Colour in my day

Yesterday I went to the service for my friend in Melbourne and although it was sad it was also great to celebrate Janet's life. It was hard but good. Janet's house was full of her ceramics and amazing photo's of her were projected against a wall. It was very much like she was there. Well she was actually, her coffin rested on the dining room table, covered in wattle and surrounded by those who loved her. Her son's and daughters spoke about her life and afterwards we all drank expensive champagne as she would have wished. Today has had a different pace and it's been sunshine all day which has brightened up my world.

This morning Rosie and I dashed over to Castlemaine, now there's a fantastic town, and found a sweet little tea set for her friend Isabella's birthday. We also found this colourful windspinner & Rosie cut quite a figure running up the footpaths of Castlemaine, in full ballerina regalia, holding it high for the wind to blow. Then we wandered around the corner to the most amazing shop I've seen for a while...Absinthe.

It is full of gorgeous things...my head was in a whirl. I love this tin heart that is now hanging on our door.

And here is me sporting the most beautiful scarf in the world, which I just couldn't resist. I love the way a scarf can add so much to what you are wearing and how you are feeling.

Each week I think things will quiet down but each week brings new challenges lately. Our boy Bill has been on crutches for a few days with a sore leg. It's all been a bit mysterious and he has had an x-ray and been to the doctors twice. It has been very painful and I have been quite worried. Tonight, though, he says it feels alot better so hopefully he is on the mend. Lucy has gone away on her first school camp and Mark has gone along for the first two days. So I'm home with only three! Rosie & I went to Isabella's Princess Party today where the 'real Snow White" appeared. Can you imagine the excitement?

Lots of colour at the party and then more after school today as Sunday worked on her godseyes...

She is taking them to school tomorrow for Show & Tell. Do you remember making godseye's when you were little. If you are a child of the seventies I'm sure you will!

Anyway, enough about me, how's your day going? Come on over...I've just put the kettle on! Lets sit down in a sunny spot, on the verandah and have a cuppa...tell me what's been happening with you lately.....xo

Getting connected

I have just spent the weekend with five beautiful women friends in the bright lights of Melbourne town. It was a relaxing, inspiring, chatty and funny time and it was lovely to spend quality time with these great people, all who I have met since living in Daylesford. Is it just luck that you meet people you really like? If so then I must be a super lucky girl.

There seemed to be a strong thread of friendship this weekend kicking off with bumping into lovely Kate at creche drop off on Friday. I always love to chat with her, sharing things about our day to day lives, the kids, latest drama's, creating... there is never nothing to say! Then it was on to coffee with two other lovlies, Tracy & Fiona, where we really chatted up a storm, covering topics that are close to my heart, children, family & connections between people.Two good friends who I don't always see but who I know are always there.

On Saturday morning I met up with Michelle & Michelle and we tootled off on the train to Melbourne. There we met up with the others and proceeded to eat, talk, cry and laugh our way around town. The crying bit was sometimes from laughing ,but also from reacting to the powerful movie, Beautiful Kate. Wow, that's a hell of a film. If you haven't seen it yet then try to see it soon, a wonderful and moving experience made by another amazing woman, Rachel Ward.

On Saturday night we went to Abla's restaurant for their delicious banquet. We sat upstairs and had dish after dish of tasty lebanese food. Abla came around a few times to check on us, a very warm & lovely woman. When Phillipa asked her if it was difficult food to cook she explained to us that if you love to cook, then it is not hard, but you have to LOVE to cook! Don't worry, she said, if you make a mistake the first time, just keep trying and you will get it right. I loved this advice as it relates to so much in life. Abla's food is pretty mind blowing and there sure is a lot of it. I came out feeling a bit like this city pigeon....

Although I had a great time away the weekend was a little overshadowed by a quiet sadness in my heart. A good friend who I have known since I was a teenager went to sleep on Thursday night and didn't wake up. Strangely I was thinking about her that day and making a mental note to call as we hadn't spoken in a long time. The next day I found out she had died. I wonder why she came into my mind, was she waving goodbye? She was a gutsy, clever, earthy, funny & kind woman who loved to laugh and had a great take on life. Tomorrow there is a service at her home and I will go and say farewell & celebrate this wonderful woman with her family & friends.

All of these different parts of my weekend have had me thinking alot. The things that stand out are friendship & love and the need to belong. Connecting with the people I love is truly the most important thing of all. Hope your weekend was a happy one, xoxo

Polly & the Bunny Sisters

I recently got back to bunny business and it's been lovely creating new, sweet, soft bunnies. I decided to make a birthday bunny for Rosie using some pretty red flowery fabric and the usual alpaca wool offcuts.

Jeff gave me a hand.

Rosie loves her new friend and has called her Polly.

At the last Marker's Market a lovely woman called Alison admired a bunny that had already been sold to Annissa from LiliPili . She took my details and emailed me last week to order two bunnies for a friend.

The Bunny Sisters are now finished & ready to leave the Dandelion rabbit warren to head for Sydney (and warmer weather!). I am really happy with how they turned out, they each have a different personality but the same sweet & slightly wistful nature. I hope they get lots of cuddles.

