Slowing Down...

Gosh... what to write about when it feels like life is taking off without you?

What to say when you've been unwell, in pain and couch/bedbound?

(nothing serious and I will recover but boy oh boy!)

Well I realised that one of the nicest things to do is to read about the adventures of other 

people who are having a ball, facing new adventures and possibly even trying to overcome

greater obstacles than my own... yep that helped.

Taking photos is also a favourite past time of mine and it isn't too hard to find 

beauty in some of the simplest things in life ... when you keep your eyes peeled.

I've been staying at Mums (she's a born nurse) and her green fingers have inspired me immensely

She told me that this Cyclamen was pure white but she had been pouring a little bit of diluted beetroot

juice (when rinsing out her cup) on it and low and behold it changed colour. It was a small amount too so it had me wondering what other plants might react this way? I know Hydrangeas can be altered depending on what type of soil but I'd never heard of beetroot juice working? 

I mean yes - we've all seen cut flowers dyed with food colouring but beetroot juice?

Hmmm... Ideas, ideas. 

As I mentioned before, Mum has green fingers for sure - and green toes too I expect.

Her garden deserves a post all of it's own but but I had to share this one. 

I love this statue and in the pot he guards Mum has Maiden Hair fern growing alongside 

Geranium and Colocasia ... all in the same pot... seriously???

It's been a very wet September here in Perth. Whilst we are grateful since our dams

are low (and our farmers desperately need the water) I know it's been strange to have 

fires lit and woollens on so late in the year. The majority of people in Perth get pretty crabby when the 

weather turns grey. You can sense the longing for sunshine and beaches and barbecues.

Hubby and I love the wet weather and we never get the Winter Blues 

(dare I say it but we in fact get the Summer Sads!)

So we've been capitalising on the cosy factor and watching an illegal amount of 

Escape To The Country, Country Home Restoration and Grand Designs... as you do.

Pooch doesn't mind though... he just loves a lap.

So there's my post all about nothing.

Well to be fair I titled it "slowing down" since that's all you can 

do when life throws you a curveball and rest is required.

I think my next post will be about all the stunning things I've discovered on

Pinterest... my other favourite couch activity.

I hope you are having a great day peoples?

It's a public holiday here today so we are taking our 15 year old son to

the train station where he'll be embarking on a day at the Royal Show with 

friends... some who are girls!!... (I think that means way more to me than him)

We have something yummy on the menu to look forward to though:

Homemade Gnocchi with a Butternut Pumpkin Sauce. Yum.

One more thing.... the first image is that of a gift given to me by my Hubby.

He felt I needed cheering up and treated me to this stunning fragrance.

It's officially now my favourite.

Thank you again babe.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

School Holidays and Sloth-like Tendencies...

So this will be a lazy post  - so lazy in fact that I cannot even be bothered editing & ordering the images or apologising for the close-up of my toes or the medium close-up of me straight out of a bath and into THE onesie*... the one that was bloomin pricey but had the ever essential "bottom flap" (which I consider nothing short of ESSENTIAL given that the whole point of a onesie is to remain cocooned and how then do you achieve this when it's time to take a twinkle???) 

It's mid-winter school holidays (or break or vacation whichever you prefer) here peoples. That means we stay in bed late when we can - and we conduct ourselves as sloth like as is allowed before life truly gets in the way. We have the bush radio on most of the day whilst crafting, we venture out to feed the chickens and walk the dog, drink lots of tea which we accompany with sugary treats and allow the pooch to act as lap warmer whenever possible. 

School/study is going very well. My lovely tutor allows me a day of work experience in her shop as well (which I looooooove) and the practice is making all the difference. We have exams coming up so I have to squeeze study in to the sloth timetable ... as well as a few "Mother-Son Milkshake & Soy-Chai-Latte Dates"

Yes... life is looking pretty horizontal here in the hills peoples. It's all about squeezing out every drop of hedonism the day has to offer and making zero excuses for it. After all what else is a vacation for?

Now if you'll excuse me I need to make some hot chocolate and fish out some knitting... and possibly emerge from the onesie so that it can be washed. 

* I have desired, dreamed and wished for a Onesie for most of my life. I first spotted one on Little House on the Prairie - when I asked my mum why they didn't make pee-jays like that anymore she laughed... whereas I was being serious. It seemed like the most logical outfit for any cold winter climate and I adored the fact that someone had the genius to incorporate a "loo-flap" - after all who wants to strip halfway in the middle of the night? It's bad enough that the toilet seat is like an ice-block! Are these thoughts just mine or do I share a camaraderie with other "onesie wearers" out there?

