Afternoon play

School's out and instead of going straight home we decided to head to a little park in Landsborough for a play.

It wasn't quite a spur of the moment decision as my sister and I had decided earlier in the day to meet up there.  (She had our nephews for the afternoon).

There evidently used to be a better playground there but it was taken out and replaced with the above.  It suited our needs though.

There's a sports oval right next to it as well so we're thinking of bringing a soccer ball or cricket bat next time.

There was also a really big area that Nephew J declared perfect for riding bikes.  (The mounds of dirt near the edge of the treeline inspired this decision as he has visions of jumps and tricks.)

'

Afternoon tea alfresco.

Some more play time.

Then it was exploring time as a track was found in the bush behind the playground.  No self-respecting snake would come out with all the noise these four kids were making!

Then it was time for some cubby house making.  The two littlies doing dangerous things with sticks in an effort to make theirs.

The older two trying to build a mansion.

We seemed to fit a lot into a small amount of time because we were on our way home just after 4pm. The kidlettes weren't too delighted about that as they'd much rather be building cubby houses than doing homework!

To top it off my sister Sandra had just picked up some of her latest artwork from the framers.  These are 3 of her intuitive paintings and they've turned out AMAZING!

xx Susan

Knit and Natter

I think it's been a good six months or more since we have had a knit and natter session.

Wednesday mornings was our penciled in day to head over to my sister's and indulge in some crafty time.  Me with the crochet hook, Mum with hers sometimes too and my sister with her paints, graphites or pencils and sometimes a crochet hook.

While at Mary Cairncross last week we decided that we needed to start up our knit and natter sessions again.  We wanted to bring back some normality to our lives and also because we have been missing it.

Instead of going to my sister's house which is what we usually do, we decided to head back to Mary Cairncross for a coffee and just to get us out of our houses.

There was lots of nattering and my basket sat beside me for quite awhile before I thought about picking up the hook.

I did get my circle of the day completed though.

I'm looking forward to next Wednesday now.

xx Susan

A gift

On February 4th my friend Heilala gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

I set to work a couple of weeks ago to make a gift in anticipation of her arrival.

I didn't want to make a cot blanket or baby clothes, I wanted to make something a little different but useful.

It may look like a cot blanket but it's not quilted and there's no wadding inside.  It's actually a picnic blanket.

Well that's what I refer to it as.  I made my sister one a few years ago and she uses hers for all sorts of things.

I thought it was perfect for bub to lay on, especially as she grows older.  It can be taken anywhere and is easy to clean as you just throw it in the washing machine.

Here's the back..

...and here's the front of it again.  I wanted to use this one with part of the junk pile cut out (right hand side of 1st photo).  It wasn't until I uploaded it that I realised a little someone was sneaking around behind.  Luckily she didn't jump up to swing off it like she did to my sheets!

And this is for whom the gift is for.  

We visited this morning and the kidlettes had a fantastic time playing with Young Man M who is 10 already!

They were also fascinated by the baby, especially Master M!

She was sleeping and he didn't get to have a cuddle which he's a bit upset about.

So beautiful.

xx Susan

Can we get a motorbike now?

Sometime over the last weekend the kidlettes came running inside both talking at once with excitement and asking if they could have a ride on a motorbike.  

Our neighbours own a motorbike repair business and also are quite involved in motorcross racing so their 16 year old wanted to give our kids are ride.

They absolutely LOVED IT!

Brody kitted them out and gave them both a ride on the quad bike.  Just around the yard and not going too fast otherwise he knew he'd give me a heart attack.

Then it was time for the two wheel bike.  Both kids did really, really well and I'm very happy to say followed Brody's instructions too.  They knew they had to I suppose or they wouldn't be allowed on them again.

I now have visions of my boy tearing off around a motorcross circuit or down the forestry as he grows older now.

My girl wasn't to be left out though.  She did a fantastic job and of course dressed for the part in her party dress and gumboots! (wellies).  (She pretty well wears gumboots with EVERYTHING!)

They both had such fun and are now asking when they can get their own motorbike.  I was very non-commital on that part so they knew what to do.....ask their father!  He is now on the lookout for a bike for them.

