Familienzeit

(Family time)

We had a wonderful day yesterday, the Adelaide Cup Day holiday. With C working 6 days/week, and us needing to spend time on the seventh day seeing family, and working around the house, we find it difficult to allocate time to spend together as a foursome. Yesterday, though, we trekked to Hahndorf to explore, eat and just spend some quality familienzeit.

First things first, we stopped at the German Cake Shop to fill hungry tummies



We then went for a walk up and down the main street





calling into the Taste of Hahndorf shop (I don't like the meats, but C and Josh looooove them), and stopping at the Fairy Village for a fairy hunt in the garden



and a wish in the wishing well.



Finally, what trip to Hahndorf would be complete without a visit to





Then we headed happily home, with two sleeping boys in the back seat and some rare peace and quiet.

Rain

I'd forgotten what it was like, I think. Riley certainly had, and is definitely not a fan. Josh however, performed a rain dance full of spontaneous joy which was a sight to behold.

Autumn has been welcomed in with a truly spectacular rainstorm - we recieved 10mm of rain in one splendid downpour.

We knew it was coming, we saw the clouds building, but I still doubted the forecasters





It started tentatively, with a drop here and there



It got a little heavier



And then it truly hit







It left the plants refreshed, the air clear and the world sparkling. Bring on the rain.

The week that was... goodbye summer

We've come to the end of a season, and the beginning of another. I love summer, and like autumn, but I am so not looking forward to winter.

We've had a lovely week, been quite busy but with enough down time to keep us all sane. C was away for the majority of the working week, so it was just me and the boys. We managed better than I thought we might, although Josh missed his daddy fiercely.

Friday a brief moment of sibling camaraderie



Saturday recreating one of my favourite childhood memories





Sunday visiting the local duckpond





Monday playing chasey



Tuesday helping to pot some plants



Wednesday playing tea party



Thursday playground trip - Pirates ahoy!



Next week brings the beginning of autumnal weather, and (if you believe the forecasters!) RAIN!

Summer evenings...

On the first day of autumn, I'm already missing summer. It doesn't help that it's blowing a gale today, just to rub salt in the wound a bit.

We had a beautiful summer evening Saturday night though. Warm nights, one of my favourite things about summer.

Food





Wine



Sprinkly icecream



Fun



What more do you need for a perfect evening?

Organisation task #2

The pantry.
(Cue da, da dum dum... daaaaaaaa!)

I have a terrible habit of keeping something organised for some time, and then when things start to get out of place, going 'to hell with it' and letting it all go haywire. So goes the story of my pantry.

To start with, I'm fighting space issues. We have not got a lot of good storage space in this house, and so each square centimetre is at a premium. I'm also fighting a household of males who know not how to put things back where they came from. Perhaps the baby is excused here, but I'm including him because I'm sure he'll be a guilty party in the future!

This is the beginning:



I've stocked up on plastic containers at IKEA. I'm also on the hunt for

glass jars for pasta, beans etc



A vegetable box for potatoes, onions etc




A step shelf



And a bread box


Can't wait to have a functional pantry again!

The week that was... beautiful sunshine

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy...
John Denver

What a week of beautiful weather. We've done a lot less on the organised acitivites front, and a lot more dabbling, and digging, and running, and playing outside. It's been lovely - sunshiny, warm (not hot!) weather always puts everyone in this house in a cheery mood.

Friday early morning out in the garden, watering and weeding



Saturday family playground trip





Sunday a trip to C's brother's to meet their new Dorper sheep - two ewes, two lambs and a ram - who have joined the alpacas.



Monday and Tuesday we spent the majority of these days playing outside





Wednesday we met some friends at a playground





Thursday paddling pool fun



In other news this week, check out the herb garden!



We're also trialling growing a butternut pumpkin in a big pot so will have to see if we have any luck. Fingers crossed!

Organisation task #1 - finished (ish)

What I've done I actually did a couple of weeks ago. I'm not happy with it, but I can't find a storage system that would work for this space and these items. So this is it, and the wardrobe can officially be called finished I think. (For those of you wondering, amazingly, the other parts still are neat and tidy! I think it helps that I still pick Josh's clothes, so he's not ferretting around in there too often).

Before:



After: