We are off on a road trip

We (my monkeys and I) have spent most of today in the garden.

We are off on holidays tomorrow and had to finish planting some new seedlings before we left. I really want to do well with our garden this year, I have high hopes and have even joined a local permaculture group.

When I get back, I'll fill you in on what has been happening in our garden so far. We have pretty much started from scratch this Spring, with only some established basil, oregano and sorrel remaining from last years plantings. I am also intent to use all that I grow, I am ashamed to say that I let some of our vegetables go to waste last year, instead of finding ways to preserve them.

That said, I harvested some of our sorrel today, to be washed, dried and frozen in zip lock bags. With the high temperatures expected here next week, I didn't want to come home and find my plant scorched and unusable. I am looking forward to maybe a sorrel tart or sorrel soup on return from our holiday.

We are taking our 'first ever' road trip and will be away for a few weeks. I am going to try and blog while I'm away, but I'm not making any promises, it might not be possible.

If it is holiday time for you, I hope that you are able to relax and enjoy sunny days and good company. I know that we will be and I CAN'T WAIT!

The return of the sugar cane fires

It is sugar cane harvest time in our area, the night skies have been illuminated by the golden glow of nearby cane fires for weeks now.

It is impossible to capture the spell bounding beauty on camera. Truly mesmerising.

However, I'm glad that we were watching from afar. Standing in the cool, dark, night, listening to the roar of the fire and watching the height of the flames, reminded me just how frightening a fire can be. We jumped in the car just before dinner last week to take these photos, the side of the road had become a carpark, as many other families did the same.






There was another cane fire last night. We were driving home at dusk after visiting a friend, we were further away from the fire this time and couldn't really see the flames from where we were on the highway. But we took the long way home, just to marvel at the amazing colours floating in the early evening sky. Soft peachy pink, disappearing behind a haze of chocolate and charcoal coloured sugar cane smoke.

So beautiful, I'm very sorry I didn't have my camera.

Let's Celebrate!

Miss Moo Moo had been counting down the days.



She had told me that she was going to wake up at zero o'clock on her birthday and she was not far wrong. At 3am she came in, chatting, as bright as a button! After much discussion, I managed to get her back to sleep, however it wasn't for long. The ritual opening of birthday presents in our bed was all over by 6:30am.



It was a typical school day, but not before starting the day with croissants for breakfast, a couple of "happy birthday" phone calls and twirling in her new dress.



Miss Moo Moo had planned an after school party. Six of her little friends from school had been invited over, for more of a play than a "party". They were happy with party food and a couple of baskets filled with dress-ups.

The party food: fairy cupcakes, caramel slice, caramel salted popcorn, plain popcorn, party punch, gummy bears, zucchini slice, hommus and corn chips, and a fruit plate that nobody touched.


I set up a makeshift dressing room with a shade gazebo and some vintage sheets, they loved it. There were at least eight changes of dress-ups. The girls would come out to parade before the mums that had stayed. Then they would line up to get there photo taken, before changing into their next outfit. Lots of giggles, lots of fun.

By the time I had a chance to put the kettle on for the mum's, it was almost all over. I am used to having family parties that go on for hours, it was strange to have to get the cake out so soon, but also kind of nice.

We finished the afternoon with chocolate cake, layered with cream and fresh berries.

Miss Moo Moo had wanted a barbecue dinner, so the evening was easy. Happy children playing (sharing!) new toys and a glass of wine for me. Dad was in charge of the barbecue. Everyone went to bed, happily exhausted from the day. Perfect.        

But that was not the end of it.

We like to stretch out family birthdays in this house. Miss Moo Moo's birthday this year, was no exception. Yesterday we had a family barbecue by the river. It was such a lovely day. 17 adults and 8 kids, the adults were able to sit back, relax and catch-up, while the children, happily played and played and played.

Scooters, skateboards, swimming, splashing, sandcastles, soccer - fun and games!

Naturally we finished the day off with another cake (see here) And after six hours in the park, headed home.

Sun-kissed and salty. Again, happily exhausted, the kids, because they had played all day long with their cousins, and me, because it was all over!

Don't misunderstand me. During the course of this week, a couple of those 'not-so-good big-life-events' that I recently talked about, happened. I think that focusing on Miss Moo Moo's birthday celebrations got me through. However, the combination of it all, made for an emotional, exhausting week. Today, I feel like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Oh.... and yes, Miss Moo Moo picked out our dresses for the party yesterday. Matchy matchy - I love it!!

My little baby girl turns six

Where have the years gone! It seems like only yesterday when a tiny baby girl was popped up onto my chest and then, whooosh! Monday, Miss Moo Moo turned six.

A tradition in our family has been to record a typical day in his/her life at each age. A time capsule of sorts. This is our little girl right now.

Miss Moo Moo - aged six.

• You are a sensitive and gentle soul with one of the kindest hearts I know.

• I love your latest drawings. Brightly coloured and very detailed. Beautiful houses, elaborate princess dresses and birds in trees. Your garden pictures are filled with apple trees, cherry trees, orange trees and different flowers: roses, tulips, geraniums and daffodils.

