~ baby it's cold outside ~

This is real time blogging.. its chilly out there... and beautiful.. I had to go and grab the camera before getting the wood, feeding the cats...didn't want to miss my chance!

Its truly a winter wonderland of crystals, ice and sparkles.

My knees are cold and wet, I'm off to sip green tea and eat my porridge.

Have a lovely day.

♥

~ garden mood board - June/July 2013 ~

       

Today we have had gale force winds, showers and weirdly high temperatures (about 18 today when we've been getting used to 12s)
I ran outside at lunchtime gathering examples of everything that's blooming... it was only a small handfull ... some roses, daisies that never seem to end, the first jonquils and snow flakes and a hellebore.
The pictures are kind to the garden - it doesn't look pretty at all - its bare branched, empty spaced and fairly bleak out there.
 

How does your garden grow?
I share a mood board each month with Karin and other lovely gardeners and photographers.  Come and have a look.


 ♥

{A mood board for this time last year can be seen here}

~ snippets from a week(end) in June ~

 

 

 

1.  Camellias brightening a corner of our bedroom.

2.  Master-cheffing with playdough - this was the start of spaghetti and meatballs.  I have to judge each dish on presentation and taste (!!)

3.  4 is a very interesting mix of independence and sooky mummy's boy.  This was all his own work

4.  All Jack wanted to do this weekend was go to the beach and collect shells.  We walked for ages ... dreaming, chatting, gathering... 

5.  My favourites of our gathered treasures.

6.  Choc fudge slice from the good old AWW biscuit book.  Rainbow sprinkles instead of coconut - because its more fun.

7.  I'm very reluctant to prune our roses when, even if dying, they look as pretty as this.

Another busy week - I don't think I had the camera out at all until yesterday - we've had school swimming, extra work for me and a quick trip to Canberra for the Doc. 

We're relishing this long weekend at home - date night (so nice), cooking, gardening and a long walk along an almost deserted beach searching for shells.  We've got no plans tomorrow - always the best kind of day.

I'm linking up with  tinniegirl and Em to share some snippets of our life this week

♥

~ garden mood board may/june 2013 ~

 

It feels like winter is still creeping up on us this year.
It's still sunny and warm (ish) and so dry.
Our garden is neglected - too many other fun things to do on clear, sunny days.
 
The leaves have almost all fallen - they carpet the lawn - they invite scrunching and swishing and tossing.
There are a few herbs, scattered flowers.

It's hibernation time, time to pause, to wait and watch.

How does your garden grow?
I share a mood board each month with Karin and others
Do join in.

 ♥

~grateful for...this day~

Our mornings have been startlingly cold this week.

Ice-cream headache kind of cold (as soon as you inhale).

Still can't fell your toes at 10am (after the school run and a quick coffee) kind of cold.

Needing a sign to put on the children who refuse to put on anything other than a t-shirt saying "I did offer them a jacket, I am not a negligent parent" kind of cold.

Today I felt brave.

I wrapped up well and headed to the beach.

The breeze was cruel.

The sun shone but there was precious little warmth in it.

Slowly, but surely, the magical effects of being near the sea were with me.

My legs were tingling (and loving the chance to stretch and move)

My brain unravelled, untangled, unwound and my thoughts slowed.

I felt my shoulders ease down from beside my ears ... back  to where they belong

The sea rippled and sparkled. 

Garlands of blossom were slung across the sky.. 

The brilliant blues of sky and sea washed over and through me.

I felt nothing but grateful.

 ♥

{I'm linking up with Bron and others over  at Village Voices}.

~ garden mood board for July ~

In the depths of a frosty winter there is still much to wonder at in the garden.

Stark, sculptural beauty. 

The beauty of what has gone before.

 

As well, the beauty of hope and promise.

The beauty of what will be.

How does your garden grow?

I do a monthly garden mood board with Karin and others over here.

♥

~ snap it...cold ~

I posted lots of frosty pics last week for my on the ground theme - and then realised this week's theme was "cold".

Never mind - it is winter after all!

{my kids were so proud of Mr Frosty}

I'm playing "snap-it" with Sarah and others over here.

 ♥

~ garden mood board...June ~

Winter.

Frosty mornings where footsteps equal mushy footprint trails.

Chilly evenings with winds that steal breath from body.

Freezing nights where cold seeps into every corner.

Winter.

Bare branches, cold soil, withering leaves that have forgotten to fall.

Small promises of spring starting to make their way towards the frail sunshine.

But...for those who wander and search....stunning hellebores in shady corners - winter's hidden treasures.

 

I create monthly garden mood boards with Karin - there are lots of other lovelies to explore there too.

♥

~ 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

~ 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?

♥