A Darwin Visit...

We ventured to Darwin for Easter to visit Cameron.  It was hot, hot, hot and rainy - but lovely to visit our boy.  Up on Thursday night and home first thing Monday - a flying visit!

 

 

 

We went to visit some very large crocodiles while we were there - glad they were behind glass - I never want to encounter them any other way.  You can swim in a perspex cage with them - I don't think I would bother - yuck - just think about it!

 

 

 

 

Creatures along the way included water buffalo - we even saw a dingo on the side of the road.

 

 

 

On Easter Saturday we took a drive out to Litchfield National  Park.  It was lovely - driving south from Darwin is quite a lovely drive - it was far different from what I had imagined. 

 

The waterhole above had a beautiful waterfall into it - Brendon and Cameron had a swim.

 

 

Cameron had visited out here just a few weeks after he had moved to Darwin - which was at the very beginning of the wet season.  He couldn't believe the difference in the water levels at the end of the wet season.  The waterfall above was the one which Cameron had swum at on his previous visit - the water was far to high this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think the picture below is quite a good indication of the vastness of this country we live in.  It was amazing. 

 

I am so glad this different place has opened up to our family - it is certainly one I have never imagined we would find.

 

 

Inheritence....

Today I am trying to get this lot sorted and somehow incorporated into my home...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overwhelmed much...

Ups and Downs... Life

 

 

I often wonder if we knew what life had in store for us, how many of life's circumstances would really end up. 

 

If I knew what the past month had in store for me I am pretty sure I would have run away.

 

The past twelve months has been another roller coaster ride for me.  Not necessarily bad, but certainly fast and at times crazy.

 

We have been back in the shop for almost a year. Unbelievable.  It has been good.  Hard work.  But good.

 

We have plans to keep us striving for a lovely 'food' experience for our customers - at times I think we would all just love to run away, but we keep going.

 

It is lovely just mostly working with our family.  So far.  So good.

 

Our two week break came and went in beautiful Tasmania.  Maybe one day I will get a moment to share some of that here.  But that moment is not now.

 

While we were away - BJ's parents sold their home - we had asked them not to list it until we were all back on deck - this was not taken into consideration - and it sold straight away.

 

To say we are tired and exhausted, emotionally and physically is an understatement.

 

In the past month we have sorted, cleaned, shifted and packed 50 years of everything.  And I really and truly mean everything. 

 

And we are nowhere near having them into their retirement unit by a long shot.

 

I have been angry, then sad, then angry again.  I write tonight to try and get some of it clearer within my own being.  I'm not sure that getting it all out here will do that - but maybe just a little of it.

 

During this process we have been given a lot of very lovely pieces which we will treasure for ever - but the process of these pieces coming into my home with no time to rearrange and clean up is causing it's own anguish I am afraid.

 

I know there is a season for everything.  This season is ours to help these people move into the next phase of their life - albeit too early for them to have to consider dementia care - but it has happened and he will need care. 

 

Am I selfish?  I don't know.  Help has not been offered to me through all that has gone before.  I struggle with my 'doing the right thing' and the thought that I could have not done any of it. After all I am the daughter in law. Was it really my place?

 

Lots of words which I am not sure have lightened the heaviness which I feel. 

 

Three weeks to go of a seven week marathon - wow - what a house pack up it has been. 

 

Maybe there has been a very great lesson in life to be learnt from this experience -  I know I will continue to sort and disperse all things from my home that are neither useful nor beautiful to me.

Christmas..3 days to go

 

 

Goodness, Christmas is here!

 

I can hardly believe that we are about to celebrate this season.  This year has passed in a blur of busyness.

 

 

Finally a little Christmas decorating has taken place as we prepare to begin our Christmas celebrations tomorrow with some of our family.

 

The decorations are streamlined and minimal this year - I just couldn't come at the whole decorated bit this year - the thought of having to put it all away was just too much.

 

 

In some ways I think I am the most organised I have ever been and I started way later than any other year.  It has been an exhausting week.

 

Just a few more little gifts to wrap and all will be complete.

 

 

A little baking has been done.  Hopefully a little more to come. 

 

We do so much at the shop that we just can't hardly look at by Christmas, so it's always nice to have some different bits and pieces to enjoy over the break.

 

With love, Christmas wishes and blessings to all who visit here.  May this Christmas be peaceful and restful for your family.

For the love of Vintage.....

 

I've been on the hunt again.  A little spare time on my way home and I find myself finding my favourite vintage treasure shops.

