::Summer Treats::

Every summer at some point we make these fruity ice-blocks.
They take a bit of assembling so they are not an everyday
event. But somehow this makes them that bit more of a treat.

I use tupperware ice-block moulds, which I have found
on my travels. This time I used strawberry and watermelon
puree. Some grapes, passion fruit and a bit of kiwi fruit.
I spooned a little passion fruit into each mould, then added
grapes, strawberry puree and the kiwi slices slipped in
at the side. Then I topped each mould with watermelon
puree and put them in the freezer.

Then in a few hours a bit of summer perfection!

Two happy little boys and at least 5 minutes of precious,

heavenly, school holiday peace.

Recipe for a happy summers day....

Doing that little bit of extra washing, you know non-essential
things I had been meaning to get to. Playcloths, clean, folded
and smelling of fresh air and sunshine.

A wonderful op-shop find, a little gift from the universe,

which found me at just the right time. A book of

botanical watercolours from the 1950's. Wildflowers, sorted

by colour. Few words. I love the pages of purple .... so very fine!

Picking the first zucchinis (or are they courgettes??) from

our veggie patch. The biggest and best we have had in years.



Add to this a bit of laying about on the grass with my little

boys, under a shady tree. Watching the clouds and a family

of honey-eaters flit about. It feels like a summers day

well spent.

::Mango Lassi::

We made this a few days ago, it is such a

fabulous Indian drink- and so beautiful

on a summers day. Rather exotic in fact!

It is quite flexible, so you can play round

with quantities.

I used the flesh of a ripe mango, some

Greek yogurt, enough milk to make it

pourable, a dash of honey and some

rose water, but not too much.

The rose water is my own addition.

You basically just blend all the ingredients

and serve. Yum.

In India it seems to come in stainless steel

tumblers, perhaps to keep it cooler. You

can use banana instead, which is

equally delicious.

Lemonade Days

We have made a bit of lemonade recently and it is such
a perfect summer occupation- especially for little fingers.
Lots of juicing, little boats to play with while the syrup
boils and then a fizzy drink with ice......what more could
you want on a summers day???

Celebrating Summer

I am planning a few little celebrations of
summer in this space over the next few
days. Lovely summer-ish things to do.
Sometimes the whole heat-wave aspect
to summer makes me forget that
in between are the most beautiful sunny
summer days.
As I changed my little nature
corner display today, with the sunny
yellow cloth for a moment I reflected
on all the wonderful aspects of summer.
Which are so very worth celebrating......
please join me!

::Watermelon Juice::

This afternoon we made watermelon juice. It feels like
such a perfectly summery drink to me, especially on a hot
afternoon, when you are marooned inside with little ones.
I love how easy it is for little hands to chop the melon and
the whole process of firing up the juicer is always a bit
exciting....especially if your helpers happen to be little boys,
partial to machines and gadgets (!!)
And then there is that brief moment of silent anticipation as the
rosy juice is poured into the glasses, and of course the taste....






Just for a moment I remember all the watermelon juice
I have had, in what seems like another life time now.
On beautiful warm, tropical Thai beaches, sipped as I
waited for some exotic meal to arrive....or in Laos, at
dusk in the grounds of a colonial french chateau.
It seems so very much a South East Asian drink to me,
to be had alongside a beautiful fragrant curry perhaps
with some sticky rice......
If you have a juicer, it is so very simple. Just watermelon - the
cheaper seeded variety is fine- and some ice.
A true pleasure of summer really.

Sweet pea.

Somehow in the major shifts that have swept through
my life recently some things have disappeared. In all
the stress and turmoil of these weeks, I have somehow
lost a sense of relaxation, as I parent my children.
I don't hear myself using as many little terms of
endearment, I have always called my little boys
"Sweet pea..." but I don't think I have said this
in a while.

Things have been in flux for so long now that new
patterns have formed. I hear myself busy, moving
from one moment to the next without stopping
to *breathe*. And oh how I need to breathe, to just be
with my children. Nowhere to go, nothing to do, just
be.

How much all this rests on where I am as a person,
how centred I am, how grounded. Somehow I need
to find a balance, a place where I can be a little
softer within myself, a little more relaxed. In a
space where I remember what it is to say
"sweet pea" again.

To this end I plan a little meditation, a bit of
cloud watching, massaging of feet and
reading of lovely things. A bit of filling of my
own cup, of connecting with my children and
remembering what it is to be slow again.
Wish me luck......

::New Beginnings::

I feel so thankful to be returning to this space, after
some of the biggest changes of my life. To draw
breathe for a little while and reflect on all that has
happened.

In a lot of ways I am still a little numb, trying to absorb

and adjust to all that separation entails. And yet I have

simultaneously begun this soul-parenting journey.

At the moment I am in such a process of becoming, of

re-defining my sense of self and maintaining an even keel,

as I parent my little boys. I have on my kitchen window sill

a little card which says:

I am not afraid of storms

for I am learning

how to sail

my ship.

Louisa May Alcott.

It helps me on my way as I navigate these early days, as I

slowly move into this new year. This fresh, new year.