Alcohol, and that innocent glass of wine

I went to a party last night. It is not normally the kind of party I usually go to, but I went because me and my husband love the couple that were putting it on. They are nice people, good friends to us, and we think they're great, and some of the nicest people we know.
We were warned by our friends that it might get a bit boozy late into the night, but that was ok, because we'd likely leave early anyway, to relieve our babysitters. I do have to add here that these friends and the people at the party are mature, respectable adults who hold down  incredible careers in highly-paid jobs, and are seen as very successful in the eyes of the world.
But something happened there which has made me feel sick to my stomach, and it's not because I have a hangover. Because I don't drink alcohol.

When we arrived, things were warming up.
My husband and I chose a long time ago not to drink wine/beer/spirits. There are a few reasons for this, but one of them is that because of the line of work my husband is in, he has seen the results of lives wrecked and ruined because of alcohol. I know that we are in the minority on this (and that there are many 'names' for us non-drinkers), and in a nation where the alcohol culture is widely spread across the social spectrum, it puts us on the outer, socially (which is narrow-minded in my opinion; because, if you look at it from the other side of the coin, I don't think they are strange or boring because they choose to drink); and I know that many people excuse the drinking of alcohol by saying that it is the people who mis-use it, not the alcohol itself. But alcohol does things to the brain - it suppresses impulse control and turns the most respectable, sensible people into silly, foolish ones who have little or no judgement. (And I do realise that the effects of alcohol are different in individuals. Some can take many drinks and still be lucid. Others can have one and lose control).

For example, last night a very nice lady that I met, and liked, had lots in common with and spent most of the night talking to, had only had 2 drinks (because she was driving), but even with that she was what I would call drunk enough to be spitting in my face when she talked and spilling the family secrets.

I am not going to go into detail about what happened after we left, but today the lives of two people we love are in tatters because some of the nice, respectable, mature, successful  'friends' that were at that party thought it would be fun to ply one of our friends with shot after shot, glass after glass, jelly after jelly (actually, I'm so naive I didn't even know what a 'jelly' was until last night). A nice, reasonable, decent person turned into someone out of character, because their friends thought it would be fun to watch and see what happened to someone who normally doesn't drink that much. I actually watched one of these so-called 'friends' force a vodka jelly down the throat of our friend.

And so today we are feeling distressed and saddened, and wondering how we can help these two dear people that we care about. Maybe I am naive. Maybe I am a wowser, but I am glad that no part of me or my money has been invested into an industry that can do this to people.

Right. I've got that off my chest now, and I can step off my soapbox.

Normal, non-alcoholic blogging will resume tomorrow.

Kiss Me

Look what I found my two babies doing the other night. I guess you could say they have lots of self-love.

The Backyard Burying Ground

With the price of groceries going up recently, and our wish to spend our money on things other than food, we have spent the last weekend putting in our vegetable garden.

The children were dying to help (excuse the pun) plant the seeds and get the garden ready. So I thought that now was the time to really teach them about gardening (I didn't tell them that I'm still learning myself).

As I was putting in the seeds, one after the other, I got to thinking how it's very like a death/burial/funeral, this seed planting. Really it is!

So as my two middle children squatted along side me in the garden vegetable plot, I used it as a way of teaching them how to plant.

Dig the hole for the burial.
Lay the seed in the hole.
Cover it over with dirt (not too much), and press down firmly on it with your hand.
Mark the spot with a stone (that was all we had on hand).

To make it fun we wrote on the stones with the date of death.
And the children (like the good little christian children they are) both said a little prayer thanking God for the seeds, and then praying that they would come to life and rise from the dead! Oh, we had fun with this!

And here are the row upon row graves of the unmarked Pea Family.

 

A Red Letter Day

I do love mail days after public holidays. Especially when I'm expecting several things. And especially when four of them arrive all at once! From all over the world.

One from the UK, one from the USA, one from Australia and one from the North Island of New Zealand.
A birthday present for me for next week, my last block of the month for my  Down in the Garden Quilt, 2 yards of beautiful fabric from Sew, Mama, Sew, and a Fireman Sam 2011 Annual for Teddy's birthday which cost 7 Pounds (that's less than $15 NZ) from my favourite place, The Book Depository.

I'm just thrilled with this fabric from the Sew,Mama,Sew sale. I was intending to use it as an outdoor tablecloth, but somewhere while converting metres to yards and inches to centimetres, my math went haywire and I don't have enough to cover the table (I knew I should have had my mathematic husband to do it for me). But it doesn't matter, because I'm sure I"ll find a use for it. The hardest part will be cutting into it - it's almost too pretty to cut!

