harvest

At the very end of last year, after returning home from time with family and friends, we came home to a vegie garden that was, frankly, a mess.

One of my biggest disappointments was our potato patch. By early December, I already knew things were not going so well. It was clear that these poor plants were not getting anything like the amount of sunlight they needed - they were long and lanky, flowers few and far between, and over-run with insects. 

A few weeks later, we decided to cut our losses. We prepared to pull out the plants and rummage through the soil.

A surprise was to come. As I expected, our yield was poor. What I didn't expect was the absolute joy I shared with our daughter as she found each "tiny tasty tater" (some of them barely 1 cm in diameter), and the excitement when we found a "colossal" potato (in other words, a potato approaching baby potato size). 

As we worked together, up to our armpits in dirt, I felt incredibly lucky. This girl is so good at celebrating the little things, and being happy with what we've got. 

While growing a garden hasn't quite been the success I'd hoped for, we are growing a pretty wonderful girl.


* A disclaimer - while my description of our wonderful curly-haired girl is accurate (in a biased mother kind of way), she is a real kid with real challenges too ... 

Splashdance

Do you love bright, blue sky, sunshiny days, but secretly yearn for a puddle or two to jump in?

Yearn no more - there is an answer.

Simply pull on your favourite gumboots and fill with water.

Stomp, dance, spin, jump and skedaddle away. 

 (she insists there was skedaddling involved)

Spend the rest of the day wondering why your crazy mum keeps singing "What a feeling!"


Hope your day has been wonderful too xo

the eye of the beholder

The girl and I had a big talk the other day. Some other kids had told her that her artwork was "ugly," and she felt sad and angry.

We talked about how everyone has different opinions about art. 

I told her about artists - Monet, Van Gogh, Seurat - who were told that their art work was "not good enough" at some stage in their life. 

I told her some of the reasons why I find her art work beautiful - because I loved hearing the stories behind her work, because I love that she doesn't just make art that looks the same as everyone else's, because I can see how much she loves the process of art, trying new ideas and techniques along the way.

We talked about how it feels to be told that something you have made is ugly - and about how, while it's totally OK to dislike someone's art, it's not a good idea to tell them that.

She made this painting for me as a tribute to Georges Seurat, one of my favourite artists. Some might see a few blobby dots - I see thoughtfulness and love. It hangs proudly on our bedroom wall.

How do you handle the "beautiful / ugly" thing at your place?

an accidental hibernation

I'm not entirely sure why I took a 4 month break from blogging - but I do know that in the last few weeks I have thought about why I do blog.

I blog because sometimes writing about my thoughts helps me to think more clearly.

I blog because I like to have a record of lovely things in my life, and of things I have made (very occasionally I need to record the not so lovely things too - but I like to make my blog a mostly lovely place, even if that is a bit dishonest).

I blog because I like to be part of a kind and supportive community, and I feel so grateful for this.

I planned to get back to the blog yesterday, but instead spent a glorious, sunny day in the garden working and playing until I ached (in a good way).

I woke today, and now my heart is aching, and the sky is crying, and Melbourne (more than Melbourne) is so sad. In the midst of this, my blog seems so trivial.

My thoughts, love and sympathy go out to anyone today who is sad or grieving - for Jill, or for anyone xo

*NB: please remember to avoid any comments about the case or the accused that may compromise court proceedings, here or anywhere on social media. Thank you*

reverse finds revisited

Nearly two years ago, I made a deal with myself (and my blog) to find a new home for some of my things every week during Spring. I called it "reverse finds."

In doing this, I realised that, while I am by nature a hoarding type, it can feel pretty great to give things away...

I look around our cluttered place today, and know I need to get on the reverse finds bandwagon again... but I need some inspiration - so I thought I'd tell the story of something big (for me) that I gave away last year - a story that still makes me smile.

This old printer's box was one of those things that became "mine" because no-one else wanted it. I can still remember the strain of carrying it to my car with all the drawers sliding out (until I worked out I should carry it the other way around).

I remember finding a few odd tiny letter type pieces in one drawer (they are now safely stored away somewhere I can't remember...).

I remember trying and trying to come up with some way I could use the tiny compartments - but they were just too small for anything I needed to store... even too small for buttons, or a little person's stone collection...

In the absence of any "practical" use for it, I used it as a little side table.

  
Then, I visited a work friend at her new home, and was lucky enough to be given a tour of her husband's studio. He designs and makes beautiful stationery using a beautiful old letterpress machine - a really old, carefully restored working piece of history... and I knew where "my" little box should live.

It took a week to convince my friend that the printer's box should become a printer's box again.

The day before I gave it away, I took a mountain of photos, to help me remember all the little details I'd loved but never used.

I love that I gave this box a home for so many years, and "saved" it from being scrapped.
I love knowing that one of the marks on the top is from when I left a drink on top and fell asleep after a long solo drive from my Adelaide "home" to my Melbourne "home".

I love imagining it being used back in the 1940's and wondering what was printed - newsletters? cards?

I love love LOVE that it has a new, more fitting home...

and I love that the week after I said goodbye, I found myself able to rearrange furniture and see new possibilities for our room - that one less thing really made a difference...

Do you have any favourite stories about things you've given away?