~ gorgeous grape hyacinths ~

 

One of my favourite flowers for floral wordless Wednesday today

Linking with  my little drummer boys.

♥

~ from our vegie patch ~

Today's harvest from our, somewhat modest but very well loved, vegie patch.  

It's a work in progress - we're hoping to grow lots more of our own food in the next few years.  

I think its a great project for the kids - they really are more interested in trying new foods if they've had a hand in helping them grow.

We're loving the home-grown tomatoes with basil.   The lemons are awesome in a gin and tonic.  Or simply with sparkling mineral water.  My kids eat them whole too....(shudder)

You do need a few carrots to make a snack but put them with rosemary next to some roast lamb and.... mmm!

I'm joining my lovely friend Karin who shares a mood board from her garden or nature every month.

What's growing where you are?

♥

~ charming californian poppies ~

Loving floral wordlessness.

Linking with  my little drummer boys.

♥

~ donate life ~

 

Its donate life week.

Some time ago I promised another blogger that I'd write about organ donation.  
Its particularly pertinent to her as she's on the list for a double lung transplant.

I think its important for all of us.

When I was in fifth year medical school I spent some time at a small (ish) country hospital.  There was lots to learn - not least the nitty-gritty of being part of a small community and being kind of apart from it as well.

One of my most profound memories from that time is of a young man we treated there.  I didn't really meet him...he had tried to commit suicide and was in the ICU (or equivalent) being kept alive by machines.

I was part of the medical team speaking with his parents about organ donation.

They were in shock.  They were devastated.  At times they were barely coherent.  They were adamant that his organs should be donated.  Other family members vehemently disagreed with this.

I've never really mastered the whole detached professional thing.  I certainly hadn't as a 22 yo student.

I have very clear memories of sitting next to his mum crying with her as the debate went on.

He did go on to donate organs.

I was allowed to watch the harvesting (a huge privilege).

I cried then too.

I saw his mum a few weeks later.  Gaunt and hollow eyed.  She made a point of saying that the only good thing to have come out of the whole event was that other lives had been saved/changed.

This was despite the fact that her own mother was still upset by the fact that she felt she didn't get to say goodbye properly; that he was with strangers in an operating theatre when he died.

I've since been lucky enough to look after patients who have had successful transplants and seen their lives transformed.  

Hope manufactured from the depths of despair.

I was always a believer in organ donation.  I still am.

I carry my card.  I've registered.  I've discussed it with my loved ones.

Have you?

 ♥

 http://www.donatelife.gov.au/decide

~ grateful for... fresh starts ~

{also grateful for my children who indulge the photographer mummy}

School started again this week.

Cue cheery excited faces, books to cover, routines to be re-established.

We've had a fabulous summer but they were ready to be back.

Me, not so much.  
School's been tough for the last 2 years - not for the girls but the fight to save our school (the Tasmanian government is trying to shut small schools to save money) and the trials and tribulations of  working with a very difficult woman who had a "reign of terror" at our school.

She's gone and suddenly everything seems brighter.

There's a freshness at school, a new vibe, new energy and it's feeling great.

Our new principal actually stood up on the first day and acknowledged he will be fighting alongside us to save our wonderful little school.

I'm so grateful that we have the opportunity for a fresh start this year.  That there's hope and something still worth fighting for.

 ♥

What are you grateful for this week?

I'm joining in with themed gratefuls at kidspot Thanks Maxabella.  
I broke the rules this week.  I'm always grateful for nature and I post wordless posts about this every week so I thought it would be ok
xx

~ fancy forget-me-nots ~

 

 

 

Loving floral wordlessness.

Linking with  my little drummer boys.

♥

~ grateful for.... food filled memories ~

{my grandmother's recipe book}

What triggers your memories of places you've travelled or special events?

Seeing the snapshots?  Maybe certain scents or music that you associate with that place/event that brings it all flooding back?

For me and the Doc it's always been about the food.

I remember what we ate on our first date rather than what I wore or what he said.

We reminisce about our travels through Europe with stories about our meals rather than the museums or churches.

Our highlights reel is full of fabulous pastas, amazing hidden restaurants that we stumbled on, great gelatis, the search for the best coffee in Italy.

We even have "bread rules" and "dessert rules" (he gets the larger serve of bread, I choose dessert).

Even when we are not travelling, food is the way we index our life, our memories.

My recipe books are full of recipes listed thus;

•    Kerrie's rice salad (that we ate at the AFL grand final lunch)
•    Susan's mud-cake (which we had for Lily's first birthday)
•    Nan's brandy sauce (made religiously every Christmas)

 - this is a family trait; my mum and my grandmother had hordes of hand-written recipes always annotated with the event, the person responsible or the response to the food.

I've caught the kids at it too: "oh you know, that place where I tried broccoli soup for the first time", 

" can we go to the cafe where they have "those amazing biscuits".

I'm grateful we life a life full of such abundance.  

That our relationship with food is so healthy.  

That our memories are so sweet.

 

 ♥

What are you grateful for this week?

I'm joining in with themed gratefuls at kidspot Thanks Maxabella.

~ fabulous fuchsias (wordless) ~

 

Enjoying floral wordlessness.

Linking with  my little drummer boys.

♥

~ the winds of change ~

Change.

It's inevitable.

Sometimes good, sometimes bad...

Always requiring a little adjusting; a switch in mood/attitude/behaviour.

We learn to cope.

To adapt.

Move forward.

The little one has been a little lot clingy.

I've been impatient.

Forgetting how small he is.

About all that has changed for him in the last few weeks:

• A new bed.
• No dummies.
• No nappies.
• Sisters home all the time.
• A move to the big-kid room at care without his best friend.

And so I resolve to change. 

To be more patient and respectful. 

To marvel at his capacity to cope with all of this.

To nuture that ability. 

For it's that that makes us strong.

How do you cope with change?

How do you help your kids cope?

♥

~ grateful for.... reasons to smile ~

Lots to smile about this week (and I'm always grateful for smiles).

Our girls (and their twinny besties) heading off to tennis camp.  I am so grateful my girls have these friends in their lives.  Girls they've known their whole lives.  Girls who are sleeping over tonight and who I can still hear chattering and giggling away (at 10pm!) even though they've spent ALL week together.

My little man heading to his first dress-up party.  With his spider man hat on backwards.  Not caring it was a pirate party.  At all.

A perfect night for a picnic on the lawns at Salamanca.

Holiday food - pancakes for breakfast and then "Muuuuum - we really should have SOMETHING healthy this week".

 

I didn't think I was going to like being told what to be grateful for each week.

But it turns out I'm really quite enjoying it...

 ♥

 I'm joining in with themed gratefuls at Kidspot.  Thanks Maxabella.

~ heavenly hydrangeas (wordless) ~

 

Back in the realms of wordlessness with more beautiful flowers.

Happy wordless Wednesday.

Linking with  my little drummer boys.

♥