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Winter is the time for making

Kd's best buddie had a birthday this week & while I had taken over the kitchen table to sew up Hetty's Little Red Riding Hood cape he decided he wanted to do some sewing too.

The pattern is from Zombie Felties - a book he received from the thoughtful Santa Claus last Christmas.

This zombie has been inspired by Michael Jackson, "thriller"!!!

Hj made this brilliant play dough lizard.  These kids continue to keep my creativity intact and live with joy!

Loving table setting by Hj Sat night

Mothers Day, my first breakfast in bed

More new friends

When I came home from a walk Hj announced to me she has a new friend and they are playing cubbies!  (while she had been at home with here Dad)

Mum remember my big old teddy that you were determined for me to take back home and I flatly refused!  Goes to show Mum does know best!

New Buddy

Kd had the class Guinea pigs at home over the weekend!

It was quite a learning curve for him to take care of these little creatures as they love pooping an eating.  Every child should have the opportunity to clean out the yard of a cow shed! Now that is cleaning up poo.

A fitting poem by my Mum, Lorraine Marwood

Guinea pig town

It was our brother's idea

to build a town,

a small town

for many guinea pigs

which kept multiplying-

cream, ginger and black

wisps of colour and rabbity- mousey

features, all ours.

We found old sheds

to refashion,

we found old bits of paint

in tins

old scraps of wood

that's when dad's saying

it might come in handy

really came true.

Concrete floor

concrete half walls, a roof

and we were in business.

Let's have a park, said

my little sister

and houses for each family,

I added.  And a shop and...

Stop! warned our brother,

we have lots of work to do,

already.  No more houses yet.

So after asking Dad

(Can we use the old pigsties?)

(Can we have nails, paint?)

We began, sawing, hammering

following our big brother's direction,

humming, singing as we ran backwards

forwards from Guinea pig town

to dad's machinery shed.

Ready yet?asks our really big sister,

who knows more about painting toenails than

painting guinea pig houses,

but she offers, we accept, want her

to be part of the game too.

So our really big sister paints circles,

triangles, lines of lime, purple, brown

across the roofs of each building.

Hope guinea pigs are colour blind,

 mutters our big brother.

The colours will keep them warm even when its

freezing outside, I say bundling

lots of straw into the first house.

Fill the water bowls up too, orders

our big brother.

We'll soon be bringing the residents

into their new houses.

Our little sister and I squeal like pigs, not

guinea pigs but real excited yips and yaps.

We all go to the guinea pig cage.

And take one, two to each new building

in guinea pig town.

They sniff, nibble, run

around guinea pig town.

They like it, says our big brother

'Cause they do, probably like the bright

colours says our really big sister,

or the playground, I say

or the fresh straw says our little sister.

Dad comes to see,

well done, he says I've never

seen a guinea pig town before.

Let's hope it doesn't get overcrowded

and we know what he means.

Guinea pigs are always having babies.

cream, ginger and black

wisps of colour and rabbity- mousey

features, all ours.

Naturalist

Milestones

 Hj's first school award for her reading and also settling so well into school - as you can tell by these shots I was running a teeny bit late for school assembly.

The tooth fairy has also been kept busy

oh joy & heart break the first day of school

Our Wonderful Holiday in East Gippsland!

Nearly been back for a week, I have worked two days of a new contract, which I am really enjoying! J getting into the routine of early starts and lots of driving to his new job - goodness life will be hectic with school in the mix too.

We stayed in a place called Bumberrah, much to our children's delight, at the Tambo Trails by the Ringbark, which we can highly recommend to you!


Being on a pastoral property we did a little yabbying and general mud play!

 

We spent most of our time on water or in water, below is on a cruise we took around the Gippsland Lakes, a huge system of water - I couldn't picture in my mind how it all worked until we took the cruise.

 

We also did plenty of bike riding and little walking hikes!

 

The River we were staying near was the Tambo River, we also stayed near the East Gipsland Rail Trail.  On Adventurous day week took a 12km ride with the kids to Bruthen, a sweet little town with a fab opshop & also it's own brewery - much to J's joy! We started at the old Bumberrah train station.

After the ride and a boutique beer we took at dip in the local river in the sand bars (that is an abandoned hand made raft, not toxic waste!)

Throughout the area we stayed there were a lot of these amazing trestle rail bridges - historical engineering amazingness, here I am below looking very impressed.

A walk through the grounds at the historical Nyerimilang Park, Nungurner. With a spot of bird watching and family embraces, not to mention little leaps of joy.

Of course we took at trip to the Buchan Caves

Our favourite place was the Mitchell River and its surrounding natural park. It is a very special place - without any crowds, we enjoyed the river all to ourselves.  It is also a very special indigenous site.

Kinder Concert

 Lots of new starts for us this year - J a new job with loads of travelling - me a new contract with a festival and Hj starting school!


 We all adored her kinder year - her kinder was just beautiful and her teacher amazing.  I hope her experience of school is just as positive and fulfilling for her.  Not far away now - picking up school book order next week!

Hetty is dressed up here as a numbat - as everyone had a letter from the alphabet and made up their own little rhyme for the letter to the tune of Skip to My Lou  Numbats are nibbling, N, N, N!!

The Christmas that was

This year Christmas for me was saying a lot of no.  No to parties and outings and extra events, just to keep our head above the water, as it was our first Christmas without our special mother & Granny.  Also school and kinder concert, changing jobs, applying for jobs interviews and all that joyful stuff.

In so many ways I am glad this time of year is over and we are in a new year.  The kids had a fabulous time and enjoyed being spoilt and loved and cared for!

 

Here is me and Hj in our matching Christmas outfits - something I have been wanting to do for years - inspired by SoulMamma I am holding my handmade gift by my sister!

 (Check out Kd's knees - a result of a spectacular scooting accident at the bottom of our steep drive way!)