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Last week I watched in disbelief and surprise as this stunning bouquet walked down my driveway.
Yes, it really was as if they walked alone and I genuinely couldn't pick out the bearer of them because I was completely entranced by their beauty.



How tragic that my first thought was, "Oh, wrong address".
My second, "Is it my birthday?" (I know whacky hey?).
Then, "Maybe they're for our student? Oh help, is it her birthday?"
Finally they arrived at the door, which I'd flung open, mouth agape.
They seemingly anthropomorphised and announced they were for Emma! Me!
Thirty long stemmed tangerine, and creamy-blushy-rosey blooms edged in soft-lime and crimson, huddled together, smiling at me.



How gloriously beautiful.
How perfectly surprising.
And graciously accepted by me from my very sweet friend.
Completely unwarranted thanks for simply helping out.
Oh, but I am so grateful. They made my week very happy.

They spent part of the week in a huge rose bowl and gradually popped up around the house
in tiny drink bottles, bud vases, specimen jars. Spreading their joy.

So, I would like to spread them a little further.
Pass on their beauty, as thanks to you for spending a little of your time here at Tt today.
I hope your week is magical and filled with something unexpectedly lovely.

E x

autumn

A week or two ago Woo and I farewelled the boys as they headed off to the Melbourne Grand Prix. So we girls decided to have some fun ourselves and headed off to the bush. The day was cool and autumnal and beautiful. We had the most lovely and peaceful visit to Momo and Booboo's place. Isn't it glorious? From down at the end of the field all the way to the top is theirs (and ours when we visit). Our children adore it here and so do we. There are frequent murmurings about moving away from this patch of paradise. Would you?

 



Yes it's a little out of the way (but that's actually its charm) and sure there are some domestic annoyances - a small stream that seems to wind and wend its way under the house during heavy rain, of which we've had more than our fair share recently. But it's really rather glorious being up there. Particularly at this time of year. It's almost time for heart warming fires to be lit and for Tiggy's beloved marshmallows toasted by the open fire.

The orchard has been absolutely laden with sweet fruit. There must be about 3 or 4 varieties of apples and at least two of pears. We've had several apple/apple + pear/apple + berry crumbles. YUM! Over the last couple of days the change of season has really started to show itself. We've had wild rain, wind and deeply gloomy skies.

Yesterday, the first day of school hols here, we celebrated the change with a 'jamy day. We enjoyed movies, pop corn, chocolate cake snoozes on the sofa and pure unadulterated laziness.

Two of us didn't shower, nor did we even change our 'jamies. Heaven.

 I have to confess that I was one of the "grubby two" but this morning I was up showered and dressed and ready for the day by 7 am . We've enjoyed a lovely day of friendship and were blessed with their great kindness and generosity today. Lovely Lisa and cheeky Channy came bearing party sandwiches, quiche, salad, more cake and delectable chocolate studded hot crossed buns. How lucky are we?

At my house the candles are already lit, the blinds are drawn, the heating is on. I hope you're enjoying the weather wherever you are.

 E x

 p.s. This natural heart is for you Lis'. Thanks for being such a treasure of a friend.

Editted:  Not sure what's going on with blogger but my photos keep vanishing.  Hope they're there now!

lads!

Tigs has had a ball, this long summer, playing with his buddy who lives a long way away. He managed his first sleepover proper sleep over too. He didn't quite manage the second one though and was very kindly reunited with his Mummy and Daddy at 1am! Poor Lisa sweetly drove him home from the other side of town. Nevertheless both boys have a wonderful time when they are together. Never does a cross word passes their lips. Such good friends.

It astonishes me that in spite of the fact that Tigs doesn't have a gun he seems to know exactly what to do with it! Uggh! In fact he's shown me before that he doesn't need a real gun because he has one on the end of his hand - pshew pshew - index finger and thumb aimed at me!

I have been searching for some aviator sunnies for Tigs for ages and finally found some for him. Much cooler than his little boy, red, plastic jobbies and probably better for him than the scratched up lenses he had. Don't you think he looks great? Not many boys can get away with orange knickerbockers and look this good either, hey?

BTW this is the first post that reflects activities that have occurred this new year! I finally feel that I've caught up :)

E x

a night to remember

such a lovely evening with good friends.

delicious barbie.  woo is a complete carnivore, much to her vegetarian mother's horror, and scoffed chevapi. 

friends

waiting ...

time flies hey?  sorry for the unexpected vanishing act. i guess it wasn't really unexpected for me though, i just rudely didn't mention it.  my gorgeous friend kylie and her beautiful children made their annual pilgrimage home from far flung abu dhabi.  it's a long year without them.

playing out                                                          playing in

we had so much fun together, plenty of lattes, too many yummy nibbles. 

eating out, eating in.  doing 'things', doing nothing.

intrepid exploring                                                    intimate times

there is nothing quite like the friends you have had for a long time, especially the ones from pre-children.  it's effortless; relaxed; peaceful and tear-streamingly hilarious; layers of inside jokes built up over years ('flaps up' kylie), the lightning glances that reveal exactly how the other feels - imperceptible to others and an entire conversation to us.

until next year i'll treasure the memories.  see you soon kylie-annie

hello, again

...it's  been a while. 

We've been away skiing and I'm only just on top of the laundry. 

We had a super time with wonderful friends and picture perfect weather - sun, blue skies, warmth and a gentle alpine breeze - enough to remind you of where you are but not enough to be  a bother. 

It was the perfect introduction to the snow for our friends who came away with us. Last year it was just us the four of us and whilst we had a lovely week Tigs became a little lonely. 