Little Moments Monday

It's Labour Day here, and we've just had my dear Uncle and Aunt visit from the Marlborough Sounds.

* I like Mondays that are holidays.

* Napolean Sqaure and Custard Square are two entirely different squares, and now I don't know which I like better, but both are very fattening.

* Buying seeds and plants is extremely satisfying

* This morning while at the garden shop I nearly bought a Basil plant on impulse. I'm so glad I didn't now, because my aunty bought me one as a gift.

* My 5 year old son has been carrying a pocket knife around in his pocket all day and wants us to rename him as MacGyver.

* There is a new crack under the eaves at the back of our house.

*  To avoid embarrassment, always make sure at least one toilet is clean before guests arrive.

Homestead Blessings

I recently discovered the Homestead Blessings DVD series - through the popular Eyes of Wonder blog. With the exchange rate between America and New Zealand being so much back then, I put the series on my wishlist, never expecting that I'd be rich enough to afford the exchange rate and the postage. But not long ago I found that the DVD's were on sale and the postage not so bad, so I ordered one of them. The Art of Soap Making. Something I would really love to learn to do, but I've always been so scared to with the use of lye. I still haven't made the soap, but I reallly enjoyed the DVD - the West ladies (mother and 3 daughters), made it look so easy and simple and not scary. Plus I really enjoyed their company. And you really do feel as though you are in their company with their easy, relaxed way of teaching and sharing their skills and in showing you how to do it with their soft southern American accents.

Last week I ordered two more of the series. Candle-making and the Delights of Dairy (which I'm hoping will tell me how to make cheese and yoghurt from my kitchen). I don't know about you, but I am never satisfied with the scent that is in most NZ candles. Either they put in too much of a cheap scent, or too little of the expensive ones. I like the scent to fill the room while the candle is burning. So I figure it is best to make my own and get it how I want.

Then this morning I read on the West ladies' blog that they are having a giveaway of their newest DVD, The Art of Crafting. If you want to see what it's all about, go here for instructions on how to enter.

My Baby is Growing Up

A sign that your kids are growing older and more independant is when you have to move the bedrooms around.

Hugh is now 10 and wants to stay up later. The fact is that he doesn't need as much sleep now, but as a homeschooling mum of a busy and noisy household of four chatty children, I do like to have the evenings quiet, just to myself and Robin.
He has been sleeping in the same room as Teddy since Teddy's medical dramas a year ago, but because of the earthquake, Meredith doesn't want to sleep alone in her room anymore, and Hugh wants to stay up later, but Alice is not yet ready to share a room with Meredith.

We were going to wait until daylight saving was over, but the earthquake intervened, and we thought we might as well change around now, so yesterday we had a day off schoolwork and me and the two older ones got stuck in and did the transfer. It took 2 hours to transfer wardrobes over, but all day to sort through the boxes of mess, junk and treasures. Did I mention that my oldest girl is just like me at that age - messy. But she assures me she'll be tidy when she's older (I think I said the same thing to my mother. In fact, I know I did - talk about a deja-vu moment)!

Hugh now has his own room again, and Alice has a pretty pink room just made for little girls. And Hugh can go to bed and read until his light's-out time. (He is using Meredith's pretty bed for now, until we can get him a proper boys one. He doesn't mind because it's better than having to sleep in the pink room).

Making Children's Clothes - a book review

This is my 100th post. And I am planning to do a giveaway to celebrate, and I have my last 30's birthday coming up, so I'm going to do a combined 100th/39th birthday giveaway. But it will probably be next week.

But in the meantime, I have been enjoying this little book which I discovered on the counter of my local sewing store. But, the price was rather a lot, so I looked it up and found it $10 cheaper at The Book Depository (UK). Remember they have no postage fees! I would like to be able to support the local shops, but $10 would buy me a fat quarter of fabric and a coffee, so it's worth the saving.

Making Children's Clothes by Emma Hardy.

Just turning the pages givesw you a colourful feast of colour and the use of beautiful fabrics draws you to each design. The book takes several basic items of children's clothing (sizes 0-5), gives clear tutorials on how to sew them, and advice on how to adjust them for a more individual look.

I made this little summer top for Alice. I sewed it in one afternoon. The patterns seem to have a lot of handsewing required, but I kinda like that - it makes it feel more haute couture. :o)

The models for the clothes are gorgeous, as are the illustrations. I really like this popular way of drawing the illustrations and tutorials in colour.

