3 years

Today marks three years since my beautiful friend Olivia lost her battle with cancer. I think about her often and miss hearing her voice on the other end of the phone. Here we are with our newborn babies, almost 10 years ago. Today I remember our friendship. It was way too short.
Miss you Liv. xx

Olivia and T, Anita and J, January 2002.

Cluck cluckety cluck cluck!

The theme around here this month is BABIES! No not me sillies! Our niece and her hubby had a little boy on August 2nd and then my dear friend E and her hubby S welcomed their little girl on Tuesday the 16th of August. I've been making baby cards and crocheting baby gifts galore lately. Can't show you my great-nephew's gifts yet, because we haven't had a chance to go and meet him yet, but I can show you some pics of E's baby girl and some of the goodies I made for her.

 Look at her....3 days old and just so sweet.....

Unfortunately, I woke her up snapping pics of her and she did this......

 Still gorgeous, even when she's screaming :)

 She soon settled once she was back in Mummy's arms. Look at that proud Daddy:)

 And here's what I made for Miss S....a pretty pink hat and matching booties....

....and a white crocheted baby blanket, perfect for her cot.

 Here's a close up of the blanket pattern. It has a lovely texture.

And finally, here is the card I made for the proud new Mummy and Daddy. I just love having the chance to make pretty pink goodies :)

 I'll be back soon to show you more of the goodies I've been making. Looking forward to a beautiful sunshine-y weekend here in Melbourne. Hope you have a great one. xxx

August already? Where have I been?

Well, my blog posts seem to be few and far between these days, but it's definitely not because I've been doing nothing. I have been busy with my TAFE course, kids activities, and life in general. Of course, my "busy" pace is a little slower than others as I need to factor in "crash time" for the inevitable fibromyalgia flare ups that come with doing lots.

For the first time this year I have winter vegetables growing in my garden. I've never even attempted a winter crop before, so I am pleasantly surprised to see everything doing so well. Take a look at what we've got....

Cauliflowers

Cabbages

Broad beans, broccoli, leeks

Doesn't this broccoli look wonderful? And no chemicals!

Our main plot has cabbages, caulis, spinach, silverbeet, beetroot, and a few carrots,

Lovely winter sunshine helps the vegies to grow and the washing to dry!

There are a few pretties in the ornamental side of the garden at the moment too....

OK, so rosemary is edible but it's so pretty when it's in flower I consider it ornamental :)

Gorgeous helibores at the base of our maple tree.

Love how the helibores hang down delicately.

So pretty - helibore or "Winter Rose"

The polygalas always gives the garden a splash of vibrant colour.

The heavenly scent of daphne hits you as soon as you step outside the back door. Our three bushes are loaded with blooms.

My boys are blooming too. They seem to be growing by the day. J is 9 1/2 and is already up to my nose height! He will overtake his Mum at quite a young age I'm sure,  before the end of primary school the way he is going!

Here he is in action at basketball last weekend...

That's J on the ground locked in a battle for the ball. He gets right in there!

Taking instructions from the coach - Peter is a great coach who's been helping J's skill level enormously. J is loving his basketball more than ever.

On the creative front, I've had a few things on the crochet hook, but I can't show you yet, because they are gifts waiting to be given to some babies who aren't yet born :) Any day now.....how exciting!

I can show you this little hat I made for my friend B's little man who recently had his first birthday. They live at Barwon Heads, so I posted it down there. Would love to see a photo of him with it on so I can check how it fits.

Well, that's about all my news for the moment. Lots of homework to get done, so I had better refocus and knuckle down. I'm halfway through my course, which is a good thing, but I'm having trouble getting motivated for second semester. Maybe the arrival of Spring in a few weeks will help. Nothing like a bit of sunshine to get me going! See you all soon. xxx