Happy Winter Solstice

We celebrated winter solstice by walking in our local lantern parade. The night was clear, the stars were out, the moon full, air crisp and so many people turned out to celebrate. I love our local community xx Little B made the lantern above which he carried, and we donated our coat hangers too :-)

Happy Winter Solstice xx

Innate Curiosity - Silver Fox Style

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~ The cure for boredom is curiosity ~ there is no cure for curiosity ~

   Dorothy Parker

I celebrated my birthday over the weekend. My beautiful family treated me to lots of cakes, love and pressies (yay for my new Fiskars secateurs). Not an important number but I love to reflect nonetheless.

I decided on my last birthday to stop colouring my hair with henna. Instead I’ve been growing the colour out. I now have a beautiful skunk stripe grey streak at the front down to bob length. And the rest of my hair is speckled with silver strands (which strangely enough I quite like). Unfortunately I don’t like my hair that short, so there is an obvious colour difference between the top of my hair and bottom. I'll post pics when I'm all grey.

And on my birthday I discovered a new young grey role model – a young silver fox - Sarah Harris. She is a writer for Vogue who has completely grey / silver hair and boy does she rock it!! :-) Inspiration enough for me to keep going with my hair.

As for my Dorothy Parker quote, I think as I get older I just get more curious. I’m not interested in the status quo or what’s cool or trendy. I’m not interested in the “shoulds” or the “ought to’s”. I still want to change the world. And I'm innately curious about what everyone has to say about the state of our world and how we will change it.

Looking back over the last 5-10 years I’ve changed so much in my beliefs, my views of the world, how we chose to live our lives but I realised yesterday that I’m content. I love my garden, I love my life, hey I’m even loving those grey hairs…we have so much further that we want to go on our sustainable path but as we make our way there, I’m happy!!

Fathers Day Canoe Trip

What better way to celebrate Fathers Day than by launching our new canoe?? Didn’t hurt that the weather was beautiful and sunny too :-)

First up we made Daddy’s favourite biscuits.

Then we launched

And the day wouldn’t have been complete without a little daddy solo canoe to try out all his moves (and make sure it wouldn’t sink LOL - it's not in the best pre-loved condition but we had hoped we made it sound enough for this foray)

We canoed for 3 hours and had a ball. We were both surprised that Little B just took to it – paddled a bit, stopped an investigated the shores, enjoyed all the interesting animals and sights – and then sailed sticks and collected rocks while we packed up

It has inspired the potential interest in a future canoe camping trip.

Happy Fathers Day, my love – you are absolutely the best daddy I could have wished for our babe.

Moments of Clarity

I’ve been making a concerted effort at the moment to borrow one movie a week from the library and to watch it. And I saw a beautiful movie the other day – A Single Man (with Colin Firth). It's the kind of movie that rolls around in your mind afterwards and one thing I really took from this movie is the notion of moments with clarity.

Those moments of colour in our lives that remind us of who we are, who we love and how much our life and ourselves mean to us.

And last night as I attended our local lantern parade to celebrate Winter Solstice, I was reminded of this…

:: The companionship I feel as I watch our local community come together to celebrate

:: The pleasure in watching my husband and my son cuddle, play games and walk the streets looking at all the lanterns and fire twirling displays (Little B’s favourite)

:: The warmth at meeting up with friends old and new in the streets from kinders, volunteer groups, dancing, f & v shop

:: The joy of watching Little B & his bestie squeal with delight as they see each other from the sidelines during the parade

:: And the yearning I feel watching my belly dance class perform…I haven’t been able to dance for the last two terms since the times of the class changed. But I yearn to be back there with them xx

Happy Mothers Day

Picture from here

Before Little B was born I was a HUGE movie buff. I absolutely loved the cinema, and could talk about movies, genres, directors, actors and loved chatting to my brother about movies & dialogue we had seen and loved. I even scored my dream job at the time and put myself through university working at the cinemas (in the days where you scooped the ice cream and made the choctops between sessions). This sort of fell to the side when Little B was born and is not something I’ve fallen back into though I do try to see the occasional DVD.

So what to do yesterday when I woke up with a raging sore throat, a cold and a migraine. First up Little B and I climbed back into bed with Mr B where we lay chatting and listening to Winnie the Pooh on audiobook (read waited for the painkillers and coffee to kick in).

Then Mr B decided Mothers Day could come just a little bit early. It was a group effort including Granny B but last night Mr B took me out to the movies to see The Avengers. I’m a massive Joss Whedon fan and this movie didn’t disappoint.

