Keep your eyes open

Do you like the new little doll I made last week? 

She was going to be a bunny but somehow she grew hair instead of ears. I'm entering her in an exhibition in Melbourne called "I say Doily's, You say Doyley's".  I can't wait to see what the other doily entries look like, I'm sure it will be a mixed bag! Fun!

I'm also working hard on stock for my shop, Rosie might find it hard to say goodbye to this little one,

but she has three bunnies of her own now so she can't be too lonely. 

Have you had a good weekend? We have, it seems like we fit a week into just two days! There's been a lot going on. It started with a bit of a scare on Friday at school pick up with the kids bringing out a warning about a grass fire nearby.  Luckily no one was hurt and the fire was brought under control quickly by the amazing local CFA. Where would we be without them? The fire burnt over sixty hectares but was stopped before any homes were burnt, or people hurt, thank god. On our way to Ballarat on Saturday we passed the burnt fields, a small reminder of the dreadful bush fires we had in a couple of years ago.

Even though it was a stinking hot day yesterday, the girls had fun at ballet and danced so beautifully.

 I managed to take some sneaky some shots of dear Sunday too,

looking out the window so thoughtfully - I wonder what she was dreaming of..

The girls and I like out Saturday routine, mostly. They catch up with ballet friends,  get to sing loudly to their favourite music in the car, to watch the beautiful country side out the window, stop for toilet breaks at amazing old churches,

to watch the shadows, the shapes of the hills, the hazy summer skies,

and all the birds and animals. Yesterday we watched these cows dipping their hot bodies in a dam. 

Last night I went out with some friends and we popped into the fabulous Jimmy's Bar, just around the corner in Vincent St. I loved everything about it, the drinks, the menu, the wooden tables and touches of glamour. It's so nice to have somewhere new and gorgeous to meet up with mates or to have a quiet dinner with my honey.  Today Sunday & I went walkabout - we found lots of special places like this red door, and this amazing old shed, below. We're so lucky to live in an area that is FULL of treasures..so many amazing things out there if you keep your eyes open!

What's happening in your world? Have you been having a heat wave like us? Did you love the rain when it finally fell? Our garden sure did. Another storm has just begun and there is lots of thunder and lightning. Rosie just woke to the loudest BANG! 

Better go and tuck that little chicken in and hope we can all get some sleep, and uh oh! our back room is flooding..better run.

Hope you have a happy week,

see you soon xo

summer holidays..

Hello!

Happy New Year!! Did you have a fun New Years Eve? We did, although I was sorry to miss the annual Daylesford Gala Parade this year. Our neighbour and friend, Ruby, looked so fabulous and I wanted to see her and all the other amazing people who were taking part. Oh well, there's always next year..

We had a fun time at a friends house anyway, although I was in bed before the new year began. Were you? I lay in bed and listened to the fireworks exploding over the lake, bang bang bang!

The next day was a biggie for me so I got up early and headed off with Lucy to Glenlyon. Our little school runs the BBQ and kiosk at a big, old fashioned sports day that runs on the first day of the new year.

 It's been running since 1847 and each New Years Day they put on horse races, wood chopping, mineral water drinking and gumboot throwing competitions, amongst other things. It's a great day and we have a lot of fun. I love it!

It's a real family day, lots of kids running around, watching the comps from the red truck, and many visitors from all over the state coming to enjoy a day in the country. It was a hot one too, so we did a roaring trade in icy poles and cold drinks.

So it's day four of 2012, how is the new year shaping up for you? We've had a shaky start with a bit of illness, never fun in summer. And in two days we are heading off to Robe in South Australia...I hope everyone is well for the trip.

A group of friends are setting up camp in Robe so we are looking forward to hanging out together, walking on the beach, eating, drinking, chatting, and hopefully RELAXING!

I can't wait to get to the beach, I'm craving some sand and sea and shell action. Do you get like that? I think it's the thought of a change of pace too, a different scene. When we lived in the city I loved heading up to the bush to get away from the hustle and bustle. I guess we all like a change, it clears the air, brings a new perspective, I love that.

Although I'm enjoying the holidays I haven't really settled into them yet. I haven't found my holiday feet.
Hopefully this trip will be a fun one, perhaps it's just what I need.

I'll miss our doggies who are going to the dog motel for a week, and all the ducks and other creatures. Mumma duck is back on duty, sitting on five white eggs which will hatch out in about 20 days! More baby ducks..sigh.. :)

So, one more day and we're on the road! Charlotte is coming too, the whole family together again. I'm sure we'll have some fun, some crazy moments, some tears and lots of laughs. Maybe that's what the summer holidays are all about, going with the flow, ups and downs and hanging together.

What are you up to? Are you on holidays too? 

Hope you are having some relaxing time too..see you soon lovely friends xo

Giveaway winner & Grateful Saturday

Saturday is ballet day, as you know, and it is fun but also tiring. I'm always a bit cranky when I get home as it's a long day & there is a fair bit of driving/snack making/organising/referring involved.  (I really need a few minutes (ie half an hour or so) to collect myself, to regroup, to unwind. But this doesn't usually happen so I just keep on trucking!)

