the Wise Robin

weekend moments

 
This was our last calender weekend of Autumn for the year. The leaves are still falling, the sun is still shining (most of the time),the air is crisp, the ground wet with dew or the occasional frost in the mornings and the Southern night sky inky and clear. Following a week of early winter sniffles and coughs, a slow and simple weekend was in order. So we spent  our last Autumn weekend...

painting

 
 
 
 
 
 

printing

creating for winter

 
 
 
 

sewing small things

 
 

carving

 
 
 

( the little red fox had been in my thoughts for a while and Miss Z joined in with this leaf design)

 

enjoying little surprises that arrived in the post this week

birdwatching

 

and "high tea-ing" with dear friends

 

Happy last days of Autumn to all of you under Southern skies.

 

small things

Our authenticity is found hidden in the small details of our daily round. We think that it is the big moments that define our lives. But really these big moments of happiness are just the punctuation marks. The narrative is written every day in the small and simple

Sarah Ban Breathnach

 

'Little things' are the hinges of the universe

Fanny Fern

the gardens

 
  
   
 
With so much gorgeous sunshine around at the moment outdoors is the place to be. So we  have been heading down to our local botanic gardens to soak up more of Autumn's goodness.

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 All forms of creating- sewing, knitting, felting, cutting, printing- have been put on hold while we enjoy the last of this season's  offerings. The creative ideas are still rolling in...but they'll keep. They're  being transcribed and put aside to mature for the time being. Winter, and the many days spent inside, will see them rekindled.

Happy last days of Autumn to you!

love is...

 
Meet our girls. Brigitte:

 
 
Clothilde:

 
 
and Annabelle:

 
 
 Our girls.... yes, even Annabelle with her rooster sized comb and talent for crowing in the early hours (poor love, she's a wee bit confused), have been with us for some time now. It all began back in the spring of 2007 when Miss Z was 2 years old. I built a chook tractor and headed to the local chook auctions to find some 'backyard foul' as my Grandad would call them. I wasn't new to keeping chooks and had in mind what I was after: bantam pullets, easy to handle, beautiful to look at and good layers. 

Miss Z and I spent a Sunday morning viewing a shed full of chooks, geese, ducks and turkeys...we had selected  'our girls'.  I returned later for the bidding, a little late, but just in time to find a shed full of breeders and poultry fanciers bidding on our Annabelle. So it turned out that I was the late bidding , non- registered (oops), dark horse who had a big grin on her face when the hammer (in this case, pen on clipboard) finally came down.  That day I triumphantly returned home with  Beatrice, Claudette and Annabelle. So far so good.... we even found an egg in the boot of the car upon arriving home.

I had this crazy idea in my head that the girls would work for us in the vegie garden, rotating round the beds, digging them over, fertilising them and laying eggs in return for kitchen scraps, organic grain and general admiration. Well....4 years down the track things have worked themselves out in a different fashion.

Beatrice and Claudette have since been laid to rest, along with our beautiful Wyandotte Minette who we acquired from our next door but one neighbours, Phillipe the rooster has come and gone and the renegade silky rooster from 2 doors down was sent packing. No vegie gardens were turned over, no chicken tractor was ...well tractored, and no chicken coop was slept in. The girls free range, opted for and still opt for the highest branch on the biggest tree ( I like to call it a woman's instinct),  chuckle to themselves while they watch us search for egg treasure and only use the  nesting box when they're broody. Now if you've ever owned chooks you'll know what I mean when I say "don't mess with a broody hen".... mama bear energy in all it's glory. 

There is something so simple and lovely about the routine and rhythm that the girls have brought into our lives and nothing more lovely than the way Miss Z's love for them has grown with the years. So in return for those kitchen scraps and handfuls of grain we are blessed with golden yolked organic eggs nearly every day and  Miss Z's  ongoing  and sometimes entertaining passion  for these feathered friends. Oh yes, these girls have endured and I might even go far as to say enjoyed, nearly 4 years of  chook cuddling, chook lullabies, chook storytime, chook swing time, chook tiggy, chook scolding and copious amounts of chook loving.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And what does this little chook lover of mine do when she gets hold of a camera ? Takes photos of her beloved Annabelle ... naturally.

Love quite simply is ... a chook cuddle.

 

tom

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I feel extremely blessed and honoured to have recently worked with local ceramicist extraordinaire, Tom Strachan. I have admired Tom's work for some time now and so  was over the moon (and a tad nervous) when I was asked by a dear friend to photograph his latest  collection- Preserved.

