the Wise Robin

adventuring

 

Mama, I want to go on an adventure. Can we...tonight? she asks. It's ten thirty in the morning as she races off to find her backpack. She has it all figured out...dinner, pool, adventure, bed.

The day passes. I forget about her plans. We've eaten, swum, showered and are ready for bed. Time for teeth I say. What about our adventure? she asks. It's late. Eight forty five. Past her bedtime. I have paperwork to do. I hesitate, then remember the intentions I set forth the night before for this different journey we're about to begin. Ok, let's go I hear myself say. It feels good.

In our pyjamas we head out into the evening. Crickets chirp, grass crunches beneath our feet, windows flicker with television light. She takes my hand and we walk up the road toward the park. We don't speak for a while. I break the silence. So what do you want to learn this year? I ask. Well , she starts, I want to learn about rocks and shells, stuff from Mother Earth really.

Still holding hands we cross the road. Reaching the park she climbs the slide and sits at the top. Opening her pack she pulls out Ollie, Miffy, Lexie, Puss and Belle, the doll I made her for Christmas. One by one she talks to them and pushes them down for me to catch. Next out comes the drink bottle and rice cakes she'd packed by herself this morning. We eat and listen to the night noises. On the swing she blows me kisses. I catch them.

We're off again to have a picnic around the corner, on the nature strip, shaded from the street light by a tree. A couple walks past with their dog. Nice evening, they comment. We're eating rice cakes in the crunchy grass by the side of the road, in our pyjamas, surrounded by soft toys.

Mama, I'm nervous but excited about tomorrow. But more excited than nervous... more of a nervous excitement. Me too, I reply. I've never seen her excited about learning like she is now. Will we have lots of adventures like this with homeschooling?  We sure will I say, smiling inside.

She packs her friends away once more and takes my hand for the walk home. She's already chattering away about our next adventure. As we reach our driveway she says...It's so good spending time alone with someone and getting to know them.

Be still my heart.

studio time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A morning in the studio without my little

music, crepe myrtle blossoms, watercolours, found treasures

~

Happy Saturday to you

xoxC

 

sweet babe

 

 

There's been a little bit of sewing around these parts.

 I've been itching to make something out of Meet Me At Mike's (by the incredibly crafty and talented, Melbourne based artist Pip Lincolne), which has been lifted off my bookshelf, oohed and aahhed over, then replaced many times since last years Angus and Robertson's closing down sale. I finally found just the right excuse to make a couple of baby things for a friends very new and sweet, home birthed babe (oh, the smell of a tiny, new, being...ahhh). I began with the Teeny Tiny Goody Two Shoes and moved on to the Cutest Ever Baby Knickers. There was a little vying for the machine, with my sweet girl wanting to make some clothes for her, ahem, barbie (but more about that in a minute). 

 

I decided a girly singlet for these hot days was in order too.

 

(Bond's singlet, design by moi, fabric from DS Quilts collection)

(Cutest Ever Baby Knickers, from Meet Me At Mike's, design by Nichola Prested )

(Teeny Tiny Goody-Two Shoes from Meet Me At Mike's, design by Allison Jones of Lark)

 

Pip's book has easy and friendly instructions( tea and iced vo-vo's included), gorgeous photos of vintage notions and practical projects.

 I feel a bit like a kid in a lolly shop when I flip through it.

 

Zahra's doll ended up with a stripy mini skirt, midriff top and felted scarf. A budding fashion designer?  We'll see.

I love that she loves sewing with her Mama.

 I love that she carefully thinks about what she wants to make, rifles through my remnants bag, designs, cuts, sews and fits it all, without any help from me.

It may only look like a tube of fabric and an odd piece with armholes cut into it, secured by a safety pin to a doll from her Nonna, that I'm not that fond of...

 but to her it's work... and it's satisfying.

She's a girl after my own heart. Bless.

 

Happy sewing friends

~

Cxo

this girl of mine

 

 

This girl of mine...

loves baths at midday and pyjamas mid afternoon

has been kissed across her nose and cheeks by the sun, just like her mama

tap dances in the kitchen to folk music

dreams of flying just like a bird

informs me that watching me take photos is like waiting for the world to spin

is patient with me

sings soft lullabies to her feathered friends

gets as "hungry as wolves"

is enraptured by the sea

has lost loved ones

plays guitar like a southpaw

is in love with the Muppets

finds special rocks whenever we walk, holds them to her heart and tells me they fill her with Earth energy

would be lost without books

holds her upsets and fears very close

is a teacher in more ways than she will ever know

is so loved

 

I watch her when she sleeps and feel so full

 

 

 

 

 

river time

 

It's almost February and the temperatures are rising.  In Cloudstreet Tim Winton says that our Australian summer doesn't truly kick in until February. He's right.

