Conversations with Minty...

Minty: Turi, every time you breathe or you cough I can smell a bit of silliness about to happen.

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Me: can I snip that loose thread on your shirt?

Minty: ok but be careful not to snip my happiness

In which there are pansies and random links...

 

I actually managed to pick up the camera a few times today, which for some unknown reason appears to be a rare event this summer.  So here is a peek at our day…

We've been making lots of icy poles with our zoku.  These ones are freshly squeezed orange juice layered with strawberry yoghurt.

 

Vanilla rice porridge with caramel bananas for breakfast.  We're all feeling a bit sick of our usual porridge or wheatbix so this week we've been mixing things up with some different recipes.

 

Yesterday Minty planted some seeds so this morning she made some labels for the pots.  Then I helped her put together a little chart so she can keep track of their progress.  She wrote all the numbers in the boxes and I put in the text (although I probably could have helped her labour over the text herself, I like to keep the momentum and her enthusiasm up when we're doing projects like this so she doesn't loose interest!).

And while I'm making this rare blogging appearance I thought I'd share a few links I'm currently loving…

This new photo blog is really inspiring… makes me want to forget all my hang ups about violent toys and buy Minty an archery set so she can channel her inner Katniss Everdeen… that and make an effort to photograph the kids more often!!

I'm loving listening to all these great and varied voices reading Moby Dick.  I feel like a kid again, being read a bedtime story!

Speaking of reading, I'm currently attempting to read from this list of '1000 novels everyone must read'.  Since this is an extensive list I'm conservatively aiming to finish 30 of the novels that I haven't already read by the end of 2013.

A birthday party...

 

My adorable little nephew was born last week!  He is such a precious little snuggle pot and I'm feeling very lucky to be an Aunty again.  

To celebrate his safe arrival, all of the extended family gathered at a local winery.  It was a magical night.  We had the place completely to ourselves.  We sat outside drinking champagne while the sun set and the kids chased each other in and out of the vines.  The celebration lasted well into the night, as we shared great food under the stars.  We all stayed over in a little cottage on the property and then had possibly the best breakfast I've ever eaten at a little cafe in Koonwarra.  House made crumpets, great coffee and pancakes served with fresh berries and melted chocolate.  This kid is going to have a hard time topping this party when he turns one!!

In which Turi has ogre hands and we are suddenly popular...

   

In the weeks after Christmas our sleepy seaside village becomes a buzzing tourist hot spot.  Suddenly traffic jams are a daily experience, we have to queue for a coffee and our beaches are no longer private.  Even after almost a decade of living by the coast this never ceases to be a shock to the system. The up side to all this craziness is that all our city dwelling friends suddenly feel the lure of the ocean and are inspired to make the drive down for a visit.  This week we've been maximising time with friends and family we haven't seen in a while.  I've got loads of pictures to share with you, as soon as I find a quiet moment to download them!!

In the mean time here are a few shots I took around boxing day.  There's not much in life that's better than hooking into a brand new box of coloured markers!  'Santa' gave Turi some watercolour paper for Christmas.  By adding a little water to the coloured tissue it releases vibrant colour.  It's a little messy but loads of fun.  Turi really loved playing with this and I'm looking forward to plenty more art sessions exploring its potential.