~ our joyful moments 2015 - weeks 22-25 ~

I'm managing to journal every day (in my 365 diary and doing the life:captured promtpts).  I'm writing post cards most days.  I post on IG (mini blogging) at least once a day ... no wonder I'm struggling to find time to compose/compile real blog posts.

Karin and I chose books as our theme for June - lovely subject matter.

The top photo was my current (that week) reading pile in the bedroom.  I really love Kate Atkinson's turn of phrase.

Next was a flat-lay vignette style shot of my favourite book from last year that I'm currently re-reading  (its fabulous but devastating).

My next shot was my grandmother's recipe book - we were searching for her coconut and raspberry slice recipe.  Its such a lovely keepsake to have - splattered with butter, annotated in parts, little notes stuck in).

This week I found these lovely versions of some of my childhood favourite reads - they're such lovely editions.  I remember reading and acting out bits of the Secret Garden over and over again with a friend.  The water colour is by Meredith Gaston - check her out here.

What are you reading? I'd love to know.

~ this day ~

2015

2014

2013

2012

 

2011

It's a stunning autumn day today - the sky is that piercing blue you only see in Australia, there's a gentle breeze, the leaves are fluttering to the ground.

I've been for a swim, I've bought some new winter uniform for Lily, I've downloaded our new book club book (Big Little Lies by Liane Moriaty - a Tasmanian writer) to my kindle to take away to the GP conference I'm going to this weekend.  I've opened some lovely mail - a copy of Michelle MacKintosh's book  Snail Mail (which I can't wait to read) and some unexpected and beautiful snail mail from Naomi Bulger (she blogs a lot about snail mail here).   My haircut has been cancelled :-(. I've had one coffee and I feel like I need another. We played pinch and a punch this morning and I lost.  I've folded washing and hung out more.  I've paid a parking fine I got last week when I was chatting to the med students too long after our tute.  I've filled out some forms so I actually get paid for my tutes. 

I've taken a couple of shots of the garden - I think I'll do this on the 1st of every month to document how its changing (or not).

That got me thinking about past May Days and what we've done.  I found these photos in the archives - all dated May 1 and there are some thoughts/words/memories from my journals.

2014  We arrived in Paris on May Day last year. It was thrilling and busy and fun.  Magical memories.  We ate McDonalds for dinner as it was a public holiday and everything else was shut.

2013  I used to create monthly mood boards from the things found in the garden to share on Karin's blog.  We don't have the cotoneaster any more - but I think I could find the rest out there pretty easily.
Jack was in heaven helping our cleaner out in the morning with enormous pink gloves on.  We had a date night and started dry May

2012  Grace danced the maypole dance with her school class as part of a very low key May Day celebration in St David's Park - she was so excited to see herself on the news.  I sent out some hand stitched snail mail love.

2011   Monday morning kinder gym adventures with a 2 1/2 year old
           "me want to go to my gym mummy"
           " no, not that way, walk THIS way"
           "no - don't like that dance.  me only like scarecrow dance"
            "no me don't want Simon to dance, me only want mummy" 

How's your day?

~ memory keeping ~

Notes for October 5, 2014
Daylight saving started today - I love this time of year - my favourite flowers are blooming, lighter evenings means my days feel longer, we're rolling towards birthday season and the end of the year
Blustery, chilly winds with warm sunshine today- I was sure the roof was going to go last night.
Grace is sailing on the river for a friend's 10th birthday and the others are playing cricket in the garden.  
The roast is sitting on the bench ready to go in the oven (lamb AND chicken tonight because David let them choose) and Lily is making chocolate pudding for dessert.  The one my mum calls cow pat pudding.

......

I've kept a diary on and off for as long as I can remember.
At times regularly, other times very intermittently.
With words mainly - sometimes pictures, ephemera
 
I found some of my old ones tucked away in a cupboard I was cleaning out today (still trying to get on top of the spring cleaning).
I got lost in my memories

.......


This is October 5 from the diaries;


2103 - Sunday - David at work.  Lazy, happy Sundaying.  Playing, fighting, chinese checker tournaments, colouring in, cooking.

2012 - I had a one day extravaganza at Floriade.  Flown up as a treat in business class (on points).  I wandered around, met Posie, took hundreds of photos and flew home.  Bliss.

2011  - Lily has croup for the first time in her life aged 8.  David made the opening speech at the RACGP conference in Hobart that he helped organise and I missed it doing school drop-offs.  Inspired by Rich Roberts talk,  Took the kids to the evening cocktail party and they danced to BABBA all night!

