Easter ANZAC Long Weekend

What a big weekend.  Just as though all the celebrations are rolled into one.  We have had a lot of excitement lately!  Master 6's birthday and Good Friday, Easter Sunday and ANZAC day.  A wonderful, if not tiring weekend. 

Autumn Perfection ANZAC Day

And Here it is...

The 6th Birthday Pirate Birthday Cake....with a bit of artistic license

We had a wonderful Pirate Party!  Thanks to our friends and family who made it so special.  Master nearly 6 thought it was his best party yet!

Party Piece

Today's creation will be a pirate ship.  Quite excited to see if we can recreate the version from the picture!  Some cupcakes disguised as pirates and also a few "sharkish" cupcakes will also, hopefully be coming out of the kitchen today.  Thankfully the very wet weather that we have been having all week has, this morning disappeared and miraculously...clear skies!  So roll on pirate party. We have one very excited nearly 6 year old.  Currently engaged in Saturday morning children's viewing! The pirate creation idea comes from a really great book by Penguin given to me by a dear friend.   Party Cakes by Julie Lanhan, 2008.   Some wonderful and inspiring cakes to give you lots of lovely ideas.  Worth a borrow from a library if you are in the party season.www.penguin.com.au/products/9780143008149/party-cakes

Last year's creation...the Rocket!

A neighbourhood stroll.

Little Friends

Autumn Crocus

Gorgeous West Hobart

What is in a name?

I love the way that small people and (probably big people) clearly identify themselves by their name.  This afternoon my youngest child who has just turned 4, properly answered the phone for the first time using his own name.  His whole name. He has two middle names and he was adamant that he should let the person on the other know who it was they were speaking to!  The problem was that the person on the other end could not get a word in edge ways because of the importance of his name, his whole big long name.  Priceless!

The joy of small things

Dandelions to dazzle

I do love Autumn Days

Delicious Hilbarn Collection

Autumn days like today are just perfect.  Mild and warm, but not intense.  Gently bringing us into the new season, slow turning change of leaves, and delicious sunny afternoons.

Like my daughter I love autumn fruits, the first royal galas of the season straight from the tree in a Northern Tasmanian garden.  Such a special treat.   Pears and then the most glorious golden quinces... What shall we turn them into?

Jane Brocket

Jane Brocket has been the inspiration to me to begin blogging ( apart from my dear husband who is a blogger of some time now!) If you are at all bent on making more of the ordinary or even exceptional things then you should check out her blog.  Her book The Gentle Art of  Domesticity which I happened upon in the library one day, is the sort of book that makes you want to stay at home just so you can take photos of the small things in your garden, or bake a cake, or revisit your collection of " bits and bobs", or go out in the garden.  I love her interesting and bright photos and find her writing style easy and yet fascinating and expanding. I have the link to her blog at the on the right hand side of my post.  Happy reading!

Busy Lives

Busy with big people and little people.  Two of my children have had their birthdays in the past 2 weeks and my parents have come to town to stay.  Time has been fairly sparse! So sorry for my blogging absence and I hope that you will still enjoy staying tuned.  No doubt you will also have lives which generally speaking do not have enough hours in them...without mucking everyone up with the clock telling us that it isn't time to go bed yet!!