 The girls love dancing and I'm happy to support them, it's fun to watch them improve, to see them being active & creative and making new friends, away from their home town which provides so much for them too.

I know we are lucky that we can afford to give our kids these opportunities, not every one can.
And while it's important for me to be home with the kids while they are young, not everyone can afford this either. So today I've been thinking about and feeling grateful that I have the life I do.

Meanwhile, yesterday I was all ready to post about the winner of my recent giveaway but Blogger wasn't playing nice.  Daisy got bored waiting and we both got a little hot under the collar. But we hung in there and Daisy put up with my raining number confetti down on her, waiting for one to land on her head.

Possibly a rather unusual way of drawing out a number but it seemed to work! I'm thrilled to announce that number 19, lovely Lisa has won the little butterfly bunny!! Yay for you Lisa!! Can you please email me your address and I"ll pop her in the post asap.

Thanks to everyone for their comments on the giveaway post. I loved hearing the little bits & pieces about you. People are so endlessly interesting,

and we all have a story don't we?

So it's Saturday night and it's been another frosty, cold day.

We are having a roast tonight, wafts of deliciousness are winding their way through the house,

and I'm feeling nice glass of wine calling my name.

I hope you are nice & warm & cosy,

wherever you are. And thanks Maxabella for hosting today :)

See you soon xo

the holidays are over...

School holidays are coming to an end, finishing up with some glorious autumn weather,

sunny days and beautiful light. Today I started picking the apples, finally,

and Lucy helped to sweep up the piles of leaves that are falling quickly from our trees. Soon the branches will be bare and winter will be here.

It's been a busy few days, a happy few days. We had our garage sale which went really well, we got rid of lots of junk & some treasures too, met some new people, chatted to visitors to our town as well as neighbours & friends. It was a great day! 

Then yesterday our Charlotte came home. Finally! It's been two and a half months since she was last here. In that time we have all grown a bit older and the seasons have changed. Lots of changes but some things remain the same, 

 it always feels so right and good to be together! I have loved having the whole family here, I love to cook for them all, to make special food for Charlotte, to see them all interacting (sometimes this can be challenging!). 

As you know, I'm just crazy about my family.

We had an egg hunt and we met Char's friend Chris, who took some fantastic photo's of the gang,

including this beautiful shot of Rosie.

Being home over the holidays has been excellent, I've really loved it. A couple of short trips to the city provided a bit of variety but really autumn is the best time to be in Daylesford. The weather has been gorgeous and we've had a lot of fun & happy times. Hanging out & relaxing, playing guitar,

and eating way too much chocolate. Reading, de cluttering, being silly, seeing friends & family, watching the ducklings grow,

 birthdays, dinners out, time with Mum/Nan, dressing up, soft autumn light, 

watching the last episode of The Wire, cake & pudding, celebrating a Tiger win, blogging, playing Words with Friends, laying a wreath for school at the Anzac parade/ceremony today, cups of tea in bed, sleeping in...just some of the things I've enjoyed over the holidays. The best thing of course has been being together.

So as these holidays come to an end I'm already thinking about the next ones! It will be good to see our school friends again though, and a bit of routine and space for me will be nice too. Have you been on holidays? Did you enjoy them? I'm finding as the kids get older it's so much easier, I will miss them & Mark when they go back. Take care lovely friends, see you soon xo

old fashioned birthday fun!

Yesterday I took Lucy and three friends to Sovereign Hill, an historical town in Ballarat. It's such a great place to visit, we all loved it! We got there early and spent the whole morning drifting in and out of all the amazing buildings and spaces.  First stop was the Photography Shop where the girls got to dress in old fashioned clothes and had their photo taken.

We were lucky as there were not many people visiting so we almost had the place to ourselves.

Of course we had to have a ride on the Cobb & Co coach, aren't the horses gorgeous?

There are plenty of other animals too. I noticed some sweet little hens, bantams I think, turkeys, more horses and this rather surreal looking goat.

The lolly shop was a big hit of course!

And so was the very cool bowling alley. 

I loved all the old signs..

the shops,

and the real life characters that walk up and down the main street. 

The girls really got into the spirit of it all and had fun in all the old buildings, and churches, being silly but also enjoying the history and magic.

Everywhere you look there are little touches of the gold field era.

So much work has been put in to make Sovereign Hill a replica 

of an 1850's town, including the schools. Billy & Lucy went to school camp here last year, dressed in the clothes of the day, played games that children played long ago and learnt about life in the gold rush. Pretty cool!

The girls took me to the candle making shop where they got to dip, 

and colour their own candles.

All in all it was a great & different way to celebrate Lucy's birthday.

 After all that walking around and fresh air it was soon time to head home for...yep, cake! 

Another birthday over and another one on the way,

Sunday turns 8 in a week or so.

More fun...of the sleep over kind!

Hope you are having a happy weekend,

see you soon xo