the tooth fairy

The tooth fairy didn't come Saturday night....She must have been too tired..or stayed up too late drinking with friends...Luckily it snowed, which meant she just couldn't go out in the cold, and made up for it the next night. She was fortunately forgiven, we collected lanterns from the tomatilla tomatoes, which will be perfect for her to see with on long dark nights. The kids in the fairy club at school are making her a throne. They raced to school last week as one poor kid had dropped his tooth out into the edge of the sandpit. They couldn't wait to see if there was a bounty left there. I feel a bit sad (and slightly nauseous) with all these little perfect teeth raining down around me, as though theres a little piece of childhood that's getting lost each time one comes out.

Apple and blackberry electric shock pie

I took off with my 4 year old to collect some sun kissed blackberries to make blackberry pie. Life was good as we diligently picked berries and pricked ourselves. We were just topping up the last of our buckets on this quiet country road, when a couple of Telstra technicians turned up and parked next to us. They got out with all their gear, saying a friendly G'day back to my son. They paid no mind to us leaning over the bushes right next to them, trying desperately to get the best of the fruit. They pulled open a metal post that was perched on the grass, exposing the disarray of cables inside. One of the young fellas leapt back with a cry, he'd been electrocuted. We looked around in dismay. He seemed to shake it off though, much to our bemusement and they very quickly packed up and left again. The blackberries mixed with some apples straight off the tree, with home made buckwheat pastry made for a yummy pie though, and I reckon we had a much better day than him!

new pictures!

so yay there are finally some new pictures up. I really wanted to take some photos of special moments about the place, but was cooking dinner and.....So I asked the kids to head out with the camera and take some photos of beautiful things around the place that they loved. They piled back in in time for dinner, saying "it's all done Mumma, here are your photos.' 'Oh did you get some good ones?'' 'Oh yes, great! We took lots while we were riding our bikes, I had the camera in the basket!' 'Hmmm, well, thats great, thanks.' So these are the photos I've added. I might swap them with some that are in focus soon, but I think they capture beautiful moments.

in search of fairies

The kids at school (age 6), have made a fairy club. They spend their lunchbreak searching through the flower beds for evidence of fairies. Sometimes they find the queens crown, sometimes her throne. They include anyone who wants to join in, and refer to a book on fairies to ensure the accuracy of their finds, just as we did with reptiles in the desert. Today after school we went to the garden to pick everything that we could find that is red for dinner. Asha discovered a ripe tomato with awe. She said in a half whisper, 'When is Elsie coming over? She has to see this?' I asked her what it was and she said 'it's just what we've been looking for. It's a certain fairies tomato, exactly the right shape, it's in my book!' I remember being six. I thought it was the best age in the world to be. I think I might still agree.

First day at school

Clay is starting school tomorrow. His first day of kindergarten. I feel like I'm launching him into the world, 'off you go, you'll be right, see you at three.' I just don't think I'm ready! He is 'very excited about starting school.' so fingers crossed there will only be tears from me. He is so proud in his school uniform, with his bag. His school overlooks the sea and is made up of small white buildings with little gardens and big swings. Now if I was still in the desert, I would have him all to myself still, but I would hate to deprive him of this moment. He's just learning to fly.

cucumbers and babies

Alright I am making a promise here for all those lovely people who are patient with me enough to keep reading these words. I will put photos on from our Tasy life, very soon..., and as long as people keep reading this from Russia, I will continue to write to you! PS I would love to know about your life if you're willing to share it! Anyway, back in Tasy.... As much as we missed our planting season here as we were kicking back in the Simpson Desert, our greenhouse has still flourished. Imagine tomatoes clawing their way to the roof, lettuces filling every spare patch of bare earth, basil sending its pungent scent through the moist warm air (thats right, warm, greenhouses are awesome!) So Zave is now cracking 18 months, and flat out refused to eat his lunch. Tottering behind me, he 'helped' while I hooked up the sprinkler to water the garden. Looking behind me, I saw he had his head deep in a cucumber plant that cascaded well over his head. He managed to pull off our first beautiful cucumber. He looked at it, showed me, then took a bite. he proceeded to march off, slowly eating the whole thing, prickly skin and all. Thats why I have a garden.

a morning in Tasmania

Feeling very fortunate with my place in the world this morning, I travelled 2 minutes down the road to visit our new family day carer for the baby (now 18 months old). She is an amazing woman in a beautiful bush setting, who we are very lucky to have helping us care for Zavier. I then went around the corner to the inspiring property that is Paulette and Matts. Vegetables and flowers burst from the seams of this home and business from which they sell incredibly small but yummy flowers to the top chefs in Hobart. I stared around with a glazed look for a while, drooling a bit. Just as I was starting to think about moving into their greenhouses just so I could look at the flowers some more, she wheeled me out a full wheelbarrow load of fruit laden tomatoes to plant. Steering me carefully towards the gate, she pointed out the most enormous pumpkins I have ever seen, hiding in the massive green floating leaves. We loaded the plants into the boot, then I loaded my older kids into her house, where they were in heaven playing with their mates. I then drove down to my sister in laws, another minute away, and dropped off some boxes of books for her kids, from mine, and had a cup of tea. Picking up the kids on the way home, I arrived back at our house in time to send off a job application and then greet Bob Brown and partner Paul, who came to drop off work gear and have a cup of tea. It was a priviledge to talk to Bob and Paul about Tasmanias beauty and the Simpson deserts fire, and to hand them some freshly made apricot jam. Life is good.

Kite festival

Al and I managed to get leave from the kids to ride our bikes together the hour or so to Hobart over the mountain. Sure was beautiful, and the temperature change was awesome. It seemed to go from 40 degrees up the hill to minus 20 degrees as we dropped down the other side, in about 2.5 seconds. Riding down the mountain, the city was spread out below us, flowing off the mountain before stopping, teetering on the edge of the bay. We met family, friends and our kids at the kite festival, which perched on a grassy hill overlooking the water. I imagined the kite runners in Kabul, and wondered if they are still making their kites fly and dance while cutting each others strings. The Hobart version was a bit tamer, but so beautiful. Kites filled the sky and everyone permanently ducked and weaved to miss or untangle themselves from the kids strings. Family, friends, good times in an easy life. Sailing ships of the air mingled with japanese fish and elaborate eagles, while the kids $3 kites danced in an uneasy truce below them. Life is good.

born just in time

Yesterday I was about to throw away my broody chooks eggs from under her. She was way overdue, and seemed like she was about to cark it. Her comb hung low and her head rested to one side. Surely she couldn't sit on her eggs any longer and stay alive. I felt terrible that such a commited mother, sittting for well over three weeks, and running herself into the ground, was about to be pulled off her treasured eggs, It seemed that her time as a mum was over before it had begun.I moved her wing aside and picked up an egg that looked cracked. It was warm and  vibrating. I very carefully placed it down again,and peeked under her other wing. A cute small yellow head peered around her tired mum at me. Today there are three gorgeous chickens, and she is still determined to sit on the rest. Her commitment is amazing, but well worth it in the end.