:A Frosty Celebration::

This is such a magical thing to do with children, the night before you are expecting a visit from Jack Frost.
All you need is some muffing tins or a round cake tin. Fill them with a little water then add some leaves and flowers. Drape string over the water in the muffin tins or around the edge of the cake tin and create a loop for hanging at the top. Then go out in the dark and put them in a frosty spot.
Next morning its so exciting to rush out and see what has happened. Ours made such pretty decorations, hung on the bare wintry branches of our favourite tree. Then you can watch them sparkle as the sun rises. So simple...but so very lovely!

::Easter-ish things::

A few little snippets of our Easter. The Easter tree, in all its

splendour. Beautiful needle felted Easter rabbit scenes care

of my friend Briali(or was it the Easter Bunny?!)

And origami Easter rabbits, which mark

my first foray into origami tutorials on You-Tube. Its worth

having a look at Origami on You-tube....thank you Anita!

For the first time this Easter I sincerely wondered how much

longer the Easter Bunny will call at our house, for my oldest

boy at least. *Sigh*.

Apples

Apple picking is such a lovely annual event. We have

been going for years, picking loads of apples that are

swiftly eaten by two perpetually hungry little boys.

Sometimes the apples make it into a crumble or we bake

them, but mostly they are just eaten and enjoyed.

I love the smell that a basket of freshly picked apples

gives to the house. And the lovely Autumn-ish feeling

of abundance and gathering in that they bring.

::Daisies and Lemons::

Something that I love about winter: the perfect match
that is *daisies and lemons* on the kitchen table.

You know as we sat down to dinner the other day at the
kitchen table. I commented on how lucky it was, to sit at
a table with beautiful flowers and a yummy dinner.
To which my 8 year old replied:
"No...I think its pretty normal actually...."
And do you know what, I am going to take that as
a bit of a compliment really.

::A little Autumn lovely-ness::

Autumn leaves, in a vase on the table.
I look forward to this every year, forget
flowers, leaves are so very beautiful too!

Autumn loveliness....and a quote.

Late afternoon sunshine through autumn leaves-there is
almost nothing finer. The delight of this has travelled with
me through my life, from when I was quite young.....



And a quote, music to the ears of someone contemplating
what it might be to turn 40.

" And there at the square itself, with the leaves still thick
on the trees as they had been when she left in August; but
in August they had hung heavily, a uniform of dull green,
whereas now, crisped and brindled by the first few nights
of frost, they had taken on a new, various beauty. Stepping
lightly and quickly down the square, Mrs Miniver suddenly
understood why she was enjoying the forties so much better
than she had enjoyed the thirties: it was the difference
between August and October, between the heaviness of late
summer and the sparkle of early autumn, between the ending
of an old phase and the beginning of a fresh one....."

Mrs Miniver, Jan Struther 1939

The fall of the year

I love the chance that Autumn affords to let things relax and

fall away a little, before they re-form fresh and new in the Spring. I find myself thinking about the areas of my life, where I could relax a little and allow change to manifest-and things I could cast adrift-food for thought on these beautiful Autumn days.

Night

The nights are pulling in, and everywhere I would imagine,

you can hear the sighs of relieved mammas like myself.

As they prepare to re-claim the night. As suddenly after

months of trying to get children asleep at a reasonable

hour-darkness comes and saves the day (or could it be the night!).

Now I look forward to the evenings ahead of child free

time-to knit and sew and write and think. Surely there

should be a small celebration, to mark the loveliness of this

velvety darkness that has crept upon us!

Simplicity

Something stunning, that stopped me in my tracks, in the

midst of a busy day. Something that momentarily had me

transfixed, by its beauty. ~Rain drops on roses~

::Early Spring::

I love the misty delicacy of early spring. This year it seemed
to last such a long time~and yet be gone in a moment. All the
blue skies and sunshine have made me almost forget, how a
few short weeks ago I was trying to hasten spring. How I
felt there would be no end to the grey and rain.

The plants that I bought at the nursery, because they felt
like another step closer to spring.




And the cold rainy day that I set up the spring nature display,
feeling like it was really too soon, but giving in to my desire
for something spring-ish.



And how very grateful I was for this song,
which I sung to my little Kindy children:

"I have seen a mother bird~
Singing in the rain.
Telling all her little ones~
Spring has come again....."

(Author unknown)




But then slowly it crept along and I found
myself lying in bed at dawn listening to the
birds singing~and just being so very open
to their songs.....and now spring has come
at last!!