The author lives in London, UK and one of the things I like about the book is that the measurements are given in both metric and imperial. Very thoughtful of her, I thought. And the seams are included, which is another great thing.

The book also includes instructions for little things like these adorable fabric flowers.

And because my sewing machine is in for repairs, I have not been able to finish these little outdoor play pants for Alice, but look at the fabric I found to make them in.

 

Quite cheerful, don't you think?

Little Moments Monday

It's funny the little things that take up the moments of your life. Here are a few of the little things swirling around in my brain today.

* My Bernina sewing machine broke two weekends ago. I took it in to get repaired almost straight away. I haven't heard anything from the repairshop, so I rang this morning and they haven't even looked at it. The lady told me it takes a week. Um.... it's been in there a week already. I am learning how to be assertive, so tomorrow I will phone again and ask. All this to teach me that I can't live without my sewing machine.

* Sometimes I ignore the phone when it rings. Caller display makes this even more useful!

*. I can mow lawns on my own. Believe it or not, I mowed the lawn for the first time in my life over the weekend. And I liked it. And it was on a ride-on. Now, where's my MP3?

* I have a pile of ironing to do this afternoon, but I like ironing when I have Larkrise to Candleford to watch while I do it, (and the little children are having naps).

* I paid my 8 year old daughter $1 to remove a large black spider from the kitchen floor this morning!

* I am going to a 40th birthday party in two weeks, and I have no idea what to wear.

* I hate having to think about and find babysitters.

* I spent far too much money at Forget Me Knots on Saturday, but I'm so happy I did.

* My 100th post is coming up soon, and I'm thinking about doing a giveaway.

* I love sunshiney mornings without wind.

Should Girls Skin Rabbits?

September 15, 1892

"Dear Dot,
We are 3 girls and we are sending you 6s to send to the Barnado Homes.
We each send 2s.
We made the money by selling our rabbitskins to a rabbiter who is living here just now. He gave us a penny for a rabbit and twopence if we skinned it and gave him the skin. Dear Dot, do you think it proper for girls to go picking up rabbits if they want the money for a good cause, and have no other way of getting it?
Nearly all the rabbits we got were poisoned ones.
We live near the seaside. It is very pretty here in the summer time, and many people come to spend their holidays.
Please, Dot, would you give us a name for a black pup. Good-bye, Dot.
Yours truly,


Janet, Annie and Mary"


Another Dear Dot letter taken from the Otago Witness newspaper column, Our Little Folks. I discovered these gorgeous little letters while doing some family history research and found some written by my own Great greats.
This little letter appealed to me, not only because it is so quaint when read over 100 years later, but because my own grandfather used to tell me stories of how he made a little money here and there catching and skinning rabbits for the itinerant rabbiters.

My Social Dilemma

This past year has been a strange year for us in many ways. Lots of strange things happening around us - and with a few exceptions, (like the earthquake), they haven't really affected us directly, but more our family and friends and we've been caught up in the drama and in some cases the impact and aftermath which has all been rather unsettling.

And on top of all that, we've had the uncertainty of change in our own family. We chose to homeschool our children before we even had children, for a variety of reasons. There really is no one reason why we chose homeschooling-but many. I do believe that homeschooling gives a child a true education - it is broad and can focus on important subjects that are nowadays left out at public school. I love classic education and I don't think there's too much of that anymore at the schools. However, in saying that, we are not 'anti-school.' Both homeschooling and public education have their pros and cons.

In choosing homeschooling I am aware of some of the disadvantages and I have tried to compensate for them in my own children. The big disadvantage I find in homeschooling is the social networking. Not socialisation. Let me be clear on that. Please don't misunderstand the difference. In most homeschoolers, socialisation is a myth, I am happy to say. Of course there are the extremes (as there are in any aspect of society).
You can go to school and still be unsocialised - in fact school is a breeding ground for unsocialised kids. Just think back to your own school days and remember. One of the differences between homeschooled kids and public schooled kids is that homeschooled kids have a broader acceptance of all types of people in society.

