~ our joyful moments - week 4 ~

More joyful moments from our collaborative 52 week project.

I had some quiet moments walking round the garden yesterday morning whilst everyone else was still in bed.  The morning light made these little daisies glow....they looked so very lovely.

Karin is finding warmth in the winter time with these sweet clementines.  I can never find them here...but I do enjoy some winter citrus, especially when its this pretty.

#ourjoyfulmoments is a 52 week project of beautiful moments and images that Karin and I are sharing this year.

♥♥

~ stills from the end of January ~

1.  Pencils out ready to be sharpened - I am so not ready to be doing the back-to-school thing.  I'm not even sure the bags are fully unpacked from last year (we finished so close to Christmas, then we went away...enough excuses...I'm really just a lazy mummy!).  The holidays have not been long enough.

2 and 3.  Grace made cupcakes yesterday - start to finish all by herself (I did the washing up) - they were delicious.  I'm ready for her to move onto dinners now!

4.  I made a baked chicken/pumpkin/mushroom risotto for dinner one night when it was a bit chilly.  We all like this one  - except I have to pick the pumpkin out of Jacks.  How did I end up with a fussy eater??

5.  One of these waits for me most nights in summer.  Or a G and T. 

6. A baby lupin in the golden evening light.

7.  Sandpit mastercheffing with a donkey doing the tasting.  We talked about taking out the sandpit and replacing it with a herb garden this week - and since then they've used it every day.

8.  The juiciest, yummiest apricots.  This is the first year we've had fruit on the tree.   So good.

We had a quiet Australia Day today - a trip to the regatta down in Sandy Bay, a bbq, a nap and dinner with mum.  I was thrilled that Adam Goodes was named Australian of the Year.  I feel so lucky to be Australian and so proud of much of what our nation stands for but I really wish we could change the day we celebrate so that we can move forward in a more united way.
 

♥

~ floral friday - the lavender farm edition ~

Every year when we go to the shack I promise myself a visit to the Bridestowe lavender farm (30km away in Nabowla).

And then we hit the beach, holiday mode settles upon me and I find it hard to summon up enough energy to drive into town, let alone along the dirt roads to visit the farm.

But this year the children asked to visit having being intrigued by stories of lavender icecream from other kids on the beach.
So off we went, all armed with cameras, ready to play tourist in our own state.

We were lucky - the flowers were beautifully in bloom (just prior to harvest time) and entry is free for locals.  Plus the lavender icecreams and lavender scones were delicious (lucky really because other than wander and take photos there's really nothing else for the kids to do other than make an icky-sticky mess with purple icecream).

It's truly a feast for the senses - gorgeous vistas, a steady hum and thrum of buzzing bees in the air and the heady, intense lavender scented perfume. I had a lovely wander with my camera set to manual - lots of perfectly pretty purple photos!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

~ taking stock - January ~

Making : big plans for  our Europe trip - its getting close now - we leave in April
Cooking : easy lemon-y herb-y chicken and potatoes for dinner for the adults and bolognaise for the kids
Drinking : a nice cool sauv blanc
Reading: I'm on a Tim Winton roll  - re reading Dirt Music now
Wanting: a new handbag - mine's too big and too heavy
Looking: more relaxed than I have in ages
Playing: pass the pigs and yahtzee - Christmas games
Deciding: on a new camera to take travelling - I want something smaller than the DSLR but still excellent!
Wishing: the summer holidays would last longer
Enjoying: daylight savings
Waiting: for my nephew to arrive (very impatiently)
Liking: slow relaxed starts to our days
Wondering: if 2014 is the year I learn to crochet
Loving: fresh local cherries and apricots - I'm eating them with plain greek yoghurt for breakfast - so good
Pondering: how to make a move back into real general practice - I'm not ready
Considering: a hot chocolate before bed
Watching: the tennis
Hoping: for amazing adventures this year
Marvelling: at the way my son's brain works
Needing: a haircut - and colour
Smelling: the orange and vanilla hand cream I just applied
Wearing: daggy tracky and uggs - its getting cold outside
Following: not nearly as many blogs as I used to - so many blogs are just about selling product now - I don't really like it
Noticing: sore muscles from a stretchy class last night - my first one in a month - gosh it felt good
Thinking: there's only 2 weeks until my baby is in full-time school
Knowing: I'm going to miss him so
Feeling: lucky to live in Australia
Admiring: people with integrity
Sorting: out my office (again)
Buying: new school shoes for everyone
Bookmarking: yummy recipes to try - I'm determined to try a new recipe each week
Disliking: the political scene in Australia at the moment - I really don't want to vote for anyone in our state election soon
Opening: lovely snail mail that arrived while we were at the shack
Giggling: with the girls on IG
Feeling: optimistic


Taking stock is one of Pip's good ideas - do you sit and reflect on your life very often?  


