we are australian

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie friends! And wasn't she a warm one today?
I don't know about you, but we went straight from our PJ's to our cossies and spent most the morning soaking up the sunshine and splashing in the pool. It was blissful.

Last night I came across this inspiring article that I wanted to pass onto you all. I am so glad we have people like this in this country of ours. Don Ritchie, you are my Australian Hero.

"To my fellow Australians, never be afraid to speak to those who you feel are in need.

Always remember the power of the simple smile, a helping hand, a listening ear and a kind word."

~ Don Ritchie

{this moment}

Joining in {this moment} at Soulemama.

summer frocks

 After pricing summer dresses in the local children's clothes shop, I came home determined to make my own. Sure the one's in the shop were nice, but seriously overpriced for little girls. I have a stash of lovely voile's in the cupboard, so when I saw this gorgeous dress Ansia had made for her daughter, I just had to give it a go. The instructions can be found here on 'From an Igloo'. My girls are so happy with the result. Soft and floaty, feminine and twirly! Grace chose the subtle floral voile which suits her perfectly. She is steering clear of bright colour choices these days. Maeve still loves all things pink, so the checks were her choice. She looks adorable. We had such a lovely afternoon at the beach. The breeze was up, but that didn't stop the squeals of delight as the girls raced up and down the sandy slopes. Jude and I did a little shell collecting. Spring = happy days.

wordless weekend

autumn in the Blue Mountains

I thought you might enjoy a look at some photos of our time away in the Blue Mountains. It was so refreshing to get away for the quick break, beneficial for all! The girls had a wonderful time staying behind with their Grandparents. Jude loved being the only child with us for two days. We loved spending more time with him without all the usual distractions. The mountain air was so crisp and lovely. We visited antique shops, look outs, markets, cafes, and the most amazing miniature toy shop full of tiny things for dolls houses etc. I wish I had taken more photos in there so you could see how amazing it was. It was a place I remember visiting as a child on a few different occasions while we were holidaying in Blackheath. We also drove down to the Megalong Valley, which was just beautiful.

wordless weekend

 

 

my country

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

-Dorothea Mackellar

Happy Australia Day!
For those of you that live in this wonderful country, we hope you managed to get out and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings.
We went to the creek for a picnic, paddle and swim, and made the most of our packet of temporary tattoo's.
Later in the afternoon we had a big slice of pavlova at the Grandparents.
Oh how good it is to be an Aussie!