::Summer's fullness::

Summer seems so very full just now. Open and ripe and
beautiful. Find a moment to drink it in, this sunny
weekend. Join me in a little celebration of summer's
fullness...

Evening walks.

There is something about the quality of light
on summer evenings that I dearly love.
And its kind of magical how a bit of last minute
inspiration, can change the dinner, shower, bed
routine and see us setting off on a little adventure.

Both of my little boys are always avid collectors
of all sorts of treasures on our walks. But on our
most recent walk, I watched with delight and
realised how much they had both been inspired
by "Enid Blyton's Nature Lover's Book". There
was lots of extra careful looking and we came home
with well above the usual stash of treasures.

I only recently discovered this book, a facsimile
edition of a 1944 publication and purchased it
for my big boy's birthday. It is a beautiful book,
with lots of lovely B&W 1940's illustrations and
some colour plates. It centres around a series of
nature walks, that 3 children take, with their
neighbour, through the seasons. Each chapter
describes one of their walks.

What shines through is Enid Blyton's love of
Natural History. Although I am not a big fan of
her other work, I love the interesting information
that she weaves into these stories, and the simple
unpretentious way that it is done. The children
try to guess which botanical families the flowers
belong to, and why they got their names. They
listen to the different parts of bird calls and identify
nests. Above all I think they become keen observers
and it is this passion that resonated with my boys.

::Still life::

Things are rather busy in our house at the moment. Full

of all the preparations and red tape involved in starting a

little business venture. I dearly believe in what I am doing,

but there are times, particularly over the past week where

I have longed for a bit of rhythm and stillness.

I know that this flurry of activity will settle down, but it

makes me realise the things I value in life, that less

is so very much more. -And that so often simple things

are just exquisite, when you take the time to stop and

breathe them in......

Easy little aprons.

Should you ever find yourself in need of a
few little cooking aprons in something
of a hurry, then you might like to try
this simple, easy idea.




You will need some new t-towels and about 1.5 metres of
cotton tape (mine was 20mm wide).

First you will need to fold the top down to give you the
length you want. The average T-towel is too long
for 3-4 year olds I found.




Fold two triangles in the top corners.




Then carefully run the cotton tape under each triangle,
leaving a loop at the top. Pin, then make sure that the
little head you have in mind will fit through the loop(!!)

Now all you need to do is sew, across the top, then up
one side of each triangle to secure the front. Make sure that
your stitching goes through the layers of t-towel and also
through the tape to secure it.



And in no time at all Voila! Lots of little aprons.




If I was only making one or two of these aprons I think it
would be easy to get carried away embellishing the front.
A little pocket or a square of coordinating fabric
with a bit of embroidery perhaps. What fun!





Its a kind of satisfying sight, a bundle of little aprons ready
to go. I think they would also make nice little gifts, perhaps
with a wooden spoon tucked into a pocket and a few little
metal cookie cutters.

::Dailyness::

Work is love made visible.



And what is it to work with love?




It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved
were to dwell in the house.



It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath
of your own spirit.

It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from
your heart..........

Kahlil Gibran
~The Prophet.

::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.

A beautiful dreamy knit...

This is such a wonderful knitting project. I completed
it a little while back and have been enjoying wearing
it on those in between mornings....the kind when
its too warm for a jumper, but still a little chilly.

It really is such a dream of a knit, all in plain with the

wool over after the second stitch, then knitted with mindless

pleasure to the end of each row. Such nice fireside knitting,

and perfect to take to crafty get togethers, where you

know that there will be lots of interesting conversations,

that you would prefer to concentrate on.....

And I just love the finished result. I used Paton's Jet, which

has such a lovely, subtle rustic variation of colours. It is a little

more on the pink/mauve side than it appears in these

photographs.

I fasten it with a carved hair pin.

The inspiration comes from this wonderful blog. I am

hoping to knit another one for next winter, but longer.

This took five 50g balls, I would like to try a couple

more, perhaps in shades of blue.

It was such a knitting pleasure I was almost sorry

to cast it off. I think you can feel that happiness

knitted into the stitches.

Quiet

Sometimes a few moments of quiet can be just

that little bit too quiet. And you just know that

there is a good chance of some mischief in

the making.

Sometimes, as a mamma your desperate need

for those few moments of quiet can result in a level

of risk taking. A little wallowing in that silence in

the full knowledge of what might follow.

Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't.

:: 7 Days of Happiness ::

Knitted Happiness.
How wonderful it was to finally finish knitting
my first pair of socks! Completed rather ironically
on the first day of HOT weather.
Its been such a journey. Learning lots of new knitting
skills (I can now "turn a heal"!). Hours of enjoyment
watching the pretty pattern emerge, with the clever self
patterning sock wool. And also a personal journey, as I think
of all the incredible changes that have come into my life
during the knitting of these socks.
What a comforting thought that I will have them tucked
away for next winter.




Its a lovely homely occupation knitting socks and I suspect
strangely addictive. After all , once you have mastered the
tension, knitting on three needles and turning the heal it
seems almost necessary to begin the whole process again.
With the lovely anticipation of another pretty pattern
emerging, from another rather magical ball of wool.

:: 7 Days of Happiness ::

Happiness in a field of flowers.

How I love these little weedy daisies. They remind me

of when I was a little girl, in a nostalgic, suburban

childhood kind of way.

::7 Days of Happiness::

Birthday happiness.
The special birthday delights of being
a mamma, that I love:
::All that sneaking around, after bedtime,
to set up the birthday table, ready for the
birthday morning. SSsshhhhh!



::Watching the flurry of excited activity,
unwrapping of presents, eating of little cakes
and playing with new treasures. All over in
a few joyous minutes, after the weeks of
scheming and preparation, but still so very
worth it.




:: And the joy (and relief!) of knowing when
you have chosen the right present.



All part of this incredible mothering job.
This job that is, without a doubt,
the most important work I will ever do.
Happy Birthday little Clogs!!!