friday

It's a work day today for me. I would rather be doing this...

changes

Six days later, both teeth gone.

ritual

Michael opens the blinds as he leaves at dawn and I lay in bed and watch the morning twilight. Before long Sam comes in and lies across the bed and we chat. About everything and nothing. This morning we contemplated when his tooth would come out, how people break world records, what we were having for dinner. Then we had a serious discussion about how many weeks there are left until his birthday (seven), whether it was honest to tell people he was 8 (no) before we decided on the best answer if someone asks him between now and then how old he is (almost eight).

Everything and Nothing. Yet it's one of the nicest parts of my day.

2012 so far...

{ letterpress poster from here }

I remembered late last night that my first post for the year was 12 things for 2012. It was not a frivolous list and in January I had been sincere about achieving all 12 things. Now, on the bring of spring, it seems I have completely forgotten what was on it. I have a suspicion that forgetting my goals is actually a significant sign that I am not prioritising them.

So here is my belated mid year review...

It seems I am achieving some of my 12 - I gave up Diet Coke completely for a couple of months and while I drink it again I now have a healthy balance between water and fizzy (although I do drink fizzy water as well). We cook, we play music in the house - a lot, and often at the same time. I walk and even have a yoga thing going on which I don't write about on the blog because if I ever stop it will be an example of something I got evangelical about and then gave up. But for the record - yoga is GREAT. The issue of the cat was solved when the neighbours moved: he went to jail for embezzlement and she moved out quickly but did take the cat with her (true story). If you are reading this because you came from a link I left on your blog when I commented then you will know I am no longer a lurker.

I am going to say "not my fault" on a couple of things: I no longer actively avoid being in photos, but I am always the one behind the lens so a natural consequence is that there are still not a lot of shots of me. However there are more than there ever were, I am no longer concerned that should something happen to me the children would have no physical evidence that I lived with them. For the record, I am not being morbid here, I am thinking of my 'run away to a beach somewhere to escape parenting' fantasy, not an untimely death.

On the 'room to improve' side of things -  our autumn and winter garden produced a paltry few cauliflowers and herbs. We have garlic growing for miles and our goal of being garlic self sufficient for 2013 may come true. We had a glorious holiday in July so I am declaring quality over quantity on this one. Bedtime stories come and go in waves, we have a read a few novels this year and while that has been great, lately I am happy if the bedtime ritual does not involve me yelling at the kids to brush their teeth and flush the toilet and go the hell to bed without fuss!

Two things on the list have been total failures: hiring a babyistter and wearing nice knickers. I have 4 months to sort this out.

Craspedia...

Billy Buttons, Billy Balls, Woolyheads, Golden Drumsticks. Whatever you call them I think they are beautiful.

at the moment I am...

reading...

Mr Rosenblum's List or Friendly Guidance for the Aspiring English Gentleman - a book about a German man's quest to assimilate in post war England and become an English gentleman. A really lovely story.

watching...

this movie with a friend on a Saturday afternoon. A lovely indulgence to leave Michael and the kids and settle into a luxurious gold velvet armchair in peace and watch a movie, during the day. This falls into the feel good and lovely to look at category. Set in the 1960's it tells the story of the Spanish women working as servants in France.

sewing...

by hand. I did a short course on English Paper Piecing and hand sewing. I was in need of a portable and peaceful  project. Machine sewing tends to take me away from everyone. I wanted to be able to do something while I spend time waiting for kids, watching tv in the evenings and later to take to the beach while the kids sail. So far it has been the perfect distraction - I am sewing in the car as Michael drives, at the side of the pool, as we watch television.

thursday

Meeting a friend at the beach. Walking up and around the Bluff, then into town, lunch at a great cafe. Chatting about the important and the interesting, the insignificant and the inane. Thursday afternoon was pretty fantastic.