Joy.

xx Susan

Morning coffee - a pleasant interlude

Unfortunately our recent stresses seem nowhere near over and after an incident a couple of days ago, both my sister and I needed to get out of our houses and somewhere lovely to de-stress.

About a 10-15 minute drive from our home is Mary Cairncross Park in Maleny.  It's a beautiful patch of rainforest with walking tracks as well as a picnic ground and cafe with fantastic views.

Perfect for what we needed.

We decided not to go for a walk in the rainforest today.

We were heading straight for the cafe area which incidently is where my sister and her husband were married.

A good coffee was on the menu and some wonderful talking which helped us both regroup.

The view from the cafe is not too shabby either.  This was the backdrop for my sister's wedding ceremony and looks over the Glasshouse Mountains.  It was a bit hazy today because of a few bushfires which have sprung up around the region lately.

It was just a perfect morning and thanks to Sandy for joining me.  It was the perfect message!!!!

xx Susan

7 Days of Circles

I'm a little behind with my circles right now.  After stating January so well, I had a few blips in early  February but am slowly catching up.

This was the next 7 done that I hadn't shown you yet.

Nice, happy random colours.

xx Susan

A big, IMPORTANT day out

I went somewhere today that I haven't been in YEARS. Brisbane City Centre (our state capital city).

It wasn't for a pleasant reason that we had to go but I still enjoyed it all the same for some odd reason.

I really can't say that I enjoyed the constant and frenetic buzz and movement of the city but for a day it was a novelty.

So much has changed since the last time I drove into Brisbane.  There's so many more tunnels under the city now which makes getting around in peak hour especially so much easier.  Thank goodness I wasn't driving as that task was left to my brother in law Jeff who works in the city and didn't find it as daunting as I would have.

Our destination was the Federal Law Courts and my sister Sandra, brother in law Jeff and I were there in support of our brother Gary who has been going through a pretty horrendous marriage separation the past 6 months.

It was a really long morning and I won't go into much of it because there is still a bit of a way to go until things are resolved.  I'll just say that my brother has the boys and is the primary carer....uncontested.  

It's been a bloody long 6 months or more though and it's not finished.  I will add for the record just how much my family has pulled together in this really difficult time.  Our focus has definately been the well being of my brother's boys as well as my brother himself.  He has had the boys since day 1 and is doing an incredible job of being a single father considering everything else that's been going on.

I'm also so proud of my family for pulling together like we have.  It's really brought home to me just how close we are as a family and how much closer we have become.  We haven't thought it strange to help out as much as we have although the comments we are getting from outsiders, including lawyers, is the incredible family support my brother has.  

It's just normal for us.  As my Mum said, "It's family.  It's what you do."

To my husband Shane and brother-in-law Jeff, you have both been so incredibly amazing it's not funny.  You have married into our family and have supported us all every step of the way with no complaints or objections.  It's been a normal process for you both too and for that we are truly blessed to have such loving and unflinching support.

The drive back out through the city was wonderful too (mainly because I didn't have to deal with the traffic).

I love seeing the wonderful heritage buildings that are dotted throughout our city although I didn't get the phone out until the last minute to take some photos and even then I was hoping I'd get at least a couple that weren't blurry.   They're crap but you'll have to make do.

xx Susan

Edited to add:  My friend Heilala had a baby girl Serena at 2.45pm this afternoon.  Congratulations to you Mario and Maximo on the addition of a beautiful little girl to your family.  I know she is much loved already.

Sewing again

With all the extra stresses that have been going on around here this last 6 months or more, I've found that my sewing has fallen by the wayside.

My sewing room was a wreck, mainly because I was using it as a dumping ground, especially pre-Christmas.  That changed last week when I had an overwhelming need to sew something.

I cleaned it up then picked out some fabric and got started.  It was wonderful and soothing and relaxed me in the nicest possible way.

It was then that I decided my ironing board needed a makeover.  It's the same cover that's been on it for the last 10-15 years and has certainly seen better days.

I found some pretty fabric then got to work with scissors, wadding and my trusty sewing machine whirring away.

I still don't like ironing but I have to say it's much more pleasant now it's got a nice cover on it.

I've been working on a few smaller projects too which I will update you with when they're completed.

xx Susan