More princesses

I am still thinking about royal weddings today.



Mary and Frederik's in particular, I remember sitting up at midnight and watching it live on TV. I think they are just gorgeous. Wouldn't everyone like to meet a Danish Prince in a pub?







I love this photo shoot in German Vogue, taken late last year. You can see more photos here.



And the fairytale continues with the birth of twins, Josephine and Vincent in January. Just adorable.



I wish that Kate and William were getting married at midnight Australian time, because I'm going to miss it!

Yes, that's right, we are going to a concert. A concert that was booked long before the announcement of the royal wedding. It is our first night out in over six months. I'm a little torn.

I know I will have a great night out, but I will be thinking of the rest of you settling in for a cosy night in front of the TV watching the royal wedding.

I expect to hear all about the dress tomorrow.

Princesses

I am thinking about royal brides today.

I am mesmerised by this photo of Grace Kelly on her wedding day.

I just love it.

Lest we forget

ANZAC day was cool and rainy. But that didn't stop us and many others, umbrella's in hand, going to the dawn service.



After breakfast, my father showed me the war metals from his family. My grandmother had given them to him in December last year. I had never seen them before. They had belonged to his father and his grandfather. After years of being passed around to different family members, some are missing. So Dad has given me the job of trying to find out which have been lost. I guess a visit to my local RSL will be in order. I would love to see my father proudly march wearing these metals one day.

We watched the ANZAC Day parade in Gympie. We borrowed the large country town as our own for just a moment, when passing through, and enjoyed their community spirit. It was a lovely parade.







Near the eternal flame, just behind the main street we stumbled upon these beautiful mosaic murals of life in war, past and present.

A moving day of remembering and for me, imagining what life might have been like during those war years. One of my Great Grandfathers died in World World I, fighting for British Army, my other Great Grandfather also fought in the same area of France. Both of my grandfathers fought in World war II, in different places. My Grandad was a prisoner of war for 2 years and was already married to my Nana, who waited at home with a daughter he had never seen.

Imagine waiting and not knowing?

So many stories.

Our Easter break away

On Good Friday, we set up tables and chairs here (above) and enjoyed lots (and I mean lots) of fresh, local prawns and a huge salad. White white and this view. The children made new friends and we lost the afternoon scrambling over rocks at the waters edge. Collecting shells, chasing little crabs and catching baby shrimp in the rock pools.









Over the weekend we enjoyed magical weather, more beach, water parks, markets, bike rides, walks along the pier, playgrounds and museums.









The Easter Bunny found us at Dad's house, delivering not only chocolate but new books and warm winter pajama's. After breakfast, our traditional easter egg hunt began. Leaving our hunting baskets at home, we found that ice-cream containers do the job perfectly.

What new pussycat?

What's new? This delightful cat softie that has arrived for the Queensland Flood Appeal Dolly Drive. Thank-you so much Amanda, what an amazing effort. I love the hat!



So many gorgeous details.

"Hmmm... do I really look like the the cat who stole the canary? You bet I do!"



And don't for get my shoe love. How cute are these. I want a pair.

Happy Easter

We are going to spend the Easter weekend with my Dad.

Wishing you all a lovely Easter Break. I hope the Easter Bunny brings you something yummy.

Happy Easter.

Happy Earth Day

We are really enjoying these slightly cooler autumn mornings. Instead of the children bounding out of their beds and outside to play, they have been coming into our bed for a snuggle. Even Spunky Monkey. Since I am constantly being reminded "I'm six now , Mum, I'm a big boy" I am feeling grateful that I am even getting a 5 minute cuddle with my 'big boy'

This morning Miss Moo Moo brought in a little cat softie that she had slept with. Mr Moo asked her the cat's name. She told him it was Reduce. He didn't quiet understand her and asked her again. She told him in a louder and clearer voice.

"Cat's name is Reduce, you know Dad, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"

Good, someone has been listening.

So today, I share with you the same quote I did last year:

"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" - A Kenyan Proverb

I am looking forward to enjoying a long walk in nature this afternoon. I hope you get one too.

Easter Bonnet Parade

Yesterday morning we had friends over to make Easter bonnets. Before they arrived the kids help set up the decorating table. There was a lot of excitement. They selected a hat for each person and wrote the person's name on a place card that sat on each hat.



Thrifted straw hats, glitter eggs, flowers, multi-coloured craft pom poms, fluffy chickens, re-purposed ribbons and wrapping tape, pipe-cleaner piggy tails and pink fluffy chickens.



The decorating begins.



It was lovely to see the individuality of each childs creation. It was so much fun. I have one bit of advice: do this outside. The craft glue fumes were pretty toxic. While the bonnets dried, we ate a yummy lunch outside, the sun had come out just in time.





There was an Easter bonnet parade of sorts, as everyone, including the mums, put on our hats and walked through the house and out the into the backyard for a group photo.



I think we might have just started another Easter tradition. Such fun!

Holidays - the farm stay

On the way back from our holiday at the beach, we stayed one night at my cousin's farm. It was only one night, which is never long enough, but has always, we all had so much fun.

I'm in a bit of a 'move to the country' mood at the moment. This farm stay did not help.