 
 
 
 

 I do not hesitate in the least when I say that this collaboration was quite possibly the best photography job I have had to date. Tom generously indulged me with his time and space, afforded me creative control and fed me copious amounts of tea, words of wisdom, almond chocolate and melt in your mouth Italian biscuits. Oh my. Our days in his studio were peppered with tea breaks in his truly amazing garden, and to top it all off,  I returned home just yesterday with my very own little piece of Tom.

 
Tom gifted me with one of his amazing Eucalyptus camuldulensis (Red Gum) pieces- one of my all time favourite Australian trees. These trees seem to carry and speak the ancient wisdom of this land in their being.

I still need to find her a home, but right now I am happy to sneak little peaks of her from time to time.

weekend moments

Gratitude for the small and simple...

 

 A slow and easy breakfast

 
An empty laundry hamper

 
A quick head count....the annual moult.

 
Linen on the line

  
Load number three hanging in the breeze

 
my little helper

 
Sarah and sunshine

 
 our ripening harvest

 

a swung gate 

 
 
perfect fit hand-me-downs (a big thankyou Miss A)

 
 open windows and soft breezes

a work in progress

 
trampoline daydreaming

 
 cut and drying

 
her Autumn treasures

 

imagination

 
 gathering, sharing, friendships, community

 

a simple hat

With winter nearly upon us we were very blessed this weekend to be able to enjoy, what we hope is not the last of, Autumn's soft sunshine. Every year Autumn's beauty and rhythm infuses me with  reverence for Mother Earth's subtle power and a sense of slowing, stillness and calm. She is my home, this season Autumn.

With leaves still turning and nighttime temperatures hovering above zero I do hope this friend lingers just a little longer before we see the peaks settle under their white blankets.

 

a single moment

 

 A single moment, captured from the week- a moment  to pause, savour and remember - as inspired by soulemama

 

balance... day four

  
 
 

 

After today's installment of my assignment was put to rest I headed straight to the art room to find something to occupy my hands and re-balance the soul.  I found myself handling the beautiful merino rich cashmere, which I bought from my local knitting store a few days back with some bootees in mind for a friend's new babe. However after a quick flick through Simple Knitting by the very talented Erika Knight ( I've just added this book to my, ahem, twelve page book wishlist. It is full to the brim of gorgeous images and designs, as well as easy to follow diagrams and instructions... a must for this beginner), I very soon found myself back down at the wool store to find something yummy for my little one to wear on her head to classes. I ended up coming home with  some Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Enamel and cast on for the plain pull on hat. 

Every time I hold such beautifully textured and dyed wool in my hands it not only reminds me why I love working with this amazing, natural fibre, it is a small reminder of  how the simple things really speak to my senses and touch my heart,  rebalancing that which may be out of tune.

This little personal challenge in balance that has keep me plugging away at my assignment since the beginning of the week is going rather well...so well in fact, the assignment is done and dusted, posted and to top it all off, is a whole one day early. And let me tell you this Mama has never, never had an assignment in early. I'm generally a last minute kinda gal when it comes to well, most things now that I come to think of it.

I crawled into bed early with Miss Z last night, unable to summon the energy to even sew on a button. But once in bed I lay there feeling a tiny bit unsatisfied and unable to sleep. So out I crawled and sewed on the four buttons I made earlier in the week for the felted Saartje's bootees , after which I then made my way back to bed... a sleepy, satisfied Mama. It really does seem that all  this Mama needs is a little balance... for her head, heart and hands. 

 
 
 
 

serendipity

 My final semester assignment is due this Friday and as I have been known to go to extraordinary procrastinatory measures I figured some kind of intervention was called for. So I set myself a little challenge of sorts .... balance. Balance between head and hands.

So each day I will complete one section of the assignment and to maintain balance for my soul I will try to find the time to create something with my hands. I'm not thinking of anything grand, simple works for the soul just as well. It all started well with section one completed yesterday which was balanced by buttons. Four small buttons. The buttons are for another pair of  Saartje's bootees that came off my needles last week which I then machine felted and have since been used by Miss Z in her imaginative play.

 
 

Day two started with good intentions and then serendipity intervened. It started  when Miss Z's shoes were nowhere to be found. To cut a long story short Miss Z ended up spending the day by my side instead of at her classes. The result being that section 2 of the assignment is as of yet untouched. However, it left plenty of room for feeding our souls through  handwork, in the form of birthday present making ( and as there's been another birth among my circle of friends the count now stands at 6 down still 2 to go). 

