Graveyard Train..... bit by a dog

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis......Goin up the country

    

   

I am glad I live in the country.

And this.....

In one of the buddism for mothers books, the author recommended a zen practise whereby if things are going wrong, each time something annoying or problematic happens you say to yourself "and this"........

Well today I said "and this" . I accidently left these almost finished, only 8 rows to go knitted baby pants on the couch while i helped Sunny on the potty, then the phone rang and then I found Sunny with a knitting needle in her hand. I am sure she enjoyed helping me knit and she did a good job of neatly removing the knitting needle. Unfortunately I am a very unskilled knitter who cannot pick up stitches or anything like that. I have to knit very carefully as I cannot fix any mistakes I make. Luckily my lovely neighbour can. I rode straight around there and she fixed them all up. Now they are being sewed together. They are for Sue's brand new baby boy, only three days old. Congratulations Sue!!!! Hip hip hooray!!

Walking with the giants

We went for a lovely walk through the rainforest. It was the perfect day for it - misty and damp. I think we were hobbits in Lord of the rings (though I'd rather be an elf) ..... There is nothing like a walk in the forest to calm the mind, sooth the soul and invigorate the body.

"Nature never hurries. Atom by atom, little by little she achieves her work." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu

"It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility." - Rachel Carson

Embrace the chaos

Yay, the sun is shining. Yippee..... I feel full of energy when the sun is shining after rain!

Sad and soggy garden needs lots of work.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a one track mind. To have just one hobby or interest to think about and do. Sometimes (quite often really) my brain (and life) feels so full to overflowing with ideas and things I want to do that I just can't fit them all in. Oh well. Embrace the chaos. At least I never get bored! Today I have already made banana muffins, done some knitting, had a cup of tea, danced and sung with Sunny and done some gardening - planting seeds and weeding (not to mention the daily washing up and washing, making lunches and getting kids onto the bus) and it is only 9.30. Now we are off to preschool. (Check out the outfit Sunny chose - pretty white dress with old yellow gum boots!)

I forgot to post this the other day, it is now Thursday.... Sunny even stayed by herself at preschool that day for two hours. I came home and felt overwhelmed with so many ideas rushing around in my head of things I should do and things I'd like to do...... so instead I flopped on the couch and did some knitting.

Creative Urges

It can be hard as a busy mum to find time to fulfil those creative urges....but it certainly feels great when you can!!!!

Today after 5 days of being flooded in Trisso took the kids out to get supplies.  I am having a wonderful day at home alone.  They have been gone nearly all day and so I have got out the sewing machine for the first time in ages.  I made my first attempt at a quilt type thing - it is to be for a pregnant friend - a mat for the baby to lie on.  Perfection and neatness whilst sewing are not strong points of mine so it is an apt  time to embrace Wabi-sabi - "beauty in imperfection" ( my sewing is mostly always imperfect!).  Anyway  handmade imperfections are good, they give character and in the end can make it even better! 

This is the start - patchwork is actually a bit harder than i thought - especially if you are just cutting out using your eye - things do get crooked and puffed up seams.

Choosing the material is fun.  It is good to use up fabric I have sitting there in a box.  I also like how you can use just a small bit of a treasured fabric and still have some for another creation.  Adding more bits is even more fun - turning it into a picture.  It isn't finished yet but I am trying  to learn that I don't have to finish a sewing project in one sitting.  I always end up rushing to finish and ruining it.  I still want to add another tree, some clouds, birds, ric rac.......

Gee it feels good to do something without interruption. It is still flooding...uh oh, they are home, better go!  If you want to see what the kids creative urges have been throughout the flood go here.

 

This is the music I was listening to whilst sewing today.

 

Flooded In

We are flooded in today.  I quite like a flood. Everything is so very green and lush. You don't have to go anywhere. You can hang around all day in pyjamas, playing games, reading books, walking down to check out the river, cooking, eating, drinking cups of tea, knitting....  (not to mention getting cabin fever with three kids!)

Check out the undies and the necklace. (Peta you have created a necklace monster!)

Flood induced pasta making. Thanks to Gourmet Girlfriend I was inspired to make some pasta again. The pasta maker was very dusty after several years sitting on the shelf. I made two lasangas - one meat, one vego. The boys also made some fettucini with the left overs.