Alright", I said, and to his amazement I went to the sweetie pot and pulled out six multicoloured pops. He was almost speechless with astonishment, and took them gingerly, as though expecting me to pull them away immediately.

"Amazing things happen when you least expect them to", I told him, and "be careful what you wish for!"

That evening he insisted on phoning his cousin, and told him the story breathlessly. Needless to say, Rory was suitably impressed.

Perhaps I'm a bad mother -- and he definately didn't get his recommended vitamins this morning, I know! I certainly won't repeat the experience soon, but it was so worth it just to see the wonder in his eyes. It's nice to occasionally make silly dreams come true.

I just hope he didn't tell any of the teachers at preschool what he had for breakfast.

(Please note: the picture was taken months ago: the lollipops Eric had today were tiny --nowhere near the size of the one above!)

Nice Things

Blue skies and new leaves and soft spring weather ...

... crispy pastry and home-laid eggs in a quiche, ready for dinner ...

... a thrushes' nest in a net with one perfect, speckled egg resting inside ...

... sweet-smelling mauve wisteria blossoms drooping heavily from above ...

... dear silly babies (even the big one) ...

... baby clothes, clean and folded and smelling of fresh breezes ...

... juicy, honey-sweet golden oranges gleaming in the afternoon sun ...

... a boy working hard collecting weeds to earn money for his piggy bank ...

... bright beaded necklaces made with love ...

... friends for tea and dainties ...

... enough wood for winter, cut and neatly stacked ...

... bright bunches of blooms lighting up every corner of the house.

Red-Letter Day

Guess who slept through the night?

From 8pm to 5am.
Of course, Mummy got up twice to check he was still breathing!

Cornflower Blue

Kitchen Corner

All in a Row

Pretty-in-pink camellias all in a row grace my favourite new vase.
The vase was a gift from my mother when little Adam was born. She filled it with wide-open roses and spikes of pink salvia from the garden, and it rested on a shelf beside my hospital bed, reminding me of home.
I love that it fits perfectly on my windowsill, since it is shaped just like a long, thin rectangle. It's the perfect size, too, and so easy to arrange so that every bloom faces forwards, and not one precious flower is overlooked.

On the Rocks ... Alone

Eric and I have always had a ball together. Since he was a tiny baby we have been the best of friends, and I've relished the chance to visit the land of childhood again, with him as my guide.

But when I see him with his cousins, friends from mother's group, and preschool buddies, I realise how lacking I really am as a playmate.
I often have grown-up worries, prejudices and a list of 'things to do' in the back of my mind. I won't spend endless hours making mud soups, cubbyhouses and lego, and refuse to share chicken nuggets and raspberry cordial for dinner. Even worse, I can only laugh uproariously at the same joke once, and have to keep a poker-face when naughtiness prevails.
In short, I'm not really a friend -- I'm a mother. Which is how it should be, of course, but when you only have one then the line becomes slightly blurred, of necessity.
Already Eric loves his little brother intensely. But even the deepest bonds won't erase the five year age gaps between them, and I wonder if they'll ever be truly peers, able to laugh at the same jokes, and play together for hours. I wonder if Eric has missed out on the experience of having a truly equal relationship with a sibling. Which was something I had, and can't imagine having missed out on.

And for myself, I also would like to experience being a 'mother' to children who are close in age, so you really can say "Off you go and play!" without dooming a little person to an afternoon in their own company.

But then the decision to have three is a big one to make (especially if your husband needs convincing!), we took years to fall with Adam, and my pregnancies are very complicated and worrying. And do I have the stamina (especially with diabetes) to manage three small children -- and worst of all, three teenagers?

Eric has had a lovely childhood, and is a delightful, happy, self-confident person, so am I simply building up complications in my mind when none exist? Would Adam be just as happy to have a similar experience? Would I enjoy raising a single child again?

What are your thoughts on raising children who are far apart in age?

After the Rain

We've had quite a deluge the last few days: the hens are sodden, the grass is full of puddles, and the little river at the end of the garden is rushing and bubbling.

Today the sun finally appeared, and once the washing had all been dealt with, Eric put on his wellies and we went adventuring in the water. So exciting!

Among the Lavender

I was snapping close-ups of the lavender, when I noticed Eric rushing towards Adam's pram. As I watched he lifted up the insect net which had fallen down, and tried to put in back over the hood. When it was too high he called me to help, and told me seriously that we needed to watch out for the bees.
He's so like his Dad: inately sensible, and a quiet man of action.
This morning he reminded me of this again, when he walked quietly up to me cradling something in his hand. There was a tiny baby bird, nestled peacefully. He had seen it on the verandah, gently picked it up, and brought it to me without shouting or running. It's just what his Dad would have done. And later, when Papa was drilling a hole in the loungeroom wall for our new pelmets, Eric covered Adam's ears with his hands to protect them from the noise.
If I can bring up another kind, decent, gentle, busy man to bless the world and his future family, I will feel I would have done my job of being a mother well.

Bedtime Stories

There's obviously something exciting happening in that story!

Windfall

Thursdays wild weather brought down a huge gum in a nearby field.

For the cost of a weekend's hard work, Jumps hauled home tonnes of wood, which we'll season over the summer to warm our house next year.

Too Cute

I know I'm partial, but who could resist?

Baking Day

Guess what was on the lunch menu today?

... and guess who was in charge of the baking?

Eric can make these almost by himself, now -- from rolling, to filling, cutting, placing and brushing. My job only begins when it's time for the bacon-and-cheese scrolls to go into the oven!

Garden in Bloom

Here's the garden infront of our house (the azaleas have been magnificent, but the magnolias have done very little this year) ...

... and the back entrance to the 'manor' (the lavender's all being pruned on Tuesday -- down to sticks! -- so I plan to cut and dry several big bunches).

And then the blossom and daffs are out everywhere -- it's stunning!

An Evening Walk

Just along our road.
We picked flowers and picked up sticks, then Eric found a four-leaf clover -- just like that! I've suggested we press it, but he won't hear of that, so it's in a little vase in the kitchen.

Father's Day

The card:
"To Papa, Happy Father's Day.
Thank you for doing all the wonderful things. I'll pay you 20c tomorrow.
Love from Eric"

The conversation:
"Why am I getting 20c, Eric?"
"Because you're the best Papa in the world!"

The outcome:
When Eric duly took over his money the next day (a great sacrifice for him, since he's been doing jobs and saving for the Lego calender and hasn't spent anything for weeks), Papa kindly offered to 'swap' his 20c with one Papa that had at home. This made Eric very happy, and he solemnly replaced the money in his piggybank.

On the Dining Room Table

Shiny Eyes

Now that Adam's settling into more of a routine, and the night-time feeds are down to half and hour or so, I'm beginning to realise that he seems to be rather an easy baby. I know it's tempting fate to write such things -- and it will serve me right if the next week he does nothing but cry -- but our littlest boy is shaping up to be a snuggly, smiley, contented person in general. He cries very seldom, feeds well, settles quickly once his needs have been met, and is very sociable.
I certainly remember pacing the room and trying to rock Eric almost endlessly when he was a small baby, but how much of that had to do with my inexperience and worry as a first-time mother and how much was to do with his personality, I'm not sure. Our big boy certainly has been an easy toddler and is a delightful, caring, charming little boy.
Hopefully Adam's darling nature will continue into later life!

Rosemary and Orange Ricotta Cheesecake

A father's day treat, since baked cheesecake is dad's favourite!

Biscuit Crust

1 packet plain sweet biscuits

125g (or so) butter

Cheesecake Filling

100ml thin cream

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 sprigs rosemary

650g fresh ricotta

200g sour cream

4 eggs

2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

Syrupy Oranges

1 cup caster sugar, extra

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup water

2 oranges, thinly sliced

3 sprigs rosemary

1. Bring thin cream, honey, orange juice and rosemary to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 15 minutes, until cooled slightly. Remove rosemary.
2. Blend cooled mixture with ricotta, sour cream, eggs and orange rind in a food processor. Pour into a lined 24cm springform pan.
3. Bake at 180°C for 50 minutes or until set. Allow to cool in oven (best made the day before it's needed.)
4. For oranges, bring sugar, honey and water to a simmer, add oranges and rosemary, gently simmer for 20 minutes. Allow the oranges to cool in the syrup.
5. Serve cheesecake with oranges, a spoonful of syrup and a dollop of thick cream.