Friday, January 30, 2009

Mellow Yellow

OK so that's a predictable title. My first bit of yellow is cheating. Yes another holiday snap. There was such a vast array of beautiful seaweeds, sponges, shells and sticks awash on Middleton beach. Truly a veritable feast for beachcombers and sand castle makers such as Martha and myself and I couldn't help but take many photos of them.

Ah it is so hot here. It seems to suck the life out of you, robbing you of motivation and energy. Any desire to shake it off by going to the park and run around with the kids is blitzed by the knowledge it is just toooooooo hot and dangerous for the kids. So far we have been fortunate not to get any sunburn or heat stroke, even the heat crankies are at a low and we all seem to be sleeping fine in spite of high temperatures throughout the night. I just hope this weather will not impact on the kids energy levels for school that goes back next week. Oh my baby girl is leaving me, I must be brave!!! More on that later. Anyway here is my yellow for the day....


Thursday, January 29, 2009

A week of yellow...

I was reading on other blogs how some people do themed weeks (yes I am green in blogging), so in a bid to stir up some movement within my head and get some creative juices flowing, I have decided to get one of these happening for myself and anyone who wants to join me. You know I changed the colour four times before I went to yellow!

Back later today with some yellow...

I told a lie


I did make a lovely card for a good friend of mine...

This week's photo's

Reading my own blog, I realise that my photos really don't reflect the post and don't seem to have any explanation. You see, I haven't made anything nor taken any photos to post, so I have been using my holiday pics. My MIL visits this blog and it gives her an opportunity to see more of what the kids are up to.

The photos were taken in Middleton, South Australian. Picture topics include my mother with Martha (joined at the hip those two), an absolutely gorgeous big, full, yellow moon that came out especially for G and I on the night of our wedding anniversary (17 years). Other shots are just lovely aspects are taken around the town / beach/ views from the house we rented. G and I seem to be absent from these as usual, I just hate looking at myself in photos. Maybe I should get better at this, my kids will never have any photos of me!

Ah you wretched girl! I am melting, melting away!


I feel just like the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz. Melting is accurate. 8.00am and it is 35 degrees already! 43 is forecast. Bluk. Hey I love a sunburn country but until it feels carconegenic, spontaneous mellanoma! I heard someone remark that it at least with the heat people have ceased talking about the credit crisis, that cows were giving powdered milk and magnets were falling off fridges LOL.

Today I will push past the heat an aim to do something, make something. I seem to have craft block, I just can't get my head around things. Baking is totally out of the question, yes that's what we need a kitchen with 48 degrees heat. Make i might make a few cards or something. I did just get some lovely ribbon and cardstock arrive yesterday. I will go through my fabric and patterns and find what I will make at the sewing class I have booked into. I am a self taught sewer, I have sewn curtains, painting smocks, PJ.s, kings cloaks. But never clothing - well not successfully. But now I will and hopefully my imagination can be met with actual skills to make it happen.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Up and at it....





Well Feb looms and I can no longer ignore that it is 2009. Next week my baby girl, my baby in fact, goes to school. I have tried bribing her to stay home but she is clear that she WILL be attending school with Miss Borg (her teacher, new to the school and I pray she is lovely and even lovelier to my girl).

I am feeling like a disinterested walrus with the heat and extra holiday kilograms. My motivation seems to have slipped off somewhere. So much to do around, I am sitting and looking at it. It is around 42 degrees here, super HOT. I took the kids to the movies today and we have a friend over, I hope I can find the inclination to take him home! I think I am still at the beach *sigh*

I have made some progress towards progressing into 2009 though. I booked myself into a sewing course that commences next week. I will be running a kids music group at the local church and I still have heaps of assignments to do and I have worked about 8 shifts this month. And tomorrow, fatty boom bah is going back to weight watchers (woe! my bum is so big)....

I have a banging headache currently so I will sign off here and leave you all with some lovely photos of SA.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside




And by the seaside we were. Oh divinity! Being rocked to sleep by the roll of the waves each night, waking each morning to fresh, crisp salty air. The sky mocking the sea, or was it the other way around? Middleton, SA is surely a perfect place on earth. We rented a beach shack, nothing flash this year: it's good for the kids to accept that every holiday is NOT on a five star resort.
We cooked very little but ate very well. We swam and sunned, fossicked for sea treasure and Martha and I made some spectacular sandcastles decorated with weeds, shells and feathers. These we left for the mermaids. Martha made a wondeful mermaid necklace with hollow shells. We wandered up and down the beach, played beach cricket, surfed the waves and thanked the wonders of nature.

In addition to all this wonderful outdoor activity, we read novels (more about mine later), watched movies, sipped cool drinks and I crocheted a number of odd balls of wool up (more about this too).

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Forced to Resolve

No point in avoiding it, I have to put them somewhere. Record them someplace that will make me accountable. I am not certain about what I want to achieve this year so I am going to develop this list over January, after all January doesn't count does it? A bit like broken biscuits on a diet!

Ok ... See the list

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Blooms a Plenty




Before Christmas I was marvelling how my garden was blooming prolifically. Well the roses are still thriving and my budlieas are the most deepest purple. I am pinching myself " can this garden belong to me?" I ask myself. Maybe best not to ask questions and thank God for nature. Here are some pictures of some of the flowers I have cut from the garden. The vintage jug is my latest op-shop acquisition, English china, no chips, cracks or peeling colour and a steal for $12. Love a bargain!



As per my pledge not to buy new stuff, I am keen to use up my current stocks of wool, fabric etc. I have been inspired by other bloggs to make a granny square rug. I have about 7 more squares to go and then it's assembly time.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

We all need a break....but gosh it gets lonely






G took the kids on an overnight camping trip this week. I had a few things I needed to do, so I stayed home. It was quiet and peaceful, I had the choice of doing anything I wanted, this overwhelming level of choice led to confusion so I ended up sitting quietly and crocheting and watching TV, going for a walk and avoiding the phone (sorry to those who were trying to get in touch with me - the phone Queen abdicated about 18 months ago and now I hate being tied to the phone). It wasn't bad at all. I made chilli prawns for dinner, drank pots of tea and enjoyed a tidy house. But then they all came home, smelling smokey and bounding in with noise, mirth and vigour! I got hit with a tirade of stories told with great excitement and then the reality hit me.....

I hate being apart from them. I missed out on being part of their trip and being part of the experience. They too saw this, all of their stories ended with "I wish you had of seen it Mummy". So do I now. Because I convinced myself I "need some space" and kept my hairdressing appointment, I created an empty chair at the table. I use the chair as an analogy for "something missing in the mix". Not on! I think priorities are going to be a big focus this year as something to work on. Not that I feel I am neglecting my family but with Martha off to join her brothers at school this year, the potential for special moments to slip past is getting big. I want to catch as many of these as possible, hold the tight and pack them into a special glittery treasure box!

Here are some photos of the kids on camp. Angus has taken over our old camera and is becoming quiet the shutter bug!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

And So the festive season concludes.....




Well that was swell Harriet!

Yes we enjoyed ourselves immensely and had an exceptionally laid back time. Naturally we stuffed our faces and rolled around the house a lot. Sadly the weather here has been awful and Spring like (still with some brrrrrrr in the air), which meant that lounging around the pool has been out as a slothing option.

The kids reaped an amazing amount of loot, all the necessary trappings of the "it" kid! Actually, we cut down a bit this year but the pickin's was still goooood! Well except for a certain clock that I received, not just a bloody clock! Noooo, this one was fish shaped, yep clock smack bang in its belly! Wtf ?!???? Needless to say that went back to the shop!