 

I have had to put my love of old and interesting bits and bobs on hold while our budget was so tight.  Thankfully, we are blessed with a little more in our budget through our newest work venture.

 

 

 

This little grouping is particularly lovely.  Two beautiful handworked pillow cases and a wonderful small table cloth.

 

I love to wonder at those whose hands have worked these beautiful items.  How does anyone part with them.

 

 

 Stunning hand crochet edging and tiny, weeny stitches.  So much love and thought. 

 

 

 

My fascination with hand towels continues - I must count them one day - or maybe not!!

 

I was on a mission for more - the ones above have been saved, too precious to cut up - only the raggy ones get cut and made into something else.

 

Old linens are a little hard to find where I live and so I continue to look and hope.

 

I did find some lovely ones in a condition not really worth saving and have had a lovely time creating once more. 

 

It was wonderful to be in my sewing room and just creating.  Yes, some late nights but oh so worth it.  You see, I am taking part in a market in a couple of weeks.  We are doing a joint stall with our bakery.  Beautiful Christmas food - cakes and puddings, white Christmas, rum balls, apricot balls and of course we will do some macarons. 

 

 

 

Three years between markets for Eleanor and Ruby.  I am quite looking forward to it.  However, the unknown side is a little daunting - maybe it will all come home with me!!

 

 

 

 Bracelets made with buttons made with vintage stitching.

 

 

Vintage stitched magnets.

 

 

 

Pushpins (thumbtacks) for the notice board.

 

 

 

Now to just get the next idea on the go - all in amongst the Christmas cake making!

Carrots...

 

Oh how wonderful and delightful to harvest carrots from the garden.

 

 

 

My only other attempts at growing carrots have not been at all successful.

Usually, I end up with bitter, twisted abnormal looking things by planting seedlings.

 

 

 

But, this time lovely straight carrots in all different sizes.  They are beautiful.

 

 

 

A whole box full

 

11.5 kilograms of them!

 

The secret seems to be planting seed.  This time we used Yates seed tape - it was fantastic.

 

I would say almost 100% success in the seed coming up.  So easy to use, just tear off at the length you want the rows to be and presto, carrots are planted!  There is six metres of tape in a packet.

 

I only thinned them a little. Next time I would probably take a few more out, but overall, I am very happy with how my carrot growing went!

 

 

 

I have peeled and prepared 2.5 kilograms for the freezer so far.  Better get a few more done.

 

We enjoyed some smaller ones with our roast dinner a few nights ago - delicious!

Changes....

 

I'm not quite sure where the last 22 years has gone.  I think I blinked and then, gone!  While life has been busy while children have grown, somehow that time has come for our eldest to leave home. 

 

Goodness, I didn't realise it is this hard. 

 

To make it a little harder he hasn't just left home, he has moved 3300 kilometres (2049 miles) from our home.

 

A four hour flight none the less, plus of course the two hour drive we have to reach an airport in the first place.

 

Our boy is an adventurer with some wonderful goals he wishes to fulfill in his lifetime.  He is a television cameraman.  Cameron has begun his career in the local television station here in our home city and has loved every moment of it.  His long term goal is to travel overseas to cover world news and that will simply not happen from here.

 

So, he has joined a national network and has moved to the top end of Australia.  It's a long way from us and I will miss him greatly.  From here he hopes that he will be sent on work assignments to the Asia region.

 

I know that he will be just so successful in this position and I know his dreams will come true.  This is just the beginning for him.

 



 

 

 

We helped him pack some essentials into two suitcases and he has begun his journey.  The rest of his gear will follow when he is able to move into some more permanent accommodation - for the moment he is a motel dweller with a suitcase!! 

 



 

 

 

I travelled to Darwin a couple of weeks ago to work out some accommodation for him.  It is a long way from here and I had exhausted the "google" searches and my phone calls were reaching dead ends.  It was certainly worth my trip. 

 

He will be living in a beautiful unit that will be available at the end of next month. 

 

While I was there, two very lovely people crossed my path.  I believe they were a gift from God and came at the moment when I thought all was almost too hard to get our boy to be able to live where he had gained employment.

 

These people have offered Cameron a room in their home while he waits for the unit to be available.  This could be up to a month or more.  Very kind and most generous.  For this I am so very grateful.

 

 



 

 

And so, our life has entered the next phase as it were.  We now have two children at home and one away on the next adventure in his career. 

 

In two years our baby will be finished high school and Mitchell will be finished his apprenticeship.

 

See, I blinked and look what happened!