applehead

one foot after the other...

I've often wondered what happens to those balloons that break free and sail off into the sky. I came across this one,yesterday, lying quietly in a field along the banks of the River Thames.

We were on the final 10kms of a 50km training walk so it was a welcome distraction, if only for a few minutes from aching legs and sore feet.

I'm training with three neighbours to take part in Oxfam Trailwalker 2011. We have 30 hours to complete the 100km walk through the South Downs - we are aiming to finish in 24 hours. Knowing now what 50kms feels like, I am beginning to feel a little daunted at the prospect of 100. I suspect  it's going to take a lot more than a pretty balloon to keep me going...

( Any tips from anyone who has completed Trailwalker or a similar distance most gratefully received!)

 

one day, one moment...

I am reading 'Drawing from Life- The Journal as Art" by Jennifer New. Only midway into the book and already I feel inspired to pick up once more several notebooks that have been started and then put aside, when other more pressing projects arise.

The idea behind the first journal that I want to attempt, is to capture one single image from each day- a small moment that reminds me to stop, look and really try to see what is in front of me.

The first three days look like this...

School holiday baking with the girls...

Small hands painting...

 
Peonies from my front garden...

I'm going to print the photos out- I am still trying to decide whether I want to put them into a book or stick them all up onto a wall. At the moment, the idea of a wall filled with images from my day appeals greatly.

Small moments that might otherwise pass by unremarked...

new.....

A New Year.

A New Haircut - yikes...I have a Bob....a hairstyle I have been actively trying to avoid since I was ten.

Usual pattern is to have my hair long for a few years, get bored, cut it off extremely short, have a few extremely short hairdos and then decide I want it long again. Go through the painful process of growing it out, all the while swearing that once it is long , I will Never Again cut it short. Grit my teeth and get creative with clips and headbands during the worst bit- the not short, not long but dreadfully in between stage( yes a Bob!)  and finally- hit the length where I can pull it all back and start getting bored with it once more.

Today, however I went to my friend's hairdresser with my just long hair and asked her what she would do if given free rein.She is very hip, very talented with the scissors and very opinionated. Rather scary actually but in a good way.She has a bright red dyed hair in a Cleopatra style do with a heavy fringe, a knack of putting vintage outfits together and more tattoos than I could count.

Hence the Bob. Sort of like Victoria Beckham used to have which I'm not sure is a good thing or not. It's kind of swingy and kind of fun but most definitely a Bob.

Have I mentioned that my very cute next door neighbor who is ten, has a bob? And dark hair like mine.So now we both have the same hairdo and look the same except she is ten and cute and I am most certainly not.

I'm not sure if I like it. I know I don't dislike it.

So tomorrow, I will wake up and feel strongly that a Bob is my Look for this season. Or I will be making another appointment to make my Bob go away. Which means of course, extremely short hair and the chance to go through the whole growing out process again.

Sigh.

 

 

 

 

hello...anyone there...

 

 I'm still here despite the loud silence at this end of the screen.

( Tara, you will recognise this next bit as it was you that prompted me to put thoughts into words)

My blog.... I feel a pang every time I sit down at my computer and don't post.

Which as I haven't managed to post for ages adds up to a lot of panging in this part of the world!  I occasionally sneak in the time to catch up on some favourite blogs which I enjoy but further reminds me of my continued post-less status!

I'm not sure when blogging became such a pressure - surely an indication that I should just officially declare a no blog zone for a while? Yet I am reluctant to admit that something which has given me so much enjoyment now seems to be too hard to squeeze in and to find the energy for. I sit to write a post and my brain says....nothing! Well at least nothing of interest. It's not that I'm doing nothing - I am - it just doesn't seem that it would be of all that much interest to anyone else. Except maybe my mum and she has to be interested!

My balance seems to be totally out in the last year.  I have so many things that I want or need to do that I am a little paralysed by the sheer length of the list. Which actually I am too scared to make in case I have to lock myself in a dark closet afterwards due to being overwhelmed.

The creative stuff... like a Pencil in my pocket. There are two pencils sitting here looking at me reproachfully....harder than I thought!  Here I was thinking it would be a nice way to get the creative juices flowing and a few nice pencils into the bargain. Hmmm, no.

Anything remotely crafty - I have seemingly lost my ability to focus on projects.

My usual approach was to start something , work on it, then finish it. Not lately...I have loads of ideas, so that's not an issue . I either  jump right in and make a start only to get distracted and start something else or somehow lose momentum and let it fall to the wayside. Or I think about the possibilities, do a bit of research, think a bit more, plan a bit....and really do nothing with it. Onto the backburner it goes, with everything else.

