littlemin downlow

Soothing Sights

2010-11-03T21:32:00.022+11:00

It's been a long hard Winter and 2/3 of the way into Spring I think I'm still thawing out. Our days are pretty full and this blog is not the only thing that's been neglected.

I was just having a little perusal through some pretty pictures that I've stashed away in the bowels of this computer and while I gather my thoughts in the lead up to a more informative post, here a some of my favourites to share with you. The pictures are totally random and I never labelled them properly. I'm lazy like that. If any of these pics are yours I give you full credit. I have collected them for their inspiration factor and pure viewing pleasure.

The gorgeous Monica Belluci from The Brothers Grimm

Moopy and Me

Neck warmer by Hyena In Petticoats

Elsa Mora papercut. (Isn't she incredibly clever!)

Gaultier

Red Tara

Barcelona apartment

And there's plenty more where that came from. And again, if I've swiped your pics, I apologize. It's just that they're so yummy.

Sushi Sandwiches

2010-07-26T12:38:00.004+10:00

Nori rolls are our standard snack food when we're out and about. Our favourite is raw salmon and avocado for a nice hit of omega 3. Yes, even the kiddies dig that raw salmon.

Today I made Aussie style nori rolls with bread, tuna, avocado, grated carrot and light cream cheese.

It went down a treat.

The Op Shop Gods Were Smiling...

2010-07-19T21:38:00.006+10:00

...not on me, but on one of my besties who had the good grace and generosity to hand it over! She has sons and they probably wouldn't wear such a pretty frock and jacket so my 4 and a half year old scored! Big time. This is vintage botanical print swingy sun frock with matching bolero jacket!

Divine yes?

I'll probably change the buttons on the dress for something more delicate.

Even better, the 4 year old is prepared to wear it! (I tried to hide my excitement a little in case it put her off). Just not as a model for my little photo shoot today.

But I do have evidence of swing factor from its first spin.

Teaching an old dog new tricks

2010-07-16T13:42:00.007+10:00

Current brain research talks about how the brain is actually far more plastic than previously thought and it turns out that when an area of the brain is damaged, other areas come in to play and have the capacity to take over function.

It got me thinking that with my apparently undamaged brain, maybe I should utilise it a little more and begin with learning some simple new skills. Thanks to my good friend youtube I had a couple of free lessons starting with finger knitting. This topic was chosen first as I was knitting (with needles) a tiny dolls blanket on request this morning. When the bigger of the smalls expressed an interest to have a go I thought of finger knitting as an achievable place to start, providing I learn it too.

And I have photographic evidence of our efforts...

Which led me to try a type of plait that I have now come to know as a fishtail braid; a more interesting version of the humble plait.
And apart from the slight porno feel of this clip, I found it to be the most useful tutorial.

Again, our efforts...

I bet all my Steiner educated friends already have these crafty skills and more tucked away in their bags of tricks ready to use. I may have learned to conjugate French verbs during my grammar school education a skill long forgotten anyway, if ever mastered, but knitting and making really would have come in a lot more handy! So it may be after lunchtime and I may not be showered yet but I have 2 new (modest) skills that I did not have when I woke up this morning. See? You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Whoa!

2010-07-14T15:22:00.004+10:00

By the way, please excuse my blog header. It is trying to eat my blog! When I find a few spare hours to fiddle with Html I'll try to cut it back to a more approachable size.

And no sister, you may not have that jug!

And by the way again, this is what my MIL or should I say MOL says I look like.

And this is what I actually look like.

Nuff said. The end.

Dazed and Confused

2010-07-14T14:32:00.010+10:00

Alongside the windy, icy, rainy weather I'm having quite an unsettled week. I am still recovering from a wild and uncalled for dummy spit by the mother outlaw who over the years has proven herself to be quite prone to these tanties. She gives the grandchildren a run for their money, that's for sure, and is unrivaled in her need for attention and praise. The baby daddy and I have literally had unsettled stomachs and trouble sleeping ever since the episode and frankly it all feels unresolved and unresolvable. There is no point going into details here but I feel we have reached an impass based on clashing personalities and different ideas on what is acceptable behaviour.

I am questioning how long you must accept a relatives poor or even irritating behaviour before reaching the conclusion to cut your relationship with them. We are talking 15 years of giving it a shot here!

I would value your thoughts here wise ladies. I am keen to get back to bluer skies and clearer days.

Finders Keepers

2010-07-14T14:09:00.004+10:00

The independent design and art Finders Keepers Market is coming to Melbourne in October. You have a few months to save your pennies and organize babysitting for one of the two days, or both. So get to it and I'll see you there on the 9th and/or 10th of October, Shed 4 at Docklands!

Carmensita

2010-07-05T23:13:00.005+10:00

Yoga has always been a part of my life to a greater or lesser degree and at times I have really enjoyed chanting classes too. There's something soothing and satisfying about singing repetitively in a language you barely understand and often translations would reveal some pretty whacky sanskrit lyrics.

I've already forgotten how I stumbled upon this clip of a Devendra Banhart song (not chanting) but I'm glad I did because the subtitles to the song make me smile and think of the kooky things I've chanted about.

Oh and you might recognize Devendra's gorgeous girlfriend in the clip (and real life).

Dirtgirl

2010-06-17T23:04:00.003+10:00

I love a good role model for my girls. This one might have a massive head like a vacuous Bratz doll but she's intelligent, kind, promotes environmental consciousness and has way more clues about gardening than I do.

Look out for the chooks rocking out in the clip.

Mountain Missive

2010-06-13T16:11:00.009+10:00

It has almost been a year since we moved up to the Dandenongs and I think we're about 90% sure it was the right thing to do. (Leaving a margin for the times particularly during bushfire season where we simply say WTF did we do THAT for?) The spectacular Autumn just passed helped to anchor my deep love for this place and even as the Winter sets in I am making new connections, discovering new places and becoming entrenched in the community that now has my heart.

After doing some extensive research on the local educational facilities I happily enrolled the eldest into the local primary school for next year. (Already?!!! Wasn't she just born?!!) Their Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program and Permaculture garden was a massive drawcard but the educational curriculum, namely the Walker Learning Approach won us over as well. I had a little tour with the school principal and found that each classroom we visited was full of seemingly contented and engaged kids. The teachers were teaching in a relaxed, and engaged way and didn't have to waste their time to stop to 'discipline' kids every 30 seconds. Hopefully their enthusiasm is not just for when visitors walk in...

Random pic of self sown silverbeet that gives me a little thrill everytime
I look out the loungeroom window. I am apparently easily pleased.

Speaking of Permaculture, I have bought a small load of bare rooted heritage fruit trees from Pete the Permie to begin our mini orchard and am seriously considering doing some study in the field...could be a new career direction..

Oh, and look who came to live at our house! These pretty ladies are Belgian Bantams, and the brown blur in the middle is Coco the silkie.

I'm still working on better enclosure and day run. There's just too many predators around to let them free-range so I figure a decent run should keep them safe and happy.

Look What The Cat Dragged In...

2010-06-06T17:10:00.003+10:00

Well me actually. We don't have a cat. A dear neighbour adopted him when we moved because we didn't think he'd cope with a big change and I don't believe people should really have pet cats up here so close to the bush (unless they're indoor or aviary pussycats).

Anyway, this ace brazier came from the local hard rubbish collection and I think it's pretty rad. The same day I found it I saw an ad for a glam version called the Brad Pitt brazier. Very chic and only $1100. Mine will do me just fine.

I Love This!

2010-06-04T10:28:00.003+10:00

via hula seventy

This clip makes me feel a little hopeful, a bit melancholy, a lot grateful and so aware of the passing of time! I like how it's celebrating the small moments in (a first world, mainly middle class) life and is a reminder to me that each moment, no matter how seemingly mundane, is a valid piece of your life. Life is happening all the time. Not just in the exciting parts or the future bits you have mapped out in your brain.

If you have a spare 4 minutes and 16 seconds check it out. (Look out for the awesome letterbox.)

Quinoa Epiphany.

2010-04-29T17:44:00.008+10:00

Way back in my early Naturopath days I learned about a curious grain called quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wa') which was purported to be a nutrient dense, fibre rich, protein packed alternative to rice. After a half-hearted and poor attempt to cook it I dismissed it as too wholesome even for me.