smile

His front teeth are hanging on by the slimmest of enamel threads. I am repulsed daily by their twists and turns. At the moment he has six wobbly teeth, his front left will be the first to go. Soon he will have a toothless gummy smile, the likes of which he has not had since his first year. With luck his adult teeth will grow strong and straight. I have my own history of dental and orthodontic horrors, I hope I have not bequeathed it to him.

plum

Please bear with me, in the coming weeks there will be random photographs showing evidence of spring's imminent arrival. I can not help myself.

a plan

Things have changed dramatically here at #55. Michael as started a new job which he loves and which involves up to three hours of commuting each day. And we all feel for him because that kind of commute would be horrible. However, I also feel for me because the three hours he is now in a car were previously hours he spent at home: helping with dinner, homework, dishes, folding washing, baths, kicking the football, knowing how to tie a piece of rope into a bridle and reins on Milly's hobby horse - the list goes on. And now it seems that is my job, kind of flying solo, I have lost my co-pilot. Which is okay because we talked it through before it all happened.

It is early days but the overwhelming feeling is of being overwhelmed. And exhausted. I decided I need to do a couple of things to make it all a little less daunting. Step one is to have at least thirty child free minutes in the garden every day either reading or sewing or sitting staring at the plants all growing like crazy.

It worked a treat today, I sat in the sunshine and basted a heap of hexagons for the new project, then came in and put Milly in the bath. While she has been in there I have mopped the floors and written this. All I need to do next is go to Sam's school to help in the classroom, take him to the dentist at 3:15, walk the dog, take both kids for a haircut at 5:15 then bring them home for dinner and bed.

After that I need to search for a YouTube tutorial on tying rope into horse tack.

a moment

Sam, aged 7 and 10 months.

wet

Yesterday's bike ride came to an abrupt end when we hit flood waters. It has been such a wet winter that even one day of rain means the river spills over its banks. It is a little magical to watch the river overflowing and seeping across the path but it gave us a moment to think about people who live at the mercy of the elements and face dire floods every year.

sea glass

This is how I spend most of my time at the beach. Looking down and hunting for sea treasures. Feathers, shells, skeletons, rocks and the holy grail of beach combing - sea glass.

I have three tiny pieces in my collection. Each time I have found one I am filled with such joy at the discovery. It is a slow drip feed of happiness. I am sure that if I found it more often I would be less bewitched by it. Smooth and dull and beautiful as a result of its tumultuous travels.

she runs

 We have had Sadie for eight months now and in that time discovered much :

• vet bills for a car/dog collision are crippingly expensive
• having a dog gets us out and exercising more
• a dog cuddle will cure most of what ails a 7 year old boy
• small dog+expensive dog food = minimal poo to clean up
• Cesar Millan knows his stuff
• cairn terriers are patient but there is a limit to how much they are willing to be styled by a 5 year old girl (feather boas are definitely beyond that limit)
• we live near some of the most beautiful beaches in the world
• watching a dog run at full speed towards us will always make us shout and laugh in happiness

The list of ways Sadie brings joy to our lives is long. We got her from the Lost Dogs Home where they go to huge efforts to temperament test and match owners with adopted pets. They are a non-euthanising shelter so every dog gets to go home eventually. We lucked out and brought home a smart, socialised, happy dog. I thought she would make the kids happy but be a pain - she isn't. She has brought us such happiness.

local

Weird and wonderful, there was a new addition to the fox fence when we went past last week. Can you see the fat, fluffy carcass near the left post? It is definitely macabre yet I am fascinated by it and think it is kind of beautiful.

sunday adventure : august

Sunday's destination was Queenscliffe, the most beautiful Victorian era seaside town with loveliness as far as you can see. We ignored the beautiful architecture in town and spent a couple of hours walking the shore - from the pier, all the way around the point to the bottom of the lookout across to Mornington Peninsula.

Running, cliff climbing, sea wall walking, tide watching and dodging, bird chasing (for Sadie), sailboat watching, treasure collecting (including a piece of sea glass!), cliff cave exploring and of course photo taking. Freezing cold faces but blood pumping and skin tingling from exercise.

