Changes

Somehow my good intentions of doing a 'back to school post' faded into dust..maybe I was too busy enjoying those last few days of holidays. I have loved this summer so much and I really didn't want the long break to end. 

Although those last few days were a little...ahem..trying! Most people I spoke to said their kids were getting a bit antsy, niggling at each other and ready to return to a bit more structure, to their friends, to school. Change is such a constant part of our lives but sometimes it's the most challenging isn't it? There I was happily sending my kids back but part of me didn't want to let them go. The house was so eerily quiet when I got back from drop off..a little bit spooky really. And the reality of the kids going back to school is that I finally have time to myself and it suddenly fills up with a million other things. Lots to readjust to, lots of things to carry around in my head.

Activities, fee's, meal planning, uniform, blah blah blah! This had me dreaming, somewhat sadly, of our relaxing summer where everything was much slower, where time was all floppy..remember that?

But then I snapped out of my funk and thought of all the things I"m looking forward to this term, this year.! I'm enjoying my kids being a little bit older, they are more independent and can help out more with day to day things. I'm loving the various groups I'm involved with book club, the oral history gang, school committee's and also hanging out a bit with my lovely friends. This includes you guys who I feel I have neglected somewhat lately. Which leads me to something else I'm looking forward to..

my new blog look & online store!!

I'm pretty excited about these changes - I can't wait to show you! 

I'll be blogging more often and also updating my store regularly with a wider variety of handmade items including of course my Dandelion bunnies.

I'm working hard on my vintage linen bedding & accessories range too which has been so much fun. As soon as I have more stock sorted I'll be unveiling my new store and celebrating with a giveaway! So stay tuned.

After much consideration over the summer I have decided to give my little business a real go in 2012.  Being available for my kids is really important to me so working from our own home is pretty ideal. Having said that I am being strict with myself on 'work days' as it's so easy to get caught up in the ongoing domestics. You know what I mean I'm sure..

So yes, a few changes for me - happy ones! Have you got plans for 2012?

What's happening in your world?

See you soon lovely ones 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

Home

Home where little faces greet us.

Where the shells are a reminder,

of the dream that was Fiji.

Where our ducks wander under the trees in the Spring sunshine,

where branches are full of apple blossom,

cherry blossom,

and quince flowers, full of buzzing bees.

Home, where I find a pile of chook eggs,

and spend hours unbraiding the many tiny plaits that were made a million miles from here, under a palm tree by the sea.

Home where I bump into lovely friends at the supermarket, where I sleep happily in my own bed, where the children seem more relaxed as they all recover from the bug we picked up while travelling. Home where it's quiet and peaceful and green. Lately I've been thinking about whether we should make this lovely town our home forever or perhaps move somewhere bigger that may offer the kids more opportunities. As they grow I wonder if there will be enough for them here. Do you live in a small town and think about these things too? All the driving and planning and lack of things to do can sometimes get me down. But I do love this town, and it's people, it would be hard to leave, so much of our lives have happened here. Anyway, perhaps these are thoughts we all have from time to time, maybe I'm just in that kind of space right now.

What are you thinking about lately? I hope all is well with you dear friends, see you soon xo

Fiji time

When we talked about going to Fiji earlier in the year, the first thing the girls wanted to know was, CAN WE GET OUR HAIR BRAIDED????"

And, you guessed it, they did! Well so far Lucy, Rosie and Char have (Bill has one, mini braid!), Sunday is booked in for tomorrow. The lovely hair braiding women sit under a hut by the sea and braid all day, they are such hard workers!

(Bill looks like he's been drinking too much Kava... :)  )

 Speaking of which I heard today that over 800 people are employed at this resort, amazing! It's the biggest employer in this region and provides jobs for many locals. Everyone we have spoken to seems to love working here, one guy, Johnny, has been here for 39 years! 

We got to experience a little local culture the other night at the amazing fire dancing show.

We ate local food and watched the very talented men and women dancers who also somehow got us up on stage dancing too! Very funny!

It was a blast. And also good for the kids to learn a little more about another culture,

we had hoped to visit a local village too but have run out of time.

At times I have felt a little awkward here and very aware of our privileged status as white westerners on holiday. I have tried to remind myself that this resort employs locals and provides other benefits to the local community, but it still feels weird being waited on.

I

The staff here are so warm and friendly, and their relaxed ways and generosity has made our holiday very special. I'd highly recommend Fiji as a place to visit and have fun in the sun. Everything runs on Fiji Time round here, which basically means it happens when it happens!! I hope I can take a bit of Fiji Time home with me :)

One of the best things about where we are staying is that the beach is right next to the pool. 

We have been happily wandering between the two.

Woo hoo!

You can see what I mean in this photo of Lucy jumping in the pool, the beach is just behind the palm trees.

I've heard that the weather in Melbourne is pretty ordinary and that there was a massive storm, is that right? Sorry for all these beachy shots, I"m not trying to rub it in, truly! I'll be back there again soon,
suffering along with the rest, and I'm not looking forward to it one bit! Well, that's not quite true, I will be glad to be home.

Mum, I hope you've enjoyed the photo's, and I do hope you are feeling better.We are missing you. 

Mark, if you happen to see this post, we miss you too. It seems like forever since we saw you, xo

Oh well, better go and get the kids to bed,

see you soon lovely friends xo

Bula!!

Greetings from Fiji! I can't believe we are really here! The days before we headed off on our holiday were busy ones, organising our pets, packing, then a crazy whirl of dance rehearsals & the South Street competition. Sunday, above with Bill, had so much fun, I haven't heard yet who won their round but it doesn't matter, she had a ball anyway!

The day before we said goodbye to Mark who was jetting off to France. Mark teaches French at a secondary college and was lucky enough to be going on the school trip to France.

But we have been lucky too, and were all so excited to finally get on the plane on Monday, check out Char in the background here, looking very annoyed by her little brother :)

How fun it was flying up through the white fluffy clouds, away from the cold and into the warmth of the Polynesian islands. After we arrived in Suva we took a funny old wonky bus that wound it's way through the dirt roads and past cows and small fires, villages and cane fields to our resort.

I'll be honest with you, the first day was tough. We were tired, cranky, there was a mix up with our rooms and we were also next to a noisy restaurant. Once our rooms were sorted it all got a lot better, we are now in a fantastic room near the pool.

And lets face it, that's where we've been spending most of our time!

It's just a little walk from our room, 

                                                                    to the glorious pool.

And then a hop, skip and jump to this amazing beach. Today I watched lots of white fish swimming through the clear water,  and collected shells, swam and floated and relaxed. Ahhh....!

These photo's are mainly for my  mum, who sadly missed out on this trip due to illness. Mum, we wish you were here with us, we are so sad you couldn't come. I hope you enjoy the photo's, I'll post some more tomorrow. And to everyone out there, hope you are having fun with the ones you love. See you soon xo