This year he had his soul mate with him.  These two are utterly simpatico and it was a joy to see them together, enjoying each other's company, caring for each other, sharing the same interests,  and even the same bed for one night. 

Woo didn't seem to mind as she had two Mummies to look after her every whim and Tigs occasionally included her in the boys' games.  She even followed them into ski-school, which I allowed, dreaming of a hot chocolate and some adult chat - minus children's incessant interjections, only to have to remove her within the hour when she decided that she'd had enough.  See the colour of her suit up there?  That was the colour of her face by the time I got back to her...  Oh well we can try again another time.  I'm pretty confident that next time she'll be on skis, enjoying the snow.

Tiggy picked up where he left off last and was off like a rocket.  Fearless, feisty (watch out if you're in his way) and fast!  Boy did he move - hence the fuzzy picture (actually it may have been my shaky hand watching him speed downhill) .  I know most 6 year olds sometimes disobey their parents, but when it came to the snow he just could, not, obey, it seemed.  He just couldn't contain the urge to move, fast, downhill.  I don't blame him, it's an exhilarating feeling for sure.  I would love to have skied with him but alas with my leg, I just won't be able to now or at all.

We can't wait to go back again.

friends

 

Tiggy with one of his oldest friends.

They rarely have the chance to see each other now they're both at school so we arranged a play date with some of his old playgroup buddies. It was special to see them pick up where they left off (a good many months ago) and enjoy each others company. When the rest of the group had to leave we headed to the beach and the Tigs and his friend played for a looong time. It was chilly, but that didn't faze them.

As I chatted happily with Lisa my mind turned to another wonderful visit I'd had here a few  three years ago - almost to the very day - with my friend Kylie and Josh and 'Ony.

A golden day, impromptu, free, fun. The weather was glorious, a chill wind combined with the warm sun on our backs and an amber sunset. Happy, happy, carefree children playing in their undies! A day that won't be forgotten. I still miss Kylie, too often.

 

We started to walk back, me knowing that this too was a day to remember. And then my phone rang ... "Number withheld". Odd.

Notice the clothes on the wall?

Clear as a bell, straight from Abu Dhabi - Kylie!!! Coincidence? Serendipity? Providence? Putting out into the universe - -as Kylie would say?  I'd say so.  It only took a couple of words for her to remember the perfect day we'd had in this very spot.

Not quite 3 years old

Greg arrived with an armful of dry fluffy towels to wrap the frozen happy babies up!

As Tigs and I drove home we reminisced about Kylie, Josh and 'Ony.

 "Oh dear, oh dear, I miss Kylie, Tiggy".  I cried. 

"And I miss Joshy & 'Ony", sighed Tigs.

Thank heavens they'll be back to visit soon.

For you Kylie - X

remembering

Thinking of friends winging their way, at long last, to be united with their little boy.

What a Christmas it will be for them, Seoul will be cool, in both senses of the word! I remember someone telling me she picked her daughter up from Seoul in -10C (it may have been lower) and arrived home to +40C.  We had snow in Korea the day before we flew home with our own beautiful child.

 

Tiggy. The morning we arrived home in Australia. 

We stopped a while at the airport to have a coffee with friends and family who had come to welcome our precious boy to his new world.  He sipped a little 'oo yoo' and fell into a deep sleep in my arms.  I love this boy with every ounce of my being and find it almost impossible to believe that I didn't give birth to him. 

mildura - day 4 - this is long - lots of photos though - make a cuppa first!

Our last day, both happy and sad.  We were so delighted to be able to spend so much time together with such generous hosts and such special friends.  Typically it's a couple of hours for lunch when we meet up in town.  To have this block of time together was just wonderful.  We all get along so well, biggies, littlies, girls and boys.   A real joy for us all.

Miss Z is Croc Crazy and wears her big brother's all  the time!  In a bid to secure his for herself, and to rid herself of her own, she helped Woo to put her pretty red ones on.

In the end she needed a little help!

We ate inside this morning as the temperature finally dropped (I may have been a little affected by the heat I think!) and headed into town/the river for a walk and look-see before we saddled up and headed back to the Big Smoke.  Ian works in earth moving, which I think doesn't fully describe the size or importance of his job.  One of the jobs they have on at the moment is an enormous overhaul of the 'new' park area along the banks of the Murray. 

We ran a trial on some of the new equipment.  Mmm, that's the big girls on the humiliatingly awkward pully-up-and-down-thinga-ma-jig!

The little boys look so much 'cooler' on the equipment than we did!

It was the perfect morning to go walking.

This is one of the old paddle-steamers, the Rothbury, built in 1881

Beautiful pink pepper berries, unfortunately not edible.

Miss Z

The Chief Photographer - half of these photos are his.  Thanks Ian.

This one is savvy!  She can sense a camera from miles away and will shut down the smile.  Maybe she thinks it'll steal her soul?  Anyway this is a rare photo of her beautiful grin which is usually on display, unless she hears the click of a lens-cap!

This is K175 and that's about all I know!  Oh Ian said that when they were little they were allowed to climb on it.  Grrr for OH & S.

I do love the levers. 

This one was taken by me holding the camera above my head and flailing around wildly until I got a shot.

Our little family.

Air kisses.

Now I tried to edit the next few but when your subjects are a) willing and b) drop dead gorgeous it's just not possible.  They melt my heart.

Friends.

My favourite.

The lilies again.  They make me happy.  Their wide, flat pads and little upside down tutu's popping up almost as if a ballerina has stooped to do up her ribbons.

The jacarandas with the jack .....  For you Alice, I know how much you love them and summer in Australia. 

And with that we packed up and headed for home, with the most glorious sunset following at our sides. 

If you've made to the end, congratulations and thank you. 

E x