I found a small but lovely way of including Miss Z on the sewing machine today. So far she has helped feed material through the machine but as she is on the petite side ( meaning little legs can't reach the peddle while still allowing for a birds eye view of what's going on up top) she hasn't had a chance to 'drive'. Filling bobbins was the perfect way to satisfy my little one's curiosity. And let me just say that when this girl finally learns to drive a car she certainly will know how to rev an engine.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A morning of play and crafting resulted in another pencil roll (with a button and loop type closure this time), drawing book and mirror writing wrapping paper, which was followed by an afternoon in the late Autumn sunshine sharing tea with a dear friend and an evening of soup and pudding surrounded by even more dear friends, a fire and the full moon.

Sometimes the universe  has such a gentle way of nudging us in her own direction and creating beautiful moments of balance.  

P.S. The shoes were finally located underneath a pile of dirty laundry in the washing basket.
 
 
 

 
 

weekend moments

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 When asked what we would be up to this weekend  the response included a whole lot of  being at home. And that's exactly what we got up to especially since this Mama was suffering from a mild case of  Friday night food poisoning. A slow Saturday filled with gentle music and a few nanna naps led to a much more productive Sunday: pastries and tea, newspaper reading, vege garden gate making ( unswung as of yet, but nonetheless ready), painting, book making, chicken cuddling, walking, climbing and scootering, chocolate cake eating, book reading, secret messages to treasure, felting, gift delivering, lasagne making and sewing....yes sewing, but not by me.  

It was getting on toward early evening and Iwas just about to rustle up the white sauce for our lasagne when a sweet girl of mine requested to sew something. Um...what was that, honey? You wan't to sew something? Just a background on this scenario so you all get the full picture. The only words out of my wee one's mouth regarding sewing usually go something like this.." Not again Mum, you're always sewing, can't we do something else? " Often accompanied by some eye rolling... you get the gist. So the white sauce waited while I took a deep breath, made a mental note to self not to display any over enthusiasm and inquired what my little apprentice wanted to make. ...a bag, of course. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Miss Z cut out the fabric of her choice and helped me guide the material through the machine. I then introduced her to my personal favourite...pinking shears, to tidy up those messy freehand edges. The result was a handle-less 'bag'  (Mama would call it a pouch), however Iwas reassured that bags don't require handles. And just to keep the Mama pride flowing the 'bag' was followed by a mini heart pillow, designed to be carried around in said 'bag' with a few other treasures. Gah.

a single moment

A single photo capturing a simple, special, extraordinary moment from the week. inspired by soulemama.

walking

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
We are very blessed to have the Black Ranges right on our doorstep. So the past few mornings I have walked the steep ridge behind our house. I have walked to find and honour the stillness that is within. I have walked to slow the incessant mind chatter that sometimes takes over. I have walked to feel this heart of mine beat and feel the chilly morning air fill these lungs. I have walked to feel my breath. I have walked for a few moments of calm and peace in these oh so busy days. I have walked so that Mother Earth can weave her magic on me. The birdsong, the breeze, the trees and flowers, the rocks and soil, the sky. Just me and this old girl....walking.

these days

When I created this little space not so long ago I had in mind a space where I could share the beautiful moments in my life. A space that would remind me of  how blessed I am. Today I am reminded in so many ways how true this really is....in so many ways.

Truly inspiring, beautiful, encouraging Mama friends. Lovely, little ones and hours of harmonious play.  Fresh baked gingerbread made by those little lovelies. The time and space to create with these hands. New tunes. A catch up with long time, no see friends. Good news. Late afternoon walks in the autumn sunshine. Homemade meals from the freezer. Warmth. A new, late night delivered project. Fresh sheets on a cozy bed.

 

 
 
 
 
 I am incredibly grateful for the more than 5 minute moments on my sewing machine today which were shared by good company, cruisy tunes, conversation and cups of tea. Consequentially, the birthday present count now stands at 5 down, 2 to go. As you can see my sewing prep (you know, measuring and cutting kinda stuff), leans on the improvisation side. When all is said and done, there's nothing a pair of pinking shears can't tidy up,  I say.
 
