not so good news...

I'm absolutely wrecked. 

We've spent the past few days uptown in a hospital, dealing with tests, tests & more tests. 

My dear husband has been diagnosed with Thyroid Eye Disease & currently only has use of one of his eyes. The other is shut & when held open, has double vision. He starts treatment on monday, a dose of steroids each week for a month & a half. Hopefully this will be enough & further treatments won't be needed. 

He is most upset that he is unable to drive, it is his most favourite thing. There is a chance that he may not be able to race for quite some time. That's him below, racing at Phillip Island.

I may not be around much over the next few weeks. I'm emotionally & physically drained.

I'm staying positive though & we're just taking one day at a time. There's a few big decisions to be made. Big decisions scare me. Once I've made them I'm fine... it's just the whole lead up to them.

Huckle's birthday party is tomorrow. All of our lovely friends & family are helping the party happen. I am so grateful for their support, I really wouldn't have coped on my own. So, so grateful.

I hope you're having a gorgeous weekend.

Chat soon. x

wednesday colour...

A little colour inspiration to brighten your week.

Autumn leaves again. I do hope you are not tiring of them, for there is more autumnal goodness to come.

a slight delay...

The 12 month photo has been delayed a little. Huckle is hands down refusing to sleep today & I've done everything but tape my hands to my feet in desperate measure to NOT PULL MY HAIR OUT!

Sorry for yelling.

I'm distracting myself with some scenes from my time in the garden this week. 

Starting our winter sowing (probably a little late), chopping firewood (yes, I chopped it... well this tiny amount anyway) & picking roses to pretty up the bathroom.

Hopefully I'll have some headspace freed up sometime soon, so I can write about all the magical things my lovely little Huckle is up to now that he is one.

I hope your day is lovely & sunny & that all your smalls are sleeping (if you have them of course).

one...

Our little Huckle man turned a whole year this Easter day.

Happy Birthday sweet baby boy!

Our day involved zucchini & corn fritters for brekkie, a country drive, two markets, vintage toy & puzzle purchases, fried rice & dahl for lunch, a play in the playground, shoulder rides with Dada, orange & passion fruit birthday cake, teriyaki salmon for tea, more cake, lots of stories, playing & lots & lots of kisses & cuddles. 

A lovely ambling day.

Tomorrow there shall be more photos & perhaps a few sentimental words about the year that's passed. I better find a hankerchief... it's bound to be a tear jerker.

a happiest easter to you...

The past few days have been a bit blasé around these parts. I've been a bit off colour & perhaps a bit mopey too.

My head is full of thoughts, ideas & wonderings, but I'm having trouble getting it all into words. Writer's block it is. It may appear that i don't have much to say... but I do! Really I do! It's just that writing it into something that's even vaguely coherent seems to be the struggle. 

Maybe it has something to do with the mystery of the missing eggs.

Since the arrival of the Barnevelders, the Isa Browns have been funny about where they lay their eggs. At first one started laying in an old wine crate on the back porch, then the other joined her. The wine crate wasn't very private & there was a bit of fighting over who went first. Every morning it was quite a calamity.

Just this past week the eggs stopped altogether. I searched all the usual spots to no avail. I was becoming quite desparate for eggs & was longing to bake something. I just couldn't bring myself to buying eggs. I've become an egg snob! I was wishing & wishing for the Barnevelders to start laying.

But then today we found them. Hurrah! While we were poking about in the top paddock, the husband spied the stash. Twelve big eggs just in time for easter. 

Now I can make Hot Cross Buns, a very special birthday cake & even have eggs for brekky.

All's well that ends well.

Happy Easter to you all. May your eggs be plentiful be they from chicken or bunny. 

wednesday colour...

A little colour inspiration to brighten your week.

still in the mist...

I had such a lovely time traipsing around in the morning mist, photographing the alpacas. I took myself around the property, capturing this moment of autumn. 

I know I always go on about how wonderful autumn is... but isn't it wonderful?!

I hope you have a lovely weekend, be it autumn or spring. 

alpacas in the mist...

Such funny creatures. This is the first chance I've had to capture them up close without Huckle by my side. They're very curious about Huckle, but they don't pay me too much attention. That makes for an easy subject.

The grey one is Loco... because he is crazy. He often will chase the other one around & is the leader of the two. 

The brown one is Pogo... just because it sounds funny. Once when he was being chased by Loco, he jumped into the dam to escape. He swam to the other side & scrambled up the bank. Such a sight!

of warm days & winter...

The days are getting shorter around these parts, warm & sunny days are a real treat. 

Last week Huckle & I spent many days on the lawn having picnics & watching the alpacas.

He loves being outside so much & often cries when we go back inside. I'm not sure how keen I'll be to go outside to play in the middle of winter. We'll definitely have to rug up! The wind down here roars off the Bass Strait, fresh from Antarctica. Brrrr.

I must get to making some lovely winter woolies before winter is upon us. I have a wishlist already written out. It goes something like this:

Huckle:: 2 beanies, 2 neckwarmers, mittens, a vest, a jumper & some warm pants

Mama:: beanie, cowl & wrist warmers

Husband:: jumper, wristwarmers & a manly cowl

I'm looking forward to nights in front of the fire knitting & crocheting away. It's nice to look forward to the cooler weather (ahem. what do I mean "look forward to"! It's been here for months).

