Lovely Things

#41 Clematis climbing towards the sky outside the manor.

#42 Visits by Frodo, the wandering neighbourhood dog.

#43 Having the fun and excitement of a nice dog's company, without worrying about vet bills or kennel fees when we go on holiday.

#44 Eric's interest in -- and kindness towards -- animals.

#45 The mature and serious attitude he shows when feeding, watering and letting out the chickens each morning. It's a job he does thoroughly and with enthusiasm.

#45 Red hippeastrum, euphorbia and oyster flowers gathered, ready to make a 'thank you' bouquet.#46 The garden borders in springtime.
#47 Plans for a new vegetable patch -- and a husband who is willing to set aside time and devote energy to making my plans become real.

#48 A rose garden and rose archway are also on my list of things I'd like. Again, the men of the family have offered to build both for me as a Christmas gift.

#49 Gifts that require time and hard work are those that I value the most.

#50 A little boy who is growing a green thumb. He runs over the Granny's to watch Gardening Australia with her in the afternoons. Last week she told me how he actually gasped in amazement as the presenter explained how to propagate avocado seeds.

# 51 The first bunches of delicately fragranced sweet peas from the garden.

# 52 A healthy baby, who is bright, observant, responsive and strong.

#53 The quiet repetition and satisfying work of painting the verandah.

#54 Pale greens the colour of spring leaves.

#55 The anticipation of expecting a dear friend (from school) and her two girls for lunch on Friday.

#56 Having a dear, homely, happy little cottage to invite her to.

#57 Climbing dog roses splashed with crimson.

# 58 Wild irises growing by the little river at the end of the garden.

# 59 A place where Eric can throw stones into the water with a 'splash'.

#60 Raindrops resting on the tips of pine needles -- the tiniest quiver sends a shower of droplets onto anyone walking below!

Grandparents

I don't think I'll ever get over the pleasure I feel watching my babies and their grandparents together. It's such a special bond.

Eric asked for some sweeties before dinner yesterday, and I told him he'd have to wait for dessert. "Perhaps you need parents who'll let you do anything you want: eat sweets all day, play X-box and never do any cleaning", I said.

Quick as a flash, my boy replied "oh, I could just go and live with Granny and Papa then!".

Helicopter

Papa bought a marvellous new boy toy for him and his grandsons to bond over: a remote-controlled helicopter.
Eric was delighted, and soon got the hang of the controls ...

... until whoosh! a burst of wind swept the tiny flyer into the topmost branches of a tall she-oak.

A tearful boy went to fetch his Daddy, who obliged by climbing to the end of the tallest ladder we own. He inched a rope across the branch and tried to dislodge the helicopter by swaying the tree, but to no avail. Many minutes later, Papa drove the tractor up, and with much ado the men managed to attach yet another rope and haul the offending branch down to the ground.
Miraculously, the micro machine survived intact to fly another day -- but now it's relegated to the cow-paddock, far from our forest of trees.

Rainbow Chard

A jewel-toned harvest from the garden -- destined for dinner tonight.

Rose Show

This year the regional rose show was held in our little village hall.

The blooms on display were spectacular: a kaleidoscope of colours and scents.

Outside the hall a nursery man had set up a stall. In amongst the tea roses and hybrids and minatures were a small collection of fragrant, blowsy, old-fashioned David Austin roses.

I don't buy clothes, hate spending money on shoes, and wait until my birthday to get jewellery.

But I bought every David Austin variety he had.

Pure decadence!

Sitting Pretty

One of our Light Sussex hens (who is nameless I'm afraid, since we couldn't agree on whether it would be Dora or Cora or Flora) has been desperately broody for several weeks. I didn't have the heart to pen her in a draughty cage to cure her, but each morning she would sit with wings fluffed protectively over that day's clutch of eggs, and growl at anyone who came near and attempted to fetch them.
Then last week I happened to mention her state to a neighbour, who generously offered us a dozen fertile eggs to put under her. Even more generously (at least in our minds, since we don't want to face the reality of farming life), he agreed to "give a good home to" any roosters that we end up rearing.
Henny seems to be a devoted sitter -- she barelyleaves the nest to eat or drink -- and we have November 6 marked on the calendar as the big day for the hatchling's arrival.

A Stick and a Rope

Just a stick and a rope ...

... can mean hours of fun for a small boy.

And now we've fulfilled Eric's heart's desire, and begun taking him to gymnastics lessons each Saturday morning. There they have giant trampolines, rings, balance beams and parallel bars to play on.
But the stick-and-rope is still a favourite place to play in the afternoon.

Cherry Blossom

More Lovely Things

#21 Picking bouquets from my mother's beautiful garden. I'm so grateful that she's generous with her blooms, and allows me to wander along and pluck anything that takes my fancy.
#22 Mum likes growing things -- I like picking them!
#23 Giving flowers as thank-you gifts. These beautiful gifts cost nothing but time and creativity, don't create more "stuff" in the world, and are ethically grown (hearing how commercially sold and imported roses are produced in Brazilian hothouses by small children who are exposed to masses of toxic chemicals makes me determined never to buy them).
#24 Starting a new vegetable garden. Buying seeds: corn, capsicum, zucchini, butternut, cucumber and beans.

