I have been…

Knitting a jumper for a shop in Lakes – good fun knitting for someone else!

Having dress up day at kinder (it was a busy week so no homemade costume, shame on me).

The planting of 1700 trees (by my dad and Mr G, not me!) with only 500 more to go.

And the little lambies from here? All grown up now.

Spring has sprung. It was 8 degrees when I got home today. 8. Eight??! Spring my foot. We have yet to get to 20 degrees yet. So.bloody.cold.

This little dude is booked in for grommets in his ears.

This dude does what most kids this age do to relax – write novels.

And I’ve had a ball watching a little friend do a great job learning to knit.

Life is full.

Catch ya…
K

I kinda like this age…

"Mum, where did you get that beautiful ring?"

"I got it when dad asked me to marry him."

"Oh that’s beautiful. You know mum, it looks like a princesses hat."

I think he means tiara.

Hanging up my hat…

 

Catch ya…
K

There was blood, there was bananas…

Mr L is terrified by blood. His own, anyone else’s, anything that remotely looks like blood – he does not like it.

He also has a non-existent pain threshold. I mean he has no pain threshold. None. Zip. Zilch. He winces getting his fingernails cut.

Mr L has had a lose tooth for months. Months. We’ve offered cash, holidays, everything, but he wouldn’t wiggle it and help it come out. We could see the new tooth coming in behind, but the old one stayed put.

Here he is…

 

See it?

Well this morning, things came to a head. In the usual rough-housing way of boys, Mr A punched him in the face. This is not something we condone, I might add. Mr A is a lot more full on than his big brother.

So the hit occurred, there was crying (the small one because he knew he’d gone too far, the big one because it hurt) and then Mr L noticed… the blood.

And then the wailing started. Oh my. I didn’t know humans could make the sounds this kid made. Mr A hid under his bed – which was fortunate – it meant I only had one to deal with.

Mr L cried, and wailed, and sobbed, and screamed and the blood kept pouring out his mouth. He rinsed his mouth out with water and started again when he saw the blood again.

His tooth was still in his mouth. It was sideways and looking slightly like a vampire fang but hanging in there. I thought it needed to come out so I said he had to eat a banana. There was no way he was going to let me pull it.

He took one bite and removed the half eaten banana from his mouth… covered in blood.

I’m so glad the police didn’t arrive then – trying to explain one child under the bed, the other in the kitchen covered in blood holding a bloody banana would be too difficult.

We had another round of the sobbing/wailing/screaming. And another bite of banana. And repeat. And repeat. And again. And the tooth came out.

And everything was good.

Except for mum, who needed another coffee. Or two.

Catch ya…
K

Adventures on an island…

We had the chance for a cheapish weekend away, so we took it.

 

 

(note the little penguin hiding from the tourists)

The highlight for me, being interested in birds, was this Cape Barren Goose – she was nesting with her mate at the edge of a car park near a surf beach.

You can just see one of her eggs.

 

And when they hatch, I’m sure they’ll be as gorgeous as this proud family.

 

Or maybe this proud family…

Including Mr Snotty-nose-watery-eyes-red-red-cheeks-overtired-my-cousins-hype-me-up…

Mr I-had-my-ipod-confiscated-because-mum-said-don’t-bring-it-but-I-did-anyway…

And Mr Do-not-take-photos-of-me-and-put-them-on-the-internet.

Gotta love families.

Catch ya…
K

Long time, no see…

Crazy, crazy year. It’s slipped by so quickly.

Mr A started kinder, and loves it. Loves textas too, apparently (don’t ask – I still see dots of blue texta everywhere).

Toilet training is over (and a much wanted reward obtained).

I accidently became the kinder treasurer. Talk about a learning curve…

 

Arthritis has permanently disfigured me. I’m now on the good meds, which have slowed it’s progression somewhat.

Mr L is loving being back with his friends at school. Thriving. Getting too tall.

 

We took a little holiday with my parents.

 

 

We found a land yabby.

 

Grandpa met the ram of his life – Bruce. He’s a very silly ram.

 

I got new shoes.

Mr L turned 10. 10. TEN?? How on earth did that happen?

We took another little holiday, quite spontaneously…

 

To our favourite place.

 

Mr G got himself on tv (which was a great surprise to those of us watching).

 

I watched my niece play hockey.

 

Mr A has been drawing on balloons…

 

And bouncing on our friends trampoline.

 

My parents have lambies…

 

This little one thinks my brother is her mum… (it’s the beard)

and Bruce the ram became a dad (much to Grandpa’s delight)…

 

And it was a lovely little boy.

 

We toasted marshmallows – with the lambies, dogs, Grandpa and all the boys.

We had sleepovers…

 

And did cool doodles.

We have enjoyed winter (but not so much the thick frost we had this morning).

   

Mr L learnt to drive a digger.

And I am sewing table clothes. For the kinder. And trying to get the paperwork for our extension under control. And trying to keep my head above water.

It’s nice to be back…

Catch ya…
K

Then and now…

It was 12 months ago yesterday. 12 months since things shifted a little bit sideways. Since the fires came.

Then…

Now…

Then…

Now…

We went up into the bush this morning. It is so green and fresh. Not at all like the bush used to be at this time of year, the height of summer.

 

It is growing back and all is good.

Catch ya…
K

What I am reminded of…

For me it has been, from the start, a year where I have been aware, and in awe, of the natural world. I have seen immense beauty around me everyday, and sometimes I’ve managed to have my camera with me and tried to capture that.

These are some of the things I’ve seen this year…

It really is a wonderful world.

Catch ya…
K