2010 - In Cairns for the RACGP conference.  Jack learning to blow bubbles in the pool (poor deprived third child has not had swimming lessons), Gracie making a new friend every day.  Lily has run out of books (disaster)

2009 - flying home from a quick trip to Perth to coincide with the GP conference.  Jetstar infuriating in their lack of service, flight delays and poor attittude.  Tasmanians carrying krispy kremes by the carton load - making me laugh.  Fire on and girls asleep when we got home.

2008 - Braxton Hicks contractions all night.  Breakfast with my brother.  Nesting big time - moved all the baby furniture.

2007 - Our first little Hobart house officially on the market today.  4 groups through for the open home - all very positive.  Friday night take away night (Indian).

2006 - Picked up our wedding rings this morning - the girls in the shop blown away by the romance of eloping.  Flew to Brisbane.  David slept the whole way.  Needless to say the girls (and I) didn't.

2005 - Grace did her first night without an overnight breast feed (at 11 months old!!).  Lily wouldn't eat her tinned salmon as she said it was sad that all its friends had swam away.

2004 - Gorgeous sunny day.  Lily loving reading - pointing out books to have read to her all day.  Calling the baby (in my tummy) "arah" which is what her best friends baby sister is called.

2003 - Lily is sleeping through.  She is waving with 2 hands in an exuberant Princess Di style.  Making da sounds but no ma sounds.

2002 - 32 ish weeks pregnant.   Have given up hot chocolate and biscuits for gestational diabetes and hence losing weight.  Baby fine though!

2001 - no entry

2000 - sexual health education half day as part of our GP training - very interesting and amusing day. Thai takeaway after falling asleep on the couch

1999 - Spent the day job hunting for GP placements for next year.  Went to see Alanis Morissette and Garbage play in Northbridge.  Garbage fantastic.  Alanis drunk, stoned and terrible. David nominally on call - we couldn't hear the phone though.
 
1998 - Roses by my bedside smelling sweet - an unexpected present from last week. I spotted 22 cygnets on my walk round Lake Monger.  An extra sneaky look through the new house that we've just bought in West Leederville.

.........

I am the memory keeper in our family.
I'm never sure that I've done enough.

Do you keep a journal or diary?
 




 

~ sissinghurst ~

When we lived in Kent -oh a lifetime ago (well, it was 18 years ago) Sissinghurst was only 10 minutes away ... I feel now like I wasted opportunities to visit as often as the me of now would want to. 

The Doc was super kind to me as we did a flying visit to our old haunts...he took the kids to Bodism castle and I had a couple of hours, alone (!), to meander through the gardens and surrounding fields. 

Sissinghurst is impossibly romantic . Harold Nicolson spent years planning all the garden shapes and dimensions and then Vita Sackville-West filled them with gorgeous blooms...lots of different "rooms" with different themes...but all equally lovely (unless like me you swoon for the chaos of the spring bulbs under the lime walk). 

I fell for the charms of Sissinghurst all over again  

~ snap-it ... yesterday ~

These are my yesterdays.

Journals filled with words, memories, dreams and random bits of our life.

I rarely go back through them...but when I do I get so teary and emotional.

And I realise just how much I forget...and how good the remembering is.

I join in with Sarah and her snap-it game every Wednesday.

What happened to you yesterday?

♥

~ 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.

~ letting go gently ~

We're saying goodbye to 2011 quietly tonight.

The Doc is working from home and we're having a few friends over for casual dinner and drinks.

Some chatting, some slip'n'sliding, some silly pictionary and scattergories games. 

Lots of bubbles and laughs.

We'll remember a happy, busy year:

• When we moved back into our house and loved it so.
• When we adopted two kittens and loved them so.
• When Lily spread her wings at a new school and blossomed.  
• And Gracie had her own space at school and revelled in it.
• When Jack continued his love affair with trucks and cars and maxi-taxis.
• An amazing conference, a fabulous adult getaway with old friends, time at the shack, the fabulous Wednesday dinners, new friends, blogging, raspberries, Tuesday play days, family traditions (new and old), soccer games, a quilt in progress, lots of photos,  ballet concerts, priceless art works, precious moments....

We'll go gently into 2012 too.

Counting our blessings, looking forward to new challenges and enjoying the little things that make every day special.

Wishing the same to you.

Happy 2012!

♥