More recently I have rediscovered the grain and realizing that I must have really been a dodgy and/or lazy cook to stuff it up I am finding it to be a delicious and even preferable alternative to rice and couscous. Abundant availability has aided this epihany and even my local stupormarket stocks the grain in white, red and black!

After a somewhat shaky start, I have discovered quinoa to be a hit with the small folk of the house.
First taste (after removing from own bowl and transferring deftly to plastic lid for consumption). Ech! No thanks Mum!

What is that texture on my tongue? Get it off!

Eh, perhaps I'll try a bit more, just in case...

Actually I'm really in to this, now I'm going to eat yours too!

Quinoa Salad

Cook about 1 part rinsed quinoa in 2 parts rapidly boiling water until softened but not sloppy. (Look for the 'Saturn-ring' that appears when it's ready). I used a mix of white and red quinoa just because) and drain.

Add salady ingredients according to season and what you have already. I used a small tin of tuna, chopped red onion, avocado, left over cooked broccoli, crumbled fetta and chopped herbs. Grated carrot would be a good addition.

Dress with olive oil and sherry vinegar/lemon juice.
Season to taste and bon appetit!

A Few Words. Many Pictures.

2010-04-22T22:30:00.010+10:00

A vividly beautiful Autumn has set in up here in the Dandenongs and as we moved here only last Winter, I am reveling in the spectacular palette of colour it has smattered around us. I have now witnessed almost a complete annual cycle in the garden so I have a good idea of what happens when, and now I can launch into my grand plans...as funds allow...

In the garden the Tigerellas continue their bounty.

Autumn seedlings are planted.

There are signs of life in my potted Coral Bark Maple that I thought had dehyrated to death.

And small people honing their gardening skills.

Inside, there are rainbows on my pages.

Hearty cooler weather salads involving couscous or quinoa with roasted pumpkin, herbs and flaked almonds.

And of course an almost constant supply of baked things.

Small people around here are way into that.

Ooh Look At That. I Made Something!

2010-04-09T20:18:00.003+10:00

And about time too! My incentive was the imminent arrival of a small person. Let me explain.

One of my dearest friends had a baby blessing (Forget the baby shower concept; we do blessings) last weekend and requested that we each bring a small animal to hang on a mobile for the baby's room. There was no pressure to make anything but as most of us did I think there was an outpouring of creative energy for this yet to be born babe.

Maybe a macro shot was a bit much to expose my dodgy stitching skills but I was working with some extremely temperamental silk there. The green business is a net bag that previously contained avocados but I thought it kind of resembled fish scales and could help me out. The trouble was I had already done the eyes, fins and the bit on the side by the time I decided to use it so I had to stitch the avo bag on and then snip it away from all the decorative bits. I think a few more goes at this and I could have a rocking fish softie design.

Still needs its guts stuffed...

I'll make sure I get a snap of the full mobile once it's done.

Ooh, did I mention I'm going to be at the birth?

Alice is Wunderbar!

2010-03-14T22:25:00.004+11:00

I was lucky enough today to have a kiddie-free afternoon and dive down the rabbit hole! I can only gush about how amazing and lush the costumes and sets are. Actually can you even call them sets these days now that they're virtually all CGI? Whatev, it's beautiful.

I love Johnny. I love Helena. (Always have since Room With a View!) And the Aussie girl who plays Alice has a quirky graciousness about her that I found appealing. Anyway, loved it!

Look here for a sneak peak.

We Have Nuts!

2010-03-14T21:50:00.008+11:00

It was to my great delight that I discovered the big shade tree who's canopy hangs over the garage is actually a prolifically fruiting walnut. So for a few days in Summer, the girls and I delighted in gathering the fallen nuts and as the photos show, ended up with quite a harvest.

A bit of interwebs research told me that I needed to don stain proof garb and get to hulling and washing the nuts before leaving them to dry out before they would be ready to eat.

Alas, due to my time restrictions/procrastination/sheer laziness our harvest has been neglected and as I did not get to hull and dry them quickly enough the walnuts have either become dessicated or gone mouldy. I resolve next year to set aside a day or two after harvest and finish off the process in time so we can enjoy the omega 3 packed goodness from our garden!

Believe me, I'm kicking myself.

Discovered

2010-02-10T21:05:00.003+11:00

I might be a little late to the party but I am smitten by the lovely Emiliana Torrini whom I discovered via a beautiful birthing video by this special lady. And total buggeration, she has just finished an Australian tour!

It seems I have a thing for kooky Icelandic singers. You know who else I'm talking about.

Lovin' Summer

2010-01-28T21:52:00.017+11:00

Happiest of new years to you lovely, patient peeps who still may drop by here (Yes I know February starts next week!).

We hilltop hoods have been busying ourselves with a lovely balance of activities at home and away, with company or not, and I've even managed a little time to myself!

Here's some of our summer adventures and activities so far......

A trip to fairyland by way of the Fitzroy gardens.

Painting sessions.

A teddy wedding.
Where some of the guests were found to lack a little self control!

Garden tea parties involving sickly sweet, mouth puckeringly sour, gooey but somehow highly addictive lemon meringue pie.

I am slowly coming to terms with how slow my oven is, but obviously I have had this realisation since making this pie. The meringue was more foam than chew (but we devoured it anyway!)

Many a moment relaxing in the garden.

And swinging at the park.

A trip to the ballet for a small girl.

Divine homegrown dahlias. Note to self - next year, stake the flowers before they sprout so they don't fall over.

And many an evening pondering nature.

For someone who occasionally complains of too little time to read these days, I have managed to demolish the entire Twilight saga in under two weeks and I must say, thoroughly enjoyed it! I had no intention of reading the series until they were foisted upon me by my sister who said something like, "Read. You will love." Ah, and I promptly found myself back in the teenage
world of delicious angst, drama, fantasy and romance...

Finally, we've spent lots of time in the company of this lovely fella, Ambrose, and his accomodating family who also happen to be my parentals. They put us up whenever our fire plan says we have to leave the mountain, and I get the sweet bonus of spending extra time with my mum! I hope she doesn't mind too much.

A little Golden Time

2009-12-13T20:28:00.009+11:00

This week the girls and I were lucky enough to spend a couple of days at a beautiful beach house for my dear friends birthday week. We had to leave the baby-daddy behind to work but thoroughly enjoyed our little break from daily routines.

It's amazing how even a small break can be a breath of fresh air into your life, especially when spent in good company.

Munchkins on beach patrol. Man in background is the pied piper.

Dork on a swing

View from the deck. Nice.

Looking with intent!

A moment later Willow was in the pool, instinctively dog paddling but underwater. No photo to show it as I dropped camera in a flash to fish her out (fast as lightning automatic mum response)!
Gratefully (me grateful) she recovered quickly and was fine but geez I'm going to have to watch that one. I suspect she's responsible for the missing Christmas tree decorations from the lower branches of the tree. Anyone else having that problem with their littles?

2009-12-08T22:04:00.004+11:00

We've dusted off the old fakey and put up the decorations to the dulcit tones of Bing Crosby.

Somewhat of a tradition now if I think back to last year.

I never imagined I'd use a fake Christmas tree, and I never imagined I'd enjoy Bing singing Christmas carols in such a big way. Maybe my tiny house elves are inspiring my mood.
There's one above with a magnified eyeball. And one below in a basket.

I hope you're enjoying the season so far. xx

What's hot + What's not.

2009-12-02T21:22:00.014+11:00

Recent baking adventures inspired by the beautiful photography and recipes of M.E

Ooh hello dear neglected blog. It seems the drudgery of life has gotten in the way of my posts to you....

To get me kick started I think I'll indulge in a little of loobylu's what's hot/not game. (But I'm gonna start with the nots so I can end on a positive note).

Not.
*Well it's not all drudgery but I do feel up to my neck in domestics and fire plans. Every time I hear the CFA siren go off my stomach flips a little. I've had to pack bags twice already but at least those times have been a good practise run.

*And why did we buy a house without a bath????????????

*Creepy relatives-out-law imposing themselves on our Christmas day. Am I just not getting into the Christmas spirit? Bah - humbug!

*Those bloody deer. Yes the war is on already and the need for very tall fencing has just moved up the priority list. I saw a couple at the bottom of the driveway today so I know for sure we don't just get very tall possums at night and although they are truly beautiful beasts but will somebody tell them to please stop munching on anything that's new in the garden?! (Otherwise we may include venison on the Christmas menu). ((Not really! - I couldn't go there.))

*Wonky hips discovered on smallest householder involving trips to professional peeps with opinions. More opinions to come.

Hot

*A planned mid-week getaway for next week to this place for a special friend's birthday.

*Tickets to the circus on the weekend. It's the people circus not the caged animal circus so we'll get to see flexible folks in fancy costumes doing amazing things with their bodies. We likey. Ribbon stick and hula hoop sessions are currently commencing daily around here in anticipation for the Saturday spectacle put on by the NICA almost-pros.

*This beautiful run of mild, sunny days dotted with enough rain to stop the forest from drying up. Just a little longer please.....all these bushfire meetings and pamphlets on 'is your home ready to withstand a raging bushfire at the bottom of your garden' are freaking. me. out.

*Where the Wild Things Are is finally here! And my friend is inside one of those Wild Things suits. I can't wait to see it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NOkQ4dYVaM

*An upgrade on the kinder teacher for next year.

*Also hot is this sandy playground.

We graced it with our presence on a recent sleepover to my sisters lovely seaside abode.

The littles haven't yet kicked their city habits.

Contrary to Willow's opinion I thought the coffee was quite good. (Don't worry Mum, hers was all milk).

And finally, please excuse the blurry photo but this scene of sisters hugging voluntarily must be enough to warm the cockles of any mothers heart - well mine anyway. My favourite one year old has been busting out much spontaneous affection in the form of bear hugs lately. Mama likey.

Life's pretty good after all...

Through Her Eyes

2009-11-09T12:32:00.000+11:00

Perhaps it's against my better judgement, but for little gems like these I think it's occasionally worth it to turn a blind eye when the camera falls into the hands of a just-turned four year old.

Diggers on the loose.

2009-10-28T13:53:00.010+11:00

Yesterday, on the most gloriously sunny Tuesday, I visited Heronswood at Dromana with my beautiful Mum and the littles. Mum bought me a Diggers membership for my birthday last week to help kickstart my plans to turn our garden into a largely edible one.

The grounds of Heronswood are so beautiful with inspiration galore for novice gardeners (like me!).

I found the organic and sustainable approach particularly inspiring. The archways above are that steel that you see on building sites to reinforce concrete. They are perfect for growing climbers but I reckon they'd also keep the deer off the vegie patch.

I have a thing for ginkgo that harks back to my Herbal Medicine days. And that view! I'd trade my mountain for it. How fickle am I!

And of course we had to have a bit of beach time seeing as we were so close to it.

Thanks for the awesome present Mum, as well as your kid wrangling assistance and your excellent company. Let's go again in Autumn and go crazy on heirloom vegie seedlings...

Pink

2009-10-07T16:26:00.003+11:00

I'm celebrating the hot pink awesomeness in my garden. Never thought I'd say that.

More words soon.

Yellow for A

2009-09-10T14:44:00.004+10:00

Today was the second anniversary of the death of a little friend of ours. He would have turned ten next month. I can't help but think how fundamentally altered his parents lives are from losing him. Two years must still feel so raw.

My eldest girl who was so tuned in to his mum's feelings around the time of his death has recently proclaimed her favourite colour to be yellow. Until now, she has never wavered from pink. She doesn't know it but it was his favourite too.

The daffodils in our garden are blooming splendidly. Perhaps they know too.

The Magic of Mushrooms

2009-09-10T11:57:00.014+10:00

There's a space under our house which I call 'the cave'. When I first went in there the rich, earthy smell evoked thoughts of the delicious fruits of the earth that would grow and thrive there.

Several weeks ago we went to St. Andrews market and picked up a mushroom kit to get our little funghi crop started.

Everything we needed was contained in the kit. All we needed to provide was a dark space and a daily spray of water. At that point I ditched the plans to grow our 'shrooms in the cave and for lack of better judgment put the box in the linen cupboard.

Within days, tiny white spots began to appear in the soil.

Black spots appeared throughout the linen cupboard.

I re-housed the mushroom box to a spot under the kitchen sink and washed my towels and sheets.

And we've had a plentiful supply of fresh, buttery swiss brown and white mushrooms ever since!

For now the cave remains empty, but may well come in handy when I can get my hands on some shiitakes.

Happy, er, third day of spring!

2009-09-02T11:47:00.024+10:00

Daffodils

Sorry about the daggy formatting but here's some snaps of what's been popping up in my garden since the sun decided to shine a little with the change of season. The palette of blooms appears to mainly be pinks and reds, not my first choice for flowers, but I will embrace wholeheartedly and add my favourite blues and whites, and silvery foliage as I go. The the ususal mountains suspects - Camellias a'plenty, the ubiquitous Rhody and Azalias - all of which I've never grown before.

Grape Hyacinth

Hellebores 'Ruffled Lady' (I only know that because I saw them a t the nursery)

Azalea

Azalea

Rhododendron

Camellia

Not quite sure

Snow drops - not onion weed

Camellia bud

Lavender
Camellia

The first day of Spring involved a first trip to the 'famous' lolly shop up the road. It was aimed to be a minor celebration of Spring but also a bribe to the the elder of the two littles out for a walk. So much wet and cold weather and indoor days had led to a bit of a stand off regarding outdoor activity and use of the legs. Said oldest little was given $2 to choose something in the shop and I was so curious to see where she'd go with that.

The little sweetheart chose the most modest and plain little lollypop for 50 cents and was quite happy to pay and leave it at that. It was she giving me the hurry up once her treat had been selected as I was nostalgically sniffing in the scent of musk sticks and wine gums and sherbets and all sorts of sugary goodness that once cost about a cent per sweet - or less. (For some beautiful and colourful photos of confectionary have a look at what Shula's been up to over at Poppalina).

The previously sweet-treat deprived small child carried her "ollypop" in it's wrapping all the way home and devoured it in the Spring sunshine once we got home.

That Little Tart

2009-08-24T20:12:00.008+10:00

Geez it's windy outside! It sounds like I'm by the ocean, not a forest. Spring schming! This weather's just weird. I'm home alone with the littles tonight and despite the spooky wind tunnel hoo hoo noises and the likelihood of another power failure I'm feeling quite cosy here in my little cubbyhouse.

That brings me to comfort food. If the weather doesn't become a little more conducive to outside activities soon, I fear that just as Winnie the Pooh found himself confined to Rabbit's burrow after consuming too many honeypots, I too may need to liberate myself via extreme fasting.

This particular lemon tart recipe has not helped matters. When I spied it on Leonie's blog I practically ran to the kitchen to whip it together. The photos are of the second attempt at baking this ridiculously yummy dessert, not because the first was a failure, but because the first one was pretty much inhaled out of the oven and scarfed before my camera had a chance to admire it.

Actually that's a bit of a lie. Leonie's lemon tart looked way prettier than mine, which was kind of goopy. But tasted good.

Needless to say, in the not too distant future, (ie. after I've tried out a few more bodacious baking recipes) I will boot away the Winter blues and big bellies with a decent Spring cleanse. I just hope I can convince my coinhabitants to do the same...

All the Pretty Little Peonies

2009-08-21T21:28:00.005+10:00

Peony flower / timelapse from munich timelapse on Vimeo.

I spied this on Pia's beautiful blog which is always full of pretty things which inspire and are full of soul.

I fully intend to dabble in the art of peony growing in this mountain patch of mine. Lovely.

The Cocoa Incident

2009-08-21T12:21:00.004+10:00

It happened in a flash, when I was chopping vegies right next to her.

I picked up the camera.

And let her go for it a little longer. She still smells sweet. I could eat her up.

A Week of Weather

2009-08-14T19:00:00.015+10:00

First there was this.

Then this.

Then a bit more of this. (This one brought Bambi out of the woods).

And then, a little of this.

Which gave rise to this.

I failed to get a shot of the extreme wind which blew the barbecue cover into a ditch up the road and of the power blackout which lasted for most of Sunday. Two blackouts in the two months we've been here then. Not such a good rate.

Look Who Came To Visit.

2009-08-12T19:10:00.007+10:00

Can you see them? Behind the cubby, through the fog.

We had heard we've had deer visiting and seen some evidence of nightime visits but it was under the cover of thick all-day fog today that they came to visit and nibble the grass. They can go for it if it helps keep the lawn trimmed. There's way too much of it.

It may be a different story once I have vegie seedlings in but for now, they're welcome guests.

Hibernation and Hill Chills

2009-07-13T20:41:00.017+10:00

Hi there! I seem to have gone AWOL on this blog but I'm here, I've moved house and I've managed to get back on the interwebs.

It's been a curious month with such a dramatic lifestyle change from the inner burbs to the mountains and being a one car family I'm starting to feel a little stranded at times. But only a little. The girls and I have been having a completely snuggy time nestling into our new nest and making it our own while the baby-daddy goes out to work to support us. (Yay for that!)

We've had some visits from a few of our favourite people and many days of just hanging out together getting to know our new house and 'hood. Great coffee has been discovered within 5 minutes walk and a handy playground within ten. The only thing I'm really missing so far is the proximity to my said fav people and the sense of community that we came from. Actually, I miss Ceres too, and our neighbours and our cat. A bit more readjusting to do I suppose.

That may account for the strange melancholy that has washed over me occasionally. An emotional equivalent of the fog that descends on this neck of the woods. At times I have thought we'd literally moved into a cloud. The street light sometimes stays on for the whole day but then on others a patch of blue will open up in the sky and cast beautiful clear light on our hilly nest.

Buddha seems content in his new home.

I have a delicious sense of anticipation to find what is going to pop up in the garden in Spring and there are already brave bulbs bursting through the surface. I'm starting to get a sense of the work that will be needed to keep the weeds in check, the hedge trimmed and the lawns mown but I'm also really excited about learning more about gardening in a cool climate and making my mark on this garden. I have this place within walking distance to visit for inspiration. The gardens are truly gorgeous but I even get a buzz from loitering around the nursery, plotting future purchases...(maples, weeping cherries, fruit trees....)

Next step is to keep exploring, discovering the local markets and things to do. The places for three year old kinder are full for this year but we've booked a spot for next so that will bring a little more routine and rhythm.

A small person acquainting herself with the dishwasher.

Same small person acquainting herself with the dregs of apple cake mix.

A vignette en route to our new favourite house of caffeine (for me that is - just milk froth for them).

Tick

2009-06-01T10:08:00.009+10:00

Mailswap letters out. Tick
Wardrobes moves out into the garage for sale. Tick
Whole family almost over flu. Tick (Still lots of coughing and snot and misery)
Many boxes of non-essential stuff packed. Tick. (And many more to go)
Many boxes of stuff chucked or in the garage sale pile for the weekend. Tick

So much more to do....

Our boring packing aside, for various reasons I have been thinking about community. Claire found the most lovely thing on building community recently. My misbehaving computer won't let me make this any larger so I hope you can read it.

So many of those points speak to me and I am definitely guilty of hiding in my hidey hole and keeping to myself but there's certainly a community thing happening around me that is really inspiring me to change.

Our neighbours kindly offered us the use of their trailer on the weekend and on discovering that our towbar was not compatible, offered their car as well. Then they also offered to babysit.

Another neighbour, who has an affinity with our ailing cat, offered to take him to the vet as she knew we're in a bit of a tizz with the move. She took him over, paid for it, refused repayment and is currently nursing him back to health.

I have a friend coming over tomorrow who is planning to put her babe down for her megasnooze here and take my non-snoozing children for a walk so I can get some quality sorting done. And there's 2 more of my golden girlfriends planning to do the same.

So you can see why I've been thinking about community. My only problem is in wondering how on Earth I can repay these generous people. (So far I'm thinking along the lines of lavish picnics at our new place once the snow thaws!)

P.S It's not snowing there yet but after the icy chill I experienced there the other day, I know it will!
P.P.S Here's another inspiring community-minded person.

Connections

2009-05-28T22:18:00.004+10:00

Today I discovered a new tier of female bonding. A girlfriend of mine with kids of the same age and I occasionally skype each other when we can't cross town for a proper catch up. This stems from her time living in London when real catch ups were few and far between.

Today, around lunchtime we connected on skype, had a chat, fed our babes in their highchairs in view of each other, toddled off at times to do various jobs with the connection still running, with one kid napping on the couch (we could see) and another kid drawing in front of the monitor (mine).

Tonight I'm pondering on this form of technology assisted connection. Is it a little voyeuristic? Lazy? False? Nah...

Or just another way of feeling closer to our peeps? I reckon if I can keep a sense of connection with my friends of gold once we move, I'll be a happy lady, and any fears of missing the city will be alaid.

On the Packathon 2009 front, we were set back a few days by a dramatic stomach flu that had the whole family competing for the toilet bowl. Ew. All feeling much better now so the pack or chuck continues in a different sense. Ahem.

BTW, the picture above is the view from my soon to be loungeroom. We look so subdued in front of the 'sold' sign below but believe me, we're absolutely wetting ourselves with excitement!

Upping Sticks.

2009-05-19T21:19:00.003+10:00

It's celebrationarama at the (soon to be moving) house of Min. We are upping sticks to the sticks, bypassing the 'burbs and have signed up for a life in the hills outside of Melbourne, just beyond the suburban fringe. A place of spectacular Autumns, potentially snowy Winters, glorious and very floral Springs and somewhat scary fire season Summers.

But with the champas (of which I have not yet partaken of!) comes the packing frenzy that is seeing us contain or chuck 10 plus years of a household together. For two people who aren't big consumers we have an awful lot of stuff some how and it has of course exponentially grown since we became four, and now the pressure's on. We have four weeks until we move in to our sweet little hills cottage and to a lifestyle we've long dreamed of. OK, back to the boxes...

Craft, Clutter and Chaos

2009-05-04T22:53:00.004+10:00

It's been craft central around here, but unfortunately only for the little people. I live in hope that one day, a concentrated hush will fall over the house as small hands snip, draw and paste in ONE CONTAINED AREA while I quietly potter away at my own tasks, namely cleaning this messy house.

Until that day, we live in chaos and clutter and we craft together.

Thursday Thankful (after getting a good whinge off my chest).

2009-04-30T20:13:00.009+10:00

Mmm. Today was better. Consisted of getting out of the house early and good company. Might just be the secret to this caper. Avoid being home = home doesn't get so feral. Helps that the sun was a little bit shiny today too.

I've been meaning to show some sewing awesomeness that unfortunately was not crafted by me. My talented aunty 'whipped them up' and popped them in the post for Willow just because.

The little tunic is reversible, which is fortunate because if Willow smothers one side in something unsightly, I can whip it off her, turn it around and voila! A new, clean frock! (Well no one else has to know!)

Included with the wonder tunic were matching pants (not shown here) and this sweet little vest.

I'm still struggling with the pathetic scarf that I started knitting last year so such handy knitting skills are greatly admired. Maybe if I keep practising I'll have the skillz by the time this girl has her own kids.

The Scream (or Wednesday Whinge)

2009-04-29T13:32:00.003+10:00

It's a cold, cold day in Melbourne today. There's a temporary lull in the house which has resembled that of Victoria's place yesterday. Hence the title of this post. I'm less likely to cry than to scream (on the inside) and feel very much like the fella in Munch painting.

The house is waaay out of control. Stickiness and dustbunnies abound. The pilot light in our heater keeps going out so I'm trying to dry loads of laundry in front of a small column heater. A brutal fight just broke out between two possums in the ceiling and I am now typing one-handed because my baby thinks that my hip is the only place she can be today without crying. She also believes that the only way to eat food is to smear it from head to toe. My big girl is on the couch giving her (loud) voice a rest by drawing in a picture book - I can't even summon up the energy to tell her to find some paper to draw on.

Luckily there's a big apple pie in the oven which will be ready in about 15 minutes to keep us all happy for a little while...

Lately...

2009-04-24T21:07:00.005+10:00

I've been...

playing with lego
washing and folding
nature walking
fretting
dreaming
baking zucchini slice
posting
kid-wrangling
photographing
making soup
snuggling

and buying a house!

Words and Pictures - School Lunches

2009-03-15T15:23:00.005+11:00

Joining in on Pip's little task, I had a flashback to the feeling I got when I'd open my (brown) lunchbox at primary school on a day when Mum had decided to give me a little brown treat in my sandwich. The bread was always wholemeal (brown again) and following the colour theme of the seventies, so was the milo inside my sandwich!!! I think it was even sprinkled onto cream cheese instead of butter. (Is that right Mum?)

I always felt a pang of love for my mum when I tucked into lunch, no matter what was on the menu, but on a day when a milo sandwich surfaced, the lovegush was a little bittersweet (ahem) as milo on wholemeal really wasn't to my taste. I love a bit of milo everynow and then but usually in a glass of milk, preferably with less milk than milo so it's really chocolatey. An occasional variation on the theme was with added walnuts. Mum, what were you thinking? xx

Happiness Tree

2009-03-11T20:24:00.032+11:00

Several weeks back the lovely Amber tagged me for the Happiness Tree award. Fitting really, as Amber's blog always reminds me to notice the beauty in my day to day life and be thankful for it. So here are 6 little branches of my tree.

1. Daylight in Autumn. There's something about the light at this time of year. A clarity and crispness combined with the chill of the mornings and change of colour in the leaves as they prepare to drop.

2. My little family. My folks. My peeps. Those who(m)? I share my home with. They make me laugh, they drive me crazy and are the main trunk of my happiness tree.

3. Morning coffee. A vice. A necessity. It makes me happy. Image from here.

4. Interiors Magazines. I spend way too much time reading/devouring them and way too much money buying them but I justify this addiction by telling myself I am building up a reference library for our future renovation projects. (Hehe) The above image from Toast. I reel in horror at the thought of desecrating a mag by ripping out a page so instead I have been a total geek and scanned favourite pages into my computer instead (as demonstrated by my dodgy scanning skills). Most images here are from InsideOut Magazine. Probably my favourite and my best.

(See how difficult I'm finding this keeping to only 6 things that bring me happiness?!)

Image from Isophotography but I've totally lost the link.

4a. Beautiful Photography of pretty things. I can't get enough of it. (See no 4) Beautiful images are soul-soothing and uplifting. The ones above are all from InsideOut magazine- I think! If I have swiped one from your blog I apologize in advance and am happy to credit you. My labelling and record-taking skills are up there with my scanning skills...

5. I have always had a thing for an earthy, ethnic aesthetic but am pretty particular about it. Think tribal kilim rugs, Indian woodblock printed fabric, old Chinese elm sideboards, French country kitchen tables, collected stones and driftwood and other organicky, natural things. Handcrafted, earthy, simple, lovely.

6. Vegie Gardens - organic, creative, chooky ones. With fruit trees.

7. My friends, particularly my other mum friends - none of whom even know about this blog. In this phase of my life they help show me that I'm not doing it all wrong. Or maybe I am, but then they possibly are too. That's comforting. A bit.

8. Yoga. I've let my practice slip and I miss it. My body's missing it more. It's time to get back to class.

Ok that's 8 not 6 but that must just mean there are lots of things that make me happy. Lucky, because there's also a lot of things that make me cranky. If you've made it this far though, you probably won't keep reading if I start that list...

At risk of breaking blogger bounds, I'm not going to directly tag anyone but if you'd like to share your own tree of happiness, please do.
xx

Who Woulda Thunk...

2009-03-09T21:18:00.009+11:00

...this is about 5kms from the city?

Our morning walk today turned into a big play in the park, a duck feeding session, a 'chino' and a 40 cent ride! Must be the cheapest in Melbourne.

One satisfied customer.
Just as we are planning a move further out of town, I am becoming more attached to our suburb, our street, our community. This labour day weekend has been filled with jobs done, feasts consumed, children running amok through the house and garden and earthquakes.

How many of the neighbour's kids can we squeeze into one teeny little cubby? Uh, there's four in there.

Market Wednesday

2009-02-18T18:54:00.005+11:00

In lieu of living our (my) Agrarian dreams my little girls and I regularly visit this place - a hub of community activity, organic fruit and vegies from the Wednesday and Saturday market, permaculture, chooks, sandpits, lunch and unfortunately pretty crap hot drinks. Regardless, CERES in Brunswick East rocks it for us and today, being carless, I packed up the girls and overcame my public transport hesitancy, and bussed it on over. Not that hard really, considering the bus stop is close to home, has some kind of fancy wheelchair and pram low-riding facility, and dropped us off at the doorstep of our destination. Said hesitancy has something to do with my control issues but that's another story. PT is important to reduce avoidable car trips and the bus ride was fun with excited 3 year old and (temporarily) mellow baby.

The 'fwod' pond.

For urban children, and parents for that matter, this place is a gem in our twinkling city.

It's past midnight and I can't think of a title.

2009-02-16T20:30:00.005+11:00

I've had trouble getting a post out this week as a smoky haze in the air and in my lungs constantly reminds me of the bushfires that have been raging through the Victorian landscape this week. I'm feeling somewhat traumatised by the stories of suffering experienced by people and animals, as are so many bloggers.

I'm also a little spooked by the changed fire behaviour seen and the so-called 'mega fires' that we are starting to experience. This excerpt from an article in The Guardian doesn't help that feeling.

"Despite the political rhetoric, the scientific warnings, the media headlines and the corporate promises, he would say, carbon emissions were soaring way out of control - far above even the bleak scenarios considered by last year's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Stern review. The battle against dangerous climate change had been lost, and the world needed to prepare for things to get very, very bad."

I won't post fire pictures or links to appeals, as just about everyone I'm reading has it covered so I'm sure you're onto it. Instead, I'll give you a butterfly.

The lovely Amber has tagged me for the 'tree of happiness' meme which is all about gratitude and contentment. While I'm so grateful and happy that I didn't lose any loved ones or my home in the fires, i'll work on a list that includes some other things that help my tree of happiness grow.
xx

Mmm

2009-02-02T23:21:00.005+11:00

A hot day drink as suggested by Victoria. Icy, fruity, nutritious yumminess.

Could've had a bit longer in the whizzer though.

I wonder if my kids will grow up and think I was a bit weird the way I would often stop them from consuming their meal or drink for a minute so I could take a few snaps first. Hmm.

Neglected

2009-01-31T23:09:00.007+11:00

Hi there! Just a quicky post to break my unexpected blogging hiatus and say to any other Melburnians (and Adelaidians for that matter) Phewy! Aren't you glad the worst of it's over?!

I chose to abandon my house and garden during the onslaught of plus 40 degree heat and flee to the hills where my parents live in a much cooler house. This is pretty much where we've sat for the last few days.

Every now and then moving over a metre or two over to do this. (We have a very clever, resourceful and thoughtful nanna at hand).

Or this.

While I'm pleased that my babes have not baked, I was pretty saddened to come home to my crispy fried garden this afternoon, with a dessicated vegie patch and several scorched or deady bone trees. What's even sadder is the thought of distressed wildlife that couldn't find water and people who lost their electricity and had limited options to keep themselves cool and hydrated.

The scary thing is, this is probably just a taste of what's to come every summer so I am starting to think of ways to be a little less vulnerable and a little more self sufficient if we are to live in such a dry, hot place.

My sister found a novel way to deal with the heatwave. I think she's onto something and I would like to join her.

I'm planning to post a little more regularly if I can get it together so i'll be back soon.

In the meantime R.I.P Domino.

All About the Christmas

2008-12-20T21:15:00.005+11:00

It's all about the Christmas at our house. Thankfully my folks Kris Kringle so there's not so much buying to do (would I do it anyway?) and we can focus on the other aspects of the silly season, like the advent table for instance. In my efforts to introduce a little ritual and tradition into our household, I set up a little table to nurture a sense of anticipation and gratitude. I've taken my cues from our Steiner playgroup although ours is only very loosely based on the Christian traditions and is more about gratitude to the elements of nature and the things they provide. The photos are a bit shit but you get the idea.

As well as the gorgeous felt Advent calendar that was a gift to my girls from Mum, we've got items on the table that represent mineral, vegetable, animal kingdoms and some little people representing mankind. The idea is that each Sunday of the lead up to Christmas a candle is lit and new objects are placed on the table, finalized by the appearance of the Christ child on Christmas morning. As my oldest girl is just three we've kind of altered things a little according to what she could take in and how long the little ritual of candle lighting, some words and object placing could hold her attention. I think we'll skip the baby Jesus. The candles precipitated a round of 'happy birthday' and at the end just as I was thinking the table looked so pretty, she announced it was 'packing up time' (we have a song that goes with that) and proceeded to deconstruct my little vignette and put everything away! I guess we'll just do it again and I can't complain about willingness to pack up. Maybe the concepts will sink in a little more next year.

Another really nice thing we did the other day was go to a 'crybaby' performance of Christmas Carols at a church in Richmond and sung by the Women of Notes Choir. My big girl decided it was too loud until she started recognizing the songs and enjoying a bit of Rudolph and Santa. I think the 'too loud' was just really good acoustics in the abbey and the high pitch of the women's voices. Apparently these crybaby sessions are run throughout the year, funded by local council and sponsored by 3mbs radio although funding has been cut for that area. Bugger! Just when I finally got around to going.

And now some mangoes.

And a peony, because they're fun to use the macro function on my camera with.

P.S Did I make it sound serene and organised at our house? Ha! I have two snotty, grumpy kids who can't bear for me to be more than 10cm away, a bazillion things to get done before Christmas day, a house of clutter and chaos and a massive headache layered over a sleep-deprived sandy brain. No wonder I walk around taking photos of flowers with my one free hand!

Puddle Jumping

2008-12-12T19:26:00.005+11:00

Did you see the sunset last night (in Melbourne)? It was the most delicious, glowing pink, orange and blue splattered right across the western sky and of course my photo hardly does it justice. I was thinking that such a sky was a sign of clear weather to come but it seems was instead a harbinger of juicy, soaking rain, which in turn sparked pleas of "Mummy, let's jump in puddles, pleeeeeze".

So we did.

And someone else had the same idea.

The Munchkin Puddle Patrol

On another note, we have had to say goodbye to Mum's dear dog Latte.

A dear doggie, window licker that he was. Wowow will be sadly missed Mum, especially by a little person who I haven't had the heart to tell yet.

O Christmas Tree (with help from a bit of Bing on Youtube)

2008-12-04T21:50:00.004+11:00

O Christmas tree,

O Christmas tree,

O Christmas tree,

Iiii love Lou...
(She can't yet pronounce 'y').

And a little Christmas fairy in her best party dress.

A Request for Purple Playdough

2008-11-27T22:25:00.004+11:00

I added a little cornflour to the mix to see if it would soften the dough. An unnecessary addition so I discovered. If anything, it dried out the dough a little.
(BTW, if you have littles have you ever made gloop? A bowl of cornflour and water mixed together constitutes a very good rainy day activity that feels a little like a scientific experiment).

A more worthy addition was a few drops of lavender essential oil, the scent of which is reactivated each time warm hands work the dough.

A new sensory experience for the smallest one.

The Rhythm Of Life (is a powerful beat)

2008-11-13T12:27:00.003+11:00

And again with the rhythm theme, I often get this song stuck in my head; sometimes for days at a time. (Sorry if you do now too!) I think to my brain it might represent a sense of celebrating the day to day things, the activities we undertake during the day and the little moments we have as a family.
Like baking a test-run batch of bikkies for Christmas gifts. (Lucky they were a test batch - the icing was terrible!)

And a bit of bread baking. Actually, my first loaf from scratch. Am rather proud.

So on the weekend we ditched the fair and PT'd it into town for the march. Numbers seemed a little down from last year but I still saw a sea of people in both directions as we turned from Flinders street into Spring street.

I wonder if people are getting a little fatigued over the issue of global warming from seeing it in our media everyday? The problem is, it's not an issue that will go away and if anything, the situation is more serious than ever. The march, to me, was a reminder to reconsider what we are doing and how we are living. I have large-scale fantasies of water tanks and solar panels on the roof but there's plenty of small scale changes to make in the meantime. Truth be told I'm terrified of the kind of world our babies will have to face as adults and I don't want them thinking we did nothing while we had the chance.

Days

2008-11-12T20:30:00.003+11:00

My sweet Willow is already 4 1/2 months old and tonight has developed a talent for rolling onto her tummy, in her sleep. So I have made several rescue missions into the bedroom to roll her back over and lull her back to sleep. Poor love. All those things she has to learn from scratch still ahead of her.

The photo above is my favourite from a gorgeous batch by our friend Inga which i've already blogbragged about so I won't indulge myself with that topic any further. Except to post my other favourite.

Yep. OK, I'm done with that.

In other news, well there really isn't any other news. Fascinating for a blog I know. Our family life is settling into a sweet rhythm (most of the time)with one of the highlights of the week being our lovely Steiner Playgroup. It sets a gentle tone for the littlies and inspires creative activities in our home, like collecting for the nature table, baking, gardening, art and crafting.

This weekend I was looking forward to the Steiner Fair at the Melbourne Mothership in Warranwood but I'm torn as the Walk Against Warming is on. Maybe we'll have an uncharacteristic burst of organization and get to both.

Oop..Willow's on her tummy again...

Barrack on track.

2008-11-05T20:03:00.003+11:00

Phew! A big congrats to the American folk with their Obamarama. The president elect seems to be a man of integrity and one who is prepared to listen and lead with humility. What a change of scene that will be.

I feel just as excited, if not more coz it's 4 real, as if Jed Bartlett had been elected. We live in interesting times people.

Me You Too

2008-11-02T19:16:00.005+11:00

At the risk of this blog being all about my kids, here is another picture of the big one. This time in a basket.

My photographer friend Inga had an impromptu photo sesh the other day during our visit. Had I known she was going to whip out the camera I would have brushed the kid's hair!

The photo above is just a sneakypeak at what Inga did. Apparently there's many more to come and a whole lot of my baby girl too. Maybe Inga's nailed that newborn photo that I just can't get. I can't wait to see!

I've always shied away from the shopping mall kids photo scene and I'm well aware of the $10 offers to hook you in and before you know it you've blown five hundy on prints coz how could you possibly bin a photo of your own gorgeous kid?

Well lucky me to have Inga. Nuff said.

More of Inga's work can be found here

Birthday Week

2008-10-28T20:39:00.005+11:00

A little help to blow out my candles.

Next day - her 3rd birthday. Followed by an interesting request...

A trip to my hairdresser for a wash, cut and blowdry! I think she enjoyed the scalp massage - her mother's daughter.

Not a hint of the diva about it. Just a little excitement.

I think it was more about getting a hairwash in a sink that pretty much guarantees no water on the face. Somewhere along the line I must've got some water in her eyes and my attempts at hairwashing in the bath are met with flat out refusal. We'll have to sort it out because I don't think our budget will stretch to regular salon appointments for the 3 year old!

Anyway, happy birthday to my darling first girl. The girl who asked for her first haircut at 3. The girl who has chosen to wear her bathers to bed the past 2 nights in a row. The girl who changed into this outfit when her feet got dirty in the garden.

The girl who has completely altered my life by simply enriching it with her presence.

Photo Magic

2008-10-20T19:36:00.003+11:00

My girls and I and a bit of photofunia. It cracks me up that I can find time to play with this but I can barely return a phonecall. Eh.

Equilibrium Restored

2008-10-19T22:16:00.004+11:00

I have brain freeze/writers block/whatever so no wordy tales to tell tonight, but here's some photographic evidence that I've had no computer access for a wee while.

Enjoying an ice cream up at the lighthouse.

Walking the labyrinth at Crystal Castle

Having a dance in front of our guesthouse.

A lovely holiday speckled with moments of wondering what the hell I was doing taking a 3 month old baby and an almost 3 year old on a trip to Byron Bay. Although that big girl certainly made it easier. I could take her anywhere.

Maintenance

2008-10-02T22:37:00.006+10:00

So I really should be cleaning up the kitchen or packing for our holiday or going to bed or something but I just thought I'd quickly share with you a glimpse of my new appearance. After a long, cold Melbourne Winter, my eyebrows were beginning to resemble those of the grouchy monster below. (My mood has often been said to share a likeness with his also).

In the quest for deforestation, I braved the beauty salon to get a tidy up wax on my eyebrows and tint to give them a little va-voom.

This is what I now look like.

Although the mo' has gone.

And sew, a new hobby.

2008-10-01T21:13:00.004+10:00

I have a new toy and and am yet to learn how to drive it. I missed my chance as a kid to learn how and recently when I asked mum why she taught my sister how but not me, she replied "because she was interested". Oh. So now I'm interested but I think I'll be learning how on my own. Although I have enlisted the trusty best friend for a 'sewing day'. Don't know how much sewing will get done though with three kidlets between us.

My sewing ambitions are humble. But I'd love to be able to whip up a little frock or a pair of summer pants for my girls, do a minor alteration and perhaps tackle the occasional softie. That's all. Watch this space...

Too Much Butter in the Batter?

2008-09-17T09:34:00.001+10:00

Spooky looking characters but only because we were a little rough with the cookie cutters, as you can see by the amputee there.

Oh well. They tasted good.

Wind in the Willows

2008-09-16T19:07:00.008+10:00

What funny windy days we've had in Melbourne lately. Is Spring always like this? We've moved on to our Spring songs at Steiner playgroup and this is one of them;

A kite in Spring
A child with a kite
in windy weather
Tying the earth and sky together

Cute! Miss A has asked for a kite for her 3rd birthday coming up in October. Maybe we'll bend the rules and give her an early prezzie to make use of the windy days.

We braved the wind on Saturday to visit the local children's farm for the market, a friend's birthday and of course the animals. I always love checking out the communal vegie garden as well, for a bit of inspiration. The picture below was from one of my late pregnancy wanders during Winter. The gardens were looking quite different on the weekend but I didn't think to take a photo.

Such an amazing place considering it's walking distance from the city.

And finally,

My girls in a paper shop on a whirlwind expedition to buy card and pretty paper to make thankyou cards for baby presents we received. She just passed the 12 week mark but, oh well, better late than never.

Apartment Therapy and Designalogue Blog

2008-09-11T22:50:00.006+10:00

A few days ago my sister's home was featured over at Apartment Therapy in the LA bit. It's an interior design website that showcases all sorts of looks and I think my sister's place fitted in to the site very nicely. It looks so gorgeous and inviting and is full of colour and beautiful fabrics. What a clever chicky!

Her pretty blog is worth a look if you are in need of a daily interior design fix. Do I sound proud? I am.

Quicky post because small people have urgent needs.

2008-08-09T15:37:00.006+10:00

Posts are a bit thin on the ground as I've been a bit of a voyeur on le net rather than contributor. The things I would write about are either too personal or most likely of no interest to anyone that doesn't know me personally - and even then it might be a stretch!

So in lieu of a post with substance, here is a picture of my sister's gorgeous kitchen table. Isn't the canvas behind just amazing? Sitting at this table reminds me of Summer and freshness and gorgeous things.

In the last couple of months I've birthed, baby-mooned, hibernated, had my fill of hearty soups, had the winter blahs and come out the other side. Now I'm really looking forward to a bit of sunshine to warm my bones and take long walks in, some fresh Spring flowers to draw in their fragrance and most of all some clear Spring light to brighten up my brains!

And Now We Are Four!

2008-07-08T19:45:00.005+10:00

I think I have landed with both feet on the ground. I'm tired but not devastatingly so(yet) and I feel like I've recovered from the birth really well. Although my first crack at birthing was drug and intervention free too, it knocked me around so much more. This time was quick (4 hours all up), intense but also incredibly peaceful. I had a sense of when i was moving into different phases of labour as the sensations and my consciouness changed and i could feel the baby moving down with each powerful, efficient contraction. That, and yoga breathing helped me to stay with it and ride each one like a wave. Isn't the body amazing with its innate capacities and wisdoms?

My midwife, in her wisdom, gave me the space to actually catch my slippery little bub as she birthed. Don't worry. I'm sure she would have been right in there had I needed her to be.

And now I am completely in love with my little Willow and my love for big sister Arie has only deepened since we became a family of four.

I'm occasionally finding my thoughts straying to fantasies of such impossibilities as meals in fancy restaurants, heavy gardening sessions, going back to uni, intrepid holidays, the purchasing of homes, the wearing of gorgeous outfits, oh and getting some housework done, but I bring myself back to the fact that this period of time is so fleeting. I am unlikely to ever have another newborn and I am lucky to be able to be at home with my babies for now. Everything else can wait and i'll be a lot happier if I can surrender to it.

To This

2008-07-03T22:37:00.002+10:00

Still sleepy bugalugs, originally uploaded by littlemin downlow.

My sleep deprived brain cannot handle technology right now and I am typing one handed, (there's a tiny bundle of person in my other arm), so my one post has become two. Anyway, when I can organize myself a little better there will be much to report.

Now, off.To. Bed.

From This

2008-07-03T22:36:00.002+10:00

Shadow 3, originally uploaded by littlemin downlow.

Happy Solstice

2008-06-21T23:27:00.006+10:00

In lieu of building a bonfire or going to a festival I celebrated the return of light to this hemisphere today by going to a chanting group. (And also I thought it might encourage a certain little baby to be born). Blissing out into Sanskrit lyrics that I only vaguely understand the meaning of was very soothing and my current idea of an afternoon in Nirvana.

I hope said little bub didn't get too relaxed by it all because we need some action pretty soon, otherwise the hospital protocols kick in and they get all serious on our arses, talking about induction and drips and more ultrasounds. It's a pity it has to be like that really because it makes me feel a little pressured even though I'm only a week overdue. Time to try the chilli, castor oil, acupuncture, sex, climbing stairs, bumpy car rides me thinks...

Maybe baby has decided that being Cancerian is preferable to Gemini? Or figures that being born on the 23rd might slot in nicely to the family seeing as we already have a 21, 22 and 24 (of various months). Who knows? Maybe Solstice night is the night and tomorrow there'll be another small human in the world. We'll see.

Oopthy Daithy (as my girl would say)!

2008-05-23T23:27:00.003+10:00

Oops! I buggered that link. I no understandy computers. I will just do it the easy way and if you're interested, you can cut and paste.

www.meyoutoo.com

If you like cutie pies it really is worth a squiz.

xx

A Moment In Time

2008-05-22T22:22:00.005+10:00

We are getting pretty excited here at chez Min. It's not long now before we get to meet our new bub and the countdown's on. My very talented friend who happens to be a professional photographer was keen to document the moment and generously took some shots of the belly and the big sister for us. She's taken other photos for us before and I'm always blown away by the difference between her shots and my dodgy amateur pics on the old digisnapper camera. What a skill! A bit of photoshop knowledge wouldn't go astray either.

Well, off to bed now so i can lie there and not sleep for hours like almost every other night for the last month or so. I remember the same thing happening towards the end of my last pregnancy. How cruel is that? My last chance to stock up on a bit of sleep and i become an insomniac! Oh well. Better get used to it again...

All I Need

2008-05-07T22:06:00.002+10:00

Whoa Baby!

2008-05-02T22:30:00.003+10:00

Morning, noon and night sickness over i can finally look at the computer screen again. May even be able to string a sentence together sometime soon. In the meantime, i'll satisfy my urge to blog with this photo of what seems to be a dinosaur egg emerging from my belly. And i still have about 8 weeks to go...

Flashback Friday - My Stylish Mum

2007-11-02T19:56:00.000+11:00

Ok i haven't officially joined up with Flickr yet but i just dug out this old pic and felt the need to share it.

Isn't it fun to see evidence of how groovy your folks once were? That's my mama in the green up the back and I'd say my Dad would have been taking the photo. They are celebrating the almost completion of their house and i love how even though there's no furniture or flooring or paint on the walls they have still managed to cook up a storm and crack open the vino. That's probably thanks to the five Russians amongst them. I'm happy to say that mum and dad still have close relationships with all of the friends in this photo.

More Beginnings

2007-10-30T21:28:00.000+11:00

Well that was an unintentional break! Things got a little hectic 'round here with my birthday and the girl's second birthday and so many cakes to be made and birthday picnics to be had and...babies to be born...and pregnancies to discover!!!

Being there for the birth of my close friend's bub was such a moving experience. It took days to come down from but there was also a bit of worry in the air as new bub wasn't breathing properly. What began as a powerful, peaceful, primal experience quickly turned to action stations and mild shock as the baby was whisked away moments after birth to get her lungs working. She actually ended up in intensive care for a couple of days, but to cut a long story short, little baby is fully recovered and has gone home to begin her babymoon.

The birth experience itself was quite epic as the labour started and stopped for a couple of days. My friend was an absolute champion though and she breathed her way through the whole process.

There is a Work in Progress that involves a reincarnation of the singlet idea, so I'll post photos when they're done. I write that simply to force myself to get on with it.

I have also been avoiding my computer as looking at the monitor for more than a couple of minutes exacerbates this MORNING SICKNESS (!!) that attacks me in the evenings. I found out I'm pregnant on my birthday Sunday week ago and since then I've busted out in all sorts of oh- so- enjoyable pregnancy side effects. Although tonight, the hurl factor has subsided enough for me to quickly scribble an update but already i can feel my mind bending to those mush-inducing hormones and i fear not much sense will flow from these fingertips.

Ok. I think i've reached my screen limit. Better reach for the Rennies and ginger tea before it's too late....

Desicions, decisions

2007-10-18T22:28:00.000+10:00

fairy watching tv

The time has come to apply for kinders for my wee chicken and I'm agonizing over it. I can't believe that she's about to turn just two and we already have to think about these things for the year after next.

Big D and i walked around to one the other day and were able to cross it off the list because of the asbestos warning sign near the front door!! That leaves me with three others to list in order of preference. One is a short walk and right next to a choice strip of cafes. Another is a slightly longer walk over a major road and has a great reputation. The other is somewhere around here but not walking distance.

I know choosing a kinder is not about proximity to caffeine. It's about educational standards and facilities and such things. I have some strong memories of my kinder, and i also met one of my closest friends there so that's why i don't take the decision lightly. My little girl might make some connections and have experiences that will impact on her life.

Ok now i think i'm getting dramatic. I think i'm just gonna go with the close-to-coffee option. Plus, they have a really cute vegie garden.

Double lot of birthdays on the weekend so cupcakes and festivities to prepare. There's a chance however that I'll miss the party if I'm called in to help with that little bub that's on it's way. I think it may be waiting so it can share a birthday with me or my little one. I've already pretty much relinquished my birthday because the little girl's is one day later. What's one more to share with?

Alright, off to bed now. I've been looking at this screen so long my eyeballs are getting itchy.

xx

Project Abandoned

2007-10-16T21:51:00.000+10:00

ninja

Not many words are coming to me tonight but i thought I'd share my failed project with you. It took me a while to realize that felt is probably not the best fabric to use as an appliqué on teeny tiny baby singlets.

hippo

Lucky i hadn't yet sewed the little fellas on.

hippo on singlet

Back to the drawing board.

7 Things and Other Stuff

2007-10-11T14:50:00.000+10:00

Oh what an inspired title!

If you stumbled across my last post i hope i didn't put you off with the sad content. What i wanted to convey was to do with the cycles of life and how humbling it is to be intimately involved in them.

As Leah has unofficially tagged me with the 7 Honest Things Meme, i'm gonna give it a whirl.

1. I was vegetarian for 20 years. It all started when i was 10 years old and went on an excursion with my German class to a German Butcher. (???) They took us on a tour through the back of the place where all the meat was hanging and then afterwards everyone got to choose a nice slice of meat to sample. Ew! A penny dropped about the source of my food and that was it. Hardcore veggo from then on. Things have recently eased up but i will elaborate another time.

2. I'm not planning to tell anyone apart from Big D (yep that's my man, that's what i'm calling him now) about this blog. I think my voice would change if i know that people i know already are checking in. Not trying to be secretive, i just think it's better that way.

3. I am so inspired by the beautiful blogs i've been reading. I do gravitate towards the craft blogs and design or decoration blogs but i'm also discovering these new worlds involving like-minded mums writing about their experiences and forming supportive networks for each other, and people who are writing about my other interests like organic/nutritious food and gardening and yoga. It is particularly the writers who are candid about their lives that really get me drawn in. What wonderful, inspiring people there are out there.

4. I've got a thing going for the ukelele. How daggy is that? I've bought one, under false pretenses that it's for my daughter, but being only 2 she's not really that interested in taking it seriously yet. I however am working my way through the book that came with my little green uke. I would learn the guitar but i heard the ukelele's easier. Lazy? Me?

5. I still don't know what i want to be when i grow up. So i'm 33 and have been a naturopath for 10 years and a yoga instructor for 7, but for some reason it doesn't feel wholly satisfying, or like there should be more or maybe i just made the wrong choices. I imagine alternative careers like architecture or becoming a pro-photographer or environmental engineer. Commitment issues perhaps? Or the lack of maturity to say 'this is my life and i'm living it now'? The thing is, i really like my life and especially the people in it - i s'pose the grass is always greener....

6. I have a tendency to procrastinate. Have since school days. I found it easy to start assignments but so so hard to finish them off and hand them in. I suspect it might even be a form of disguised perfectionism or fear of failure, masked by utter laziness.

7. It's taken me days to write this bloody thing.

Ready to post a letter to Nana and Pa.

On another note, i had such a good Sunday.

A sleep in followed by brunch with a friend and my girl at one of my favourite walking distance cafe's. I went to a nutritional medicine seminar for the afternoon for a bit of brain stimulation and professional development, and for dinner we took our girl to dinner at the restaurant where Big D and i had our first date. Sweet, simple, domestic bliss!

Endings and Beginnings

2007-10-09T22:23:00.000+10:00

I think this Spring is going to end up being one of the most poignant for me ever. A few weeks ago i had the honor of being included in the last few weeks of my little friends life. He almost made it to his eighth birthday but died of cancer a few weeks short. He didn't really know he was dying, as his parents didn't want to frighten him, but he knew he was very sick and it was my special job to give him lots of back and tummy rubs to help ease the discomfort.

During those last weeks, while feeling so rotten, he managed to pack a few special activities in. One wish was to announce a song by his dad's band on his favourite radio station Triple R in Melbourne. Another was to host a premiere screening of an unreleased movie for all his classmates. The Make A Wish Foundation so generously made it happen.

After he was gone 450 people+ turned up to the funeral to say goodbye and many stood up to share some memories or a funny little story. Even the school janitor had a story to tell (apparently my cheeky friend kept the janitor quite busy) regarding an impromptu lesson on the creation and mixing of paint pigment during one of their chats. My little friend had returned a few days later proclaiming "i know what the pig meant!" There were many of these stories told by ex-teachers, school friends and parents. What a character and what an impact he made on so many people in such a short time!

I've been thinking this week how as the grief is starting to subside for me as i turn my attention back to life, it must just be just as fresh and raw for his mum and dad. I'm so sad they won't get to know him as a teenager or a grown man, or ever be grandparents, and for all the other implications of losing your only child. I would so love to post a photo of him, when he looked healthier and happy and beautiful, but i don't feel i can without running it by his folks first. We'll always miss you little darling.

The other part of this story regards the beginning of life. One of my closest friends is due to have her first baby very soon and she's asked me to be at the birth! What makes it even more special is that she was at the birth of my daughter almost 2 years ago. And she took this picture.

This was taken at the business end of the experience and was the tamest photo i had. But look at the expression on my mister's face! He looks terrified! Hee hee. We both survived....So i hope i can be as useful to my dear friend in her birthing experience as she was for me, reminding me to 'breathe my baby down'. And that i did.

A Blog is Born!

2007-10-06T12:32:00.000+10:00

Ok. Here i am. Hello. I've been deliberating and procrastinating about starting my own blog for months now; inspired by the writing and photos of others and feeling a bit cheeky about enjoying other people's blog without contributing anything myself. My apprehension was mainly because i couldn't quite decide on a topic or theme to stick to. I love craft blogs but i'm not a particularly prolific crafter, i love yoga but i couldn't be bothered writing about it all the time, i love being a parent but i'd rather read about it than write about it and i enjoy writing occasionally but not usually for the consumption of others (i am perhaps scarred by the comments of my year 10 teacher who said my writing was "obscure"...i had thought i was being poetic! ).

However, with a little encouragement from the lovely Leah of Hyena in Petticoats, here i go! I realised that what i really enjoy about other blogs is the day to day stuff that is shared and occasional bursts of inspiration from a beautiful photo or story or humour. I can have a humble little blog (and i've got nothing to sell) and create a collection of snippets of things that i love or am inspired by.

Anyway, the photo below is of the thing that i love the most in the world;

And here is another beautiful thing;

but i only had a hand in creating one of them.

Jasmine