End of Summer

We got in one more afternoon at the pool before it closed for the season today.

And a dragonfly rescue by my niece,

and a spot of mini golf,

I enjoy having my Mum and nieces visit in the holidays for myself, but I love it even more because it makes Charlie so, so happy. He really lights up when they are here.

I am looking forward to the cooler weather, but the forecast is still in the 30's for the next few days. I hope you're enjoying the weather wherever you are.

Mx

Another Baby Quilt

Another simple squares quilt, this time for a girl!

All fabrics bought from Calico and Ivy, picked out by the expectant mother.

I'd really like to do some garment sewing, but I can't seem to stop making quilts, I love them! Which works out well really since I'm going to have to start stock piling baby quilts as more and more of our friends are heading towards this stage of life.

And again, my little helper that just has to get amongst it when a quilt gets laid out for photographing.

Mx

drumMUSTER

I am all about recycling. I love seeing "waste" rescued and transformed into something useful. And my mother will tell you I've always been a bit of a tree hugger, so I couldn't put my hand up fast enough when our playgroup asked for volunteers to be trained by Agsafe for the collection of old chemical drums in their awesome drumMUSTER program. (The playgroup gets so many cents per container collected)

Basically, farmers use a lot of chemical and need a way to dispose of the drums they come in. The farmers rinse out residual chemical from the drums, we inspect them to make sure they have been rinsed out, and then they wait at the depot until the shredding truck comes that breaks the drums down for transport. The plastic gets made in to all sorts of useful stuff like wheelie bins.

Steel containers as you can see, are also collected.

Since its inception in 1999 almost 24 000 tonnes of recyclable material has been kept out of landfill. Go drumMUSTER!

We had a collection day yesterday, it makes me happy that these drums aren't clogging up our landfills or collecting in a stockpile uglying up someone's farm.

Mx

Duke of Orleans Bay

We are just back from a week of camping at 'The Duke' Orleans Bay caravan park 88km's east of Esperence. We had planned on staying for 2 weeks but the Mr isn't a good sleeper at the best of times and our crappy mattresses just weren't cutting it. Even I, of the Sleep Anywhere Tribe wasn't enjoying their pathetic cushioning.

Despite less than refreshing sleep it was a good trip and we're glad we've finally seen Esperence and the beauty that is Cape Le Grand national park.

We had a couple of deliciously massive burgers at the Condingup Tavern and got a shock at our $20 two drink round. Great food and good service though.

And I committed to partaking of a cheesy cauliflower pie from the French Hot Bread Shop everytime we made the drive to Esperence. Delicious!

Condingup is the tiny town at the turn off to the caravan park, they have a nice community centre and a church I wonder if gets used.

I'm not sad about being home early, I'm hoping having the Mr at home and occupying Charlie some of the time helps me get on top of the house. If anyone has suggestions for camp mattresses please let me know.

Mx

Icecream for Breakfast

Not as bad as it sounds. I've been pushing frozen bananas through my Champion juicer and it spits it out banana icecream Mr Whippy style.

I like to add maca powder and healthy sprinkles for crunch. Maca is purportedly a superfood and I like the way it takes the edge off the sweetness of the bananas. This would be an all 'raw' breakfast if it wasn't for those chocolate sprinkles.

Speaking of superfoods, I've been listening to David Wolfe in the car, and I got to meet him after a lecture once. Charlie was a growing in my belly in this photo.

I've never felt better than when I was a raw foodist. I want to get back there, but you're weird enough being a vegetarian out here.

Mx

The Weekend

We headed off to Perth after the welcome new residents event at the pool on Friday night.

Every year, we have Shiraz Picking Day at Stakehill Estate Winery. We pick grapes and get paid in wine! It is great having a winery in the family. I love their Chilli Creme wine :)

We stopped to check out the Mr's old boarding house from high school on the way home. Beautiful grounds on the river but not a good experience for the Mr. Something we will have to think about in the future for Charlie.

We drove off out of the sunset.

Hope you had a lovely weekend.
Mx

Valentine's Day

Charlie wears his heart on his calf...

Happy Valentines Day, my gift to you is to send you over here and here for a couple of hilarious Ryan Gosling style hey girls.

Mx

The Weekend

Poker night - I won, about to hop on to Book Depository and spend my winnings...

Tennis - Inter Club Day, I sat on the sidelines with my embroidery (I didn't get picked for  a team and one of us has to watch Charlie anyway). I love being older, I would have been too worried about looking uncool when I was younger, now I craft it up in public all the time...

Charlie - has a mosquito problem not an acne problem. I normally put Charlie's cutest photos on here for Grandma, but these goofy ones just make me laugh...

[arggh, bread stick!!]

A couple more shots of Charlie's strange hair...

And ducky face...

Happy days...

Mx

The Weekend

[cafe window heart]

[river realestate]

Oh my we had fun!!

It was great to stay with a friend who is in her own place again, have breakfast at a cafe with a heart shaped smudge on the window mullion, walk to the river gawking at insanely expensive real estate, celebrate one of us architecture graduates being in their own architecturally designed pad and be surprised on the way home with an iPad :) which I am writing this post on sitting on the front porch. It was also nice having the time for an extended chat with the Mr on the drive home. I love him.

The Mr is ready for another baby and now I am ready (iPad in hand) to carry that baby. I remember the first trimester and just not wanting to do anything but sit on the couch. Now I'll be able to sit outside and watch Charlie play while I keep up with my favorite blogs and Internet fun. I still love my MacBook but its no so portable anymore (it needs a new battery so has to be plugged in and it's also plugged in to an external harddrive for photo storage).

Just so many good things this weekend. I hope yours was good too.

Mx