MOLLIE AND SNIPPETS

A little summary of things around here of late, excluding the house-related 'stuff' that is truly wearing me down and the trip to Sydney, which requires a whole separate post with lots of photos that I don't have the internet capacity to upload for now (which is also wearing me out!). To start things off, our lemon tree has blossoms (above) and one wee lemon growing ever so slowly but growing just the same.

Mollie Makes

One of my sisters recently discovered this magazine and passed on the four issues published to date. I'm impressed and grateful for having access to her subscription (I might just need one of my own!).

The Beach

Soon we will live further away from the beach (ouch) so we've been maximising our time there often sharing the outing with friends. I can't even begin to explain the effect being near water has on me. It is my ultimate exercise in 'grounding' and is so entrenched in my past and present that I fear I'll long for it terribly when a beach is further afield. To compensate, I have all kinds of long beachside adventures in mind and thankfully I can console myself with the other wonderful benefits of the upcoming move.

All this from a girl from Sydney who once scoffed at the idea (and reality!) of a Melbourne beach. Such attitude! Somewhere in the past ten years I broadened by definition and appreciation of 'beachside' and learnt to enjoy the bayside beaches of Melbourne while continuing, at every opportunity, to visit exposed, coastal beaches too. For now, we inhale, love and revel in the nearby bay beaches and feel grateful for the nine good years we've enjoyed living within a stone's throw on them.

The Market

A few recent excursions to Footscray Market have left me wondering why I haven't taken the kids there more often. They were a little overwhelmed during our most recent visit because it was busy and they were tired but they've generally always enjoyed the sites and sounds of the market, particularly the fish stalls! And then there's the little 'cafe' (and I mean little - one table!) tucked away amongst coffee machines, dried legumes and an array of nuts, among other wonderful things. They make a great babychino, or so it seems!

And we never fail to duck across the road to another favourite haunt. They've been going since the mid-50s - amazing! And we know why. The kids love the little cannoli piped with half vanilla, half chocolate custard.

The Kitchen

I really should do a whole separate post on recent activities in our kitchen - and I will very soon but to an extent this photo says it all. We've been sharing so much time cooking and baking together, mostly in a cooperative fashion. Rafael has found his inner chef calling and his big sister is only too happy to instruct him on all she's learnt to date! There have been some very funny moments.

And to top it all off, there's been plenty of swaggering from this little boy as he gets more and more control over an increasingly active body!

JUST TO SAY...

...that we're still here just incredibly busy with 'stuff' that I'm looking forward to sharing in the coming days/weeks. It hasn't helped that our modem 'died' leaving us without internet connection and a phone! Actually, that's been a good thing for me on the crafting (and general living) front. This technology-dip (!) was hightened by the removal (into storage) of our television, which has been a wonderfully positive thing, though I do miss going square-eyed in front of it in the evenings. The sewing machine also appreciates the extra attention!

Enjoyed a rare reprieve from packing and paperwork (for Mama!) to play outdoors

SOMETIMES CAFE KIDS

On this Wintery, cold Melbourne day I'm dreaming of  a pleasant cafe outing with clear-nosed children! It's not really so cold but, I become a little 'whiny' when the temperature drops below fifteen so I'm looking back (just a few weeks) to warmer, sun-shiny days and some cafe outings we've enjoyed. Perhaps we'll have another tomorrow? It might be a nice way to celebrate her second visit to the dentist; bravery should be rewarded! Not that I'm expecting the dentist to do much more than count her teeth, ask her how her brushing is going and give her a sticker! I must be projecting my horrid experience with braces!
 

Occassionally, I ask my kids to brave a local cafe so that I can enjoy a pot of chai or English Breakfast tea because one, I'm addicted to both and two, sometimes it's nice to be served! It takes such patience on their behalves, a patience that's mostly rewarded by a 'babychino' and something sweet to eat.

Back at the end of May when my eldest sister was visting from northern NSW, their patience was tested on more than one occassion! And recently, we've been visiting a cafe in Flemington with friends following Elsa's weekly swimming lession. This is a particularly good spot to stop because of this shop, located in front of our table of choice. This is clearly a stop for me but the kids find their own fun.

I hope they recall the sweet rewards of our cafe stops in the same way that I recall the delights of the David Jones cafe in Sydney where Mum would take me for a reprieve as I enjoyed the delights of a vanilla milkshake, cream-corn on toast (I know!) and perhaps a scone. For now for my kids, it's all about the train spotting, exploring the streets, watching the people, and clearly, the eating and drinking too!

Cafe bound with their aunt; something to truly relish as this aunt lives far away



And sometimes we simply take the 'cafe' with us and enjoy some train spotting with treats and drinks in hand.  And then chat about all things train-related in the aftermath! ( I really need to learn some things in this regard!).  It's often not until a few trains have sped past that Rafa is used to the noise; it' hard to believe looking at the photo below but, in no time, he's screaming with delight as each train approaches.

MARCHING ON

Looking back on the month of March and remembering how the kids spent it...swinging, drawing, exploring, baking, walking, painting, gardening, cycling, twirling, escaping, cooking, running...playing, the wonderful work of childhood! (and sometimes simply resting in the beautiful new pants knit by his Auntie!).

THE CAT'S AWAY

We had some fun this past weekend, though minus a husband/Dada who was away in Sydney. I managed to squeeze in a little bit of knitting and a great deal of yarn shopping thereby adding at least five projects to the list, some of them now underway, others waiting for some elusive 'spare' time. A while back I visited Morris and Sons for a quick drool over the exquisite yarn range, and this past Saturday I made it back for a more detailed exploration made possible by the lovely friend accompanying me who absorbed some of Elsa's chatter and need to explore all corners of the shop. The staff are knowledgable, interested and helpful, which is a bonus when you have many projects in mind and are completely overwhlemed by the range of options available.

And we were able to squeeze in a tea/coffee at the Block Arcade followed by an essential peruse of Haighs (as much as one can with kids - peruse that is!). I was relatively controlled, surprisingly, especially in light of Easter and the goodies on offer like this. Guess I could always go back before Easter!

"Excuse me sir, can you tell me why my Mum won't let me eat ALL that chocolate?"

And plenty of other fun things also happened this past weekend. We've reached that stage around here where card and board games rate highly. And there's been a new found interest in puzzles too. So, while the cat was away, we certainly did PLAY! (And bake of course).

Mama was even treated to very lengthy finger-puppet show