Another step

Off to camp

You know that film and theatre show Mamma Mia?

You know that touching scene when the mother and daughter sing "Slipping through my fingers"?

"School bag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile.
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while"

That Abba song came on my ipod this morning and it always gets to me - always. (Yes, I have Abba on my ipod!)

It seems like moments ago I was dropping Sibs off at her first day in her new primary school in Australia and then yesterday I was taking her to the airport for her final year camp trip to Sydney and Canberra! School camps are big over here.

In the final year of my primary school we went on a camp trip almost down the road to Parkmill in the Gower Peninsula. I have many memories. I think a few of us girls had read the Enid Blyton books Mallory Towers and St Clare's and had this idea that it was all going to be midnight feasts and a jolly good time! Instead it was cold and wet and we seemed to walk for miles and miles looking for lichen and trying to keep our soggy clipboards dry!

Sibs's trip on the other hand, is a full packed itinerary that takes in all the important sights of Canberra - Parliament House, Australian War Memorial, Government House, Questacon, Royal Mint, National Gallery and not forgetting an afternoon at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.  A bit different to traipsing through the Gower coastline in South Wales!

The house is already feeling so quiet. No constant singing, no bouncing, twirling and prancing around.

Twmff is doing his usual moping around the place when Sibs isn't here. He's such a sook sleeping on her school bag.

I can still see you Mods - almost camouflaged

Modlen on the other hand.... not a care in the world! Yesterday afternoon I was intending on planting some herbs in there, but it was a shame to disturb such a heavy sleep so I decided to pick up some crochet instead.

An hour quickly became two (and then more) and it was so relaxing on the front deck that it just called out for a Hendricks, a candle and some crooning from Mr George Michael on the ipod. Bliss.

from my instagram feed

Routine is out of the window this week - I'm not organising my day around early morning music drop off or 3pm school pick ups. It's strange.

"Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table
Barely awake, I let precious time go by.
Then when she's gone, there's that odd melancholy feeling
And a sense of guilt I can't deny"

I'm getting a glimpse into the next few years of increased independence. Whilst I encourage it and seem to constantly have the conversation with Sibs about needing to "take responsibility for this, that and the other" it's also a shift into a new world.

"Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it.
Slipping through my fingers all the time.
Do I really see what's in her mind.
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing"

For Sibs, this week away is not only to go and see and understand more about Australia, it's really another step in growing up.

I know each phase in childhood is big at the  time - first steps, first words, first school....
Somehow though, this one feels huge. I can really see her shaping into a young adult. She's getting more and more confident in expressing herself and sharing her opinions.
I've stopped saying "please stop growing up" and I'm making a conscious effort to enjoy the change in her...however challenging some of the sharing of opinions can be!

As she was chatting with her friend at the airport yesterday she said that she had two things to remember on this trip - to have fun and to concentrate.

So she does listen to what I say...

enjoying a quiet Monday moment

Happy Monday.

Here's to a good and safe week, full of concentration and fun!

A Friday catch up

It's Friday..... thank flippin' goodness!

It's been a long few weeks ....

Partly as I have been busy putting in a few extra hours here and there with my work and partly self inflicted as I have been staying up way way too late in the evenings working on my crochet blanket and getting totally addicted to the new BBC channel on Foxtel TV!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Foxtel for bring BBC First to Australia. Burton and Taylor was superb!

So what else has been occurring?

Well the Winter has not disappointed with glorious crisp mornings and sunny afternoons. The fire has been lit a few evenings...just for the sight, sound and smell really as to be honest it hasn't been particularly cold.

The Winter school holidays were a bit of a blur as Sibs was involved in a pretty big production of CATS.

When I say pretty big, I mean huge! There were over 500 cats involved with Marina Prior as the star attraction. I did start to write a blog post about it but never quite got to finishing it. I probably should, as it was such an incredible experience for her and it would be good to capture the memories. I was involved back stage and got to witness the excitement and thrill that the young performers experienced. It was pretty magical.

So after that I took Sibs and a friend for a little break up to Noosa to visit Nana and Papa and we did the holiday stuff - meal out, market wandering, walk on the beach, paddle boarding, whale watching on her uncle's boat,  people watching. Just chilling out really - bliss.

The second half of the school year has reminded me how close we are to coming to the end of a childhood milestone - finishing primary school.
Last week Sibs and I went to be fitted out with her high school uniform. Yes, it's a full six months before she starts high school but I got a call to gently let me know that I hadn't booked in a fitting and hey, ho there was a cancellation and could I pretty please get myself organised and be at the school for 7am on a Monday morning!
When Sibs tried on the school blazer I expected to be confronted by the sight of a grown up young lady, instead I saw my little girl looking back at me. It didn't help the emotions that the high school sports fleece was the identical colour to the fleece she had when she first started primary school back in the Yorkshire Dales as a just turned four year old. Talk about flashback with a twist!