When I say that a disadvantage of homeschooling is the networking, it's more subtle than it seems and is quite hard to put into words. I think it comes into effect more when the children are at school-leaving age. University, part-time jobs, having a group of friends that they can identify with, having a history together. I remember my own small group of friends and the fun we had in exploring the world, feeling our freedom; meeting each other for lunch in the city was a novelty after sitting cross-legged on the playground at school with our sandwiches;  finding part-time jobs - helping each other find part-time jobs, talking about old times. As it turns out, we've followed each other through life - through love and loss, engagement, weddings, marriage, pregnancy, babies, child-rearing, wedding anniversaries, school choices for our children, and I suppose the next thing will be traversing through the teen years.There will always be that common connection between us - that special link of growing up together, of facing the challenges of the classroom together. It has been a good experience for me, and I would like that for my children. But I do realise too that the world has changed and so have many of the dynamics of school life, although human nature is still much the same as it ever was.

The social networking is one reason why we are considering sending the children to school - at least until highschool level, and then homeschooling them again through to university. My son really wants to learn technology (woodworking, metal work, etc). To take part in that in the homeschooling world, I have to set aside a whole morning out of the week to drive him clear across the city, with my three other children in tow, who are all too young to take part. Which means they are missing out on their education too. So I have had to let it go. He also really wants to get involved in more sport. At the moment, we can only commit to one sport for him and his brother in the summer, and his sister in the winter. If he were going to school, we could work in with the other parents, but when you're homeschooling you're mostly on your own, unless you find other homeschooling families with similar interests and goals, and in New Zealand that doesn't give you a huge amount of choice. The big question is, which is more important for my child - education or social networking?
My head tells me that education is more important that anything else - it is what will make them successful in life, able to earn money, provide for their families and not end up sleeping under bridges. Yet, if they don't have that sense of belonging among their peers, that can be just as damaging as not having an education. I know it is true, because I have been around cloistered homeschoolers long enough to see it happen. Sweet, lovely kids turning into tragic cases because their parents have not given them the freedom they desired at the right stage of life.

However, just this last week I have heard negative things about school that have got me thinking again about my big dilemma. To homeschool or to school? A friend's daughter who is 11 years old is not allowed a cell phone of her own, or to use the internet unsupervised. Reasonable, don't you think? I would do the same. Perhaps we're old-fashioned. But this has branded her beautiful, intelligent, friendly daughter a weirdo at her school and she now finds herself on the bottom of the ladder socially, and is subsequently miserable. Which is not conducive to a healthy learning environment.

Another friend's child who goes to public school is having to daily deal with a 'mean girl' - who excludes her from playing with any of the other children. It's completely random - some days are good, some days are not and is all at the whim of this selfish, ill-bred girl in her class.

Then I hear from some older girls who stayed with us last weekend after helping out at a holiday camp. They were horrified at what the 10 year old boys knew. Things that 10 year old boys shouldn't know. My oldest boy is ten and has no idea about this side of life.

If I were to send my children to school, even if the majority of the children were nice and good and from happy homes, it would only take one of these children who wasn't  to destroy their innocence, to change their wholesome world view and to take away their happiness of a happy and carefree childhood.

Yet, I know that I cannot cocoon them at home for the rest of their lives. There will come the day where they will know about these things, they will have to face it, deal with it and move on.  I would not keep them here at home where they are safe and innocent all their lives, so when does that transition happen? Should it happen at 10 years old? I don't think so. But how do you ensure your children adjust in a healthy way from childhood to teenhood to adulthood? These are the questions that I am asking myself these days. These are the decisions that are weighing on our minds. All we want is the best for our children, and it is deciding the right path with the least amount of conflict.

Apple Blossom

Some pictures from my fledgling Apple Orchard. Mostly they are taken from the tree that my sister gave me, the old fashioned apple, Monty's Surprise. Some are also from Cox's Orange Pippin. I love old fashioned apple trees.

The little buds of the blossom look so sweet just before they open up. It's amazing how they are curled up on themselves.

Hawaii

I used to live in Hawaii. Some of you might not know that little fact about me.
It was a long time ago, but I actually went to university in Hawaii. And the thing about Hawaii is, that it gets into your blood. You don't forget it.

I have not forgotten that beautiful fragrant heat. The tropical rain. The tourists. The beaches. The sunsets. The fresh tropical fruit for breakfast. Every. Day.
I lived on the Big Island - the main island of Hawaii - which is not anywhere near Honolulu, and is not usually over-run with tourists. I saw my first total solar eclipse on July 11, 1991 from the balcony of my Kailua-Kona apartment.

All these years later, the enduring memories of Hawaii are the fragrant air, and the coffee. You have not tasted coffee until you have had Hawaiian coffee. I kid you not. It is the best.