Today we celebrated Mothers Day with our mums with flower bulbs, rose bushes and home-made kindy presents (the best kind of mothers day present if you ask me). So I’m feeling loved up and appreciated at this particular point in time. Not to mention stuffed as a goog with lovely winter casseroles and cakey crumbly desserts.

So Happy Mothers Day to all the mum’s out there – you do a fabulous job!! xx

Lest We Forget

We celebrated Anzac Day yesterday in typical fashion by making Anzac biscuits. The normal version and a gluten free version based on Teresa Cutter’s Paleo Anzacs (no flaked almonds but lots of pepitas, sunflower seeds and linseeds). The GF ones were fabulous (or so I’m told – the drawback to a nut allergy is you cant try everything you cook).

But on a more serious note, Anzac Day is very important in our family as my great grandfather and both grandfathers were in WW1 and WW2. Little B has also shown a great interest in Anzac Day because of our recent visit to Great Grampy but also because they have been talking about it preschool.

He watched bits of the dawn service and the parade on tv while asking lots of typically child like mind bending questions (he didnt know men could be nurses?!?!). We also showed him all Great Great Grampy’s medals while on our holiday.

My great grandfather, Archie was one of the light horseman in WW1 and I was the only great grandchild he lived to see. I’m told he was typically a grumpy bollocks but surprised everyone by being interested, gentle and kind with his great granddaughter. I was too young to remember and he died when I was 4 but we have some great photos of me and ‘barbie’ being read books on his knee.

Both my grandfathers were in the airforce in WW2. Rod was a gunner and lost too many friends and saw too much – something he never quite got over when he returned home. Bruce was the youngest, trained in Canada and only saw the tale end of the war. It’s still something he’s proud of, doesn’t like to talk about in detail and he refuses to use any veteran affairs benefits as he feels like it would be “bludging”.

I’m a pacifist but I appreciate, remember and admire the young men who fought to protect our country in times past. And there is something quite emotional about hearing Little B talk about remembering the people who “went away to look after us”.

So Archie, Rod and Bruce...I salute you!! xx

Slow Time

I read this interesting post by Sharon Astyk regarding Fast & Slow Time with great interest the other day. Little B is a slow time child. He likes routine and to take his time in evolving where we need to go so that he stops and smells and looks at the roses/rocks/snails/leaf boats as we go by ;-)

In our fast paced life of late it’s been easy to forget this. But I’ve discovered recently that the more we try to push Little B or rush him the more cranky and frustrated he gets. This makes for a bad case of the grumpy’s for everyone involved. I know that we all prefer a bit more peacefulness and ease in getting out and about.

So I sat back and thought about it all. Previous posts this year have shown that I felt like life was screaming by in an unpleasant rush/mess. The word I chose for this year is Enjoy and I have to say I’ve not been enjoying the rush or fast pace of life. I’ve really embraced the Christine’s Slow Living Diary and I’ve decided I need to take a leaf out of Little B’s slow time manifesto!! There’s been too much yes to outside stuff and too much of our own stuff falling down as a result.

I need to make of an effort. I need more slow time.

This last week I’ve been making time for reading, walking, gardening, cooking and embracing my inner housewife while Little B is at preschool. I love cooking and want to spend more time experimenting on new allergy friendly recipes. I want to get our vegie beds in some sort of reasonable shape for spring (I’m so loving having baby spinach at my beck and call in our mini garden).

So to start I resigned from one of my roles on the preschool committee when I continued to get anywhere up to 25 gung ho and demanding emails a week. I’ve decided to focus more on slow time and on making our home and our slow living lifestyle the greater priority.

I’m sure there will still be battles between slow and fast time but Mr B and I are going to make a concerted effort that slow wins more than fast…for this year at least!!

Keep Calm & Rock On :-)

I had the most gorgeous birthday weekend just gone. I woke up to my gorgeous little boy singing happy birthday to me in bed while having a snuggle. Family phoned, came and visited..much cake was eaten :-) It really was a lovely heartfelt day.

And then I got to spend all Sunday out in the gardening...digging and planting. Think tomatoes, beans, eggplants, pumpkins and zucchinis. I finished up the last of that planting this morning with more pumpkin and zucchini seedlings going in.

See great review on this book here

Looking at my presents was a bit of a giggle...I think I can definitely say people have me pegged as an eco living gardening chicky babe. I got some dramatic fashionable gumboots, some inspirational reading (see above) plus this and this, and a fridge reminder to keep me going amongst it all!!

Quiet Potter

After the last hectic month, today was one for quiet pottering. Little B and I have just taken a day to ourselves to hang out, play games, paint and be merry.

