Dinner Parties and Castles

Lately we've been re-familiarising ourself with the joys of the beach! The sun is back and we're loving it!

 

Aria decided to make me some lunch. She set about arranging a table for me...

... complete with brain-like things and lots of sandy shell-plates

"More sandwhich Mama?"

So much exploring to be done!

It wasn't too long before the pants came off and we were digging around making mountains and towers.

Having a nudie bum is always a favourite passtime!

More cakes for Mama:)

The following day we went back to our beloved beach only to discover that our old friend 'winter' was back to make another appearance! Winter truly has not wanted to leave us this year! What a contrast between the two days - spring weather is amazing!

Amidst all the wet rain, wind and stormy weather a double rainbow smiled at us (you can't quite make out the second rainbow in this shot, but there was one!)

Stormy skies are so interesting!

We loved out walk on the beach all the same. It is exhilirating in any kind of weather!

With love and light

xxx

A Flower Faery, Special Friends & a Tawny Frog Mouthed Owl

What a week we've had! With many signs and messages from nature (including the need for us to spend much more time out there!), some new little needle felted beings and a very special gift for Aria.

 We have a new flower faery adorning our spring scented tree. What a welcome spirit she is!

Despite the rather gloomy overcast skies and persistent rain, our days are brightened by the many gorgeous flowers everywhere we look. 

 

A pair of friends

 She is all ready to travel to New Zealand to be with little 3yr old 'Evie' (whom she looks like very much!)

Evie's best friend will also have a new friend to play with. I wonder what adventures these girls will get up to...

Aria had a very special gift this week arrive in the mail - her very own millet baby! What a surprise! Thankyou soooo much Elke - it was the most perfect, thoughtful and precious gift:) We love you very much! I nearly cried when I saw this beautifully and lovingly hand made made little bubba - I had just been talking with Michael the very day before about how Aria really needs a doll but I had been feeling too fatigued to make one for her. Of course I could hardly believe my eyes when this arrived the following day - such an gift made especially for my little girl with love:)

I wanted to make the arrival of this new little member of the family very special as dolls hold so much significance and soul for children, so I set out a trail of crystals, feathers and flowers to signify that the angels had stopped by with a beautiful gift especially for Aria...

The angels even left a feather and some precious gifts with the baby in her crib!

Aria was immediately taken with her new baby which she named "Milly" after hearing me say to Michael that she was a Millet baby. She is filled with organic toasted millet and lavendar essential oil. I was able to warm her in the oven before Aria got home for her surprise. She felt so real and had such a soothing presence!

 Many sloppy kisses were shared...

...and Milly was immediately invited to her first picnic

...followed by dessert!

 

And lastly..

 

 Today we were gratefuly blessed to experience an 8 hour visit from this rather regal tawny frog mouthed owl! He stayed in this spot on one of our gum trees and slept for most of the day only opening his eyes every now and then to look at us. He was so well camouflaged! At one point the skies opened up with hard pouring rain but he stoically sat there, motionless, like nothing at all was going on. This was a reminder to me to remain at peace during rough times - to connect with the spirit of nature and let it all flow right past. 'All is well in my world!' 

 

When he decided to leave he took off with the most amazing woosh - those wings were awesome. I got such a fright when he finally took off that my heart nearly jumped out of my chest! I guess when it's time to move out of our camouflaged comfort zone, might as well do it proudly and with effortless energy!

Peace

xxx

Spring babies

Spring babies are slowly stretching as they carefuly uncurl their magical little bodies from the centre of all the new flowers that the faeries have nurtured into being. Surrounding us are many small beings - waking up, opening their eyes and looking into the sun for the very first time. Excited about their new journey with mother nature and about all the gifts they have to share with all the Mums, Dads and children who live in the land of spring time - I managed to collect a little bud baby and she sits on our nature table and waits every day (along with some other magical beings) to play with a very curious little girl who gives her lots of cuddles and kisses...

Many thanks to Marie from 'Soft Earth Art' for the adorable babe in a basket and the bird who are constantly being played with:)

Sitting in her flower is where this little one likes to be the most - surrounded by the sunny warmth of spring time.

Aria also very much enjoyed helping Mama make some blossoming branches at our local Steiner play group this week. It's amazing how effective some crumpled tissue paper can be! We want to make many more of these branches and many more birdies to sit on them as there are so many different bird folk around us at the moment of all shapes and sizes.

With love and light

xx

I am grateful for this moment:)

 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember. Inspired by soulemama

Many blessings for your weekend ahead

xxx 

The beach, the garden, Koalas and tea time :)

Well, spring has finally sprung and we're all starting to stretch our bones and wake up a wee bit around here! I don't think I've ever hibernated quite so much as I have this year. What a cold, dark and wet winter we've had! I'm sure as the sun settles in the sky and I regain some energy I'll be back to my old blogging self, but in the mean time I'm quite happy to just post here and there. I'm very much enjoying going with the flow of the seasons - something which is new for me and something which is a whole lot easier to do while living in the amazing surrounds of the Mornington Peninsula! It's such a profound gift to be more in tune with mother nature - while I've definitely felt the need to go within and to retreat quite deeply, I've actually felt more alive as a result.


