Week one of the autumn holidays done and dusted!

Phew! I am soooo tired. Really should be in bed but feel compelled to blog (could also be the huge helping of cafe grande connoisseur ice cream I just stuffed into my face giving me a sugar rush!)

So Monday we went round to a friend's home to make some needle felted eggs - they look fabulous but I forgot to take pictures ~ I will tho ~ later. Our big girls both grabbed a block of foam, a ridiculously sharp barbed needle and fleece and got very busy making about four eggs each ~ we adults managed two a piece (and I stabbed myself. Oh! it really hurts!). The little ones fought over everything until hers went to bed and mine played delightedly on her own with all the other child's 'stuff'.

Tuesday we joined another friend and her children for a rainforest walk up Mt Glorious. It was glorious too ~ The weather is about 5 degrees C cooler in the mountains so we got to wear cardigans! It has also been raining quite a bit in the last weeks so we treked along about 5km of slippery mud tracks spotting centipedes and climbing trees before we reached the river pools where the children declared it was hot, stripped off most of their gear and splashed about.

Hunger ended the water play and we walked back (a steady incline, a few falls in the mud and with my heart beating a steady exercise induced rhythm) to the main park for our picnic lunch.

The children played so well together ~ there were no cross words, tears or tantrums. My companion knitted (a project for herself!) I did not much other than chase the wee one about. Then we spoiled any good the exercise did us by having a huge chocolate muffin and hot chocolate at a little cafe on the way down the mountain. Magic way to spend the day.

Hmm Wednesday I made quite a few root babies, we baked (dutch ginger and almond slice - Ooooooo yum), I did quilting (actually it is so part of my rhythm now I do it everyday. I am starting to feel positive now tho that I will get it finished in time). My big girl helped me pin about a thousand pins to hold all the little triangles in place because I don't have the luxury of a 'design board' like the pattern instructions suggest I should and you can imagine how long pretty little triangles of fabric would stay in place on the lounge room floor once the wee one got up from her sleep!

My big girl also made my pin cushion look very pretty.

What else did we do? Oh we walked to the park, stopping to talk to all the "ro, ro's" I wonder if she realises that the longer we talk to (stop and look at) the many, many dogs in our street the more often and likely they are to bark? sounds like this RO RO RO RO RO RO RO followed very quickly by the dog next door joining in ro ro ro RO RO ro, and the one next door etcetera.

Thursday. The girls fought all day! this is my fault because I wanted to finish off a couple of things I have been working on - a pincushion for M.Bloom and my autumn exchange gifts as part of the southern hemisphere season exchange. I can't show you pictures of either yet ~ mostly because I want to torment dear Bloom a bit longer - Australia to US postage can take its sweet time airmail or not. While we were out and after we posted parcles, we went to another park, made pretend milkshakes and lemon syrup cakes, slid on the slides and then went home.

Thursday's evening meal was made by my big girl ~ mini beef wellingtons, because she is clever and because I don't like sticking my hands in mince and egg and stuff.

Today. The wee girl woke pre dawn (Again. It appears to be her rhythm ~ I am not a fan) and so after breakfast, a bit of a play, books, a bit of quilting while she was busy amusing herself, we cleaned the fish tank...it was still early, we had not changed out of our pjs.

When the big girl joined us and the fish was busy admiring his reflection (Oh, hello. What big eyes you have) we went for a walk, climbed a few fences by way of a short cut and stopped at the bakery for umm what felt like lunch because I had been awake so long but was actually only morning tea.

We baked again - cranberry and chocolate chip butter biscuits. The wee girl slept. I sewed. The big girl watched Pippy Longstocking dvds.

I am getting there!

After a late lunch we went for a swim. OH MY the water was freezing! That is it for me no more stupid ideas like that til late spring at the very soonest. We bailed out of the let's have a swim and lazy round the pool and retired to the deck for a swing in the hammock and to finish reading Sadako and the thousand paper cranes (we had a big cry ~ much better to have a big cry in the afternoon than just before bed don't you agree?)

Right now? I am about to finish my third glass of wine (must be a record for me, I am not asleep yet, tho I will be as soon as I log off). If you fancy you still have til this coming Wednesday to put your name in the hat for a little Wednesday root baby of your own. Enjoy your weekend.