A long break between posts
February 8, 2010
This blog will be quiet for a while, as we are in the northern hemisphere enjoying a break, visiting family and working. The seasons are all out of kilter in my body clock, as I have been in Australian ones for so long. It was nice to enjoy a dark candlemas however, and we are in the middle of a very snowy February in Norway.
I will catch up again, but it may be some time…..

Advent traditions
December 1, 2009
Our candles are out, stars and angels are spread around the house, the nature table is cleared away ready to receive the nativity (a piece a day), the paper windows are up ready to open, and the christmas story books are back on the shelves.
Our little star moon baby is back at the bedside to share in the night time stories, and the waiting has begun for Christmas day.
Blessings on your advent celebrations.
Alphabet pictures
October 4, 2009

My eldest son has finished all his big and little letters as we have only one more term until the end of the first grade school year. We made some mini pictures of his letter work from his main lesson book to cut up into a wall frieze. It makes a neat summary for us of his letter stories through the illustrations, and is an easy acess visual reminder of those words and sounds, not just hidden away in a lovely and cherished, but cumbersome MLB.


I have taken close up photos of the letters/pictures if anyone is interested, but I didn’t want to overload the post with photos, and I’m sure you all have your own stories and letters that captured your imaginations.
Peter and the Willow
September 11, 2009
A story to share from playgroup that I told, inspired somewhat by the traditional tale of the giant turnip, the recent making of spring crowns or garlands, and some little hands that want to grab and play with something that another is already holding on to, and others holding on too tight to things they could share

Peter and the Willow tree
Once upon a time there was a little boy called Peter. One of Peter’s favourite places to go was the weeping willow tree across the field from his house. He loved to go and play there so much he even made up a little song he would sing and hum when he was there.
I love to sit beneath the willow
The willow bending low
To sit and watch the little birds
Go flitting to and fro
It’s a lovely secret cubby with its branches bending low
I really love the willow and it’s where I like to go
And sometimes he thought he could hear the willow whisper “my dear friend Peter” as the long fronds brushed gently against his face in the soft spring breezes.
One day Peter noticed lots of lovely spring flowers growing in the field on his way to the willow, and he thought he would pick a long frond of willow to weave himself a crown to thread the flowers through, so when he got to the Willow he grabbed one of the fronds and he heaved and he pulled, but it would not budge. The willow cried out “Oh! Oh! Oh! Who is pulling my branches so!” and Peter called out “Its me, your friend Peter!” but the Willow was so upset she didn’t seem to notice. Peter tried again, and just as he was doing so Stickly Prickly echidna came past and asked what Peter was doing. “I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers”
“Oh I’ll help you” said Stickly Prickly and together they pulled and pulled
“Oh! Oh! Oh! who is pulling my branches so!” said the Willow again and Peter called out “Its us, your friends Peter, and Stickly Prickly!” but the willow was so upset she still didn’t seem to notice them.
Peter got ready to try again when Hoppity Floppity rabbit came by. “What are you doing Peter?” She asked .
“I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers” said Peter
“Oh I’ll help you” said Hoppity Floppity and together they pulled and pulled and pulled.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Who is pulling my branches so!” said the Willow again more loudly than before and Peter called out “Its us, your friends Peter, and Stickly Prickly and Hoppity Floppity!” but the Willow was so upset she still didn’t seem to notice them.
They were getting ready to pull a third time when Slibberslack snail came slithering past
“What are you doing Peter?” He asked .
“I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers” said Peter
“Oh I’ll help you” said Slibberslack and together they pulled and pulled and pulled and pulled.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! who is pulling my branches so!” said the Willow again more loudly than ever before and Peter called out “Its us, your friends Peter, and Stickly Prickly and Hoppity Floppity!” but the Willow was still so upset even now she didn’t seem to notice them.
They were getting ready to pull a fourth time when Little Wren hopped up.
“What are you doing Peter?” He asked .
“I’m trying to pull down a willow frond to make a spring crown and fill it with flowers” said Peter
“Oh are you going about it the right way?” said little wren
“Is there a right way and a wrong way to pull a willow frond?” Asked Peter “I didn’t know!”
“Well of course” said little wren, “all you need to do it the right way is to ask!”
“Ahhhhh!” said Peter and he carefully stepped up to the willow tree right under its weeping green fronds and called “ Mistress Willow?”
“Yes, Peter is that you? I’ve been so distracted this morning trying to hold on hard to all my fronds as something is pulling and tugging them so”
“Oh” said Peter, a little embarrassed “that was me, I came to ask if I might please have a frond to make a spring crown with the meadow flowers.”
“What a lovely idea, of course you may, why didn’t you say so!”
“I’m sorry” replied Peter
“Well, try again now” said the Willow, “and I will help you.”
So Peter and Stickly Prickly and Hoppity Floppity and Slibberslack all got ready and pulled, and Willow let go of the frond and over tumbled Peter, Stickly Prickly, Hoppity Floppity and Slibberslack in a laughing heap with enough willow for all of them.
Peter gathered up the fronds and raced off to the flowers when suddenly he turned and raced back to Mistress Willow.
“Thankyou” Peter called all breathless and rosy cheeked
“My pleasure” replied the Willow and bowed low to Peter, who turned and once more raced off to begin his springtime crown.
Snail trails
September 9, 2009

