Rainy Days

All I want to d today is sit at home at my sewing machine and finish a baby quilt I am sewing for a friend.

But I have to work and I have to do LOTS of work today to set me up for a busy Friday and even busier Saturday.

So I will post some photos of other things I managed to sew on gorgeous rainy days like today.

Until Next Time

Angela

A Proud Mummy Moment

Yesterday Daisyboy11 was made Captain of his Rugby Team.

Here he is the only one not wearing a helmet running the team on...

Being the youngest of 7 - and the youngest of the 6 boys - he plays rugby rather ahhhhh aggressively - put it this way he isn't afraid to get in and get the ball.

This week he was made Captain because in his last rugby game - a hard fought affair - where he threw himself into the fray on every occasion.  In this game he played really hard and really well but the stand out performance was his ability to hold his naturally exuberant nature in check and not "lose" it.

Yesterday he played against kids who are in his school team - and once again he played hard.

At the end of yesterdays game he was voted Man of the Match by his team mates - the ultimate compliment. His coach came over to tell me and I could tell by the look on his face he was "bursting" with pride.

I have been pondering that look ever since - and thinking back to the emails we receive every Sunday afternoon after the game ( accompanied by photos taken by the coaches wife of the whole game) - where he refers to the boys as "men".  No bagging the referee or the other team if we lose - or being superior if we win - just a focus on what they did right and what they need to work on.

It certainly isn't an "every child wins a prize' team.  In this team you have to earn respect and kudos - but along the way every time you execute a skill that you have been working on - it gets mentioned.  Every boy gets a handshake hello and a hug goodbye.

What some of you won't know about my boy is that he has shortened tendons in his legs and walks on tip toes - we are trying to avoid having him have the operation to correct it as it means 12 months in a wheelchair or on crutches.  It isn't a handicap - it just makes packing a scrum in the front or second row a little harder - and running makes him really really tired.

I was so proud of him yesterday - but even more proud he has found his way into a great team.  Every kid deserves to be part of a team like this for at least one season in their lifetime.

Until Next Time

Angela

Working from home

This morning a I read a facebook post from a friend about how her day unfolded - working from home because One of her children was sick. It ended many many hours later standing in the kitchen sending emails with a glass of red in hand. 

When I had my own business and worked from home I was at my happiest. I would make calls order

Stock - get stuck into the work arrange

Classes and in between would

Put on a load of washing - organise dinner and sweep the floor. 

With that in mind - this was my office space yesterday afternoon - I made four appointments - over 50 calls - sent emails - and organised my diary for the next few weeks   

I was calm happy and productive - Are you able to work from home ? Are you the type who can work from home  or do you need the office environment to keep you focused ?

Until next time

Angela

A lost weekend

I didn't feel like I achieved much over the weekend - well "weekend" mean Sunday for me as I work six days a week but still.

We got up later than usual - had a lovely cooked breaky and then I sat around thinking about all the things I should be doing - finally moving to weed the gardens ( that took all of 40 mins) - did a few loads of washing, hung them up, bought them in and folded them, tidied up ( finished unpacking) the bar area - cleaned our bathroom, swept outside, vacuumed, collected leaves and wood for the firepit - put more stuff away as I came across it outside - cleaned the pool, cleaned the outdoor BBQ area.  And that was it .........

One Day this will be my Garden

Then I sat back around the fire with the kids and had a glass of wine and realised - it didn't feel like work because I wanted to do it  and in a rambling wandering way I achieved an awful lot.

Until next time

Angela

What fruit is this ??????

We have these two largish bushes where I am going to put one of the vegetable beds. 

I have no idea what they are - the fruit is yellow when it ripens and smells quite strongly of passion fruit. The inside kind of looks like an immature pomegranate - 

The chooks and possums love them. 

If you know shy it might be please let me know. 

Food is Free

Just saw this delightful post on Facebook - what an awsome idea. 

https://www.facebook.com/foodisfreelanewayballarat/photos/a.401452736672323.1073741829.401406933343570/441826839301579/?type=1

When Daisy Mountain is up and running there will be excess veges and eggs at the front at the for the nieghbours. 

So much to do - getting into the garden now.

Until next time

Angela

A Walk around Daisy Mountain - Part 1

Here are a few more shots around the garden - this is the house yard only.  Tomorrow I will take some shots around the rest of the acreage.

This is the entertainment area - with the fire pit a sink and plenty of room for us and our guests

This shot was taken at 6am - so it is shady but it will be the site of  one of the vegetable gardens - will get a close up of those fruit trees tomorrow not sure what they are some kind of  guava or fig maybe.

This is the bed on the other side of the wall from the vege garden - I am planning on filling this with flowers and herbs - my very own pottager bed.

The verandah along the front of the house 

This used to be the chicken run and will be again - but we need to add some wire over the top - we have crows who think they own the place.

This is looking from the chicken pen back towards the pool, back verandah and the entertainment area.

Until next time

Angela

Back to a garden

Loving having these gorgeous geraniums outside the dining room door. 

My first Project......

This is the bank below the tennis court it forms a "wall" across the back lawn area behind the pool.

This needs to be weeded and the juvenile gum trees gotten rid of ( trust me we have HEAPS of others) and then I need to plant it out.

To stabilize the bank I was initially thinking nasturtiums ( because I love the look of them en masse) and pumpkin vines - then when they fruit dig them in and plant some kind of prostrate but hardy and drought tolerant ground cover.

If the soil was better I would plant it out with masses and masses  of daisies - but it is that horrible Brisbane Schist.

I know someone has tackled something like this before - so your suggestions very welcome.

Until next time

Angela

Back to Daisy Mountain

We are back on Daisy Mountain !! And we couldn't be more thrilled.

Over the last three years we have enjoyed the convenience of living in suburbia  - 800m to the shopping centre, coffee shops and train.

There has been a part of me that has been very unsettled over the last few years - nothing specific but the first morning waking up exhausted in our new home looking out at the trees I realised what it was - I missed the land - the trees - the light - the birds.  How do you live three years without those things and only realise when you get them back that they are part of your soul and make you calm??

That crazy balance I was always looking for  isn't in convenience, time management , lists and scheduling - it is in living where you feel whole and connected to your family.  Busy-ness isn't a lack of balance - its just life.

Seeing the change in my children over the last week has made me realise it wasn't just me that missed the space and birds and the peace. ( although they manage to fill the peace with kid noise !)  They are no longer bedroom dwellers they are out at the fire pit with us, or on the tennis court or just hanging out in the lounge room talking.

Once again you can follow our journey - as we build new gardens, a new resilience and enjoy our Daisy Mountain.

Until next time

Angela