sleepy wombats

We were well on our way to Wombat Bend this morning, the 'cool park' as it's fondly known round here, when I hear a whole lot of nothing from behind me. Odd, what with 2 small folk in the back and all. Turned around to see 2 sleepy wombats. No Wombat Bend for us today. Seems our car journey was a not-so-carbon-friendly lullaby. Upon return home, unloaded smalls and associated paraphenalia, and now this - random alone time. Life so good....

potager and potaging and potatoes

Ahh, that fuzzy line between winter and spring.

Winter means rain and cold winds....but prolific, well watered veggies out back. I like pottering in the potager patches.

Spring means the ladies are laying. Especially that Brownie, as she has been named by the smalls. We open the coup each morning to see 4 eggs. Beautifully and silently appearing from a perfectly rounded pea straw nests.

Food miles. What's it all about? I like the 100 mile limit where you only eat food grown from within 100 miles of your home. We live out in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges so will mostly be eating potatoes, strawberries and apples....and eggs...

What's growing in your garden?

baby born story

I'm heading to another blog love fest in October. Thanks for the invite, girls. First thing I do when invited to these things is check out the other invitees' blogs. Which makes me think they might do same. Which made me think I should write something. Which makes me think I should. Write. Something.

Anything??



Nope. Nothing coming.

Then, Leslie to the rescue. She has just given birth to Mae and graciously shared her story with all of us. She has also asked that we graciously do same.

Yay. Truly a joy for me to share.

Our youngest was born during a summer sunset. By the time you'd finished your dinner that evening, she had arrived. I was right up for a new years eve birth (her due date), so when I had some tweaking labor pangs, rather than pains, in my parent's pool a few days later I was happy. Lovely lover and I headed home, leaving our eldest out back wacking golf balls with poppy. We had a beautiful birthing celebration a few days before and I went about our home, lighting the candles we'd been given, adorning the beaded necklace my special lady friends had made for me, lighting the oil burner....it's all so lovely at that point, isn't it???....Within an hour we were in the car heading to the birthing centre. We got to the birthing centre, contraction in the reception area and another in the lift, walked (waddled) into the birthing room, headed straight for the bath, stepped in, squatted down and she was born into the warm waters 4 pushes later. I remember the wild pink of the sky as we headed down the mountain road to the birthing centre, and the look of innocent shock on the 12 year old boys' face who witnessed my fine self experiencing a full on 'my baby's coming!!' contraction in the reception area as we walked in. Poor kid.

Hey, that was fun. Thanks, Leslie.

planning a party

The boy is 3.

Location sorted - not our house, which means we can go away weekends for the next few weeks instead of running about planting a birch tree forest playground with mushroom settee for the smalls

Invites sorted - Boy has been on paper cutting frenzy lately so we used his cutting pile and ta-da turned it back into home made paper sheets

My intent is to make some goodies for the small folk to take home. But should that go awry, etsy offers me:

spaceman crayons by gaddy nipper crayons


French vintage ephemera by surrender dorothy


june bug soap by anniepoo


and wristlets by jc casa


I love parties.

music box love

I Love Bjork

I love the moments mmediately prior to nearly almost we love it and they love it but it's a kid size accordian for pete's sake at the market on Sunday. Maresi!

And check this one out! If I saw this in a market someplace, it would surely be mine. I mean, theirs.

Should you be inspired, go check out what Kirsty has been making with tin cans and pegs. What a clever lady.

more I am liking, madam

Neighbours that come tell us when the chooks have got over the fence (and then watching the smalls chase 'em back into the back), when old friends call in when they're in my 'hood and hang out ALL afternoon, 20 editions of Golden Hands for 20cents (so much GOLD in Golden Hands), the thought of rugging up and heading into the Melbourne Design Market this weekend, and Feist on Sesame Street. Lots to like.

liking and not

I'm reconsidering this whole blogging thing. I recently read a post from a fellow blogger about her smalls having a go at one another and it all ending in tears. Mamma blogger snapped a photo of one of said smalls, in the moment of tears and unhappiness, to show off the latest little outfit she had sewn for said small. I wanted to hug the teary little 'un. To me, this was a demonstration of the ugly side of blogging - the relentless paparazzi capturing the moments throughout your day only for the purposes of sharing with your readers, regardless of what those moments contain and what they may require from you. I can see how it all happens. I recently headed down that path with my intention to share some 'daily love' with you all, in the form of snaps of stuff I've loved throughout my day. The first set was snapped just after we'd put the smalls to sleep and I wandered in to their playroom. There were little piles of goodies all about the place, they looked so beautifully and conscientiously placed and ordered and yet I knew they were the result of random acts of play and joy. I snapped, and posted, away. In the following days I loved the sticks we had stuck in the herb garden as a makeshift barrier to keep the chickens out. I loved looking into the bag of winter woollies we had worn during our winter walk, discarded as we warmed with each few steps. I did snap these images and they are beautiful. But I felt like I was looking too hard, like I was trying to capture an experience within a moment to hang on to for no other purpose than to publish it for others, and not to enjoy it for myself. These things arise and then they pass. Like the pain in my right ankle during a long sitting meditation. I have spent a third of my life learning to observe that which arises, to enjoy the moment while it is with me, then to graciously let it go, without attachment. I cannot help but do this now. So, another time, another place and you may have got some more daily love (by then I'll be a better photographer, too!). Instead, I give you a random list of stuff that I'm finding kinda wonderful at the moment. Be sure not to attach yourself to it, now!!

Indian villagers (LOADS of Indian villagers!) saving elephants from drowning. This is truly wonderful.

Hitchiking beetles. Spunky beetle travels across the seas looking for love.

Energy revolution. Former colleague fighting the good fight. Sign on, people!