No more bitingly cold air when I’m pulled out of bed at stupid-o’clock in the morning; no more warming hands on steaming mugs of coffee, or that horrid pins and needles feeling when I step into a hot shower. No more blanket clad checkups on the kids, to make sure they’re still cosy and tucked up in their beds. And no more comfort food (alright then: less comfort food than I’m currently eating).
Spring is really here - and aside from being my all time favourite season, it seems as though it’s everyone else’s as well. In the 24 hours since spring officially launched (for want of a better word) in Australia, social media hubs have gone berserk – have you noticed? There seems to be a collective sigh of relief that the greyness of winter is finally over, and an optimistic lilt in the status updates of hundreds and hundreds, as they all dream of the loveliness of the warmer months ahead of us.
I so love the start of spring for this reason; the promise of balmy afternoons, late night swims in the pool and the gardens alive with sounds and scents and beautiful, tender new things that have lay dormant for months. I’m grateful for the longer days, the mozzie-slapping barbeques, the lightness of meals, surreal blue afternoon skies, and the fact that Ella (our sad-faced Mastiff) will soon stop her painful arthritic limp, and run again like a pup.
There are always plans made in early spring, and energy found or renewed. All those projects that seemed too hard to tackle during the winter months are revisited with enthusiasm, and added onto a blossoming list. Our renovations screeched to a halt once it started to get cooler, but I’m quietly gathering steam to begin again. It all seems much easier, now that spring is here.
We’re joining in with lovely Lou’s meme tonight – Point and Shoot. It’s been a while since I’ve taken photos with a P&S purpose, but we’ve just had the loveliest, loveliest weekend – wanna see?
It all started with a lemon tart - my first lemon tart making experience - and it just happened to be so, so good that I made it twice in two days. The first was shared with dear friends after a seafood feast; the second was horded and eaten sparingly, in a savouring-the-refreshing-sweetness-of-it-all kind of way…
The kids were handed oversized gardening gloves on our sunny Sunday morning, and put to work tidying up the sorely neglected vegetable garden. And underneath all those prickly cobblers pegs and spiky, suffocating weeds, were these vibrant beauties…
We turned the soil, all rich and loamy after a few days of rain; we hunted through the strawberry leaves to see if any new berries were forming, rubbed fresh picked lavender between our hands to release its heady scent, and worked up a sweat in the gorgeously warm spring-time sunshine.
There was a long, lazy afternoon of sewing – piecing, pinning and pulling together the six cheerful citrus blocks from my beginners sampler quilt (I didn’t think it was possible, but it seems to be even brighter now that it’s edged with the chocolate brown sashings!)...
…and a big, hearty tart filled with slow roasted winter vegetables and melt-in-the-mouth Danish feta for Sunday dinner (I meant to take a photo of this too, but it was cut up and tucked into too quickly).
Some weekends are just meant for family and pottering, aren’t they?
Nat
Ps. Got some wonderful photos from your weekend that was too? Join in! Visit Sunny + Scout here to link up with Lou’s P&S post. And check out her beautiful, candid photography while you’re there – it’s heartwarming, honest and utterly delightful x
You can now find our lovely Nursery Flying Birds in our Etsy store!
Made from the softest boutique cotton materials and coordinating patterns, these flying birds make the most perfect addition to any nursery or bedroom…
Looking for a particular colour combination? Contact us for a custom order!
It’s a grey day in Brisbane this morning, and the rain is soaking in and softening our soil again – just in time for a new spurt of vegetable planting that I was hoping to do sometime next week. Our poor veg garden has been a wee bit neglected of late – the weeds are in competition (and seem to be winning), and Ella, our sad-faced mastiff, has taken to burying her bones in the root vegetable patch (and heavens, do they stink!).
But the weather is warming, and I’m starting to think of summer salads, leafy greens, trellis-covered snow peas, and a carpet of cheerful bee attracting flowers. And maybe even some citrus and a small apple tree.
So with gardens on my mind, this week I’m grateful for:
The promise of Spring. Even though I loved winter this year, and revelled in the feasting, sharing, and comforting goodness of it all, I’ve been feeling a bit grey, and unconsciously looking out for signs of a warmer change.
Our house backs onto a steep incline, a bubbling, story-book type creek, and the local golf course, and in the first blush of spring, the trees in this wild ravine become covered in a strange kind of pure white, mock orange flower. The scent is amazing – especially first thing in the morning; and this week, I noticed that the tall gums and smaller shrubs in our pretty bit of wilderness are absolutely covered in it.
A small dance of joy for the beginning of spring in our pocket of the world.
A morning play. The last few mornings, I’ve let the kids play outside in their pyjamas, a little after . With a million things to do first thing in the morning, and two very active toddlers wanting something fun to do RIGHT NOW, this seemed like the most sensible solution. Yes, pyjamas got covered in dirt (and mud after one rainy night), the dog’s dry biscuits got eaten by Lou (ick!), and socks got buried in random holes, but they were content in exploring their early morning backyard, which was cool and fresh and alive with the sound of birds (And inside, I was more than grateful for the space to tick a few tasks off my daily to-do list!).
What are you grateful for this week?
Nat
Ps. Linking up with the wonderful Maxabella– and you can too! Post your Grateful list here, or write it in the comments section below. Have a wonderful weekend!
Did you know that ‘Woot!’ is a new fixture in the English dictionary?
I have to admit, I’ve used it on occasion. Woot! is the word to use when no other exclamations will do, I guess. But I’ve only seen it written – in texts, on facebook, in emails; I’ve not yet heard anyone actually use it in a sentence, because wouldn’t it just sound weird?
Do you use it? Are there any words that shouldn’t make it into our modern dictionary?
Nat
Ps. Other additions of note include Babycino, Bromance, and ridiculously enough, Nom Nom – the eating sound.
It’s the old fashioned way, you know (because I’m just that kind of gal) – drawing a winner out of a hat. I enlisted the help of Judah, and after much scrounging around, he pulled out the name “Multiple Mum” – Congratulations! I absolutely can’t wait to send you a Quill & Ink Handmade parcel featuring all our most popular selling bits and pieces - we do so hope that it’s loved.
And because we had so many respondents, at the last minute I thought I’d also send out a second random prize of four Quill & Ink Handmade cards. This time, little Lou wanted a turn, and out of the hat came “Kylie.” Yay! We love giving away free stuff!
Thank you to all our respondents for your very insightful answers – we’re so grateful for your time, and have been brainstorming some wonderful ideas based on your suggestions. It’s been interesting to see trends from all over Australia, and a lot of fun remembering childhood games and toys.
