~ snap-it ... on the ground ~

Cold nights + clear skies = heavy frost as I headed out to the washing line this morning.

I'm playing "snap-it" every week (that doesn't involve a self portrait) over with Sarah at faith, hope and a whole lotta love

 ♥

~ a snowy, soupy Sunday ~

We like to celebrate our weather down here.

A hint of sunshine and we flock to the beaches (despite the temperature).

A flurry of snow sees us scurrying to the mountains to frolic.

So Sunday saw us drive with a bunch of friends as far up the mountain as we could go.

It was actually snowing as we drove - to much excitement from the back seat.

We found our patch of snow, threw lots of snowballs, tried eating clean snow and went for a walk up the mountain to clear our heads.

(We forgot the keep-going snakes and so the littlest explorer lost his enthusiasm for the freezing temperatures a little sooner than we'd hoped).

Then lunch for 30 at the mountain pub - with roaring fires, loads of hot chips, red wine and laughter.

A magic snow day.

Just what we needed after the longest week.

Snowy, wintery weather calls for soup too

Yesterday I made tomato, basil and zucchini soup that I found on my blog trawls (but can't remember where)

Its delicious and easy if you want to give it a try.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tomato, Basil and Zucchini Soup

1 brown onion chopped finely

1 clove garlic chopped finely

4 tins of tomatoes (whole and peeled or diced or a mixture)

A huge handful of basil torn up

3-4 zucchini (about banana sized ones)

a squeeze of tomato paste

4 cups vegetable stock

Fry onion and garlic slowly until they are golden and oozy

Add other vegetables, basil, tomato paste and stock.

Simmer for 60-90 mins and then puree.

Enjoy

~~~~~~~~~~

What's your favourite soup?

 ♥

~ grateful for... the end of the longest week ~

All was going swimmingly in the school holidays

Not a lot of swimming obviously because its cold in Tassie in winter but we were having a lovely little holiday.

Then the cough started...hack, hack, hack.  

Day and night (mostly night).  Hack, hack, hack.

She slept through, I didn't.

Well enough to fly to Melbourne where we had a fabulous time doing all the Tassie tourist in Melbourne stuff but then the diagnosis of whooping cough was made and the cough continued but we had to try and get medicine into her.

Never fun.

Still...not too bad...but then the little one got sick.

Really sick.

And although we're better placed than most to cope and deal and do what's necessary explosive, emergency poos at all hours of the day and night are not nice for anyone (and especially when you're travelling).

 

Its been going all week.  Day and night. 

(and the hack, hack, hack continues....)

We've been home every day.  Just the two of us.

Unable to move far from a toilet.

ABC kids on at all times.

Washing machine competing with it for noise factor.

(and the dryer cos obviously with all that cold, wet, wintery weather nothing dries EVER)

And we were both going quietly (and not so quietly - in fact screaming tantrumly not quietly) mad.

Today was better.

Blue skies, sunshine.

We left the house.

There were smiles and laughs.

Tomorrow is Saturday.

There will be soccer and coffee and sitting in front of the fire reading the papers.

Life moves on...gets better.

I'm grateful for that.

 ♥

I'm linking up with Maxabella at Village Voices for all things grateful this week

~ snap it ... every day~

{I'm a new convert to Daisy - a lovely gift from the Doc}

{something pretty is a must}

{breakfast in a stripey bowl}

{vitamin D...there's not enough going around out there}

Here are my morning "every day" rituals for Sarah's snap-it theme this week.

What's your morning routine?

 ♥

~ winter holidays ~

 School holidays are here.

It's been chilly...grey...drizzly.

Weather for crafting and baking.  

  Board games and bored games.

Walks along deserted beaches.

Colouring, writing, gardening, escaping for coffee.

Masterchef, Disney movies, One Direction and ipods.

Sleep-overs, communal dinners and picnics inside.

Mess making and imaginative play.

Adventures at the salmon ponds.

A wander through MONA.

Time together.

Doing lots.

Doing nothing.

Being us. 

{beach walking}

{a moment alone}

{Mr Printables crafting}

{freaky MONA installation}

{freaky albino salmon}

{ignoring the mess and focusing on the pretty}

What have you been up to?

Have you been to MONA?

♥

~ snap-it... alphabet ~

I went searching through the garden

I found a T, some Vs, a tiny C and lots of Oooooos

 

I can't spell anything clever with that at all

It was fun playing along though...and there are more "things that look like letters" over here

 ♥

~ classy camellias ~

More flowers this week for mostly macro Monday.

It's another (!) of my favourite flowers this week - the camellia. ( I sound like Jack - he has new favourites every day).

We've got a couple growing in our garden - they're still very young and not blooming profusely yet. I think they're all pink - I'd love a pure white one some day.

 

 

It's still really chilly and bleak here.

We managed a walk along the beach today to collect shells but otherwise we're hibernating - baking, crafting and overdosing on TV.  Mostly old copies of "Round the Twist" which the girls are finding hilarious - do you remember it?

 ♥

~ photo a day... May ~

My snapshot(s) of May...there's lots of pink and red....as usual.

We've had a busy weekend - my in-laws arrived unexpectedly on Friday afternoon (they apparently arranged it with our 3yo and assumed he'd pass the message on!).  

They did come bearing gifts - fresh eggs, 10kg of parsnips and a cherry cake so we forgave them the booking faux-pas.

We've done lots of eating, raking up leaves and crafting to get us through a chilly start to winter.

Tonight we've had roast lamb (loads of parsnips) and self-saucing chocolate pudding...I'm such a fan of winter comfort food.  Now we're dreaming up recipes to use up those parsnips...any ideas?

I'm looking forward to the school holidays....no frantic morning rush, no packed lunches and no forgotten library books/homework/tennis racquets etc.

What are you looking forward to this week?

 ♥