Walking into her beautiful home, we were greeted by a huge bunch of home grown flowers, picked earlier that morning from her garden, her dining room sideboard was filled with home made lemon cordial, chutneys and quirky new op shop finds. The old kookaburra stove in the kitchen was covered with bowls of locally grown produce and baskets of fresh eggs. Just out of the oven, homemade hot cross buns sat on the stove top, scenting the air with cinnamon. Next to the buns, on the kitchen bench, sat an apple pie for dinner and a coffee ring cake for afternoon tea.

I walked out on to the back deck and looked across the house yard to the newly extended (huge) chicken house. The chicken house was already half covered with 2 different types of passionfruit. It was heavy with green fruit. A mulberry tree is growing nicely just outside the coop. In the foreground the chickens and roosters were free-ranging in the yard and beyond in the paddocks I could see her newly planted fruit trees (about 30), her 10 new sheep and the beginnings of her new vegetable plot. Three huge raised beds have been half made by her lovely husband. There are plans for tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, rhubarb, corn, carrots, etc.

After a simple lunch of egg and lettuce and ham and tomato sandwiches washed down with a lovely cup of tea, we went for a walk around the farm and I listened to further plans of banana trees, grevillea hedges, dams and ponies. Back to the house for afternoon tea and a chance for us to sit in the late afternoon sun, crafting and chatting. Karen crocheting and me embroidering. Just as it should be.



And for the kids, they....

Collected eggs, went for motorbike rides, collected macadamia nuts, went on trailer rides, fed the chickens, helped with farm jobs, rode bikes on the tennis court, enjoyed giant rainbows, played in the sandpit, played in the cubbie house, jumped on the trampoline, swung on the swings, dressed up, rode scooters, explored the farm and slept soundly.

Oh, I forgot to mention, the lots of yummy wine we drank on Saturday night. Like I said, we all had a lot of fun!

See it all for yourself on her beautiful blog, gooseberry jam.

Hee hee. I have just had a little chuckle to myself, if you are linking to gooseberry jam today, you will see that great minds think a like!

Holidays - the beach

Waking up to this for six days was heaven.

This was the entrance to the beach, just 20 metres from our cabin door.

As you can see the weather was magic.

Life was relaxed and unhurried.













• ice-creams on the beach, picnics by the river

• beach sounds: rainbow lorikeets chirping in the dunes, crashing waves on the shore, the strumming of an acoustic guitar, teenage boys playing soccer with their dads, my son's happy laughter as he crashed in the waves, willie wagtails early morning song, fishing rods being cast, my daughter's squeals of excitement as she jumped in the waves

• listening to the crashing waves while cooking dinner with the sunlight pouring through the windows and filling the room

• a lovely afternoon exploring Murwillumbah. Fantastic coffee at The Modern Grocer. A lovely morning re-discovering Bangalow (alone)

• sandcastles, crystal clear water, beach drawings and swimming at Dreamtime Beach

• Scandinavian favourites from a favourite shop: heavy rye bread, blueberry jam, Daim chocolate and cinnamon buns

• a friendly green tree frog visiting on our verandah

• eating organic chocolate ice-cream, sitting in the late afternoon sunshine and listening to 'the blues' at The Channon markets

• fishing just after dawn, beach walks before breakfast

• delicious Bangalow pork chops bought from the Bangalow butcher, packaged in a brown paper bag (remember that?) It tasted like the pork I ate as a child.

• collecting seashells and frolicking on the shore at dusk

• barbecue breakfast in the park: bacon, eggs, local sausages, rye toast and a quick homemade tomato sauce

• gourmet spuds piled high with fresh salad: grated beetroot, cous cous salad, tabbouleh, roasted mediterranean salad, tomato and cucumber salad, coleslaw and tzatziki



Mr Moo built the kids a Robinson Crusoe style beach shelter. Just as we were leaving the beach, a buttercup yellow butterfly battled the sea breezes and fluttered by to settle on a branch of the shelter. He sat for a while and enjoyed the view out to sea.

Just as we had done.

'Olka Polka'

(And the winners are.... Sydney sisters, Sammy and Bella)

How gorgeous are these girls?

Congratulations Sammy and Bella, this years winners of My Kitchen Rules

Yes, I know that this is last weeks news, but I'm still so excited by it all!







They had me on day one with their beautiful 'Olka Polka' restaurant and their grandmothers beetroot soup. Yum!

I have been totally addicted to My Kitchen Rules and also very inspired. I am a big fan of TV cooking shows. I remember watching Bernard King and Peter Russell-Clarke on the ABC when I was about nine years old. But I was never interested in these competition type cooking shows.


(Brisbane sisters, Sophia and Isabella from Junior Masterchef 2010)

That was until Junior Masterchef came along. Not only was I inspired by these young cooks to become a better cook myself. But as a mother, it opened my eyes to what children can achieve in the kitchen.

I don't know what attracted me to My Kitchen Rules this time around. Maybe because the contestants seemed just like me. People who loved to cook and entertain. Week by week they were pushed out of their cooking comfort zones and became better cooks.

Masterchef starts soon, I have a feeling I might just be glued to that every night too.