Little B has been painting pictures of our future house (aren't I lucky - not only do I get a new house but it will have two suns!!LOL).

And a gorgeous giant lady bird has been following me around the garden as I put in climbing frames for our peas and snow peas. Apparently she's super friendly and only eats rotten weeds and snails (yes please - she can live in my garden any time!)

I've needed this down time with Little B as we seem to be caught in the joys of preschool and it's endless array of germies. So chilling out in the sunshine with my faithful side kick, a paint brush in one hand and my garden trowel in the other, makes for a really great day.

9 years

Today Mr B & I celebrate our 9th anniversary.

To my dearest husband, the father of my child, my best friend, my lover, my rock....you have been there for all the great times, the fun times and the hard times (I'm sure our luck will change one day, my darling).

I have been blessed for the last 9 years and I say bring on the next 9. Let's rock on, my darling man xxx

PS. Yes I did get married in black...what can I say, back in the day we were a little bit goth :-)

I am enough

After being sick for the last two days with who knows what, last night I reached a sort of epiphany.

I posted and subsequently removed a post this week about joining the “6 items or less” challenge. I was quite excited about the challenge but in retrospect I can see now I was also conflicted and reserved. After all, I already have a tiny wardrobe now after having to throw everything out from the mold, and I lived with 2 items or less in the early days. Then over the next few days, I read a post here by Julie and then here by Dixibelle, and on top of that have been feeling very tired, flat & extremely unwell.

Little B & I went to a kids crafty session at the library yesterday which I normally love (the library lady is seriously brilliant). I just couldn’t feel the love or enjoyment. In fact, my fragile ego was further sunk by some fellow mummies who implied that I wasn’t doing enough for Little B because we didn’t do the same fantastically outrageous and expensive things they’d done for their kidlets over the school holidays thus far.

So last night I re-checked out a blog by Tracey Clark and her “I am enough” self-kindness collaborative. And that’s when it hit me “I am enough”. This collaborative blog spoke to me at some deep fundamental level - I need to stop guilting myself about my life and my choices, to stop comparing my journey to that of others, to be free to enjoy my life.

I don’t need to drive myself into the doldrums striving to be the ultimate “winner” of some purity eco lifestyle brigade / challenge / competition. I just want to be me and my life to be a great representation of me - the real me. I want my lifestyle choices to be made from passion and interest. To bring me peace and in some sense happiness, not made from constant feelings of not being good or worthy enough.

I’m a good mama, wife, friend…we choose to live the way we do because we love it…because we want to make a difference to our lives, our child, your lives and the planet. As one lady said "live a life your proud of" - and that's what yesterday gave me. The discovery and the spark to move back towards authenticity - the authentic me.

I am enough! *hugs to me*

Today you are 4

Four years ago today, a cheeky monkey was born...

My darling child - I admire your kindness and your compassion for others.

I couldnt live without your wicked sense of humour, your laughter and your cuddles.

I thought I had the most full and interesting life and then you came along, and improved it ten fold. You have bought me the most amazing highs, lows, joys, challenges and passion for life. And you add the most amazing colour to both Mr B and my lives.

As you tell me daily - you are my big boy now but you have and will always be such a beautiful physical representation of my heart xxx

“Making the decision to have a child - It's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”- Elizabeth Stone

Peace, love & happiness

Dancing be the heart within us,
Open be our souls to bliss,
Courage vanquish every shadow,
Greet Midsummer with a kiss.

- from Celtic Devotional - Daily Prayers & Blessings 

Wishing you all lots of peace, love and happiness at this special time of year. May you be merry, full of joy and playfulness during this Christmas holiday time in whatever form you celebrate.

  A kindy Xmas gift from Little B to us

My Happy List

Inspired by Kate at Foxs Lane, here is my current happy list. I love the concept of a happy list as it keeps my spirits high :-)

Home baked allergy friendly choc chip cookies -- Making jungle decorations for Little B's party -- Sewing (my skirt is so very nearly finished) -- 5 tiny tomatoes on my tomato plants (after a battle with early blight) -- Christmas through the eyes of a 4 year old -- finger knitting (when in doubt, add some finger knitting LOL) -- cuddles with my family -- sunshine -- hand made presents -- 

So proud of

I am so proud of and happy for Mr B. On Friday he got his dream sustainable job and to make it even better it's part time. So work / life balance will abound. This is a bit different from his current job but we are very much looking to more family time together.

I also know he is very excited to apply his knowledge and background in sustainability and renewable energies to a new industry.

33

I celebrated my 33^rd birthday yesterday. The day began with baked donuts, some beautiful decorations and some hand-made cards.

