Some days you just don't need to paint.

Why paint with brushes today when they are performing in their own perfect picture on the stairs. I love everyday art installments that happen just by the random gathering of stuff and I love that blogging gives a platform to record it.

The children are at their places of education, Jonno has just finished breakfast and left the house and I am going to revel in the solitude for a little while with some writing. I hope a little bit of bliss drifts into everybody's day. Toot toot.

My creative space is a breeding ground...

I haven't played along with my creative space for a few weeks now and I feel as though I am missing out on all the fun. I am so looking forward to catching up with a few new 'old' friends. Speaking of friends, one of my favourite people in the entire world came for a cup of tea this morning and gave me a packet of origami paper. Needless to say, it was sudden mating season for cranes around here. Now the benches are littered with them and they have even begun to nest in my wool. Hugo is fascinated by origami and has been making curtains (from what I have observed, you fold the paper in half and then twist it a bit) and other interesting things so I guess you could say I am sharing my creative space with him.

For more creative spaces, pop over to Kirsty's.

Love.

A mermaid on graph paper. Beautiful words. No, I didn't mind my early morning.

Would You Rather...

Somehow the new scarf I am knitting for my niece overtook the need to put washing away.

The fact that it is raining and the fireplace is roaring had more that a little to do with it.
And I might just skip taking the dogs for a walk in this weather too. I kind of like how rain makes you rewrite your day.

Waking Up.

In the weak afternoon light, the peppery scent of Stock gently guided me back to the world.

And as the sun strengthened, warmth entered my room, lighting up the boys' ukulele and reminding me that there is life beyond napping (unfathomable as it may seem).

Blankets and Farm Life.

There it is, my old friend the hexagon blanket. Every night it greets me with love as I let the best of my creativity pour through my hands into it. There is such an element of magic to the making of things. Once more, roll on evening so I can get back to work. The crochet 'hexagons' in the top photo are actually impostors being five sided pentagons rather than the required six. I must have been very tired one night. Instead these are going to become part of a scarf so I guess before any more blanket work, I had better stitch those pieces together. They can be my portable blankie - not that I need one because I am very sophisticated these days...

A little shot of our cows eating dinner in the hill paddock next to our house. I love this light because it means that in any second, a bright blue motorbike will come whizzing up the track and then all the fun begins.

Isn't that Number 164 a character, you would not believe the story she just finished telling me before I took the photo. You can see it in her eyes though. You know what she's talking about.

By the way, Archie did go to school today but was late!!!!! This morning he crept into my bed at 7am and fell back to sleep for an hour. This has never happened before in the history of our lives so I felt he must have needed it. Then I remembered. Last night I found him lying in his bed asleep, with a bowl of crusty sugar beside him, a bowl he had obviously been feasting on for quietly for many days. This morning he must have been on a major sugar low. Maybe it was a temporary diabetic coma. When he finally returned to the land of heartily awake, I mentioned the bowl. He visibly blanched, flailing in his own mortification. Underneath the "I'm so sorry" chant, I could definitely hear thoughts of "Note to self; always hide evidence before going to sleep".

Finding a bit of Sunday peace.

Some days it feels as though everything is so harried and children such whirlwinds, that peace will never be found again. Then strangely, the house quietens, the dust motes slow mid-track and breaths become deep and restorative.

After a day of cleaning the house, scraping the windows clean, washing a billion loads of laundry and restoring a weak shine to the floor, I am now sitting (dare I say levitating) in a moment of serenity. Dinner is bubbling on the stove and the boys are walking through the farm to meet Jonno at the shed as he finishes milking the cows. It's Sunday night so a cosy night of television on the big blue couch is waiting and Archie really, really, really starts back at school tomorrow. Imagine that.

I have just started back on my crochet hexagon blanket and I am completely in love with it again. After decreasing my ply (oh why not my thigh (s)) to the most ridiculous worm silk diameter, it is so comforting to be back on 8 ply wool again. And the repetition of doing a blanket... just what is needed. Better go and stir dinner. Have a lovely Sunday night. xxooxxooxx

p.s. Jonno just rang to say the boys made it to the other side of the farm safely - hurrah!!!!