moments - cousins by sea

- my sprocket, eating toast in the morning, down at the beach house
- cousin, coming through from the neighbour's garden
-my poppet, telling us all about it
-my poppet, running on the shore
-a fence in the dunes
-jellyfish slither. my brothers and I spent ages playing with the blobs of clear jellyfish washed up on the shore (I remember hiding it under pillows, oops) and now my kids are doing the same.
-three cousins busily building on the beach. they ran down the winding path to the beach and had stripped off and were playing along the shore by the time I reached them, meandering down at a slower pace with Littlest. Luckily, my brother could keep up with them!
-Littlest, on her Grandpa's lap, after her christening - characteristically laid back and surveying the world
-surfer in silvered sea
-the cousins, running home from the sea. As is becoming traditional, Sprocket is wearing my cardie. I want to retake this photo when they are all teenagers… but I suspect Sprocket will no longer fit my cardigans.

We had a beautiful weekend down by the sea last week, returning to the surf coast for Littlest's Christening. It was just what we needed - a taste of magic - although the drive was long. The kids loved running along the shore and I loved being home and having family all around, seeing their joy.

My kids are not indoors kids. My Sprocket climbs the walls (and I mean that literally) while my Poppet follows in his lead in wildness.  But give them sea and sand and rocks and they will play happily for hours.

Joining with Em for moments from our week. 

Littlest's Christening

My Little, Littlest one,

We took you across the state, down to the sea and shore, for your Christening last weekend.
Your family gathered to promise to support and guide you, coming by plane and train and car to be with you. You spent the weekend being passed from welcoming arm to welcoming arm, as we all tried to be good about sharing you. You were - as usual - exceptionally easy-going, happy to give big joyful grins to all, as long as the milk supply was good.

We arrived in the house after our long drive on Friday night, and your Godmama was waiting, so the house was lit up and welcoming as we pulled up the orange clay drive. The sound of the sea was soft that night, but the air was crisp and fresh and I told you that you were home. This is the place that we always return to.

The next morning we took you down to the beach. You loved wandering along the shore in your hug-a-bug, while your brother and sister ran wild along the tide line. You're an outdoor, moving type of girl. You want to be always under the sky and on the go.

Your Nana and Grandpa and Aunty arrived from Queensland and the festivities began. In the afternoon we went into town - your aunty and Godmama and I checked out the op-shop (hello cute little knitted romper and gorgeous velvet top) and then we came home to bake - me your Christening cake and your Godmama your sister's birthday cake.

The great open fireplace was filled with wood (I love to see a man with an axe!) the bottles of wine opened, and cheeses and meats brought out. (For someone who was a vegetation for fifteen years my childbearing years have brought rather embarrassing meat cravings!)

You sat on your grandpa's belly in front of the fire and calmly surveyed all, before being nursed to sleep and put in the bassinet my brothers and I slept in as babies.

The following morning all was activity - your daddy and I iced and decorated your cake, your wonderful Godmama your sister's birthday cake, your sister collected flowers for it, your daddy ran your brother down on the beach, to try to get rid of excess energy, and we all tidied up from the night before and got dressed for the service. You and I were the very last to change and it was so much fun dressing you in your little petticoat and silk slippers.

We tumbled into cars, the christening cake on my lap and drove along the Great Ocean Road to the small church - the same one your brother and sister were christened in - the same beautiful parish your daddy and I were married in - and made our promises to you.

Your sister couldn't resist dancing in the aisle during the service (I had my ballet slippers on, I had to dance!) and later playing with a wind up car. When her cousin arrived she ran across the front of the church and they threw their arms around each other with joy. Your brother and sister and cousin all got to come up and splash you with the water from the font.

As we left, the organist played a piece that your great grandfather had loved - he often used to take services there, particularly at Easter - and that she remembered him asking for the music for.

Returning home there was somehow plenty of food - even though I had put next to no thought into it - it all just appeared - your Godmamma had made a gorgeous pumpkin soup the night before, your nana and grandpa brought down a free range ham and oatcakes, and there were still lashings of cheeses, meats and fruits from the night before that your other nana had bought.

