Last weeks of Winter

The last weeks of Winter. It has been rather mild with only two or three days where the day temperature didn’t manage to climb above the 20 degree mark. 

Lovely nights by the fire, listening to the roaring August winds.

Winter & Spring is the time of year we get Autumn colours. Everything gets dry and brown, colours get muted under a layer of dust, the air often hazy from all the bushfires around. 

The sky gets that special colour of blue, so typical with “cooler" temperatures.

This is the first time that I’m not looking forward to Summer. 

Still a little traumatised about last crazy hot Summer, many are relishing the beautiful Winter days.

Sander had to go to a training in Sydney for a couple of days. The kids were not impressed, Tim of course woke up the morning of the flight with a nightmare that dads plane was going to crash!

A bit reluctant Sander left for the airport, only to hear that his plane had needed to make an emergency landing in another city, but it would be ready to fly out that evening... 

Just in case, he drove to the next airport, booked another flight with another airline...

 Even managed to find a climbing wall on his free evening. 

Alex has outgrown ours...

Very patient bear rides

Really, all yours...

 Water fights and rockmelon. 

A little baking, I found a French cookbook at the library. This one was the bomb, thin pastry with caramel to glue the brain looking walnuts.

The kids decided on the name “Brain Pie”.

Trying to work out strategies to keep dinner time a little less chaotic. Too many hungry, tired, cranky meltdowns to my liking. These grazing platters seem to help.

First training with the roller and lunging rope. 

Laura was a bit confused about needing to walk circles around her human. “Really?!?!?”

 Still working on my own ragtag quilt. Not completely happy yet, so instead of rushing to finish it in time for Winter, I’ll take a little more time to make sure I’m happy with the end result.

Going for walks along the river, while Tim has his guitar lessons. 

The last game, carnival and training is behind us, looking forward to a couple of quiet (soccer free) weekends...

Sander finally bit the bullet and bought the coffee machine of his dreams.

 My mum arrived two weeks ago, the kids gave her the royal treatment. 

 A week later my sister turned up with her family. It has been 4 years since we’ve seen each other.

David took about 5 seconds to warm up, I’ve been told we look alike...

Tim and his niece Lotte 

Day trips, Mulligans Hut is always a favourite.

Fall in the water, take of your clothes and just keep going. 

No longer hampered with shoes and such.

Way before my family started booking their flights, I had booked Playgroup in for a fundraiser at the local hardware store. And since I’m the one organising and running it, my family got roped in to a true Australian experience: a sausage sizzle.

Enjoying a day trip to Woolgoolga

 My brother in law, Bram. Soaking up the sun.

 Cousins

Sisters 

A day after my sister and her family resumed their travels through Australia, it was time to say goodbye to my mum at the train station. It’s awfully quiet now at home...

 Watering the fruit trees with the gang, it has become so dry.

Loving the drip irrigation, this will make a huge difference for the perennials and fruit trees in the border. The garden beds have been mostly planted out. The watermelons, rockmelons capsicums, tomatoes, zucchinis and eggplants all have had an early start. Hoping that they’re established before it gets too hot.

Comfort food, my favourite salad: grilled vegetables and haloumi with garden salad and crunchy sage leaves.
After a couple of crazy busy months, I have worn myself a little thin. Resulting in my knee issues playing up, emotional eating flare-up and getting sick too often. Three days of horrendous fevers, a throat where every bit of saliva you swallow feels like broken glass and 5 days of not eating have been a wake up time (again) to take stock. It’s a balancing act, besides the kids I need to look after myself and prioritise. Taking a couple of balls out of the juggling act. Too many times I’ve found myself with a flutter of panic in my chest and a jumble of thoughts and lists in my head.
Making sure that besides work and chores there is also fun and time to just be.
Well, yesterday evening that became a dancing act: salsa lessons with my hubby. Did we have fun!!!