Then fish and chips in the car at the lookout high above where we had just been.

In a previous life our family may have been beachcombers.

important issues here on the blog

I have discovered that if you put muesli on top of rich, creamy yoghurt it is the best breakfast in the world.

daybed

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across two iron beds for sale (cheaply) in a junk shop. They had been painted in revolting colours but I had a vision for a daybed on the back verandah.

Buying both beds let me make the ends the same height by using only the bedheads. Michael painted them black and it started to come together. So far all I have put on it is a floral sheet but I am thinking the long term vision involves ticking on the mattress and an abundance of cushions. Perhaps florals? Gingham? I have not got the complete vision yet but when I do I know it will be beautiful.

I am happily imagining time spent on there - reading and watching the garden grow. There is space on the table for a jug of Pimms and a collection of magazines.

The other benefit of buying both is that in the shed I have another one (albeit with lower ends)  - Michael is lobbying for me to sell it. I am thinking it doesn't take too much space and we have an ENORMOUS garage; perhaps at some point we may have a use for it? He is appalled. What would you do with it?

learning

Milly and I just spent an hour sitting out in the sun. Playing eye spy and the shopping game and chatting about stuff. For the first time we played a full round of eye spy using letters (not colours). Then she told me 4 and 3 were forty-three. It seems she has learned her numbers to 99 and the sounds of the alphabet. Then she told me she didn't really want to go to school next year. But she did want to learn stuff and were there kids who just did school at home? Which made me laugh because homeschooling - that is never going to happen here at #55.

Look at this photo and tell me it isn't almost the end of winter?
Apparently iceblocks are the best thing for a sore throat.
We are getting better - by Thursday I am sure we will have a healthy house again.

How are you?

Lisa Congdon's A Collection a Day

day 1 : vintage erasers

day 10 : vintage Coin roll wrappers

day 318 : vintage airline luggage tags (part 4)

A while ago I received a comment from Joy, a textiles artist in Adelaide who reads the blog and leaves me lovely comments that make my morning as they arrive in my inbox. This particular comment introduced me to Lisa Congdon, an American artist. As well as her gorgeous illustrations and paintings, in 2010 Lisa started a project called A Collection a Day. For the entire yer she curated a daily montage of 'things' from her vast collections, then photographed and blogged them. The blog is amazing and is here. I remember seeing an article about the blog but didn't follow the project as it unfolded. Which is a shame as I can imagine how lovely it would have been to receive daily updates.

The collections range from autumn leaves to hair combs to vintage staplers to wooden pegs. There is little thread to connect them other than they are items which, in almost every instance, I find beautiful and kind of useless. As a whole it is absolutely magnificent. 

Her project has been made into a book. When my Mum read Joy's comment she did some research then rang me to let me know she had bought me the book. A signed copy no less. I was thrilled and now it has arrived and it is beautiful. I am planning an evening of getting lost in it tonight. It is just fantastic and I am really grateful to both Joy and to Mum - thank you xxx

PS - If you want to by the book - you can get it here.

bright

I just wrote and deleted a post about all of us still being sick. But that is so incredibly dull and I am pretty sure a photo of the three of us (Michael is fine) lying around moaning is unappealing. Instead I am posting a photo of Milly and her latest obsession - watercolours.

a subtle shift

The sunshine and blue skies today made me think that spring could be just around the corner. Daylight hours are lingering beyond 5pm and the midday shadows are not quite as long as they were a month ago.

Despite a midday phone call to collect Sam from school (still sick) and despite the fact that I have caught his lurgy just as my neck frees up, it was a gorgeous day. This afternoon I sat on the verandah for a while as Michael worked his way through the list of chores - touching up some paint, weeding and mulching garden beds, sweeping and raking. We are primping the house and garden for spring. I have decided that my square of red and white gingham with a yellow trim could be the official flag of spring. Here's hoping that we are flying it soon.