As with your brothers and sisters, after lunch we wandered down to the shore and you fell asleep to the sound of the sea.

31/52

- my Poppet, in her princess dress, down by the beach. So hard to believe she's nearly four. My bold, brave extravaganza.
-my Sprocket, early morning on the verandah down at the beach house. A little out of focus but I love the colours and his expression. My little-big boy.
- my Littlest, already over the camera, on the beach her daddy proposed on. She is growing so quickly I blink and miss something. I so wish I could pause and rewind. If every minute was an hour and every day a week I would be very grateful.

I've missed a lot of weeks with the 52 project, but now things are (sort of!) back on track, we're (sort of) getting back into routine I want to try to start documenting the weeks again. They are all growing so very very fast. Once again joining with Jodi for a portrait of my kids once a week, every most weeks in 2014.

A Cake for Littlest

It was Littlest's Christening last weekend, so as well as travelling to the shore on the far side of the state, I dug into the depths of my email and found the recipe of the cake we've used for all the kids' Christening - one a friend gave me that her grandmother used. We vary it a little, as my father-in-law is coeliac so I make it with gluten free flower, and this time I put in glace cherries instead of currents.

As this is the third Christening, my Beloved and I have the routine down. I make the cake the day before - delighting in the smell of hot spice and dried fruit, cooking sugar and butter all bubbling in the saucepan, calling the kids over to see the fizz as the bi-carb hits. Pottering around, enjoying the view of the sea through the kitchen window and everyone talking around me.

My Beloved rolls out the icing the morning of the Christening - usually with an empty wine bottle from the night before - we tend to take advantage of the open fire to enjoy some red wine with the gathered family. Once the icing is rolled out and I've soothed my Beloveds rumblings about imperfections in it, I decorate it.

The Christening cake, all ready to decorate.

Beginning the decorating process. We had the nest on our wedding cake and have used it with every Christening cake - with added birds. We're up to five little birds on the cake now. Luckily I found a hoard of fifteen little birds at an op-shop near mum and dad's recently and pounced on them. The kids chose which birds they wanted to represent them - well, apart from Littlest!

Poppet, all bedhead in the early morning, heading into the garden to help me find flowers for the cake.

Rosemary was the first selection, followed by lavender, and then Australian natives.

The final cake, ready to take to the church for morning tea.

Do you have favourite recipes you always use for special occasions? A family wedding or Christening cake or Christmas pudding? 

not so crafty - but look at the cute toes

In my head I am amazingly crafty. I whip up a little jumper or a gorgeous hat at the drop of a stitch. In reality my one attempt at crochet is a half-finished granny square and I can knit, but can't turn corners, so am limited to blankets and scarves. 

I love all sorts of handmade goodies - crocheted cardies, knitted beanies, embroidered pillows, and my beloved will attest to the fact the house is full of soft and subtly coloured wool and scraps of fabric to be made into something 'someday.' In reality I live the craft life vicariously, the doing through the blogs of others and the frequenting of church sales and op-shops to acquire all my woollen goodies. 

So picture me smug - I actually made something this week. I crafted - moi! - the girl who knitted her work to her school skirt in textiles. 

It took me about two days five minutes and thirty seconds to make a pair of soft as soft cashmere and lambswool leggings for my Littlest. 

Two days to discover where I'd stashed the cashmere sweater I'd shrunk in the wash. Five minutes to work out where I'd put the scissors and thirty seconds to cut the sleeves off -voila - cute baby leggings!  

Littlest discovered her toes (she doesn't get a lot of toe time in winter - socks, tights and footed onesies are her lot) and found them amazingly entertaining. 

I got the idea from this lovely book by Pia Jane Bijkerk, Little Treasures Made by Hand, although Pia actually sews - splitting one arm of a discarded jumper to make two leggings. I recycled a beloved (shrunken) jumper and made each arm a leg, although they don't fit quite so well. Every time I look at the leggings I remember ducking into the recycled fashion shop on the way to the British Museum in London, back when Sprocket had just learnt to walk, and Poppet was still inside me, and falling in love with the softness. 

And - I admit it - it's an excuse for more photos of teeny tiny gorgeous toes.