Hope you get lots of cuddles too over the weekend! I'm off to Melbourne for 24 hours of kidfree time. After a long and tiring week I'm feeling pretty worn out so I'm sure it will be good for me. See you soon, xoxo

Bottle top Birthday Girl

Although today is the official birthday, yesterday is was princess/ballerina/fairy land at our house. Six little girls all dressed in pink, yellow, purple & blue joined us to celebrate Rosie's 4th birthday.

It was a really lovely day, once I got past the stressful getting ready part in the morning.

As usual there were a few tears & a few anxious moments as we tried to quickly get our house in order. In the end I had to shove a few piles of random items into another room and boy did that make a difference! By the time the girls arrived our house looked beautiful, pink balloons, sparkly fairy bread, rainbow bunting and a table set for a party! Yay!!!

I realised this week that this would be our last four year old party & I really wanted to make it a special one. Part of me still has trouble with the concept of no more babies on the way. Mark & are a lucky though to have these gorgeous five.

Have I told you the story about the bottle cap? One day I was walking along in Seddon and noticed a shiny green bottle top on the ground. For some reason I picked it up and there was a number 5 printed on the other side. Five has always been my favourite and lucky number so I tucked it away in my pocket. Not long after that I found out I was having another baby....yep, number 5! My kids love that story.

Rosie hasn't had a party before so she was pretty excited..and a bit overwhelmed. She absolutely loved all the presents her friends gave her.

Mark worked his magic making cups of tea for parents and getting food ready while our older kids helped with the games & dancing.

There was a bit of wand decorating with lots of sparkles and glitter. After a delicious chocolate cake and the Happy Birthday song the little princesses departed and I fell in a heap on the couch. Phew!

Today is Rosie's real birthday and this time four years ago I was huffing and puffing up at Daylesford Hospital. It had been a tough pregnancy - I had pneumonia at 36 weeks, we had just moved to the country and I had three small kids and one starting secondary school. It wasn't an easy labour either, I don't think I have ever been in so much pain. But then, just as I was about to be whisked into an ambulance to head for an emergency caesar, Rosie appeared. I remember crying with happiness and relief at the sight of her beautiful face. Cuddling her, my extra bonus, bottle top baby, was pure joy.

Now she is a big girl and is still bringing me joy & cuddles every day.

She is a mad, fun, loving, full of life, theatrical, colourful, sweet and crazy wonderful girl. It was so much fun celebrating yesterday, I hope your weekend was fun too xo

And no there is not even a tiny crumb of chocolate cake left....

Living in a cloud...

This week our little town has been covered in a thick layer of fog.

So beautiful and atmospheric..

It's been like living in a cloud.

Bill and I went for a lovely wander up at the Wombat Botanical Gardens yesterday. As we walked between the beautiful, big trees it was like being in a kind of fairy land. It was a strangely magical feeling.

The mist swirled all around the town. It covered the townhall in a soft, white blanket. The light was muted and the whole world seemed to slow down.

Mist and fog are not fun to drive in so it was steady- as- she- goes on the way back home. I could have stayed forever up there on Wombat Hill but the lure of hot pikelets and maple syrup was just too much. Now I'm just waiting patiently for snow. What's happening in your part of the world? xo

Hurricane Rosie strikes again!!

Juggling life with children & creative/personal pursuits can be challenging can't it? I'm finding it tricky to get the balance...this is an ongoing thing for me, as I'm sure it is for others. My youngest one, Rosie, or Hurricane Rosie as someone called her the other day, is a Big Personality who has so much energy & a real lust for life.

Needless to say she is a dynamo to be around and brings me alot of happiness. It's important to me to be around for my kids and Rosie and I have a lot of fun together, making things, exploring, being silly, enjoying life. But it's hard to find the space sometimes to do the things I want to do. Lately I have been fighting hard to find that space...but I'm not giving up!! Thanks to blog land at least I get to see what other people are making & that is so inspiring. I'm constantly amazed and excited by all the wonderful creative people out there.

This weekend I managed to finish this butterfly picture that has been on hold for ....several years! These lovely flutterbys come from an old library book from the Footscray Library, a great library that we visited alot when we lived in Seddon. Hopefully it won't take me as long to get it up on the wall!

Although it doesn't feel like I am achieving much there have been lots of little things getting done...I'm loving our newly finished fire place! Not a great shot but you get the general idea. Mark & I are slightly addicted to watching the series The Wire, on dvd, by the fire at night.

A girl can still get to the market too, I found these bottles yesterday. Wouldn't mind a drop or two of Womaton!! I had to look twice at the other bottle...at first I thought it might be an old fashioned aid for fella's!

There's still time for one of my other loves. chookens! Here is Henrietta enjoying a drink and a frolic in the fresh hay..

can I come in?

Besides creative frustrations life is actualling tootling along well lately. I'm not walking as much as I'd like but still working on it every second day or so. It's cold and wet and misty but I'm kind of enjoying winter and catching up with friends over nice, hot cups of tea. After a catch up with Kate on Friday I ran into Stuart Purves from Australian Galleries, who has recently bought a property in the area, We got talking about life in a small country town, bumping into familiar faces & how lovely the smaller world can be. This got me thinking about the importance of connecting with others. I really enjoy living in a friendly, supportive community and that's also what I enjoy about blogging. Thanks to everyone, by the way, for their comments on my last post. Hope you have a great week! xo

ps: Hurricane's quote of the day (me standing talking with two women from school) "Mum, you just farted! You should have said excuse me!" Nice one Rosie....