♥♥♥♥

PS - I mastered the paper crane... sans a swear word. Not sloth-like but noteworthy.

The things that happen when your'e busy doing things....

Have you noticed that when you have your head up your bum trying to get important things done you often miss a whole lotta cool action going down? Yeah? Or is that just me? 

I look up from one of my missions only to find that the stuff *out there is waaaay

better than the stuff *in here ...

... so I looked up and I found that it had rained...

... a LOT....

...which made my chickens VERY happy....

... and possibly a wee bit crazy ....

... and my willow sprouted roots ....

... and I had a visitor greet me whilst cleaning my porch...

... and new fruits came into season... delicious fruits.

So I'm glad I looked up

What about you? Have you been really busy lately? Have you had crazy deadlines to meet? Are you looking forward to hanging out with your sister whilst your Hubby and Son trek down south on a male bonding expedition? Are you anticipating a weekend of lazing around in your pyjamas, eating chocolate, drinking tea and watching loads of period dramas with the pooch on your lap? 

Or is that just me?

* in here being my head  - where I get stuck when I'm pushing deadlines and scratching to-do lists

** out there being the wonderful wide world of living breathing fun

I read this the other day and just had to share it.

****

Have an awe-filled day peoples.....

(and look up!) 

A minute from my morning

We've had crazy weather lately. Four seasons in a day complete with a thunderstorm or two.
Summer soaks through the skin with a humidity that is quite unexpected for this time of year.

My garden needs extra water and the chickens are seeking out shade in the midday hours. The pool blanket has been removed and the string lights unpacked. I have a list as long as my arm of all the necessary tasks to tend to before the festive season begins.

This translates to an alarm clock set just that one hour earlier; and bedtime just that one hour later (or does it?) Never the less as I endeavour to make sure all gets done I'm reminded of a wonderful quote from an Aesop fable ... "slow and steady wins the race"

Here's a minutes footage from my morning ... the fog was ghostly and the birds chorused loudly whilst I took an outside shower. It was such an atmospheric moment that I thought a still image might not quite suffice....

No at all what you'd call a Summer's morning. 

How was your weekend peoples? 

We were asked to "dog-sit" for friends.

It was fun.

Whistle while you work...

Throw open the doors, put on the music, 

fill a bucket with hot water and Eucalyptus oil, 

grab a pair of gloves, light some incense and...

... whistle while you work...

... clean out the old flowers ...

... but save a few blooms if you can...

... sweep, and wash, polish and dust ...

... change things around, marvel at your home,

feel the sacred and immerse in the gratitude...

... soak up the sun and smile at the pooch

(ALWAYS ready to play ball)...

... Now reward yourself with a cuppa, 

a book and a comfortable

spot in the warmth of the sunshine...

Is there a better way to spend a day?

Ok I'm sure there is...

... Indeed for many this

would be a bit of nightmare.

However I've found that playing house

and being grown up affords me so

many luxuries ... the least of 

which is the ability to truly

LOVE my home.

Yes.

It was good day

****

Happy Bees...

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. 

(Robert Frost)

Yes people .. it's official. 

Spring has arrived in Perth.

She's unpacked her bags.

She'll be staying a while methinks

This is good news for Maris...

... Lillith....

.... and (stunning) Roz...

... they love all the bugs, the worms and the flies that

inevitably accompany Spring to town.

Eddie loves it too... he doses in the sunshine and

starts whenever a bee buzzes by...

... the garden needs some TLC ...

...but we'll get there I'm sure...

Meantime I'm just soaking up all the 

life ... the energy... 

... the abundance.

I treated myself to a bunch of Ranunculus

(such a harsh name for such a delicate flower?)

They're from the lovely Sandy 

at PODZ

I spent the morning photographing

(& chatting) her stunning store.

I'll be posting about that soon.

In the meantime I have these to 

brighten up the house and 

affirm the seasons change.

What is in store for your weekend peoples?

Mine:

Football

(having the worlds most supportive Hubby

requires one to make some 

sacrifices from time to time)

Gardening - nothing too major - just

pottering, weeding and sowing seeds.

Reading - I have two novels on the go 

and I plan on finding me a tree, a tea-pot

and a pillow at some stage.

Editing ... I made a short film about our beach house

adventure and I'm putting it together to share.

Well as you can see not too much ahead but when

you factor in eating, sleeping, baking and 

hanging out with family the weekend seems

too short. Bring on school holidays I say.

Take care peoples.

Enjoy the sunshine fellow Oz folk.

Warmth and lingering sunshine to all 

well North of the Equator :-) 

****