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: 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.

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.

down at the pool

nb  it might be a while before I post anything new on this site.  I just really like seeing that photo up the top.

we're back!

My it's good to be back in the warm, welcoming tropics.
The winter here is like the nicest summer you could imagine.

cold mornings

Although the mornings are still cold, Tim and I have been tracking some new growth and new colours in the garden.  There's not much winter left for us.  Indeed, it's just a couple of weeks before we leave winter behind nearly forever and resume our life in the tropics.

Is there a word for that thing where you plan all sorts of lovely activities and adventures for your holiday but then everyone gets sick?
And in the end you say, well, OK, cancel the adventures. And it's lucky, really, that we've got this time off to rest up and take care of each other.

Would we call that a Carecation?  A Sickcation?

I dunno what to call it, but this is the second time it's happened this year.

I am reading Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions and Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution concurrently.

Together they're helping me to feel ever so slightly less alone in my approach to mothering Timmy.
I hope to gain the courage to start talking a little bit more about that here.

morning sunshine

Happy to be blogging again.  But how do I get the text to align with the bottom of the photo?

dewy

The roses responded beautifully to my autumn pruning, and they are blooming again. Is this normal in winter?? I love looking out at them from my study window, especially when they are damp and dewy on gloomy days like today.