Are you looking forward to winter? 

a website for n&b...

I've been working myself up to building a website... & then I chickened out. Instead I built a blog that kinda looks like a website. One day I'll have a proper, grown up website.

It's still a work in progress, so please bear with me while I iron out some creases & maybe even write something in the "about" page.

You can get there via the button on the right.

If you pop over, I'd love to hear your thoughts. If there's something you think is missing, or if there's it's completely naff, let me know. I'm open to suggestions.

I'm offline for the next week, as my internet is fixed yet again. Three modems in five months! 

I've scheduled in a few posts to keep things running.

Have a happy week-end & weekend!

wednesday colour...

A little colour inspiration to brighten your week.

25 years...

Happy Anniversary to my Mum & Dad!

This photo is my favourite, I think it's so sweet. 

25 years, 4 kids & 2 grandkids is pretty impressive.

I was four when they were married, a sweet little flower girl I was. Sure I looked cute, but I screamed throughout the ceremony. The priest asked the maid of honor "Who's child is that?!!" only to hear the reply, "The bride's". Too funny. 

They're off to Hawaii on Thursday, to celebrate & be lovers. Hooray for lovers! Have a wonderful time.

Here's to another 25 years! 

this, that & gen mai cha...

The past few days have felt very hectic.

Friday I spent time in the studio, only to have a day of the EITTTS (everything I touch turns to shit {blatantly stolen from Madam Ric Rac}). It's so frustrating, when this is the only day I get & the circuit that links my brain to my hands decides to go on strike. Seriously, it was klutz central. Luckily only fabrics were harmed & there were no scissor incidents.

Saturday was spent driving up town & back. I got myself a haircut, we had some yummy lunch & picked up a huge colourful kilim rug for our lounge. It's so amazing, total transformation. Everytime I see it, I smile. Lovely.

Today was kitchen day, I made bread, pikelets, dahl & stew. We lit the first fire of the season & have enjoyed a quiet day pottering about. Huckle & I played numerous games of shape sorter, blocks & stacking rings. 

I have drunk many pots of gen mai cha this past week. I find it calming & the smell just takes me back to Japan. If you haven't tried it before, it's a green tea with roasted brown rice. It has a lovely robust & nutty flavour. 

When making your pot of gen mai cha (or any green tea for that matter), it's important to infuse it in water that is between 70 & 80 degrees celsius. Too hot & the water will scald the tea, creating a bitter flavour. If you don't have a thermometer, a good way of measuring this is to pour boiling water into your pot & let it sit for a few minutes before adding the tea.

After the effort of preparing the tea, sit, relax & take in the lovely aroma, then sip away & feel the warmth soothe your mind. Aaah, bliss.

For the dear ladies who commented on my sunflower post... I just couldn't choose four. 

So you all shall have sunflower seeds to grow in your garden. Thank you for commenting.

I hope your weekend was full of happiness.

I'm off to lounge about in front of the fire & admire my rug. 

my creative space...

It's all in my mind today. Umming & aahing as to what I shall make with my Umbrella Prints trimmings pack. I may or may not make it in time for the competition, but I just couldn't resist this little pack of treasure.

Tomorrow is studio day, so there should be something to show then. I have a list as long as my arm... if you've met me in person, you'd know how freakishly long this is! Ha ha. I don't get called Siamang for nothing.

If you'd like 50 sunflower seeds (grown & harvested by yours truly) to plant in your garden next spring, pop over here & let me know. I'm drawing four names tomorrow afternoon (friday).

Pop over to Koo's to get your crafty fix.

sunflower harvest & some seeds for you...

Sunflowers make me happy. Waiting for them to flower, admiring their big sunny heads & when it's all over you get lots & lots of seeds!
Our sunflowers have been hanging their heavy heads for a few weeks now. When the back of the heads turned yellow, I knew it was time to start the harvest.

It's a slow process, especially when you have a Huckle helper who prefers to grasp full handfuls & throw them about like confetti. There was a lot of interest from the chookens too, which meant a lot of shoo, shoo, shooing. I managed just one today & there are still many to go.
I now know why sunflower kernels are pricey... the time & effort to harvest them. I'm sure they use a machine, or at least have some age old trick that I'm yet to learn. Maybe by flower number twenty, I'll have that figured it out.

Some of these seeds will be saved for next years planting & the rest will be hulled for eating in muesli & salads. Yummo!

I'm going to make up 4 packets of 50 seeds to give to you my lovely readers. If you'd like a pack, leave me a comment. Maybe you'll tell me your favourite flower, or maybe just say hi. I'll leave that part up to you.
I'll draw some names on friday.
This is only for my Aussie readers of course, as customs would snatch these babies up.

wednesday colour...

A little colour inspiration to brighten your week.

I'm loving this seasons grapes, little bursts of sweetness.

cranky pants...

This morning I started piecing together this quilt top... & then I ran out of cotton!
Now I'm a well behaved grown up, but if I wasn't... if I was a small child, who didn't know any better... I would have thrown the biggest tantrum. C-R-A-N-K-Y!

I'm loving this combination of fabrics & it's haphazard design. I really want to finish it.

Oh well, I now have a mission for the weekend. Let's see if I can enter a fabric store & leave with only cotton. No promises.
I know you'll all be placing bets on what I don't leave with. Please, please don't let me get too distracted that I forget the cotton!
Wish me luck & have a happy weekend!