♥

~ our joyful moments - week 3 ~

This week Karin and I have both chosen landscape shots.

Mine is the familiar and inviting landscape of my very own bed - probably the thing I missed the most whilst we were at the shack - I sleep so much better in my own bed.

Karin has chosen a much less cosy shot - but she found such stark beauty on her walk - how different to the hot, dry landscapes here at the moment.

This is our 52 week project - shared here and on IG (#ourjoyfulmoments).

♥ 

~ more stills from our #summerattheshack ~

Our last week at the shack for this year and the weather was gorgeous.

We had long, lazy days at the beach with icy poles for lunch.  
There was lots of waiting for waves, hours of cricket and fun times with the cousins.


1.  Journalling and eating blackberry jam on toast - 2 of my favourite things.  I'm using the Kikki-K 365 diary and the kids and I are filling in the Q and A for kids (a new question every day).

2.  Beach cricket - we take all comers.  One bounce, one hand catches, no getting out on the first ball and strictly youngest to oldest batting order.

3.  Late evening at the beach as they were still waiting for the perfect wave.

4.  His boardies - all in a row.

5.  My little surfer dude.

6.  The NE coast of Tassie has the best climate for hydrangeas - they're everywhere in every hue and so beautiful.

7.  Flowers for mummy.

8.  The local cafe.

I think real life is going to hit us with some force this week.

♥ 

~ our joyful moments - week 2 ~

Week 2 of #ourjoyfulmoments and Karin and I are both dreaming of beautiful gardens. 

I visited the nearby Bridestowe lavender farm (the largest private lavender farm in the world I believe) and was overwhelmed by the colour, scent and number of bees!! This shot is straight off the phone (still no computer access)-I just love the contrast of the purple flowers and the red dirt.

Karin is studying plant catalogues and planning whether to plant more veggies or bulbs in her garden for spring - I love those kind of dilemmas. 

♥ 

~ summer stills ~

1.  A walk along the big beach on a gloomy day...sisters deep in conversation.  

2.  Our daily beach set up...we've very luckily had  some golden days this week and spent hours down there. We cart down chairs, umbrella, tent, towels, boogie boards, buckets and spades, the cricket set, food for an army and are set for the day. 

3.  Surf school...the lack of waves is perfect for these beginners. 

4.  We visited the nearby lavender farm and wandered through the (almost ready to harvest) flowers... simply stunning 

5.  The fun fair is in town ...

6.  Sand castle city...many patient hours of work

7.  My little beach bums (well, not mine luckily!)

Summer at the shack...and the living is good 

❤️

~ joyful moments of 2014 ~

Today is the first day of a 52 week project for 2014 in collaboration with the lovely Karin A.

We'll be taking photos each week  - on a very broad theme of joyful moments - and blogging and instagramming them (#ourjoyfulmoments).

Karin was lucky enough to find cherry blossoms in January whereas I am at the beach (and its still freezing).  This is the same beach we came to for many of the summers of my childhood and now I am creating new memories for my own family as we spend our summers here.  It's a very special place for me - even more so when I get the chance to spend some time alone out there.

I'm super excited about this weekly project - stay tuned for more joyful moments.

♥

~ stills from the shack ~

Technology and I are not friends tonight
I've sat here for ages trying to write a stills post on my ipad (with an admittedly dodgy hotspot connection).
Its not working
I can only add one photo and then once I've done that I can't write/edit any text or make any changes.
I'm not sure if its me, the ipad or the hotspot.
But I'm ready for my bed and some more chapters of my book.

We're on our summer holidays but summer hasn't really come to the party yet.
Its blustery and chilly, there are frequent rainy showers. the water is icy .. its not how I pictured my beach holiday at all.

And yet - the children are not letting my expectations get in the way of us having fun.  
Beach cricket and soccer.  Kite flying.  Sand castle building. Kayaking and boogie boarding.  Reading, coffee-ing, jig-sawing.

I'm enjoying it despite myself
There's a lesson in that


♥