We've been spending most evenings down at the pool but today we made our way to the river.

With it's wise red gums, sweeping bends and steady rhythm we dipped our toes, hunted for cicada shells and watched the river darken with the sky.

After luring one reluctant dog (truly, she'd live in the river with her rocks if allowed) we headed home a few degrees cooler, ready for tomorrow's heat.

What is your season bringing you?

~

warmly (no pun intended) Cxo

 

 

a little sunshine

 

 

I have a little garden filled with sunshine.

 A little garden full of golden sunshine flowers

 

 

Standing tall they smile and nod their heads, swaying in time with the breeze.

They bend their necks, tracking the sun's arc.

They feed the bees and beam with happiness.

We've watched them since Spring...sprouting,growing, budding, unfolding, revealing their bright, sunshiny faces.

 

 

Just looking at them can turn any gloom to a smile. They make me smile.

And when their sunshiny petals have fallen they'll feed out chooks and us.

 

Next year I'm going for a big garden filled with sunshiny, sunflower goodness.

~

warmly

Cxo

 

small things

 frocks from bygone eras

afternoon watercolours

games I played when I was her age

delicate lupins

wishing seeds and flowering corn

dancing rainbows

handmade hearts

Summer harvest

~

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

 

chasing the sun

Last week we chased the sun southwest to the Southern Ocean and enjoyed some sea side time...

rock hopping, wave jumping, beach combing

 rippling grass, salty air, a washed up garden

earthy hues and rhythmic sounds

While I am slowly opening to the the beauty of the coast my heart belongs in the mountains . I was glad to come home to the river, Summer snowfalls (oh, yes) and my cosy bed.

There's no place like home

~

Cxo

undressing the tree

 

As a kid I remember the yearly hunts for our Christmas tree. Dad in his truck, with my sister and I  looking for a rogue tree. I use the word rogue because we've always opted for Radiata pines. These trees, although planted in large plantations by landholders and Forests NSW as a sustainable timber source, are listed as a weed when outside these boundaries. This year I tossed up buying an artificial tree. I looked around and saw some beautiful trees but I kept thinking about the smell of pine in the house and having that breath of green which has been a part of my Christmas since I was a child. So I was really chuffed when I found a local nursery selling beautifully shaped, purpose grown Radiata pines for Rotary. By purchasing our tree here we were not only bypassing the work of looking for our own tree but we were contributing to a worthwhile charity....and maintaining a family tradition. 

Undressing the tree is always touched with a little sadness and sentimentality for me because it really brings home that it is the end of Solstice and Christmas for another year...my very most favourite time of year. Amidst the chaos and fast pace that December brings this time of year means, making and giving, baking and eating, magic and loved ones.  

Just before bringing in the New Year we undressed our tree. As each decoration came down I was thinking about what we would do with our tree. The thought of composting or placing it in the green waste didn't seem quite fitting for something so special.

So on our first super hot Summer day, with sweat trickling I resized our tree and stacked it ready for our Winter Solstice fire. Our Christmas tree will keep on bringing warmth and magic when the days are cold and nights long. A new tradition that fits well and makes me smile.

warmly

Cxo

bringing in a new day

 

a much needed trip out of town

a surprise filled with friends

seven dogs and eight children

a walk under the stars, a waxing moon, releasing the old and bringing in the new

 firelight

a breakfast table filled with littles, good food, tired eyes, and a dog or two under the table

a solitary, morning walk through the bush

lush growth after ten years of dry

butterflies and barefeet

cricket in the paddock

ambling through the garden and orchard

a slow afternoon

a beautiful new beginning to another day, a new year

~

When I looked up at that bright crescent moon last night I was dreaming of all I'd love this year to be. I want the coming days to be filled with the simple and slow. I want to follow my heart and listen to my intuition. I want to appreciate more, mother, love and live with grace. I asked to be a better friend and give more love than I do. I want to open my heart and find the right words at the right time. I want to be mindful in each and every moment and be gently reminded when I'm not. These are my wishes for this new year.

What hopes and dreams do you have for today, tomorrow and the coming days?

Thanks and gratitude to all of you who have stopped by, left encouraging words, and followed along through our days.

 xoC