Simple pleasures of ordinary days

...this week saw the first signs of a moody Autumn. Cool winds whipping in the afternoon mean it's time for Minestrone (K calls it Miiiiiine Strone in his best superhero voice)
...In, and
...Out
...It seems as though all her leggings are morphing into pedal pushers
...We took her to a beautiful toystore in town on one of the last days of K's holidays to choose a small treat: a little animal to add to her collection. She chose a bunny. Like the ones at her new childcare centre (oh, that's another post)
...a handmade bag of tricks for a new baby born near the sea (the son of a good family friend)
...I've started working on Saskia's handbound baby book (I go weak at the sight of that stack of deckled edges).
...Another favourite from Sculpture Garden Sunday
...Finally! A nasturtium bloom!

Joining Em and creating a collection of weekly images, recording simple pleasures of ordinary days.

21/52

A portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, as a one year old.

A favourite of hers (and mine...and probably every child who grew up in Canberra).

Rest in peace Bert Flugelman. 

Taking part in Jodi's weekly portrait series

Simple pleasures of ordinary days

...I have a little crush on his work ever since seeing it at Megalo moons ago, and there's now an exhibition in this space
...A little pocket of public art gold in our city
...She explores while I follow with a coffee
...JanMa helped us plant a little crate garden
...Grandfather is a playdough comedian
...A chilly January morning
...the view from Grandfather's shoulders, and
...the view from the Village Centre here

Joining Em and creating a collection of weekly images, recording simple pleasures of ordinary days.

15 months

15 months and the Little One...
...loves to create a bit of abstract art...her favourite colour to draw with is yellow (she reaches straight for the yellow crayon every time)
...climbs on and off the sofa like it aint no thang
...felt the utter delight that is running under the sprinkler on a balmy summer eve for the first time
...has mastered some more pretty cute words (angel, pear, purple, moon, star, hippo, Humpty, Mima, egg, click when holding up her camera...) and keeps adding to her repertoire of animal sounds: owl (ooot ooohh), fish (opens and closes mouth with little pops), and bee (uuuz, uuuuz) are some of our favourites
...now walks up the stairs to our letterboxes without holding onto my hand (boo hoo)
...shows determination and focus when playing with the shape sorter, still loves making 'cups of tea' for anyone who will throw one back, but she'd spend all her days reading books or having books read to her if she could
...makes her mama and dada feel big joy and the dazzle of happy hearts

Lately

There's a lovely gentle pattern to our days lately. The kind that I dreamed about in the first few months. And as a result the last two months have felt playful and fun.

Saskia has been having two big sleeps a day (most days, certainly not every day) so we plan lunchtime outings. Perfect for the onset of crisp mornings and sunny Autumn days.

We picnic with our two favourite ladies in the Sculpture garden, take walks around the suburb and plot all the parks in our memory for future adventures (who knew there were so many in a 1km radius?), stroll down to the local shops for a coffee and a peek in the oppie, take a little look at art, grocery shop with the seniors during the week (you are a real hit), and head over to JanMa's and Grandfather's for a slip down the slide. I'm not sure who has more fun, Little One, you or I?

We've been looking forward to this weekend as K will be by our sides. Lately he's been busy dealing with sadness, and the work that comes with packing up a lifetime of memories and things. This weekend we are spending our outings as a family of 3. And the sun is playing along.

Today we are going back to a new coffee shop in a nearby suburb, with a shiny red coffee machine and fresh flowers on the tables. Tomorrow I am beyond excited about meeting Norma. Tell me she isn't the most darling thing you've seen?

*Latest children's exhibition at the NGA. Worth hunting down the tucked-away space to see the blingin' Liberace installation and the Miro prints (my picks).

33 weeks

Another late belly post.

Even if the nursery isn't organised, at least the bassinet and the little one's corner of our bedroom is almost ready. The drawing in the frame is a beautiful sketch by one of the girls I work with - although it's hard to see in this pic so maybe I'll take a close up shot later. It's a whimsical, fantastical, winged vessel-like creature...somethings that could be at home in a Shaun Tan book. Hanging above, out of the frame, is another gift from a friend at work - a crafted mobile of hand painted discs featuring the words of 10 Little Fingers by Mem Fox. There are just a few more things I have planned for this space but it's still so lovely to lie in bed and look over imagining that a little being will soon be tucked up in the bassinet. Amazing.

This last week at the gallery has been the most challenging. I'm feeling tired when I wake in the morning as I haven't been sleeping soundly (mostly due to hip pain - and grunting as I attempt to flip myself over) and the days have been long. Although the work has been rewarding, I'm definitely ready to slow down and start to turn my focus towards the home and little one.

(I think I even surprise myself at how round I look now).

Incy Wincy

I've noticed quite a lot of spider webs around the village lately, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I tend to scamper past them with my head down, eyes closed and fingers crossed that I won't feel the scurry of little legs on my neck. It must look a little strange if you're watching from afar.

A lovely colleague at the gallery flicked me the link to this beautiful series of mended spider webs the other day which I'm hoping will help me overcome my fear. Nina's careful work and fractured patterns astound me, but what I find most interesting is the behaviour of the spider who rules the web.

I think I'll try and look up a little more on my wanders and try to imagine those little spiders as clever makers and artists rather than the creepy pests I've been imagining all this time...

all images via here