An Indian summer.....

Could it be that I am enjoying these last little

lingerings of summer? The sunny warm days

that somehow seem all the more beautiful

because I know they wont last......

Happy summer-ish Autumn to you.........

A bit of a challenge......

Sometimes, parts of my life fall to the
wayside........ and my days seems awash
with busyness.

Sometimes, when I am busy and fraught
it is hard to put energy into the things that
truly nurture me. Its hard to find the creativity,
energy and enthusiasm to redress the balance.

To unclutter corners of my life on various levels,
to let fresh air and light flow in.

This has been very much the case with my
sewing room. It has been somewhat scrambled,
for some time......and I feel the time is approaching
when I need to make a start.......


In a way its a glorious mess, full of possibilities
(If I could ever find anything....) and as I scramble
over bags of clay and wicker and paper making
supplies, I marvel at how organised it could be,
if I was to devote the time to it.

It really is a bit of a mess.....





And although this little wooden lady smiles
demurely, I know that she is secretly less than
happy with the condition of her room....some would say
even a little disappointed.








But amidst the mess there really is such potential for a
lovely, sunny little spot. In which to do lots of crafty things.





And so I present to you, my dear patient reader,
a bit of a challenge........
Perhaps at some stage in the near future you will find
a sewing room post,with pictures of something of a
transformation. Of treasures discovered and things
in their rightful place.

Wish me luck!

Still life in Autumn

I wonder if there is any finer sight than a beautiful
bowl of pears, on an early autumn day. Such a wonderful
feeling of abundance and gathering in.



And a heart felt hope that I will feel a bit of the stillness
of life this autumn.

Loving this boy just now......

How I am enjoying this boy just now. I love his passionate
enthusiasm for natural history, for nature and for all things
wild and untamed.

I love the little collections of things that find their way into
our house, which seem terribly boy-ish to me, in the nicest
possible way.



I love his strong connection with the natural world.

And the prospect of all that we have to share,

as the seasons change.

It is as it should be for a small boy, finding

his place in the world.

Turning.....

Could it be that Autumn has come......

Fetch the golden harvest......there has already been talk in

our house of going apple picking, of toasting marshmallows,

of horse chestnuts and Easter......

March...

How I love March Lillies, that something so
beautiful can appear as if by magic out of the
dryness..... surely a cause for a little celebration.



There was such a lovely stillness in the air
today, almost like a pause in nature, a
moment between seasons. It is the first
day of Autumn after all.

A happy March to you!

Autumn anticipation.......

Along one side of our garden, there is a rather overgrown,
entanglement of roses, errant grape vines and blackberries,
which I secretly love. It feels like a bit of hedgerow to me....
I like to watch tiny birds dart in and out......





And gaze at the blackberries as they magically unfold.....







I love Blackberries, they have the comforting feel of
Autumn about them, in all their ripe glossiness.



I feel hope that the outstretch of summer is almost at a close
and that it is time to gather in.

And so we made some Bramble Jelly to celebrate......

How lucky that we picked just enough for the recipe...

And that I had two small helpers at hand, to fervently

scrape out the last morsels in the pan.

What a joy that our first attempt at jam making resulted in

two delicious jars of beautifully set jam!

Could this mean that Autumn is just around the corner.........

Golden Brown......

When everywhere seems dry, stretched and
open as far as it can be....and I find myself
longing for green and moist and cool.

When I feel that summer's heat and dust
has almost taken all I have to give.......

I wish to reach deep inside myself, to celebrate the

beauty and uniqueness of this season of nature.

To find a place in my heart to love this golden brown........

From little things, big things grow.......

Six years ago, this greatly anticipated and loved little being came
into our lives.....and quite frankly life has never been the same since.
It has been a journey of such tenderness, joy, beauty, heartache,
wonderment and delight....quite beyond words....




And through it all I am left wondering quite how this tiny
baby could have somehow vanished before my eyes and
become this vibrant, intelligent 6 year old, so full of his own
thoughts, passions, schemes and adventures.



He received such a beautifully diverse collection of
birthday gifts, such a lovely match for the boy that he is......

A basket of craft materials.....




A beautifully woven treasure basket.....which is now filled with
emu feathers.......





A lovely weaving loom......



And to his absolute delight, a fishing rod from one of his dear
school friends. Which was swiftly followed by a tackle box from
his Grandma, complete with worms...... oh my!

Then there was the small matter of Spot and Goldy, collected
from the pet shop on the birthday morning......



And carefully introduced to their new home......to the wonder
and delight of us all.



What a lucky birthday.......
HAPPY BIRTHDAY my sweet pea!

A bit of a milestone.......

My big boy lost a tooth a little while back, it came out
one sunny afternoon, whilst biting into a juicy peach.....


It really feels as though we are on the cusp of a new phase of

childhood. There is a sense of excitement at the fresh

journey ahead....and a feeling of such melancholy at all

that has already passed.

The tooth was duly hidden under his pillow

at bedtime, snug and secure in a tiny Indian

pot. And of course the tooth fairy didn't

disappoint.......magically in the morning the

tooth was gone, and in its place was the

shiniest gold coin we have ever seen and

two tiny crystals.

Rose petal baths....

I do believe it has finally arrived, a
long, hot spell almost worthy of an
Indian summer. There is something
overwhelming about the heat, it feels
inescapable.......but amidst it all I am
trying to somehow succumb instead of
resist. To feel the sensuality of it all, to
find things that match this part of the
summer season..... to meet it as it comes.

With this in mind, what a fitting time
for a cool rose petal bath......

To wallow amidst beautiful rose petals and ponder

my next summer survival plans.

Some incense perhaps to burn as night falls, a lovely festive

summer meal......sunset at the beach???

......A plane ticket to somewhere cool?

A wonderful discovery.....

It is amazing what delights can be found on an evening walk,
at long last a Christmas Beetle....we think.
What a magic discovery!

Sand between the toes......

We've been "all at sea..." over the last week.
Enjoying all that the ocean has to offer, before the
true heat of summer arrives.
Oh how thankful I have been for the lovely
warm sunny weather that has hovered around
30 degrees, perfect for days spent learning to
swim by the ocean.

Something truly lovely and summer-ish!

A tiny bit of fun...

Leading up to Christmas, we looked at the not insubstantial
collection of wooden diggers, trucks and trains around the
playroom and decided something different was called for.
So this year, we took a bit of a gamble and
decided to give our two little boys a dolls house.

My dad very kindly agreed to make it and duly set to work.
The results were I must say rather lovely.....

I had a most enjoyable time making little bits and pieces,

buying a few items of furniture and a most beautiful tiny

family to live there.

And the result???? A dolls house that has been enjoyed by both

boys, perhaps a little more by the smaller of the two, but none

the less a welcome change from diggers....

Not in the least, I suspect for their mother.....

And the new little occupants you ask? How are they fairing?

Well its amazing what interesting little parallels develop......

Mama doesn't say, but I think she secretly wishes the

baby would go to sleep a bit earlier......

And the tree, now that the presents have been opened,

is looking a bit forlorn....

I suspect grandma and helper are planning

a bit of post Christmas fabric shopping

whilst the sales are in full swing.

Grandpa is quite frankly wondering where

his next meal is coming from....

And the boys have their own plans for the garden,

branches that need to be pruned and mowing to be

done.





All in all, I think they are hoping for a bit

of peace and tranquility to settle into

the new year and enjoy the beauty of their

new abode.

With two busy little boys at the helm,

I don't fancy their chances,

but we can but hope.......