Seems I am having a minor/major creative crisis which I really have to resolve soon before my head explodes.Which won't be fun for anyone, I am guessing.

For now though, I might be brave and make that list - perhaps it won't be as long and daunting as I imagine it to be.

As for applehead...well I am going to take the advice of this girl and try posting with a limited word count and a ten minute time frame. Expect mundane, expect not to deep and thoughtful but at least expect a post every now and then! 

Maybe I just need a new haircut.....

chasing my tail...

it feels as though this is what I have been doing for the past six months. And not very successfully, I might add. There are still boxes to be sorted through and two rooms to be organised.

If I focus too much on the things I haven't managed to get done, I get quite frustrated and annoyed. So, possibly more useful to look at what I have achieved so far.

I started this last year, just before I began packing to move to the UK. All it needs now is to weave in the end( artfully hidden in the photo) and lightly block it.

 

A simple charcoal cowl....
I decided halfway through knitting it, that it would be perfect for a friend,so the fact that it is summer here and rather hot isn't really important.
It is my own pattern ( if you can call it that) using a Jo Sharp silk,alpaca and merino mix. I find that this type of knitting suits me perfectly - in the round, so no seams to sew and a few cables to make me feel a little bit clever without trying to hard.

This little girl is now sleeping from around 7.30 pm until 4.30 ( or 5.30 on a really good day) - which is quite something,considering she was waking every two hours and needing attention( mine!) back in January.
It certainly hasn't been quick or particularly easy but I held firm to my resolve to avoid the controlled crying regime and I think we are both the happier for it.
Now I have to work on going to bed a little earlier so that I can catch up on a little missed sleep.

My big girls are trundling along quite nicely as well - all good here.

If I can work out what is happening with my broadband connection ( painfully slow to the point that I can feel myself aging as I wait for pages to load), I aim to start posting a little more regularly. Once every month or so does not a good blog make. 

See, glass half full kind of stuff.

What I have done, rather than what I haven't. That would be me, Pollyanna all the way.

Tail is in sight. At least I think that's my tail.

eating elephants...

Spring already.
A few warm days and the old oak tree in our back yard is covered with bright green tips.
Summer will be upon us before we know it.
Meanwhile, I'm busy knitting. 

Warm things like a grey silk,alpaca and merino cabled neck warmer and this irresistible red cape for Charlotte (or Grace more likely at the rate I am knitting it!).
Odd?
Not really when you are about to head from one winter into another.
Our family is on the move in December from Sydney to London for two years.
Two years.
I know it's exciting.

A wonderful opportunity to travel.

I'm sure after a while, I'll love it.

At the moment though I'm sad. Sad to be leaving family and friends. Sad to be leaving behind my home and the wonderful lifestyle we have here. Sad that Grace won't get to spend her first summer lying bare bottomed on a blanket in the shade of the oak tree.

The excitement will come later, I know. For now I am daunted by the task of packing up our life and relocating to the other side of the world. 

They say it's best to do it one bite at a time.

Sigh.

It seems like an awfully big elephant so I guess I better start eating. I just wish I was a little bit hungrier....

 

in the bag....

I was lucky enough to have a day wandering around Surry Hills with Damian...we were able to spend time  browsing in the many design and homewears shops that are normally off limits with two small children in tow.

One of my favourites was Koskela where I picked up a few early Christmas gifts- I couldn't resist the bag they came packaged in ( usually I pull out one of my own reusable ones). The bag is made from recycled broadsheet by young adults and village women at 'Karm Marg"- a center and initiative set up to help children and young adults living on the streets in New Delhi. This paper craft is one of the many projects used to help the center become self sustained as well as teach skills to help the children survive.The bag is surprisingly sturdy and lasted a day of being lugged around filled with bits and pieces.Every where I went  it attracted attention - not bad for a bag made out of someone's discarded newspaper!

By the way, if you're in Surry Hills,it's worth the effort to stop in for a quick( or not so quick) look at Koskela- inspiring homewears, textiles and furniture and warm friendly service as well. Other enjoyable places of note were David met Nicole, Planet Commonwealth and of course Chee Soon & Fitzgerald.

first time taggee.....

after a year of blogging I have been tagged! Not as a thinking blog ( thank goodness, way too much pressure there!) but by the lovely Julie to do a nice simple one.