A lovely surprise found its way to our mailbox today. A Syrendell snail from Rick Tan in return for some poetic muse. I think I was a double winner, having been inspired to write a poem, and receiving a gift for participating!

It is right at home in our garden, and the boys have already taken it to search out four leaved clovers, and smell the pansies, before it returned indoors to take pride of place on our spring nature table. You will discover many inspirations if you take the time to visit with Rick and his lovely family at their blogs. Thankyou Syrendell!
Birthday season
August 18, 2009
In our family, the second half of the year heralds birthday season as all the cousins start celebrating birthdays, a run that seems to go all the way up until Christmas. So how to avoid constant visits to toy shops, or crafting burnout to make that special something for everyone? Here is my little list of treasured ideas that I constantly add to and peruse for inspiration as the birthday season rolls around. Packed in a nice thrifted basket or sewn drawstring bag, these ideas have been well received by various cousins over the years. What would you have on your list?

circular tree stumps/offcuts and sandpaper/ beeswax polish (or sanded and/or polished depending on age)
plank of wood, ends rounded, sanded/ broom handles with rounded off ends /old clean sheets for cubby building
seeds and flowerpot
dustpan and brush/ straw broom
trowel, garden fork
paintbrushes
bicycle bell/ basket/ pannier
cookie cutters
wooden rolling pin
apron/oven mitts
basket (lined/ribboned/decorated?)
dancing skirt/dressup
dressup shoes/hats/bags
jar of buttons
wooden bowls/eggcups
pottery jug/ teapot
cotton tablecloths/ picnic blanket
silk scarf
wooden pegs
buckets
hand tools /hammer/screwdriver/sandpaper
pieces of soft wood and nails
handdrill and bits/tape measure/ saw and rasp
toolbox
soaps

shells
marbles in a bag / pebbles and dice in a bag with printed rules for some games like tom thumb, knucklebones, mancala or thunderhole dice.
balls of wool
gift ball of wool (wound with tiny tresures inside)
chalks/ sidewalk chalks
torch and batteries
candle holder/ snuffer
candles
rope with ends spliced in
padlock and chain (and spare keys for mum/dad)
vase
clay
beeswax (for modelling)
chopping board
magnifying glass
photo album
drawing paper/ crayons/pencils
needle case with needles
coloured cottons/ felt pieces
blank recipe book with two or three favourites written in to start off
rope pulley
wheelbarrow
fruit trees/vege seedlings
bedspread/pillows/pillowcase/sheets
beeswax sheets and wick for candlemaking
maps of the local area with walks etc.
binoculars/ compass
waterbottle and holder
…….
If you leave your ideas in the comments, I’d love to add them to the list.
Wet-on-wet wonders
July 27, 2009
I love to watch the shapes emerge when painting wet-on-wet, starting out just playing with the colours and seeing what comes into form. Sometimes we use a story to guide our painting, today we were just playfully using up the last of some mixed up paint from the back of our fridge.

One child found a pine forest and the moon

another found a giant peach with a pip inside

I found a snowy tree in front of a starry sky

What can you find?
Snowflake garland
July 14, 2009

We have had a lovely time in a cabin in the snowy mountains for our winter holidays, and tried our hand at many crafts in between the igloo making, tobogganing, snowman making, snow train and train track making, coloured ice ball making, skiing and snowballing, …. and one of the favourite indoor crafts was snowflake cutting. We have ended up with so many paper snowflakes, we selected the best ones and strung them up as garlands by threading ribbon through the holes.

our winter gnome was kept busy each night collecting up the stray paper scraps that eluded tired and busy fingers and left neat little paper trails to the fireplace to be discovered in the morning. Our eldest declared that if you carefully collected the paper trail and threw it in the fire with one go, you could make a wish. I think he wished for a weeks worth of snow, and he couldn’t have been happier with the result.