Little B and I spent a cruisey day – hot chocolate with a close girlfriend, lunch with my dad plus some fun mum & son time (he’s more excited about birthdays than anyone – I have my own official present opener LOL).

Then dinner with my family (and the obligatory cupcakes cooked and iced by Granny B and Little B - yummo)

Now, I’m not big on pressies but this year was given two handy things :-). Dressmaking classes and a mini green house for my veggie garden.

I like to reflect on my birthdays: where I’ve been, what I’ve done and who I am. I have to say this has been one of the happiest birthdays in recent times. Perhaps because as I get older, I get more comfortable with my decisions and how I am shaping my life.

Perhaps life is just more enjoyable when it’s simplified? Who knows – but it’s been great.

One big happy family

It’s been great fun living with Granny B at the moment. It’s one big intergenerational household and we are really enjoying the time and support that this brings. I’m enjoying being the cook for all. Due to his business being home-based, Mr B flits in between the two households depending on what the day’s workload requires, but being so close, that’s not far (we live 6 doors down from Granny B).

I’ve also got my knitting teacher on hand to help me out with my mistakes. I should really say mistake, as I make the same one over and over and we cant work out why LOL. I am the “adding a stitch” queen when I purl. And since my jumper is turning out to be the worlds longest knitting adventure for a beginner, I really appreciate having help on hand.

Little B loves having all of us in the same place. There’s always someone to give him some extra special attention and he has much more easy access to a contained garden here. He loves a good fossick in the garden to watch the bugs and the birds, and the possums. Plus it’s completely safe and flat in a way our yard can never be!!

And Granny B is enjoying the company at night (we have big long girly conversations, business strategy meetings with Mr B, and just the usual chin waggy sessions with us both), the handy man help from Mr B (fixing curtain rods on super high ceilings) and having a “wife” as she says (coming home after work to home cooked meals and a warm house *grin*).

And we’ve put in our new veggie beds with the existing beds that exist at Granny B’s. I love being able to walk straight out the back door into our veggie garden escapades. It feels like years since my own veggie garden at the old house. I find such peace in an established garden and it’s nice to have a peaceful place while I try healing my body.

Dont leave us

I'm sad to see so many people leaving the blog-o-sphere at the moment because they feel they have nothing to say :-( People like Julie from Toward Sustainability, who I am very sad to say has decided to stop blogging. I also think a lot of people are feeling pressured to produce particular kinds of blogs (as Eat at Dixibelle's explains quite nicely here).

I don't think about risks much. I just do what I want to do. If you gotta go, you gotta go ~ Lillian Carter


I think we all have something to say and that we should blog from the heart. It's not a popularity contest and we should blog with passion and as much honesty as we choose to share LOL. I also think Sonia made a great point about apologising about our blogs here.

Not all blogs can be 1950's sugar pie happiness. I'm another blogger who feels that peak oil is important. Mr B and I have every intention of living off the grid in the future. But I'm also a mum with a multiple allergy child, so cooking takes up way too much of my life. Hence you will see a fair bit of that on this blog.

This nation was built by men who took risks - pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action.  ~Brooks Atkinson

I'm also learning new skills as I want to be as self sufficient as I can be. I'm a crappy knitter but I am improving with practice. I spend far too much time being bossed around by a 3.5 year old but that's my choice as a SAHM. I'm also passionate about day to day things like unstructured play, and waldorf / montessori play ideas for children; being plastic and toxic free; and my love of gardening grows all the time (and I so didnt start off as an outdoors girl).

Why not go out on a limb?  Isn't that where the fruit is?  ~Frank Scully

This is me - I'm not looking for approval, or to be the same as the majority, or to win a popularity context. I love being part of this big group of free thinking interesting women and men blogging around the world.

Come back ladies we need the wide and varied contributions of many to this lovely blogland!! Write the things you'd like to read and discuss in the world, we'll all be better for it.

Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth ~ Katherine Mansfield

Playing for change

Just a little something to bring hope and inspiration to your Friday :-)

"Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music".

Boys and their toys...

Mr B races remote control cars at State level (such a 1980's boy) and we have been waiting for Little B to be old enough to join in the fun. We recently introduced his first real “big boy” car and Mr B has been helping him learn to drive. They have great fun careering all over our front and back yards – on the drive way, in the grass and in the mud (it’s an off road car).

This time is quite special at the moment as there is the potential that Mr B may be seconded to Sydney quite soon. And unfortunately we will be unable to go with him for the first 6 months due to the nature of the project. Lots of visits (as location permits) but just wont be the same as concentrated day-to-day daddy time.

So for now I relish watching my boys and their toys :-)