The rules:
• Start with 7 random facts/habits about yourself
• People who are tagged have to write their 7 things on their blog
• Then choose another 7 people to get tagged and list their names
Here goes ( hey you there, yes you! Wake up, this is important )

1.I don't eat bananas.
I love banana cake, banana smoothies & banana Paddle Pops but I cannot bring myself to eat an actual banana - it's  the texture that gets me. For the same reason I do not eat sultanas. An oyster however is an entirely different kettle of fish. Can't get enough oysters.

2. I once appeared on national daytime TV dressed as the Mrs Fields Bear ( you go, Deb!) with Kerri Anne Kennerly.

3.I can go to sleep anytime ,anywhere- a very handy trick I  learned at uni. It's the waking up bit that I'm not so good at.

4. I can quite happily reread a favourite book - I'm not talking once or twice or three times. More like 50 or 60 or more....I have lost track of the times I have read Pride and Prejudice or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Alice and Wonderland is another well worn book in my house.

5. I drink water constantly, all day, through the night - I am never without a bottle or two by my side. I think I must dehydrate easily. That or I'm just very thirsty.

6.Bono from U2 and I share the same birthday( not year though, he's a wee bit older than I am)...unfortunately we do not share the same vocal abilities, vast fortune or fleet of private jets.....

7.I am quite fond of drinking dandelion tea...with skim evaporated milk...a habit that most people around me find:

a) slightly weird

b) slightly distasteful

c).both of the above. I must say I can understand why they feel that way...it really is quite a disgusting brew and does embarrass me somewhat ......

Now I'm meant to tag seven people

Tash, Belinda,Di,Penny,Tamara,Cathy, and Jennifer....

In case you're wondering,the lovely peg dolls were made by Rose and Charlie as a very special present....not for Bono though.....

a very wholesome lunch....

One of my clearest memories from kindergarten has to do with food.
At lunchtime we would all pull out our sandwiches- peanut butter ( not on the forbidden list then!), Vegemite, devon and tomato sauce (not my favourite by a long shot) or baked beans ( I can hear quite a few groans out there..)
Pretty stock standard across the whole class except for Effie, the daughter of a Greek couple who owned the local milkbar. Twenty two pairs of eyes would be glued on her brown paper bag to see what would emerge. And more often than not , out would come the two pieces of white bread with a half a family block of Cadbury's milk chocolate sandwiched in between.

Oh-my-goodness......

Can you imagine what the teachers would say today if you ever dared to send your child off to school with a chocolate sandwich for lunch? Maybe if you made it with wholemeal, wholegrain bread you just might get away with it!
Or not.
So, as a chocolate sandwich is not high on the list of nutritionally sound lunches, I have been searching around for recipes and ideas for Rose's morning tea and lunch. What does everyone out in craft blog land send their children off with? Any ideas would be most welcome indeed.

Otherwise, I might have a weak moment and pack one of those much coveted chocolate sandwiches....

Just because I love a competition I decided to enter this post into scribbit's march' write away" contest -you just never know....

comfort food

what to do when everyone's feeling a little down?......make something sweet of course!
Baking biscuits always brings me great satisfaction - there is something kind of  wholesome about a homemade biscuit even if it is filled with butter and sugar. Probably because it's my butter and sugar and there are no extra numbers thrown in for good measure.No colours, fake flavours, preservatives or anti-caking agents - just a lot of sugar ( good for energy) and butter ( good for the soul).

This recipe never fails - it's easy and quick to make and very,very good to eat. It will earn you the title of Best Mama in the Whole Wide World and the respect of all the neighbourhood if you choose to share the love around. (If these types of accolades aren't forthcoming, make a cup of tea and scoff the rest yourself! )

Incidentally, any recipe you can make with two pairs of little hands helping is a winner in my books. I let them do the fun bits like licking the beaters and making the holes for the jam.

Jam Drops

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C ( 350 F)

Place 180g of softened butter and 1 cup of caster ( superfine) sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy. Rescue the rest of the butter from your now greasy fingered helpers and put it back into the fridge. Hopefully nobody will notice the finger prints.

Add one egg and beat well. ( put the rest of the eggs away).
Stir through 2 cups of sifted plain ( all purpose) flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.
Mix to a dough - you may need to get your hands in here to bring it all together.
Roll two teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls ( a heaped teaspoon makes perfect child sized ones). Place onto a baking tray lined with non stick baking paper, allowing room for the biscuits to spread.


Flatten slightly then press your finger into dough to make an indent. Fill hole with jam and bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Add a little more jam to the holes if necessary while the biscuits are hot.
Cool on wire racks. Makes 40-60 depending on size.

Eat,enjoy and allow yourself to feel a tiny bit smug. After all you could have just nipped out and bought some at the supermarket!