At the close

Dear all.  I’ve been having some problems with Word Press so have decided to chuck in the blog.  Sorry!  I’ll see you all one of the other social networks at our disposal.  Thanks for reading!

Spring’s Finale

As we seemingly rush through this season and on to the next, here are the things that for me represent Spring here in Deutschland.

This is how I imagined the garden in Oscar Wilde's "The Selfish Giant" to be: full of beautiful blossoms that fall like snow when the wind blows

Our fair-weather neighbourhood friends have moved backThere are Spargel (asparagus) stalls everywhere - the strawberries will soon join them!

Spring Stage Two

More flowers!  They really do come out in stages.  It’s quite amazing.  I’m not really a keen flower watcher, but after a very colourless winter, they are simply beautiful.

And in case you think all we’re doing is lying around, gazing at the flora…

Warmer weather means we're back on our bikes for afternoon tea picnics!

Spring Stage One

Hello Spring.  Farewell cruel Winter with your fearsome temperatures and beautiful white coverings!  We will, no doubt, miss you a little.  But in the meantime…

The first flowers have appeared

The crocus!

The gardeners have started work

The wildlife has reappeared

Check out the size of this bumblebee - and it's really furry!

Meeting new friends

Time to redecorate!

Some street art

 

Winter Picnics

Inside…

Yes, Georgia is wearing an IKEA safety vest, Rose a Tinkerbell dress with wellies and Barney is wearing a dress fashioned from a cut-up party bag!

…and out!

I believe it was about 2C degrees that day. We didn't last too long...

...but the view was terrific!

Crafty Kids

We’ve been doing a whole lot of craft here lately.  Our biggest monkey was off kindergarten for most of the week with an injured foot and it’s Winter!  Thankfully, we had inspiration in the form of an idea from one beloved aunt and a fantastic book from another.  The first two projects were from the book (thank you Auntie Suze!) but I forgot to take any photos of the project steps, just the finished product (and proud crafters).

The house that Georgia built

Beautiful jewellery made with straws covered in wrapping paper

First, put the flowers together

Then, fasten the flowers to the straws

Push the flower straws into holes in a painted egg carton

Look very proud of your new garden

Thanks Auntie Fona, for this fabulous idea

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

For some people living away from home, their national day is a chance to go crazily patriotic, perhaps to make up for the lack of compatriots with whom to discuss favourite nation-related topics or lack of favourite national foodstuffs etcetera.  For others, the day is practically over when they realise  its significance and then they perhaps think, with a sigh, that they are so far from the land that they love that there’s no real connection.  Hmm, I guess I fit somewhere in between.  And really, I like any excuse to make yummy food and wave a flag.

Happy Australia Day everybody!

Georgia all ready for kindergarten (she took ANZAC biscuits for the class)

 

My first ever attempt at lamingtons (for my playgroup friends)

Ho Ho Ho

Just got back from a lovely Christmas trip to England.  Here is a list of some of the highlights:

* Grandpa’s awesome holly ball
* Seeing all 5 cousins drawing happily together about 10 minutes after their arrival
* Rose saying: “Koala…koala…koala…koala eating” <cue pause while we all try to work out what on earth she’s talking about> Turns out there’s a squirrel eating the nuts from the bird feeder
* The excitement of Georgia during trip to local aquarium (on return told Grandma that she’d seen the Octonauts – see here for explanation)
* Many hours spent sitting in front of the fire watching the kids enjoying stories with their grandparents
* Catching up with delightful family friends
* BOOTS!  That’s the pharmacy-like shop, by the way, not the footwear
* Old-fashioned snowball fights in the garden
* Listening to Georgia sing her current favourite road-trip song, “Taylor the Latte Boy” (Kristen Chenoweth)
* More mince pies than you can poke a stick at (turns out I’m really the only one who eats them – hooray for that!)
*TESCO!  Ah, Tesco, how I miss thee

Hooray for girls!

 

Georgia and her cousin Maryam

 

Checking out Grandpa's frozen pond

 

Georgia putting Baby Jesus into the Nativity Scene on Christmas Morning

 

Opening stockings on Christmas morning

 

Swans and ducks at the wetland project

You say it’s your birthday…

Ah yes, the birthday season is upon us.  Poor Julian.  He must be the only person in the world who can go away on business for a few days and miss his entire family’s birthdays!

This year I decided to throw a party for both girls together.  We had a great time!  I kept it sweets-free so apart from birthday cake we had savoury food: cut up capsicum (pepper), carrot and cucumber, cherry tomatoes, brezels (big, soft, doughy and delicious), cheese, mini pickles (Georgia’s request) and mini sausages.  And some dips for the adults, plus more sausages.  Yum yum!

I love party games and had a good time dreaming some up or rather, putting a twist on some old favourites!  Because of the age of the kids (18 months to 4) they were simple.  They danced to music and then when it stopped, they had to jump on a specified coloured square (very cute!).  Georgia is enamoured with the Octonauts at the moment (she was reading a book about polar bears today and said “look, a narwhal”, so I guess it’s mildly educational).  Anyway, we played “stick the hat on Captain Barnacles”, which began with a hunt for his hat and finished with the more traditional blindfold and guess.  And of course we played pass-the-parcel where to avoid putting a chocolate bar or packed of gummy bears on every layer, I stuck a picture of an animal, and the kids had to make its noise.  Great fun!  Now I have 12 months to come up with some more ideas for next year!

Party Lunch

 

Birthday Girl 1

 

Pin the Hat on Captain Barnacles

 

Birthday Girl 2 (with Iggle Piggle cake)

Point and shoot

Hooray, we have a new camera!  While of course this particular piece of equipment is not crucial to my updates for you lovely folk, it does kinda provide the impetus.  I apologise for my relative lack of communication these last months but will endeavour to be a little more regular from now on.

We’ve had our first snowfall!  It happened yesterday, with a little extra over night, so this morning we are living in a Winter Wonderland.  I know it’s wet and a little irritating and dangerous and will probably be slush by midday but right now it is glorious in its purity and the silence it seems to bring to the morning.  Here is the front, back and side of our house.