one day in september

In a house where not a minute of football has been viewed on our television screen all year and Michael is more able to name 16 members of the Victorian Legislative Council than all 16 AFL teams, we are regularly nonplussed by "Finals Fever". That is, until Milly's kinder has a football colours day, Sam bequeaths his Crows top to her (which fits perfectly) and she masters the art of kicking the footy. Cause for celebrations - now she and Sam can kick to each other for at least 3 minutes until she gets fed up and heads to the trampoline.

school holidays

Day 1 of holidays and the best thing a kid can do is build the most complex Lego model to date - a Millennium Falcon.

sparkler dancing

Michael's birthday was last week and Sam was all set to do some sparkler dancing. He was keen right up until the sparklers were lit when he was overcome with fear. Russell explained the ins and outs then pros and cons of sparkler safety to him and he was set. Emily jumped straight in, waving hers around with abandon.

tenth of the ninth

The postie delivered a parcel before we had even left home this morning. A lovely birthday gift from Amber.

garden jobs

Milly was an enthusiastic assistant in the garden this afternoon. We planted seedlings of Queen Anne's Lace, sowed runner bean seeds and transplanted some overcrowded sedum and achillea in the front bed. The day had the feel of a Wimbledon match  - a number of rain breaks but lovely sun most of the time.

in anticipation of spring

In our house we are taking things easy, breathing slowly and looking forward to late September when spring feels real rather than the occasional glimpse of warmth that disappears under a flurry of cold wind and torrential rain. I am daydreaming of later sunsets and warmer evenings; the opportunity to plant my new garden beds and sit on the verandah in the hazy dusk and watch them grow. These jam jar lanterns conjure this perfectly for me. It will be here soon. We will get there.