Last week, a colleague of Robin's went to Hawaii and was so very kind to bring back both of those memories for me. Happiness in a bag, so to speak. I once paid a fortune to get some posted to me, which I will never do again, so when anyone goes to Hawaii, this is always my first request.

And the fragrance of the beautiful island comes home to me in the form of this loveliness:

I open the lid, I sniff. Ahhhh - Hawaii. I miss you.

A Handmade Silk Purse

A good friend of mine is soon to have a significant birthday. In wanting to get her something special, I just didn't want to go out and buy something from a shop somewhere without much thought going into it. She likes feminine, but with a sophisticated air, and has expensive taste.

Because I've been enjoying stitchery alot lately, and because the possibilities for design are almost endless with that, I thought to incorporate some of that into the gift. And I wanted to use the best possible materials. What springs to mind when you think of the best fabric available? Why silk. Of course. What else?

So this is what I have made my friend. On the back I have stitched her initials and the year, along with a few tiny daffodils. In a few weeks she will own it - I think it would be best as a makeup purse - easily slipped into a handbag. I'm rather pleased with the result. I hope she will like it too.

The free pattern and tutorial for the purse comes from one of my favourite bloggers, Flossie Teacakes. The stitchery layout is my own, using Leanne Beasley's designs.

.I made the lining using a cotton print.

* If any of my New Zealand or Australian readers are going to make the purse, I would recommend using a 6 inch zip, instead of the 8 inch that Florence lists on her tutorial. I had to take my first zip out as it was too long for the measurements of the purse, and the corners wouldn't turn properly. Perhaps the UK zips are made longer?

Life Changing Events

It's a month since the Earthquake and we are still dealing with one of our children who is more than a little traumatized. My husband Robin and I were talking about this yesterday and how we are going to best help this child through it.  There are many different approaches to this.

At first I took the approach of, well - we now know what it feels like to be in a large earthquake. If it ever happens again in your lifetime, kids - you'll now exactly what to do, won't you? Then taking them through the whole escape plan thing - trying to down-play the fear - putting the power back into their hands.
This approach worked well for two of my children.

The other approach was to read the children from The Listener how one geologist said that it all depends what type of soil your house is built on, as to how your house will cope in an earth-shattering event. He suggested digging a hole a metre deep next to your house to have a look. If it's sandy, or loamy, or silty - then you could be in trouble. If it's rock, or stone or clay, then you should be ok. That little lessen resulted in three of my children digging a very large hole in the back yard - and proving to us all that we have a difficult time growing a garden because we have very stony, clay soil. But that's good in an earthquake, right!

But still, one of my children has a hard time at night. I think it's because the main earthquake came as such a surprise when we were all tucked up in a place which you connect with security and safety, but also a place where you are at your most vulnerable. Bed. And because we often seem to get the largest aftershocks late at night or early in the morning - or so it seems. Perhaps it's just because we're not moving around, busy doing this and that, and you notice them more, because you're resting.

So . . . what to do? I don't know. We're just giving lots of reassurance, lots of walking around the house checking things, pointing out that the roof is strong, that the house is strong, lots of sleeping on the floor in our room or with other siblings.

Robin and I talked about the 'worst case scenario' thing and whether that would be a good approach with this child. But I don't think so. It doesn't work for me - in fact it makes things worse for me, because sometimes the worst case can happen. It's not impossible. And I don't think this child would find it helpful. In the middle of last night this child's Dad said, "the roof is not going to fall down." And the child answered, "but how do you know that for sure?" No. I don't think the worst-case scenario would be a good idea.

It's funny how these dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime events can change your whole entire outlook on the world, on your world, on how you approach things. Unless you have been through a life-threatening event, it's difficult for anyone to understand it. The fear with the earthquake is that it will happen again. The worst-case scenario with that is that the roof will collapse on top of you. So you start thinking about that and wondering if it happened again, will the roof hold? Will I be somewhere safe?

This is the first real, life-threatening event that my husband has been through in his lifetime. Sure, he's been through some traumatic times, losing his mother and father while reasonably young, having a child in medical danger, and other events, but nothing in which his life was threatened or his well-being. He and I have often laughed at my pessimistic view on some things, but I have always said to him that my worst-case scenario/overactive imagination might one day save his life. I've been telling him that if another big earthquake comes when he is at the office - on the second story of a 3 story building, to get outside, not under his desk. It would be better to risk falling into a land fissure than having the third story come tumbling down on you while curled up under a flimsy office desk. It has got him thinking, and talking with some of his colleagues. What do you think? If outside access is easy, and quick, what would you do?

