i love...

old wooden chairs. Can't go past a wooden chair on a chuckout. It nearly got us in trouble once when we were moving with the help of friends...I remember one of them declaring after about the fifteenth one that he was going to start burning them.
This one was painted in a very scary shade of orange, which I scraped off the other day and found this very agreeable shade of pale yellow, with just a touch of my favourite fifties green. Love that.
The cushion fabric is denyse schmidt. Sometimes I can't help myself and have to buy something new.

hello, from here

ok, ok, I know it's been ages since I wrote anything here, but there has been so much going on in our lives that I simply didn't know where to start. And really couldn't be bothered, if the truth be told. At the start of last term, we made the move to our little farm, enrolled the boys in the local school and generally decided to just give it a go. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. I had my reservations, but I've been grumbling about living in close-knit suburbia for so long that I really had to try. I knew that it was going to be hard, no washing machine, no running water in the house, very close living quarters...just a whole lot of space (outside!) and freedom, and an amazing little school that is everything I ever dreamed of for our kids. They cook, garden, craft, play music, watch chickens hatch and generally just have an awesome time. Not to mention the great friends they have made. We actually thought this would just be a short term thing, but this place has really got under our skin, and we are still here, despite the lack of facilities (they will come), and I don't think any of us ever want to go back to the burbs. In fact, I think we would have mutiny on our hands if we tried.happy kids, happy dog, happy chooks. Happy life? I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult, but yes, it's a happy life. And, it's about to get a whole lot happier too...well, busier, anyway, with a new little person joining us early next year. Must be all that fresh country air.

p.s. as you can see, snowy has two new friends, chooka and atilla-the-hen. we are now enjoying fresh eggs once again, although snowy has chosen to retire from the egg laying business and leave the hard work up to the young ones.

little dream come true

ok, so there's a little something I haven't mentioned, something which really does deserve a mention. And it's not really so little either. Little in terms of size, but not in terms of grand scale projects...it's a big job.I have 10ft of vintage caravan goodness sitting in my driveway, while my car sits decaying under the trees. But who cares about a silly old (well, kinda newish) car when there's a vintage caravan that needs attention.
you see people, I have waited a long time for this little dream of mine to come true, and apparently this particular little one has waited a long time for me. 51 years to be precise. For the last few it has sat in a suburban backyard quietly gathering moss and mould, housing a teenager and several of his mates (and all the paraphernalia one would expect to find in a teenagers' lair, including approximately 27 cigarette lighters amongst other, less desirable things).
never fear, the mouldy plywood has been removed, and new stuff is appearing and everything is gradually becoming shiny and new. In a vintage kind of way. Those pink cupboards will remain
and I will work around their pinkness. Down the bottom there is the original ice chest (with matching pink door) which somehow survived the teenagers unscathed...it's a miracle really.
I have this system, you see. If I really want something, I put a picture of it on my fridge. I've had the above picture stuck on there for about 5 years, quietly hoping that a little vintage van would someday walk (or be towed) into my life. I never made a big fuss about it, I would just glance at it every now and then and think about the day when I might be sitting in a little van of my own, sipping tea and crocheting or maybe doing one of my vintage jigsaws or playing patience with one of my vintage decks of cards or some such other lovely pasttime. I have all the stuff you see, I just needed the van. Well, now it's here, and although my work is cut out for me, I'm enjoying every minute of it. I hope to one day tow it, but even if it just sits in a paddock (or the driveway), that will be fine too. Yes, little dreams do sometimes come true.
Incidentally, the picture before that one was of a smeg. I'm sad to say that one did not materialise. One day.

growing up

I stood by the side of the road and waved goodbye to my biggest boy yesterday morning as he set off on his year 5 camp. They are growing so fast, these boys. Fin will be 11 next month, and he's quite the man of the world, packing his own bags and heading off into the great unknown. Willow has become a lean, lanky 8 year old, and jasper is heading towards 4 a little too rapidly for this mama's liking.
so, feeling a little melancholy at this rapid passing of time, I came home and made jasper a new library bag. He loves to go to the library and it's high time he had his own bag, goodness knows I've made enough for other people. Owls, because he loves them too, grey cord on the bottom and for the handles and a little pocket on the front for that elusive library card and the all important receipt (if I don't have that I have absolutely no hope of knowing what we have at return time). Sweet. Now, apparently, willow needs one too.

chilly

it's turned chilly here. Cold and blustery winds and a bit of rain. I have one boy home from school with the sniffles...honey and lemon and blankies are helping. On our last stay at the farm, we awoke to a world of white. The temperature dropped considerably overnight and the whole valley froze, as well as water in buckets and baths. Having hugged the coast all my life, I've not had a lot of experience with cold weather...we've always got by with light quilts and clothes. But now, I find myself seeking warmer things. The boys are sporting alpaca beanies, knit by one of our neighbours who also spins the yarn herself. We eventually plan to have a couple of alpacas on the farm, so maybe I'll be knitting with it myself some day. I'm excited and inspired to be becoming part of a new community; experiencing a different climate and looking at life from a new perspective.

happy mothers day and all that

we had a lovely mothers day weekend (at the farm), followed by our double whammy birthday yesterday. At least it wasn't on mothers day this year, like last year...we managed two days of spoils this time around. Lots of flowers, chocolate and good food, put on by my little sister who is turning out to be a dab hand in the kitchen. The mister and I even managed to pop over to our favourite pub for a glass of dogbolter (oh my, if ever there was a beer) and an hour or so of uninterrupted conversation whilst dinner was being prepared, probably the most enjoyable gift of all...I love those boys to death, but geez is it hard to get a word in when they're around.
Fun times.

sleepy pants

cute little snuggly bum pants made from vintage flannelette. I can't guarantee these pants will make your kid sleep, but hey, at least they'll look good. In the shop now.