So the spare bedroom is full of uniform, bags, hats, textbooks and various school paraphernalia. Sibs keeps going in and trying things on - which I think is a good sign that she's looking forward to the change.

This boy has yet again been in the wars, we reckon he's getting pretty close to his ninth life!

We didn't see him at all last Sunday and he didn't come home that evening for his tea. I eventually heard the cat flap swing open in the early hours of Monday morning and a rather bedraggled looking Twmff appeared. He spent the day sleeping and when I checked on him he had a number of little scratches and cuts. He has since spent the week curled up and hasn't even shown any interest at all in venturing out. Something or someone has definitely spooked him. He's been getting lots of cuddles, 'cwtches' and  'maldod' so I'm sure he'll be right as rain soon.

In more exciting news.... I've finished my stripe blanket - yay!

I've really enjoyed working on this one. It's pretty heavy and warm and is just the right size to drape over two laps on the sofa. Every now and again I would question the riot of colours but when I put a border of three different tones of blue to finish it off, it seemed to work.

I'm pressing pause this weekend and going away up to the mountains for a get away weekend and I'll be taking my blanket with me. It's a place we've been to before. Somewhere to completely switch off. There's no TV, phone reception or internet connection. The only noise is the wildlife - and there's plenty of that.
I've packed two books, my toothbrush, my Ugg boots, some chocolate, my camera,  my crochet bag and not much else!

So let's hope I come back revitalized and refreshed.

Happy weekend,

Twmff is depressed...

chilling on a sunny afternoon

Meet Twmff. Yes, you read  right it's not a typo - this is Twmff, pronounced Too-mf.

Twmff has a welsh name and in Welsh 'w' is a vowel and 'ff' is pronounced 'f'. Anyhow, this is not a blog post about Welsh lessons, this is a blog post about Twmff.

chilling on another sunny afternoon

Twmff has been part of this family for a little while and will be about 5 1/2 years old by now. He was a rescue cat in pretty bad shape when we got him, and for the first few months of coming to live with us I would be lucky to catch a glimpse of his tail when he ventured from under the sofa to grab some food. He needed lots of medication and a few vet visits and eventually he became stronger and more adventurous  He came to us with a sister....although I have always doubted the family tie and I think the RSPCA lady saw a bit of an opportunity to home 2 cats at once!

I interrupted their play time here hence the stares! 

So Twmff and his 'sister' Modlen soon began to settle with us and over time have brought much amusement, love and a few challenges thrown in. Twmff has always fancied himself as a bit of a dog which has been quite funny over the years. He will come when called, sit and listen to a story, let Sibs dress him up - that kind of thing. He learnt how to open the locked cat flap story here which has necessitated a complex bedtime ritual but overall though they are great little cats and are loved dearly. I think we give them a very comfortable home - they more or less have the run of the house.They can go outside in the daytime and come home for tea. Now Twmff has probably been a little more challenging than Modlen... Nothing extraordinary really, just a few more trips to the vet due to a scratch here and there or a sore paw or leg. He can be pretty vocal and will tell us if things aren't quite right. If you can't find Modlen you just ask Twmff and he will direct you to the shut room where she will be sitting quietly waiting for her brother to rescue her.. Just last night he himself got shut in the under-stairs cupboard by accident and I'm sure his miaow would have been heard down the street!

Just recently though Twmff hasn't been himself. He's been a bit more demanding. His cries for us to open the cat flap in the morning have been a bit louder and longer. He has been spending time in boxes and we have 'lost' him a few times and after a long hunt and calling his name he's been found hiding under a bed or in a cupboard.

hiding

At first I put this down to not liking the rain (there was quite a bit for a few week). Then it would be because we had some visitors staying (there's always quite a bit of that too!) After a while I noticed that he wasn't really eating very much and then he wasn't using his litter tray. He became a bit withdrawn and I rang the vet. She was pretty concerned with this change in behaviour so off we went for a check up.

Some separation anxiety!

After a thorough check and the ruling out of any more serious medical conditions the vet came to the conclusion that Twmff was depressed...

Should I have seen it....?

In hindsight, maybe....

'please don't go without me"

When we went away over Christmas and the New Year Twmff missed us. The housitters mentioned that he took a few weeks to respond to them. Then we were home for a few days before taking off again up the coast. It seems that most weekends since January we have been busy. People staying, us away. Just general life really, but for Twmff...well, little Twmff has felt more than a bit left out. In cat world, one way of showing this is to withdraw (nothing unusual there), but apparently another common sign is refusing to use a litter tray or just to go to the toilet. Due to the male cat anatomy this can be fatal within 3 days! Pretty serious stuff.

