Growing up, happy, and walking together.

1) He seems to be growing up so quickly at the moment, and not just in terms of physical height. I’m so proud of the caring and thoughtful young man he’s becoming, and the loving brother he already is.  Then he grabs his sister round the waist and lifts her up just to irritate her, and I remember that he’s only 9!

2) In a phone call, I hear that she’s barely taken her new dress off since she received it.  This makes me very very happy 🙂 .

3) We drop A off at Juniors, then the car at the station carpark so K can use it to run kids home after Powerpoint this evening, and then M and I walk home through the cool quiet evening, enjoying the sunset, the walk, the talk, the moon rise, and the stars coming out.

Daffodils, friends, and outside.

1) K brought me some daffodils the other day, tightly folded into their buds. After a day or two in the warmth of the house, the buds are opening, and the beautiful golden heads are starting to emerge.

2) Friends came round in the evening, and we each made progress on our various crafts. It was good to spend kid-free time together, to work together, to share together, and to talk.

3) Sunshine, and snow. The hills surrounding us are beautiful, sprinkled in white, reflecting the sunshine. The day closed with a lovely sunset, and then the stars came out.

Dry, evening stroll, and good to be home.

1) Despite the threatening rainclouds, and occasional drops of rain, I walked to pick the kids up from school. I was glad I did, the rain held off, and we had a pleasant walk home.

1b) Today’s rainbow count: 2.

2) A starlit (if I looked beyond the streetlights) walk gave me time and space for reflection.

3) This evening’s meeting went well, but I was glad to get home for a cup of tea.

Swimming, cupcakes, and Big Dipper

1)  School holiday today, so we went swimming. M was so excited that she managed to do a forward roll in the water for the first time, and A beat his personal record by managing to hold his breath for 26 seconds.  Happy kids 🙂

2) Cupcakes (brought by a friend) and company – a very chilled evening.

3) To walk out onto the deck and be greeted by a low-hanging Big Dipper twinkling in the clear dark sky.

Changeable, grass, and book.

1) Clear starry skies, after a day which has alternated between sunshine and absolutely torrential rain.

2) The smell of freshly cut grass on a warm summer evening.

3) I remember to pick up the book A left at Grandma’s yesterday…  later on I find him engrossed in the story once again 🙂 .

Success, stars and WIP Wednesday

From yesterday:

1) Before we head to the supermarket, I make a decision to bribe the kids… “If I can take you round the supermarket with no arguments, then we’ll go past the bakery counter and you can choose something for afternoon tea…”. It worked. By the time we reach the car park, they have decided whose pushing the trolley when with almost military precision. The result: perfectly behaved kids, a trolley safely pushed with no arguments, and a yummy afternoon tea (doughnuts being the item of choice) when we got home.

2) It was a warm clear night, with perfect views of the stars above.

3) I’ve finally started on the next of my twelve projects from Debbie Bliss’s book The Knitter’s Year. For my first Autumn project, I’m knitting the Oddments Knitting Bag. I love the stripes, and it’s a quick and easy knit, with the striping adding just enough interest to keep the garter stitch from becoming boring. I also like the way the decreases create the angles on the bag 🙂 .

As you can see here, I’ve completed the first side. Casting on for side two is next on the list…

Autumn Project #1 Oddments Knitting Bag

For more of today’s Works-in-Progress, head on over to Tami’s Amis

Craft morning, outside anyway, and star.

1)  The kids and I had a fun morning gathered around the table doing craft – we got gluey, sticky, the floor is covered in tiny shreds of paper, but we had heaps of fun!

2) After a relatively dry weekend, the rain began in earnest once again today (at least this time it’s warm rain!). The kids didn’t much care though, and spent a happy hour playing outside with their friends, bouncing on the tramponline and getting very wet!

3) A swathe of dark cloud bands the lower half of the darkening evening sky.  High above it are a streak of tiny fluffy white clouds, and peeping out in between, a solitary star.

Enjoying the sun, spring cleaning, and stars.

1) Two workmen sat on the edge of the pavement, feet dangling in the trench they’d just dug, enjoying a break in the sunshine.

2) I washed the car, cleaned the oven, scrubbed the barbecue, re-potted some plants, watered the garden, and tackled Mount Crease! Amazing what a bit of sunshine can do!

3) Star-gazing this evening, it was so clear that we took the binoculars out – stunning views of the craters on the moon, the Pleiades, Aldebaran, and, of course, Jupiter and Venus.

Making, decorations and giving.

Wow – this week has been busy…

1) In the run-up to Christmas, I’ve made multiple hats and scarves, a shawl, 78 mince pies, a chocolate fudge cake, a gingerbread house, gingerbread biscuits, 7 Christmas cakes and a batch of brownies… that’s what I can remember anyway 🙂

2) Most of the hanging decorations on my Christmas tree are stars – I love their special reminder of what Christmas is really about.

3) K calls me to tell me that he’s found the perfect present for a special little girl. It’s the last of the planned gifts for this Christmas.