:: Winter Goodbye ::

"Winter goodbye, winter goodbye,
You may no longer stay.....
Springtime is on it's way.
Winter goodbye, winter goodbye"




I know there are things about winter I will miss. Cozy
book-ish days, crisp frosts, darkness and cold.



But somehow I need to farewell this winter. To let go of the long
journey that it has been. One of spiraling into myself, of deep
thought and reflection~to the point where I ached for spring.

Now I need to open myself to a kind of blooming from within. A
chance to outwardly show the efforts of this long inward journey.
For new things to manifest and for my life to flow in fresh
directions.

"In every winter's heart lies a quivering spring,
and behind the veil of each night, waits a smiling dawn..."

Kahlil Gibran

:Buds:

On my front verandah is a little pot of Daphne. Of all the
very early spring flowers, I think it would have to be my
favourite. For its dreamy perfume......

So I have found myself having little moments of
anticipation, each time I pass it. As the buds get fatter,
wondering quite when it will flower. I even knelt down to
see if I could get a tiny whiff, before the buds had opened.
But no....I will just have to wait.

Its an interesting reflection of my life at the moment.
Where I am feeling so very full of anticipation for my
life to move on, for new things to manifest. And it reminds
me of a quote, I first heard years ago, that inspires me still.



Don't try to force anything, let life be a deep let go.
See God opening millions of flowers everyday
without forcing the buds.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh

::Winter Wonderfuls::

I think there is a week in every winter, when it is particularly

wuthering. And despite the joy of so much rain, cabin fever sets in.

I find myself feeling a bit dreamy about blue skies, dry days~

and if the truth be told, living vicariously for a moment through

the sunny life of a certain little Lego man!

And so I am planning a few Winter diversions for this

space, some little snippets of cosy enjoyment.....stay tuned !

::A floral something::

I feel very wintry~just now. Wallowing in woolly jumpers,
frozen dew drops and cosy evenings. But a small part of me
is longing for bare arms, pretty flowers and skirts swishing in
the warm breeze.



A little bit of summer really.......

Midwinter

Last night we celebrated the Winter Solstice.
In some ways it reflected last year's celebration.
We cooked a special dinner, decorated the table, walked
out in the crisp night with our lanterns then woke to special
presents, from King Winter.

This year for me it has coincided with a period of much
internal change and reformation. It finds me amidst a time
of re-defining my sense of self. Of journeying in to find
the strength of who I am, the light within myself.

I draw breath and let things fall apart a little, to allow a
new way of being to form. I find myself so very open and
almost cradled by the beauty of winter, which reveals itself
in such wispy wonder. Cobwebs shining with dew, the soft
velvety blue of the early morning sky.

May this Midwinter be a time of solace and reflection for you.

A time of welcoming fresh changes and new direction.

Happy Winter Solstice!

::Leaves::

"Trees are like cities for leaves -
if you listen carefully you can hear
them talking to each other...."

Don't you just wish you were four
again??

Drawing in.....

I am loving autumn just now. The
feeling of drawing inside, lighting the fire
and starting to get cosy. The little stash
of wool, almost as ripe as fruit in a basket,
just waiting to become something over the
the winter. The fungi that has so magically
appeared with the autumn rain and the light.
That beautiful golden, autumn sunshine.

How well it fits with this beautiful poem, which I so recommend

that you take courage and read aloud if only for your own pleasure.......

As I discovered after seeing the movie Bright Star. Keats should

really only be read aloud!

Ode to Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves

Run;

To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,

and fill all fruit with ripeness to the core:

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease.........

John Keats 1819

The full poem and more besides can be found here.

New dawning.....

Easter is so very dear to my heart. I love the feeling of a
fresh dawning spiritual new year. Of the possibilities of autumn
and the beginning of drawing in after the fullness of summer.

Like last year we went to see the sunset on Good Friday and
the sunrise on Easter Sunday. We made Easter Nests
and spent time connecting with nature- which is I think
always so very magical around Easter. Just the quality of
light, the blue-ness of the sky and the feeling of the seasons
poised to change.





This year I find myself reflecting upon the huge
shifts and changes that have come to fruition since last
Easter. And to marvel at the unexpected and wonderful
things happening in my life just now.....

May you have a beautiful Easter.

On the Cusp.

Could it be that Autumn has crept in?? That almost before
we know it the nights are pulling in, and the fall of the year
has begun. I love this feeling of being on the cusp between
seasons. With all the fullness of one and the promise of
another.
With this beautiful rain and coolness, suddenly my focus
changes. I start thinking about cozyness, soup, knitting
and the beginning of winter's inward journey.
Happy early autumn to you!

::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.