these days

this week...

 busy city days have filled our week, shopping, appointments and visiting family and friends.

a few rare moments were spent enjoying the last days of winter and welcoming in the spring.

1 & 3. i am so happy there are still a few camellia blooms around. we can't grow these at home and i love them so much. i fill like i have had my fix of them for this winter now.

2. a beautiful old weathered gate.

4. he couldn't help but come over to say hello.

5. always looking for a flower to pick.

6. bare shoulders and pony tails, a true sign of how warm it was today, the first day of spring.

joining in once again with lovely Em at the Beetle Shack.

these days

last week (yes i am a bit behind)...

returning from our tropical holiday we spent a few days in adelaide... visiting family and friends... exploring other peoples gardens... admiring rusty hued autumn streetscapes... collecting fallen leaves and crunching them underfoot... enjoying a bit of late autumn before returning home...

1&2. visiting an amazing overgrown apple orchard to pick our own fruit.

3. the "clubhouse" that sits beside the private bowling green at nanna and pop's place has seen better days but i thought it looked gorgeous clothed in autumn leaves.

4. the earthy hues of well weathered wood.

5. sisters, off exploring together.

6. rusty iron, just as lovely as weathered wood.

7. nearly bare branches set against a beautiful bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds floating gracefully by...

8. jessica in the wisteria tunnel at the botanical gardens... always wanting to explore but making sure mum isn't far behind.

9. i probably couldn't tell you enough how much i love autumn and autumn leaves.

10. babycino contentment!

11. yes i really do love autumn and autumn leaves.

12. "i want to go to the rose garden mum". this girl doesn't forget much. it has been months since we have been here yet this is what she said when i mentioned we were going to the botanical gardens. we wandered dreamily for ages... smelling the roses... before having to rush off to save the car from a parking ticket!

13. the yellow roses are always my favourites.

these days

this week... some stills with a distinctly autumn tone to them.

we have had a slow week mostly at home, giving some much needed time to catch up on some things. (hence all the shots are once again from around our home). 

my eyes were drawn to earthy colours and by the end of the week it was starting to feel a little more like autumn around here. the mornings so dark... we seem to wake up late but when we do venture outside there is that feeling in the air, that softness of autumn. the days are a little cooler and in the evening that feeling is there again... that autumn feeling, as the sun is setting, the days growing ever shorter.

1. jess and i created a autumn leaf hanging with some very crunchy leaves saved from last year and some wooden beads.

2. an early easter present arrived from granny. bunny ears and tiny easter chicks. they are adored and played with for hours and hours. granny always gives the best presents.

3. falling... leaves...

4. a cold(ish) morning chia tea about to be put on to brew.

5. we have very wide verandas around three sides of our house so the only time the sun actually shines in is in the evening or early morning. i do love the play of light and shadow cast across the walls.

6. i brought home a huge box of peaches from a local farm earlier in the week and their smell is beautiful as they await on the kitchen bench to be preserved. these, the last peaches of the season will satisfy our taste buds come winter and spring.

7. waiting for the chai...

8. fennel seed heads caught in the evening sun.

9 & 10. sisters. both with messy top knots, baking muffins together.

11. upon my kitchen bench... a new batch of kombucha tea fermenting away. little jars of sage and garlic infused honey, one ready to send off to my eldest daughter daisy and one for us, to sooth sore throats, if needed. and the most gorgeously packaged jar of coconut butter (the photo not doing it justice i am afraid!) it looks so lovely i almost don't want to open it. so absurd!

12. my knitting in the morning sun shine.

joining in with the super lovely Em.

making the most of it

although autumn is officially here it still seems to be some way off in this part of australia. certain parts of autumn that signal the change of season like being able to buy new season apples and pears from a local grower, calm days that are growing ever shorter and the planning and preparation of autumn crops to go into the garden are well and truly with us.

... but it's hot!

we are in the midst of a heat wave. quite a nice heat wave though. i like the humidity (most of the time), the moisture in the air is very pleasing to my skin, the temperatures eased at times by cooling sea breezes coming off the ocean, the cloud cover welcome relief, the few drops of rain appreciated. much, much nicer than hot northerly winds blowing day after day, i can tell you.

we have been making the most of this late burst of summer... swimming every day, enjoying the water and the beach, making the most of it.

a fun hat

the day was hot. too hot to be out in the afternoon anyway. so what did i do? knitted a very warm beanie for jess, of course.

its the fun kids hat, a free pattern from the purl bee and the yarn is knit collage gypsy garden. it took around an hour and a half to complete and that was including learning how to use double pointed needles using this tutorial. i had never used double pointed needles and when i was getting organised to start knitting had just two needles out and wasn't sure why they had put five needles in the packet. maybe incase you lost a couple? mmmm... i had no idea! the tutorial was great though and i was soon on my way knitting and feeling very pleased with myself for having learnt a new skill. all of a sudden socks don't seem quite so daunting.

i think this hat is super cute. i have had it pinned for ages wanting to make it, so very satisfying to have completed another little project found on pinterest. it maybe, just sort of, justifies spending time on pinterest? maybe not!

jess loves this hat, probably something to do with the sparkly bits. she was more than happy to model it for mum and dad that day, then for big sister a few days later and then again when i asked if i could take some photos of it. so it would seem it is a hit and will be worn quite a bit when the cold weather rolls around... eventually! (we seem to be having a bit of a heat wave this past week... autumn? where are you?)

garden details

late summer in our garden.

it feels so good to type that because it means autumn is nearly here! my favourite season. our best growing season (i think anyway). sometimes summer can linger for quite a while around here though so it is a little difficult to know whether it is too early to be planting out autumn crops or not. but no harm in being prepared i think.

walking around the garden at the end of summer i keep coming back to the stalwarts that have given the garden colour throughout this hot, dry season. cosmos, hollyhocks, verbena and a tiny little pink rose have all continued to flower for what seems like months now. they are hardy, they are survivors, they never complain and hang their heads if i forget to water them, they just keep on keeping on. never a day goes by that i am ungrateful for their presence in our garden. other heat lovers i have growing that just get better and better over summer are mint, rosemary and sage, they are thriving.

some things haven't gone quite as planned this summer. the trellis along the top of the stone wall is there to accommodate grape vines. they all died except two. we lost a couple of fruit trees and i haven't had much luck with my strawberries.

in the veggie patch all but a bit of basil has come to an end. tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini and corn have all been ripped out and thrown on the compost heap. there is spare ground aplenty. two beds are earmarked for rejuvenation and will be planted out with green manure in the hope that they will be ready for winter crops (or at least spring!). seeds have been planted in trays and i intend to be very attentive over the next week or so and ever so hopeful that something grows. i have put in many leafy greens, fennel, leeks, herb and spice seeds as well as a few flowers. 

i am wishing we lived near to a garden centre and could just pop in to pick up some seedlings today. i really have an itch to get my hands in the soil and start planting!