TOTEM POLES AND TEEPEES

Last Friday was Canada Day. It actually wasn't Canada Day in Canada until the next day but we celebrated on both the date here (1st July) and there. Since, of course, Australian's don't celebrate Canada Day you'd think we'd simply choose between the days but, we had so much planned that it seemed appropriate to spread it out over both days! And so we did.

I decided that we needed to explore the First Nations perspective, in the very limited way that we can and  in a way that was appropriate for the kids. So, we focused on our First Nations story books (Kids Books has a good supply) and occassionally looked on line for related images. Elsa asked whether we can sleep in a teepee next time we go to Canada?!  There I was thinking I'd introduced untenable dreams when we found this and now I'm dreaming too. Perhaps one day. For now, we made plenty of paper teepees and totem poles. We had fun and learnt some things too!

We also had our fair share of pancakes with maple syrup and these shortbread biscuits made with the help of these (perfect  for our celebration!).

CELEBRATION CENTRAL

Two cakes for Dada, another for a cousin made by his Dada

Hello from our third week in the land of four. Another year down, another June in which to recouperate! You see, it was also Dada's birthday in May along with two very important cousins. In our family, it's a busiest birthday month by far. Even Dino enjoyed two cakes this year - one at home and one with my sister's family. We're very taken with the idea of birthday WEEKS around here and it's partially the reason why I've taken so long to post this entry - we're recovering!

Creating a birthday table for Dada

Elsa decorated all corners of the house for her Dada's celebration

Enjoying his new crepe/pancake maker, a perfect birthday gift for Dino from family

Rafa leads his Dad through the zoo grounds

And then, we celebrated Elsa's fourth (!) birthday with a morning at Melbourne Zoo followed by an afternoon of food, family and friends at home.

At the zoo; a perfect tree under which to enjoy a birthday morning tea

We enjoyed the intimate celebration, though we almost starved the guests when the oven stopped working properly. Thankfully the neighbours allowed us to use theirs. Is there anything better than homemade pizza? Not to me.



Saved by the nieghbours, my pizzas make it to our hungry tummies

The most amazing thing happened on Elsa's birthday; we awoke to find the fairies had constructed their own personal, fairy-size door outside the entry to her bedroom AND had delivered a very special gift of a lovely book and fairy skirt. They even left a gift for her little brother. Those fairies think of everything (well, some things!).

In keeping with her zoo outing this birthday and her interest in the new elephants there, a little one made it to her birthday crown via a very rushed, last minute embellishment by this Mama.


Not a great photo but, you get the idea - not a great elephant either but she understood!



And there was this of course. Plenty of other little (and big) projects planned for her birthday remain unfinished but that's okay, they'll be enjoyed at whatever stage they make it to her sweet hands. And most importantly, she had a wonderful, wonderful celebration.


It was a birthday month that left poor Gnocchi wondering "what about me?"

These past few months, I've enjoyed watching the kids relish many opportunities to play with their cousins as we shifted from one birthday celebration to the next (the Melbourne based cousins at least, though the Skype chats with the multitudes of Sydney-based and Torontonian cousins were also muchly appreciated). A visit to their cousins/my sister's is never complete without checking in on the guineas and collecting some treasures from the garden.

On the sidelines at her cousin's soccer match in her birthday dress-ups

And when it was all over, time to sit and enjoy a warm cup of tea dressed as part fairy, part queen!

SUNNY SOLSTICE

A fourth birthday gift to Elsa from her Mama (a.k.a moi!) that I plan to make it again and again, perhaps in red or green next? The pattern is wonderfully straight-forward and quick, which are important prerequisites for me at present (though I can't say I had too many opportunities to sit and knit this over the past few months, when I did I was able to achieve more than expected in a short amount of time).

This is a size 6 to cater for the seemingly unstoppable speed at which she's growing - slow down little girl! For now, the sleeves will be rolled up slightly and her bottom kept very warm with it's length but I'm sure it won't be long before I'm knitting the next size up. And who knows, she might even get another size 6 sooner than expected; it will be tough to stay away from this pattern as it was such a joy to knit and she's loving it so much - true, it's not only me that's become obsessed with this garment, she also insists on wearing it at every opportunity. Yay! Phew, Mama hit the mark!

I ordered the Madeline Tosh yarn from here determined to have the same colour as shown in the image attached to the pattern but eventually went for a slightly brighter colour ('Cammomile' rather than 'Butter'). I would knit again with this yarn any time. The buttons are from here.



It's nice to have the reminder of sunshine on a winter's day don't you think? Though our winter days are not completely void of the real stuff down here, we always enjoy more. Greedy sun-hogs that we are. Now all we need do is take a look at Elsa in this cardigan for a reminder of the light on the darker winter days.

Lantern in hand ready for the Winter Solstice lantern walk with her 'kinder'/playgroup



Perfect cardigan to wear on a dog walk too :)



Other bits of brightness: candles at  the Solstic celebration this past Saturday night

On the needles now: a hat for a newborn



MUMMY'S DAY

This mummy/mama/mum/ma enjoyed the loveliest of times on Mothers Day...a big breakfast and muffins provided by Dada and Elsa (with Raf helping I hear), lovely drawings and a card made by Elsa (with some squiggles by Raf), a niece's soccer match (some serious cheering by this excitable aunt), some sewing time with my sister (a top for me...not quite finished), a shared baked-dinner made by D and my brother-in-law with a scrumptious custard tart for dessert (made by my 11 year old niece - clever chook) and then there were all the hugs and kisses and the...well, love. It was a great day. Oh, and the soundtrack to the day? This CD, a gift from la familia. Any CD that starts with a Paul Kelly track has to be good. And it is.

I hope you had a lovely day too, whether it was your Mothers Day or that of someone close to you.

Watching the parents watching the game was almost as good as the match itself! (though that was pretty good)

"Dada, when can I start playing soccer?"