So dosed up with an antibiotic and anti inflammatory shot, a special prescription diet to ensure his system keeps working (for all that read having spent $$$ at the vets!) Twmff is at home getting lots of special attention. 

allowed on the bed for a two minute cuddle

We can't stay in forever with him, but we can ensure that he has somewhere safe and secure to hide should he need to. If it happens again the vet told me about a spray that I can buy that mimics feline pheromones that will provide comfort to a distressed cat. Who knew? 

Here's hoping that Twmff feels the love this week!

Happy Monday.

Father's Day and a Strawberry Cake

We celebrated Father's Day in Australia on Sunday. 

It was a lovely day just relaxing at home and being together.

Neil got up silly early (it felt like the middle of the night!) to run the Bridge to Brisbane 10k. Whilst he was away Sibs and I got the breakfast table ready and about 7.30am he walked in to the smell of bacon and eggs and fresh coffee. We lazed around the kitchen, pottered about outside, flicked though some old NZ Home and Garden magazines pretending that we were choosing a holiday home.....then it was time for lunch. The first lunch outside for a while.

Father's Day lunch

Neil is a very hands on and involved Dad and Sibs reaps the benefits.

They have a gorgeous relationship....and she's a very lucky little girl.

Sunday was our chance to appreciate him.

Father's Day afternoon

 So in other news... strawberries were almost being given away at the markets on Saturday so we had a fridge full! I'll probably freeze some, but had a bit of an inspiration this afternoon and as the banana bread was in the oven I decided to try and make a strawberry cake.

125g butter creamed with half a cup caster sugar,
Add a teaspoon of vanilla essence and 2 eggs.
Fold in 2 cups of s-r flour and half a cup of milk,
Add about a cup of mashed up strawberries (I probably added a cup and a half and it was a little too wet)

It's not the best cake that I've ever made, and I think another idea could be to layer the mashed/pureed strawberries in between the cake mixture? I'm sure it will disappear though!

Just before I finish - a quick update on Twmff the cat and his sprained shoulder.

He's been kept indoors for the last few weeks and eventually his limping has been improving. He's almost back to his old crazy self and he should be out and about again in a few days. 

Sibs trying to interest Twmff in her new shoes.

Family Treasures

A box of goodies arrived here this week. 

A box filled with precious things that once graced the tables of my family some generations ago.

Bridgwood china dinner service

My lovely mum had wrapped and sent over some treasures that were gathering dust in her attic so that I could have the pleasure of owning a little piece of the past. 

I remember some of it....

Duchess tea set 'Rosebud'

 This delicate little tea cup and saucer above belonged to my grandmother. It's such a pleasure to drink out of it. I used it for my evening cup of tea a couple of nights ago and I was transported right back to my grandparents kitchen....
I remember the tea pot that they used and the tea caddy (never tea bags), the milk that came in a bottle from the milkman, the exact cupboard where the biscuit barrel was kept , even where the not so secret chocolate supply was hidden in the pantry! It's amazing the power of one little object on the memory.

I don't recall this exact plate, but I do remember being on holiday in Dorset  as a child and visiting the Poole Pottery shop. I bought a small china dolphin brooch....I wonder where that went? I have a memory of a few bright orange and mustard yellow pieces in our house - very 70's!

Royal Albert 'Blossom Time'

 This beautiful set dates back earlier than the 1970's, and I should do a bit of research and find out when it was produced. I love the fact that the handles of the little tea cups are so small that you can't fit your finger through and have to pinch it - very lady like.

This is just marked 'Staffordshire' and is extremely delicate.

Sibs is convinced that some of this china is from the Jane Austen era! 

Denby 'Natural Blue'

Then to finish off - I also got some new Denby cups, saucers and plates for everyday use.

Now I have to find some space to store and display all this gorgeous stuff!

And in other news....Twmff is still recuperating. He alternates between resting in the sunshine on top of the desk in the study and escaping to the linen cupboard. He has a little pillow on the desk and his own mat in the cupboard....not spoilt at all then?? He's being a little trouper and takes his medicine daily and there is some improvement. His rather pathetic hopping on three legs is now more of a limp. 

Escape to the country

Well, well, I haven't been here for a while....

I thought it was a couple of weeks since I last wrote a blog post, but it's actually three weeks...

There's no real reason - nothing dramatic, nothing even vaguely interesting as to why I suddenly stopped. Just one of those things...life getting in the way; a bit of Winter sickness; I think there might have been a few days of Internet connection trouble and hey what do you know three weeks has passed.

So, it's a start to another week, some Monday morning chores have been completed and I just had the urge to sit a moment and fire up the old laptop and check in.

Let me share what we did weekend before last.

We escaped to the country, and spent a couple of nights in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.

It's about an hour and a half from Brisbane, up and down a windy mountain road and then 8km down a dirt track.....but so worth the drive. Talk about peaceful. There were no sounds apart from the wildlife. A fabulous place to relax and switch off - quite literally as there was no phone or Internet connection and no TV...bliss.