 
 
 
 A simple pencil roll for my nephew was the result, which was promptly popped in the mail for a 2 week late delivery. These things can't be rushed you know. As a kid I remember being chuffed when late presents showed up in the mailbox. And another created on the weekend for one of Miss Z's classmates.

 
 
( It appears that my self indulgent pin cushion is working.I'm using the pins people!) 

  
  
  

 I love the idea and look of a ribbon for fastening the roll but have found that shoe lace tying skills are required for little ones to successfully manage this themselves. I'm all for empowering and enabling people so I opted for an elastic fastener instead. Although it's much more practical it doesn't quite satisfy my need for practicality and  aesthetics.  I'm thinking a button and loop type style for the other 19 I've been asked to make for the rest of the class. Oh my.....Happy Days!

 

 
 

 
 

 

weekend moments

  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Breakfast downtown at my favourite breakie spot, the Green Zebra, eggs benedict on a thick slice of toasted sourdough with avocado, mushroom and local ham (yum), a lazy browse through the bookstore, garden nursery goodies, vegie garden beginnings (more on that during the week), fire roasted potatoes and damper (with lashings of butter and golden syrup...not that healthy I'll admit , but oh so delicious and after all it is Mama's Day) and a snuggle in bed with my little one.  So many beautiful moments to savour. It is a privilege being this girl's Mama

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

traditions

Growing up, I was fortunate to be part of a family that had simple yet beautiful traditions for special celebrations such as birthdays and annual festivities. Whether it was the cake and pancake breakfast on birthday mornings or the Christmas tree hunt with Dad in his truck, these small rituals marked moments, seasons and the changes that come with the passing of time.  Moments that are still clear in my mind and dearly cherished.

Becoming a mama has changed my life on so many levels. One thing 'mamahood' has taught me is  that family traditions bring  beauty and rhythm  to everyday life. Time is such an abstract concept to little ones, (who are wonderful teachers of being in the moment), and I find it more and more important that my little one is able to mark the seasonal changes of the Earth and the passing of time with our own rhythm and traditions. While I love the traditions I grew up with, and have incorporated many of these into our daily lives, I am making an extra, big effort this year to take stock of the subtleties of the changing seasons and celebrations in our corner of the world, and create our own simple rituals and traditions.

Autumn is filled with wonderful opportunities for tuning into seasonal rhythms and festivities.

 
There are the changes around us in nature as well as the Autumn equinox, Easter, the ANZAC day parade ( I love an old fashioned parade), and Mama's Day. This day took on a whole new meaning when I became a Mama and it wasn't really until I received my first Mama's day lie in, breakfast in bed and package in the mail from my own Mum,  that I felt the 'specialness' of this day for women around the world. Today I received this year's package in the post ( thanks Mum) and decided it was time to create another of my own family traditions.

 
 
 
 
 Mama's Day cards to be precise, for all those marvellous mama's in my life. A quick, simple and sweet Autumn design, printed on linen and stitched onto card stock, to be quietly dropped into Mama mailboxes under the cover of darkness, with my sweet baby girl in tow of course.

 
 
Happy Mama's Day to all the marvellous Mama's around the world.
 
 
 

breathing in autumn

  
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
With a new moon upon us and Autumn entering her final days I am reminded in very subtle ways to slow down, reflect and breathe. The gentle colours of  the bush, the bold colours of the street trees, the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, lengthening shadows, the smell of woodsmoke, fading afternoon sunshine on my face and the breeze speaking through the trees seem to infuse my days with a beautiful rhythm.  I love this steady slowing as we head towards winter and all the colours, smells, tastes and sounds it brings with it. I hope you too are enjoying a slow and steady rhythm wherever you may be.

crafting

The last few days have a seen a flurry of crafting round these parts. Nothing like a few birthdays and chilly weather to get the creative juices flowing I say.  So let me share with you what has been coming off my needles (very exciting) and out of my studio.

 
 
 
 
  First off the bat is the wrapping paper for all those afore- mentioned birthday presents ( count: 2 down, 3 to go). I love, love, love, handprinted paper and cards  so the lucky birthday gals received just that.

 
 
I make a lot of my own stamps and linocuts but I recently stumbled across these gorgeous  stamps by Kia Hin Fay in one of my most favourite shops at the moment, Made By Others. I was tickled pink when I discovered that these beauties were designed and made by an Aussie gal. There's definitely something lovely about supporting homegrown female artists. The art and design store that they came from  is in my hometown and is always on my list of places to frequent while visiting with my folks. Anyone who has visited this store will know truly how hard it is not to walk out with one gem or another tucked under one's arm and a huge grin plastered across ones face (you know what I'm talkin' about Miss Anna). 

