Juniper cafe, 6 July 2016

Hayden and I celebrated the end of our six-month 'sabbatical' at a lovely little cafe near our home. Beautiful books, warmth, coffee and great food. That's our speed of celebration.

Flashback: Baby Daze

Sometimes I can get a little bit critical when I suspect someone is window-dressing or putting forward an overly perfected image of themselves. There are so many opportunities to do this on social media. It can happen every day. And really, it can be a little bit tiresome to witness over and over again.

I would never do that.

Although….  as part of our latest drive to pare down, pack up and move house yet again, I've been going through old photographs. Saving, backing up, printing and preserving.

Yesterday, I found these two from 2011, taken just days apart. I hadn't set eyes on these images since, probably, the time they were taken.

The one above I looked at sort of oddly. I actually couldn't remember setting up the photo - and yet it clearly had been set up. I sort of liked the arrangement of baby and blanket and teething ring, I liked the colours (blue and brown together are some of my favourites). But I didn't feel any love or memories shining up through the camera lens.

Then.

When I clicked open the second image, the realness of it struck me like I'd been winded in the chest. I had forgotten that we used to change Timmy's nappies on little old wooden desk (before we swapped it for a set of white Ikea drawers). I had forgotten how we used to line up a row of damp wipes next to him. And I'd completely forgotten, wiped from my memory, the giant white fishing-bait bucket where we'd put his day's dirty nappies. I don't think there are any other photos showing those nappy wipes, or that giant nappy bucket. I had forgotten them completely, until this raggedy untidy unperfect picture pushed them back into my face.

I mean, I'm not going to vow to start taking more pictures of peoples' dirty nappy buckets. But somewhere in the middle, there's the beauty and the reality, the messiness and the love. That's what I'm always trying to capture.

The perfected picture just left me cold.

Flashback: Timmy's Little Kitchen (Sept 2012)

This was the day that Timmy received his little kitchen.  It was instant love - well, instant engagement anyway.

I remember that he played with it so long and so intently that Hayden and I were able to sit down and have a cup of coffee together - and our first conversation in months. That year, 2012, between Timmy's first and second birthdays, was tough. Maybe even our toughest. The fun, and lets be honest the success of this gift to Timmy was like a little burst of sunshine between dark clouds.

Flashback: The Loveliest Easter Egg Hunt Ever (2014)

A little garden house

The weather in Townsville in July is reliably charming. This was the day (back in 2014 - I'm trying to catch up here a bit) that we had a new double bed mattress delivered for Timmy.  Our neighbour Natalie had the idea of turning the big delivery box into a cubby house. It lasted nearly a week before it was rained on.

winter at the beach

Recently, Tim and I spent a glorious winter's day with friends.  This particular spot is one that - no matter what the day has brought so far - always makes me feel better.  And for once I took my camera with me.

winter sunshine

Our place is gloomy to say the least, and in summer almost no direct light makes its way in at all.  But just now, on the verge of wintertime, we get some afternoon rays into the kitchen.  I like how they make the colours glow - albeit faintly.