• You and your friends at school are crazy (crazy!) about drawing horses, your teacher has even set up a special 'horse gallery' on the classroom wall.

• You have a beautiful circle of friends at school, you like girls who are confident, but not bossy and who have an independent spirit.

• You give great cuddles.

• You can 'shuffle it' like nobody else I know. In fact, you could 'shuffle it' before I even knew what 'shuffling' it was!

• You leave little notes lying all around the house for me. Things like: "Welcome Mummy, I love you" and little drawings with flowers. They make my heart smile.

• You love school and fit in well. You love to learn. At bedtime I have to tell you to stop spelling out loud and to go to sleep.

• At playtime you love my little ponies, baby dolls, barbies, polly pockets and dress ups.

• You are generous and kind and thoughtful.

• You recently told me that you were trying very hard to stay off the monkey bars at school (your most favourite thing to do) so that other people could have a turn.

• You like dresses and skirts that twirl and rarely wear shorts.

• You can do a very 'evil laugh' on cue, it is your party trick.

• It is so nice to hear your tiny footsteps every morning as you walk into my bedroom, like a fairies alarm clock. I love that you are the first thing I see each day.

• It makes me happy when I see you playing with some of the old toys that you have. My Rainbow Bright doll, my Wendy doll and Grandma's 60 year old doll that you have loving named Louisa. You play with them gently, with care and respect, you are special like that.

• On a hot summer days you like nothing more than to go and get an ice-cream after school. Your favourite is Rainbow Paddlepops, although you don't mind the occasional Hava-Heart, like Mummy.

• You and I always wake up with the sneezes, as soon as the cold air hits our warm bodies we start sneezing, the boys never do.

• You sleep the same way as your father does, with arms out from under the covers or covers kicked off. No matter how many times I tuck the covers under your chin, within minutes, your arms are back out again.

• You love to play barbies and ballet dance with your daddy. How you talk him into being the lead dancer to your principal ballet dancer, I'll never know.

• This year will be the third year that we will go to the ballet together. It is such a special time. I reminds me of the times my mother took me to the theatre when I was a child.

• You have exceptional manners, you ask "May I" and say "Pardon"

• I love it when we sing all the words of a song together, just you and me. We turn the music up loud and sing like we are rock stars. But never when anyone is watching. Right now, we are loving Noah Jones, Kasey Chambers and Grace Knight.

• You miss my Nana even though you never met her. This melts my heart.

• You have a strength and understanding beyond your years, you put up with a lot when dealing with your, mostly lovable, but often challenging brother. As your father says, 'big shoes for such little feet.'

• My favourite moments with you, are when we are in the kitchen together, I am constantly surprised at your ability and skill, I think I forget that you are a big girl now.

• I love that you like to watch River Cottage or cooking shows with me, instead of ABC kids.

• We also love to watch old movies, Funny Face is still your favourite.

• I know now, as I guess I always have, you were send to me, to be my teacher.

Happy sixth birthday my beautiful princess.

We begin again ...

When I wrote my last post, I did not know what was to come in 2012. I had wanted to take a break, not necessarily from blogging, but from the computer. It had become a bit of a time waster.

I had wanted to spend more quality time with my children:  

doing, making, being

And in my home:

doing, making, being

But 2012 has not been the slow and simple year that I was so desperately yearning for. Instead my life, kind of, turned upside-down-and-inside-out, on so many levels, it's exhausting just thinking about it.




Despite this, during the craziest of days, I found that I missed this space. Sometimes there would be:

a moment, a thought, a discovery

That I would have liked to have shared.

It was only last week that I returned to the pages of Monkeemoomoo for the first time in seven months. While making some adjustments (a WIP) I saw my blog with new eyes and remembered the main reason that I started blogging in the first place.

It was to find the beauty and joy in every day

It was so the small details of every day would not go unnoticed or be overshadowed by the big life events, the sometimes, 'not so great' life events. I realised at once, that I had missed so much of 2012 by focusing on the bad. It is time to refocus.



I also had a chance to sit down and catch up on my blog reading. It had been a while. I really think the world is a better place because of the blogging community. Don't you?

Because of you, fellow bloggers, I have discovered wonderful handmade products, books, movies, music, shops and places. I have cooked delicious new recipes and I have crafted things. Yes? me! Until 3 years ago, I hadn't crafted since I was 10 years old!

Because of you, I felt I could do anything. 

There is great wisdom to be found.

There is great inspiration.

Maybe I, could inspire someone? or perhaps brighten your day. I know that sometimes reading about an op shop find, freshly baked cookies or a just finished craft project, makes me smile.



Beauty can be found in the simplest things.

So, a tad gingerly, I return to this space. I'm not promising anything. I will be here when I can be, prattling on about anything that comes to mind.

I hope to see you here sometimes too.

(These photos are of a holiday the kids took with Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa to Kingscliff, earlier in the year.)