 The sewing stamps are by a Japanese company, as so many beautiful stamps are, and were picked up along with the alphabet stamps from another of my most favourite shops at the moment, My Place.  I swooned and promptly went to heaven when I walked into this store recently and if you, like me, have a fetish for beautiful, modern fabrics and sewing accessories then this is the place to be. Oh my. I went in to 'look'. You know how it is, you tell yourself you're just looking, maybe take home some pretty little buttons and before you know it you are walking out with something like this:

 
A fat quarter of Moda flandango flannel to be precise. I have big plans for this fat quarter. But that will have to wait, just like the fat quarter, which is quietly resting on top of my fabric stack in the corner of my studio.

Moving along to wool. Now, I have a little confession to make about me and my relationship with wool. To start with, I adore wool, and those mostly, cute, little, woolly creatures it comes from. It is my most favourite ( oh my, there's been a lot of favouritism today) natural fibre to work with. I wet and dry felt with it, I dye it, I spin it and up until now,  I've  tried to knit with it.  You see, knitting has been one of those things that I've desperately been wanting and trying to do for so long, like riding a bike without training wheels or pushing yourself on the swing. So long in fact I've been at it for oh, maybe something like 26 years.  Ahh, there it is, I said it. 

My Mum taught me the basic cast on and knit stitch when I was a kid. She patiently fixed all my mistakes and encouraged me when all I could produce time and time again were scarves. Over the years I gradually taught myself a few more stitches,  but the pennies never really dropped. My Nanna, knitter extraordinaire and the best person for me to learn from, sadly gave it away years ago due to her painful arthritic hands. In retrospect (such a lovely thing ) if I had cherished her handwork skills more when  I was younger, I too may be a knitter extraordinaire today. But alas my memories of knitting  are not, as I would love to say, of me sitting by my Nanna while she taught me to knit. The truth of the matter is I was poised over some well loved knitting books , puzzled look on my face, mouth uttering a few choice words, trying to decipher the pictures. Well all I can say now is I am so grateful to still have and wear my Nanna's handknits and... a girl can have only so many scarves before she goes batty with finding places to store them or people to give them to. So this past week I was determined to take my relationship with wool to the next level and guess what...the knitting pennies started to drop. This is what came off my needles:

 
 
 
 A small feat for any experienced knitter but a huge milestone for this beginner. The pattern is Saartje's bootees  from this lovely little blog.

After waiting for 26 years the satisfaction and joy in creating these little bootees for a friend's little one was astounding to say the  least. I've learnt a great deal about determination, perserverence, gratitude and patience along the way, and although the journey to this moment has been long, it has been well worth every slipped stitch.  It's all in the process. 

So what does one very excited Mama do after a whole world of knitting possibilites have just been opened. Well she casts on for a larger pair (we've now officially entered the land of gauge and ply), makes plans for a Spring birthday vest  for Miss Z and makes some buttons of course. You are just about to discover another little obsession , ahem, interest, of mine...material covered buttons. They are just lovely and just the thing for a pair of pink bootees. I must say that I'm usually more of your natural, earthy colours kind of gal but after hunting high and low for something other than a pastel for these bootees ( no time for online ordering if they were to be ready on time), we, meaning myself and a slightly pink crazed daughter of mine settled on, well, pink. 

 
 
What better way to deliver new bootees than in a bootee bag. 

Two other small projects managed to find their way out of my studio door on the weekend.

 
 
 A rather large and self indulgent pin cushion. It's all in the name of encouragement. This Mama is well aware of the usefulness and importance of pinning in sewing, but for some reason I seem to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid it. Maybe it's the time involved when I'm looking for a little instant gratification or replacing them onto the cusion afterwards that seems to get in the way. So I've decided that if I have something beautiful and homemade to work with it might just coax me to take more deep breaths, and delve deeper into the meditation that is the process.

 And last but not least, remember my bluebird of happiness. Well she has added some sunshine and a touch of happiness to my kitchen.  Sunshine and happiness to you all .

 

A little P.S  is in order today: thanks and deep gratitude to the beautiful women in my life who took a peek today at this little space. Your words of encouragment mean so much. You are amazing and bring constant inspiration to my life. xoxox Charlea