This is what's been going down over the past week or so...

I've enjoyed going for soul-cleansing walks at the beach during the week with Aria. We have been presented with many gifts and messages from the wondrous world in which we live:) It's amazing what you learn if you just keep your heart open to what is out there!

 I'm sure many of these gorgeous little flowers are weeds - but that didn't stop Aria from indiscriminately collecting these spring beauties for our table wreath. 

We have been spending some extra time in the garden lately and I'm really getting addicted to it! Weeding and simply being out there in the dirt and the sunshine (albeit tentative) has been undeniably nurturing for both Aria and myself. We have been meeting lots of new faeries and Aria has been talking of angels in the garden for the first time. Some very special and beautiful moments are being shared out there! I am often filled to the brim with joy as I observe Aria with her trolley, wheeling the piles of weeds around the place - taking the "fruit to the fruit lady for her shop". Apparently we're farmers! 

We have also taken to observing all the bird activity at the moment - I have a thoroughly new appreciation for birds as I have been delving into my animal totems (one of which is Crow). It's almost like the whole world has opened up - in our garden!

The makings of our spring wreath within which we always place a candle where the 'faeries of the candle flame' light our evening mealtimes.

Michael and I were startled late the other night when we saw a pair of eyes slowly moving past our lounge room window...  

Upon further investigation we were delighted to discover a strong looking young Koala. We haven't seen a Koala for weeks and weeks and were worried that the population had dwindled so much that perhaps we wouldn't be seeing many more of them around (the drought and neighbourhood dogs have taken their toll on the poor Koalas of late). What a special treat!

  Today Aria and I spent a good hour or so sharing tea:)

Notice how saturated everything became! Hehehe

 "Teapot hat having a bath"

 Sooo much fun to be had from a cup or two (and a bench - and a floor) of rosehip tea!

Boy do I love this girl!

I hope you are all enjoying moving with the changing seasons wherever you are in the world:)

With love and light

xxx

Grateful

How often is it that one can just walk out the front door and head around the corner to a beautiful array of market stalls, musicians, spring flowers and a buzzing local crowd? Well, today we did just that! We visited our first Somers Winter Market and we had a day filled with smiles and gratitude.

I enjoyed a piping hot cup of homemade soup sold by the local preschool while Michael and Aria devoured some scrumptious little pancakes. We sat in the middle of the gorgeous grounds outside the Coolart homestead while we sampled our treats accompanied by some folksy guitar tunes and the laughter of children as they giddily chased each other.

I met some local musicians and learned of a 'Muso's night' nearby that runs on a fortnightly basis. I can't wait to go along and meet some other fellow singer/songwriters and to learn more about the music scene on the Peninsula.

Aria happily decorated her very own Somers T-shirt...

With a little help from Mama and Dadda...

I'm so grateful to be running right now! You can't stop me! 

 

Michael and I had to take it in turns though - Aria's energy was boundless!

Laughing, running, puffing and tripping over her uncooperative shoes (which eventually stayed off altogether). Aria is just blossoming right now - in tune with the seasons!

This was taken just after we all piled on top of each other... "Stacks on Mama!!!" Next time Dadda can be on the bottom I think!

*************************************************

Earlier in our week...

I have been embarking on a new journey of late. Feeling a renewed spiritual energy, I have been going within and taking the time to cultivate a meditative state of mind and a still heart. It feels wonderful to shed some layers. Part of this journey has invloved joining my first spiritual circle. Along with a group of lovely women, I have been rediscovering my relationship with native American Indian spiritual practice through ceremony, sharing and a wonderful teacher. 

I have had some incredibly profound moments already and am so excited to be entering this new, deep and real time of discovery. We have been discovering our animal totems, working with the four Grandmothers and are about to begin working with the medicine wheel. This is all very new to me at this moment, but somehow I feel very connected to all this entails - like I am now being reminded of what truly lies in my soul. I am just in love with all that life in these parts has to offer. I am in the right place.

Around us, cascading golden wattle rolls over the landscape. I'm not even sure if I'd ever really noticed wattle before we moved here! I grew up in New Zealand and have only lived in suburbia and the inner city in Australia before where you can hardly even tell one season from the next. Can't miss it now! This is the view outside our lounge room window. What a lovely introduction to spring:)

Hello little one!

The trees have only just begun to light up with radiant blooms. Such a delicate glow underneath the waking father sun who is stiring from his long winter slumber.

Aria has been extremely taken with babies at the moment. I thought this would be the perfect gift for her as she recovered from a two year old molar-induced bout of fever and diarrhea. She has never been sick like this before, so as she slept I quickly gathered whatever I had at hand and whipped up this funny little baby doll for her. Even though the bubba looks very wrinkled-old-man-ish, she seems to be in love with it all the same. It's adorable watching her give her baby "milk cuddles".

I am feeling so much gratitude for the changing seasons of our lives right now and am loving each moment.

In love and light

xxx