from tiny seeds...

new buds on Rebe's apple tree 

 On Friday Rebe's class had their Conformation. The children go to a Catholic school and so most of the children in her class had the day off to attend church and to celebrate with their families. As we do not celebrate this we decided to have our own special day for Rebe.
Several years ago when her class made their first holy communion we had a lovely Apple Seed Ceremony for her, you can read about it here. We wanted to do a follow on of this and we also wanted to incorporate Rebe's newly asked 'Guide Parents'.
We have been talking about Brock's up coming Christening and the older children asked why they do not have Godparents. This is because they are not Christened, but we said that they were welcome to choose 'guide parents' of their own. So Rebe chose a special friend of the families and one of her uncles. (Benny has also chosen guide parents who will be part of his own Cherry Stone Ceremony in May).
Unfortunately her uncle was busy working but her new Guide Mother hosted a lovely coffee morning just for Rebe on Friday morning.
Rebe got all dressed up in a new, smart outfit and we arrived at Antje's house early on Friday morning to a table set fit for a queen.

 

We drank coffee and ate eggs on toast and lots of delicious treats.

 

Antje gave Rebe a really beautiful bracelet with a tiny silver oyster shell on it, that had a tiny, real pearl inside.

 

We chatted and ate for hours. Talking about life and growing up and just about everything.

 Once we had feasted and the plates were empty we played a super board game together until it was time to leave.

 Rebe spent the rest of the afternoon at her dad's house and I came home to prepare a special meal for her that we could share with Garry and all the other children when everyone was home again.

As part of Rebe's Apple Seed Ceremony we gave her a little apple tree, which has done very well outisde in the garden. Last autumn it gave her several apples which we decided to prep and freeze to have to make into a special cake or pie on this day.
With a little recipe help from my friend I made her apple pieces into a pie which we ate after a hearty meal of roast chicken.

 Garry and I gave her a little watch as a gift to mark to occassion. It was a lovely day and again I was so pleased to find our own way to celebrate this awesome girl.
While we were thinking of ideas for something to do as an alternative conformation, I looked back over the blog post I had done about her Apple Seed Ceremony and it struck me just how much she has grown in those years.
She is an amazing child; creative, warm and so very kind. She is clever and has so many interests of her own. She is very much her own person, she is comfortable in her skin and knows her own awesome-ness.
I am so proud to be her mother, to watch her walk her chosen paths in life, to bask in the sunshine that she gives out.
She is my right hand woman, I don't know how I would manage without her sometimes and she is a dear and sweet friend.

pockets of normal

That is what this week has felt like. Pockets of normal found in a very sad and strange time.

So much of the last week we have been preoccupied with saying goodbye, with coming to terms, with talking and spending time with our friends and community. Coming together in mourning of our friends' passing and in celebration of her life. 

But in between the coming and going there has also been some time for...

work...

sketches to accompany a piece I have written for Juno magazine

mountains of this

making our daily bread

play...

 

some of this...

 and plenty of that...

an empty space

On Monday we lost a friend of ours.
It was so cruel, so sudden, it has left us all gasping for breath.
The reality of her passing has not yet sunk in.
The space she has left is enormous and gaping.
There will always be a space where she should have been.
She left behind four children, whose pain I cannot even begin to imagine. 
For me personally she was a witness. She was one of the few people who knew me when I first moved here, another life time ago.
She was a witness to the changes in my life when my marriage broke down, she was a witness to the changes in my life as I came into myself and she was a witness to the changes in my life when I met and fell in love with Garry.
She always rooted for me, had a kind and supportive word and a radiant smile.
She will be missed always.
x

days like these...

 oh how I love days like these! We had nothing we had to do today, no where we had to go and time stretched ahead, an uncommon luxury for us these days.
Our day began with pancakes and paper games.

 Rebe and Benny made paper swords while Ena and Joa drew and read. After that Rebe asked if she could use the marzipan that has been in the fridge since Christmas to try and make something...

 The morning had been wet and over cast, perfect weather, I thought, for a snail hunt.
I have always found snails to be the perfect toddler's insect. Funny looking, easy to watch and pick up and slow enough to enjoy without getting a fright. As Ena had yet to see a real life snail we thought that we would take her on a snail hunt. So after Brock woke from his nap we had lunch and headed off on a snail hunt.

