these days

this week... i thought i would do a little catch up. it has been weeks and weeks since i have done a these  days post or any other post besides project 52. these are some photos taken during the past few weeks. 

the time has flown past although we have spent many days taking it slow. my focus has been on cooking plenty of nourishing food, fighting of winter ills and getting plenty of sleep. there have been trips away and sunny days gardening, beaching combing and inside rainy day play.

1. bright poppy bloom captured in the sunlight.

2. cold morning.

3. stunning winter sunset.

4. new playgrounds explored.

5. pebble throwing with good friend rosie the dog.

6. cute pig tails against a bright sky.

7. making new friends at Harndorf Children's Farm.

8. sweet little window love.

9. sour dough smothered in butter and topped with homemade ricotta (my first attempt), smashed bananas and drizzled honey, yum!

10. exotic blooms.

11. freshly picked yarrow hung to dry. the flowers to be steeped as a tea should anyone in our house come down with a fever.

12. i came home from an evening walk (alone) to find the washing folded, fresh flowers adorning the kitchen table and a message from my sweet girls. one happy mumma.

13. basket of winter citrus goodness.

14. glowing candle light to warm up a wintery night.

joining in with the lovely Emily 

x

lately

lately...

i have spent much time away from the computer and have totally neglected this space. we have spent time away from home and the days have been so full and hectic that there was just no time for technology (and i must say i haven't missed it). today was the first time in three weeks that i have loaded photos onto the computer and i realised how few photos i have taken in that time. i think i can say that i have failed my first attempt at project 366. 

the break from home was a welcome one. we spent five lovely days in the west of australia with alistair in between jobs, while seeing a new part of australia for the first time. i liked what i saw... a lot.

time was also spent in adelaide visiting friends and family. my littlest seems to have grown so much during our time away, becoming braver everyday. it was lovely to see her so relaxed with family that she doesn't see too often. i am so proud of how jessica has coped with all the impromptu changes her parents regrettably force upon her. (poor love thought she was going to tasmania and ended up in perth!) 

lately...

jessica has been drawing and painting up a storm. she thought it may be a nice idea to experiment with some face printing while my back was turned.

lately... 

the little one has been taking the gift giving very seriously and is always up for some wrapping and sticky taping. meanwhile, i have many projects in the works for christmas. some will be completed, some won't (and that doesn't matter). 

lately...

the house has been decorated, the tree trimmed, a wreath made for the door. i can hardly believe what has been achieved since arriving home five days ago. and now christmas is right upon us. it has come around so quick (as it always does!)

time to relax and enjoy!

our travels part 3

as i have probably mentioned before, i love the botanical gardens.

i was lucky enough to be able to spend a spring morning there recently* while we were on our travels, with my oldest and youngest.

so far this year i have been to the gardens in autumn, winter and now spring!

all the fresh new growth on the trees was stunning, there were lots of plants in flower and ducklings too.

sunshine, gentle breeze and green everywhere... lovely!

*actually it was a few weeks ago now. where does the time go?

our travels part 2

the one full day of our 'mini' break started off cold, extremely wet and very windy. we wondered what we were to do all day. 

we needed to burn some energy so during a break in the rain we took a brisk walk around the headland circuit track on ulladulla's headland. water was streaming down the paths but luckily we missed any rain showers and managed not to get too wet. along the circuit were cravings depicting the story of aboriginal life in the area and how it changed when white man came to settle in australia. the cravings were lovely (and there were many) but my favourite is of the frog.

after a lovely lunch at a very nice vegetarian cafe in milton (where we ate three times during our brief stay in the area), we headed further south to a national park. by the time we arrived at pebbly beach the weather had cleared. it was a gorgeous drive in through tall gum tree forests (oh how i love tall trees) and the beach was glorious. grass down to the sand (none of that dusty dryness we have around home), a sweet little creek coming out of the forest and flowing down to the sea. new south wales really does have some very beautiful coastlines.

 the tamest wild kangaroos lazed and grazed on the grass and we watched them for a bit but i would say jess's highlight was throwing bits of sticks into the stream and watching them float towards the sea. as there are no creeks, streams or rivers where we live this proved to be lots of fun.

unfortunately my camera battery went flat and i missed taking any photos on the final day of our crazy quick south coast adventure.

our travels part 1

we recently spent four very brief days in new south wales. it was a trip that was meant to be a little longer but work circumstances and changes weren't in our favour.

we spent the first day in sydney with family and while jess and i were awaiting alistair's arrival we took a little walk in the bush to a lookout with a view over middle harbour.

there were so many different plant species along the way although i have no idea what many were, being from a totally different part of the country, as i am. i loved it though as the sydney bush is so different than our bush at home. i tried to photograph many plants but walking with a toddler and a dog that doesn't belong to us made taking many photos (of quality) difficult. jessica wanted to hold the dog's lead and i didn't trust "jumbles" the dog not to run off if i let go.

it was such an enjoyable walk though and jess loved feeding gumnuts to the craved lizard at the lookout.

next heading to the south coast...