The accommodation is a four bedroom, two bathroom cabin style house with predominantly hand made furniture.The dining table is an enormous slab of polished wood. It's rustic but at the same time comfortable. The bed linen, pillows and the towels provided are good quality (which is important in my book, so no mocking!)

There is a well stocked kitchen and pantry with most of the pots and pans that you need and of course an outside bbq and fire pit and acres of space.

The kids had a ball! Whilst it's not quite a farmstay - the owners (who live in a property next door) were so obliging and gave Sibs and her cousin a bit of a free reign to roam and collect eggs from the chooks, pick up the lambs named Tim and Tam, and walk Rusty the pony.

Skippy the little kangaroo came to visit and bounced around and kept a check on us and the alpacas kept a very close eye on the dog.

I have a feeling we'll be returning to Hollow Log Country Retreat. Web site link - HERE, Facebook page - HERE (Their Facebook page actually gives a better idea of the place and you'll see some photos of our weekend taken by Leonie the owner)

So since coming back, Sibs has been away to school camp and Twmff the cat missed her like crazy. He moped around the house whimpering and in the mornings cried at her bedroom door. He's since done something to his leg  and is now limping and hopping around the place so this afternoon he's off to the v-e-t. (I have to whisper - he's lying right here!)

This is the sight next to me right this moment - Twmff being the little invalid on a pillow in the sun in the study and Modlen stealing his food!

 Happy Monday

Looking after my girl

Whose bed is it again? Who's the boss in this house I wonder?



Little Sibs was all squashed against the wall when I went to do my good night check last night, whilst Twmff the cat was King of the Castle all stretched out and fast asleep.

These two are best buddies, so I'm sure she would have called him for a cuddle or to share a story and he would have just made himself comfy and decided to stay put.


I've posted before about the lovely way that Twmff looks out for Sibs, but it would appear that she also makes allowances for him...

Got to love them.

A few hours after this photo we had 'one of those nights'.....
The "I feel sick" call that always comes when you are in the deepest of sleeps.
Our day started around 2am, so it's a pyjama morning here. The poor little poppet really isn't well and she's been various shades of green, grey and white already.

The bucket is close to hand....


Duty calls - need to top up the water glass and mop a brow and supply another cuddle...

Beth x

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School camp

Off to school camp...

with the biggest suitcase she could find,
a pink handbag,
dark sunglasses
and a water bottle.

What else could she want?

Maybe the cat?!





'Do you think anyone will notice?'



He sneaked in to the suitcase whilst we were in the middle of packing

and decided that he too might want a little adventure!

Watching the children at school this morning in all their excitement was a wonderful thing.

Lots of screaming, hugs and waving goodbyes.

The energy level was incredible and their laughter and smiles infectious.

I wonder what they will be like when they return?

The house is very quiet tonight.

There's just the patter of paws and an occasional whimper as the cat goes searching for his friend.

He really misses Sibs when she's not here....and so do I.

My consolation is that there was a gorgeous note left on my pillow, filled with kisses and hearts.

I'm sure she'll find the little note that I wrote to her that I put in her wash bag...

This is such a time of building memories...

capturing a moment...



...one last cuddle before bed on the last night of school holidays.

A Winter (?) lie in...

It's getting a little cooler here in Brisbane... this was Sibs this morning.

Clutching her hot chocolate with some gloves on and her dressing gown over her school uniform!

(notice that the doors are wide open, so there might be some dramatics going on here!)

We all slept in this morning. The three of us! Absolutely unheard of! We woke after 8am...and do you know what we did? No-one rushed around like fools, we knew we were going to be late so we just got on with things. I decided that gentle cajoling was going to work better than the mad panic approach, and it did! Sibs was still a few minutes late for class, but nothing too terrible and we all started the day quite relaxed considering.

Our impromptu lie on could have something to do with these two...

I mentioned about Twmff trying to escape out of the cat flap in my last post This is the footstool that is now placed in front of the heavy stone that is in front of the cat flap! He doesn't look too pleased with the situation and has now adopted the footstool as his new bed. That is until he goes for a wander and Modlen jumps on it. I snapped this one of her fast asleep - not even the flash of the camera stirred her.

Anyhow, last night Twmff didn't wake us up trying to escape as I think he quite likes his new bed and consequently we all missed our feline alarm clock and overslept. It was also quite cosy under the duvets, a sign that Winter has arrived.

Before I moved here Winter meant cold. Proper 'snuggle up, can't bear to put even a toe out of the warmth of the bed' cold. Well let me tell you - Winter in Brisbane is not really Winter.(despite the hat and gloves at breakfast this morning!)

This is Winter in Brisbane...

Bearing in mind that it's dark by 5.30pm, this gives you an idea of my Winter!!