 

We looked for snails on the walls and stones all down the hill stopping to answer several million 'Wot dat?' questions from Ena

 Our first discovery was a worm, but he was too wiggly for Ena to touch. Rebe picked him off the road to show her and to rescue him into the grass. We hunted on and finally found a snail...

 and she was so pleased!

As the weather was getting finer and Brock very happily asleep in the buggy the kids asked if they could stay and play on the beach for a while.
It was wonderful, the clouds slowly lifted and a wonderful game of 'camp' began. This has been such a long favourite game; building a camp from whatever they find on the beach.

 It got more and more elaborate, with a small orchard of 'berry trees', a vegetable garden complete with veggie off cuts that someone had thrown into the sea to compost and a fire place.

 Firewood was gathered and a spit constructed using bits of old fisherman's rope.

 

On the menu...roasted leek!

 The kids went on to make weapons for hunting: Rebe made a bow and arrow, the arrow had a stone head and feathers tied onto the quiver. The boys both had axes and Joa told me he loved going for beach walks with me because I was so good at tying stones onto sticks (I have had years of practice after all).

After several hours of play, energy started to wane (despite the roasted leek) so we headed on to the cafe for a coffee and an ice cream.

 On our way home we stopped for another play at the camp, I fed Brock on the beach chatting with friends. All the kids found playmates and it reminded me of summer days on the beach. It reminded someone else of the summer too so much so he decided to get into the water, spiderman costume, shoes and all! So with a soaking wet boy and dinner time approaching we reluctantly came home. But, oh what a wonderful day!

a new arrival

Wow, it's been such a long time since I was here. I have missed this space, but life has been so busy, Ena has been so busy that I have just had no time to sit down at the computer.
So much has happened in the 9 months since I last posted, I can't even begin to update you on everything, but the most important, exciting and beautiful news is the arrival of this little man!
Brock McKenzie Barrett was born here at home 2 weeks ago. It was a quick and beautiful birth, he was delivered by Garry and I alone here at home while my mum fielded all the kiddies for breakfast. He is just a delight, peaceful and calm like his birth and pregnancy.
We are adjusting to life as a family of 7, but he is so mousey and quiet that so far it is going well and we are enjoying family life so much.
Everyone is so in love with him and we are all happy and well.
I do hope to be back here more often again, but I won't make any promises (to myself) as we are just taking life moment by moment, day by day, and enjoying every second of it!

yesterday around the house...

flowers from Benny for Mother's Day

Eggs from the 5th

some of my favourite things

messy work table (that is a fake poo by the way!)

knitting

on Joa's bed

minecraft birthday card by Joa for his friend

Happy Mothers Day cake from Rebe

spring knitting

 Looking at these pictures makes me realise how much I have been looking forward to spring. Winter has been a bit of a slog this year, lots of grey skies, lots of wind and lots and lots and lots of rain. But the days are getting longer and we've been getting lots of beautiful days of late.
Crafting is slow here, painfully so at times. Ena does not go to bed in the evenings and is rubbish at napping too unless she is being walked in the buggy (and obviously walking and knitting don't go together) or is in the sling, so my hands are never free to make things for any length of time.
Luckily I knew it would be this way  so everyone waiting for a doll understands how very slow I am this year, so slow in fact that the 2016 waiting list is now full!
Saying that I sometimes get a few minutes here and there to work on some projects.
I had wanted to knit this robin for years, and once we got going it was quick. Last week I made the nest and the kids started to really play with it, so we needed eggs next and Rebe knitted the little robin chick, then of course we needed worms for the mama to bring for the baby. It was lovely watching them play with this little home made set and to hear what an amazing understanding they have of bird life..
Ena's need for a new, bigger sweater gave me permission to make her a bumble bee one. The yarn is a gorgeous soft superwash 100% wool and it made it big enough to last several months at least :-)
The rainbow dungarees you've already seen but people wanted to see an action shot :-)
I am not sure what is going to be on the needles next, I have a really interesting doll project at the moment, but I think I will knit a little something on the side too...any ideas?