# 25 Afternoons light shining through the red hippeastrum.

#26 A boy off to the pool, to meet his Daddy for an after-preschool swim.

#27 A husband who keeps the pool sparkling clean and runs the heater to keep it warm.

#28 A Daddy who taught his little boy to love the water and to swim like a fish, when swimming lessons weren't working for us.

#29 Baked ricotta topped with home-grown herbs, wilted cherry tomatoes and caramelised red onion for dinner.
#30 Staying at home, and having time to plan, prepare and cook dinner. Creating new dishes and trying recipes is a joy, rather than the chore it would be if I rushed in from a full day at work and had to find something for the family to eat.

#31 Learning more about cooking each day. Trying new flavours.

#32 A husband who enthusiastically eats leftovers for lunch, so that nothing goes to waste.

#33 Morning sunlight through the family room curtains.

#34 Watching Eric care with all his soul for his little brother.

#35 "That was a kind thing to do", I told Eric the other day, when he gave Adam one of his toys to keep forever. "I can't help it", my big boy replied seriously. "I'm made of kindness."

#36 Big grins and sparkling eyes.

#37 A baby who is almost always good tempered and responsive to smiles and attention, and cries infrequently. Eric even said to me this morning that he expected babies to cry more.

# 38 A garden full of wildlife. Several of these big bluetongue lizards bask in the sun on various rocks -- Jumps picked up this one to show Eric's friends.

#39 Fresh produce from the garden: eggs, silverbeet, radishes, broadbeans, lettuce (red and green coral) and flowers.

#40 Making golden pastry with our own eggs.

Cecile Brunner

Pink perfection from a friend's garden.
Wouldn't a half-opened bud be darling set on top of a tiny cupcake, frosted with the palest pastel icing?
I will have to hurry and host a tea party before this climber finishes blooming!

Smiley Boy

Shelling the Harvest

This afternoon I picked and shelled our first harvest of broad beans.


I love the flourescent green of these blanched and podded morsels, especially when stirred into a dish of roasted baby tomatoes, red onion and asparagus.
Drizzled in an thin veil of olive oil, with a touch of garlic and chilli, and a bed of fresh egg pasta, they tasted like springtime on a plate.

From Our Garden

Sweet-smelling roses from our garden.

Other People's Gardens

Each year one of our nearby villages holds a garden festival, during which it opens a host of lovely private gardens to visitors.

In the glorious spring weather yesterday we wandered through five of these -- from a tiny tropical backyard, to an acre-large meadow surrounding an old rambling manor. We had a wonderful time chatting and walking, then enjoyed a rest with scones and tea in one of the charming courtyards in which the local schoolchildren had set up an impromptu cafe.

20 Lovely Things

#1 The excitement of a late-night excursion to fetch Granny, Papa and Oliver, on their arrival home from England.

# 2 A Daddy kind enough to take his little boy on the long, late drive to the airport. Just so he doesn't miss out.

#3 A little boy who is willing to sit for three hours in the car, to be the first to greet his grandparents as they come home.

#4 The pear blossom in bloom, and fresh green of new leaves along the manor driveway.

#5 Trees that mirror the changing seasons.

#6 Gardening with Granny.

#7 Sharing my children with my extended family.

#8 Having so many people for Eric to learn from. Granny shares her knowledge of growing things, Papa enthusiastically tells him about the insect world, and Daddy takes him for morning bike rides and answers all his questions about the world thoughtfully and truthfully.

#9 A little boy who is curious and enthusiastic about so many things, and who sparkles as he drinks in all the love and learning offered to him.

#10 The view from our front gate, which looks onto flower-filled meadows.

#11 Countryside: lush greens and birdsong.

#12 The first glorious bloom from my Carousel climber.

#13 Fresh fruit and vegetables, delivered to my door each Wednesday afternoon.

#15 Eric waiting on the verandah for the grocery truck, then welcoming the delivery man and showing him where to place the bags. My big boy excitedly helping me unpack each item, and finding his own special treat hidden in one of the bags.

#14 Not having to wake a sleeping baby to trudge down grocery aisles, then pack and haul heavy bags home. More time to spend peacefully at home. And when I do go into town, being able to visit the library or beach and not feel the need to stop at the supermarket.

#15 Menu planning based on the foods I have ordered. Less waste, and less expense.

# 16 The sun lighting up the glistening world after the rain.

#17 The smell of the damp earth after a storm.

#18 Buttercup meadows.

#19 A boy who has little interest in flowers, but who will carefully pick bunches to present lovingly to me ("Look, mummy, these have very long stems, just how you like them").

#20 Brothers.

Who's He Smiling At?

You might think this lovely big grin is for Mummy, or Daddy, or maybe big brother?

No ... it's Adam reaction when lying under the washing line, watching while I hang out the clothes. I guess it's just like a giant mobile, with plenty of colourful, flapping things on it!