This is my third life-altering experience, and suddenly I start to recognize the same symptoms in my husband and children. And it is like a light has gone on in my husband as to why I react the way I do in certain circumstances. Why I am afraid of flying. Why I am paranoid about losing my baby in the first 3-4 months of pregnancy. Why I always think worst-case scenario. It's probably a case of post-traumatic stress syndrome, but then so many other people go through so many worse experiences. I can deal with the trauma, recognize it for what it is and learn to live with it as part of my life experience, and lessons God has seen fit to bring along my way. It's recognizing a vulnerability in yourself. An awareness of your mortality and the mortality of everything around you. Nothing lasts forever - and learning to embrace the joy and pleasures and security, and life of today and taking no thought (seriously) of tomorrow or what might come.

For me, the three life changing events I have experienced have taught me that every day is precious.
Every human encounter is interesting.
Every person on this earth has struggles.
Every life is is beautiful.
Every moment of life is priceless.
Joy can be found everyday.
Make the most of all experiences.
Pleasure is even in the midst of the mundane.
Learning to live without regret.

I Made A Fence - using kitchen ties

I love the school holidays for a chance to get things done around here.
For awhile I've been trying not to nag my husband to put up a windbreak fence across my orchard. But it's just one of those jobs that is fairly well down on the list of 'things to do on the lifestyle block' in the precious amount of time he gets at the weekend.
So with all this freetime on my hands this week, after telling the children we were going to have a quiet home week, I thought to myself that there's no reason why I can't do the fence myself. Right?
It's that #8 wire mentality we kiwis are supposed to born with (a cliche which I personally cringe at everytime I hear it).

So I've changed it from #8 wire - to kitchen ties mentality.

I built a windbreak fence across the western end of my orchard yesterday using kitchen ties. Yes I did!

Hammering metal rod stakes into clay soil  (nearly taking off my thumb at one point) is no easy task, and then draping the very ugly green windbreak across it in an easterly can be challenging, but using my copious supply of kitchen ties to hold it in place was easy. Easy!

And here it is - it's not finished yet, as I ran out of stakes. Another trip to Mitre 10 coming up soon, I think. It will be interesting to see how it holds up in a nor'wester, which is why it is there - but I'm sure my baby fruit trees are grateful. They will live to see another year, I hope.

Down in the Garden Sneak Peak

My year-long quilting project is drawing to a close. Amazingly for me, I have managed to keep up each month with each block, and I have two months left before it is all finished. It has been all-consuming, but so very satisfying. I love the colours in this quilt designed by Leanne Beasley, and I love the romanticness and the prettiness and the unashamedly feminine-ness of it.

A Home Day

I took an unexpected blogging hiatus this last week or so. And it's like being away from a good friend.
The school holidays are usually quiet for us, but I've noticed this year that it just gets busier and busier as the children get older. I have hardly been at home this first week of the holidays because of all the things that the children have wanted to do, or are involved in.

However, today we put aside thoughts of visiting the library (in spite of overdue dvd's), and just stayed home, and I'm so glad we did. It has been a beautiful day here in Canterbury. Warm and sunny, and for the most part - wind-free. I threw open all the doors, and all the windows and decided to turn my hand to a bit of spring-cleaning.

I changed and made 6 beds today. Usually I spread it out over the week, but as I've hardly been home this week I was all out of my routine.

I have also cleaned four toilets, 2 showers, and scrubbed and scrubbed the toothpaste off the mirrors and basins in the children's bathrooms. How it gets there, I do not know.
Well, yes actually, I do. And I'm quite sure that any parent of small children knows exactly what I'm talking about.

I've vacuumed, and mopped and aired and ironed and now I am tired, but feeling good that a good deal of the house is clean and smelling fresh and vinegary. (I use alot of white vinegar to clean my glass shower doors).

The children have had a lovely day playing out in the sunshine, building wooden helicopters, painting it, and playing hockey. In spite of the hard work, it has been a lovely day - it's so nice to be enjoying warm weather and sunshine again.

I love my new chicken run - it keeps the poop off the decks. Plus, it's pleasant hanging out washing listening to their clucking and chattering.

Don't you just love it when the weather cooperates and you can open up all the doors and windows.

Making wooden toys and hockey sticks in the sunshine.

I bet there's a lot of people up there on that mountain skiing today. What a blessing to have such a view from my back yard.