wakka wakka woo

I have proof of my 'loaming' project, above. This is a section of my front garden, which up to now, has been looking as sad as the drought. This project has been very long winded and was sure to end up with all the other half finished projects I start and seem to never finish.....but, I started it and finished it in just a couple of hours....I am sooooo happy. I have been using grey water from the washing machine for about 12 months, so I will continue to water the garden using this method. While I was digging in the garden, the dog was sitting in the sun and my Mum was taking care of the baby, occassionally they would come out to say hello, everything was very calm and peaceful. Then I saw this......

You might remember my story of the street duck and chicken a while back and how chicken tragically died. Well, I knew he didnt come back to life and multiply but geez it gave me a fright....soon after old ducky came along. Then, it was a truly awesome gardening experience. The dog didnt mind the birds and the birds are so tame they eat out of your hand (and come inside).....what a great afternoon and I finished a project!!!

here it is

Finally, here is the dress made by my dear friend missy h for me to wear to my sisters wedding. It is made from obi fabric and kimono fabric. It is quite stiff so when you wear it, it sticks out from the sides, you could probably wear a tulle skirt under it to give it some real lift, very lovely. I am looking forward to sewing my own creations soon, but as my sewing skills are limited I am sticking to cusions, pram blankets, sewing designs onto flannels and bibs and sewing things onto pre-existing clothes. I have the fabrics, now, just to find some time......

on the move

I thought I should fill in any gaps in case I have forgotten anyone.....if I have, I do apologise and I will be in touch soon. We are packing up the pooch and heading to our next life adventure, this time to Tokyo. We plan to move after the little ones birthday and after Christmas. So, I have started to get a bit organised and get some supplies, including this very apt green and gold jacket, it is size 1, so not for me. I could not, not get that now could I? We will take a trip soonish to get a place to live then really get ready to go. I can still do everything I'm doing here cards wise and otherwise, thanks to technology it wont seem too far away, and of course I would like to have a LOT of visitors!! I will keep up this blog too. So for now sayonara, I have to hit the study books because I am so lame on the language skills...........................

massive loveliness

I spent the weekend with my little family enjoying the sunshine, visiting old haunts, rolling in the green grass, eating good food and just enjoying time with each other. Time I realise is the most precious commodity.

wasnt it monday yesterday?

Time seems to be flying even faster these days, all the things I hope to get done, get pushed down the list even further.....now the sun is shining, the nights are getting longer and days warmer it seems like there is more to do and more ways to enjoy life. I like this beginning of spring but I wish I could get at least one thing that I start, completed.......well one milestone completed is the 9 month mark for PP, he is now as old as he stayed in my belly. He is becoming so lovely, lively and wonderfully enjoyable. Now I must try to get the washing done..........

owlness

My sister bought me this very cute exercise/notebook. It is so nice, very cute little owls and animals and comes complete with a library card on the inside cover. It reminds me of the old borrowing system where it was really based on trust. The book was stamped with the due date but sometimes never returned, due to laziness, forgetfulness, lostness, dog chewedness, or I just liked it very much and could not afford to buy my own copy......if I see one of those old books with the library numbers on the spine it still makes me feel very guilty. Oh, the website to see the other cuteness things from this group of crafters is www.libraryplus.com.au

family portrait re-visited

I have been re-working these drawings I did a while back, there are two more pieces to come (baby and dog). It is like a never ending project so I can keep layering and texturing and changing the colours. I dont know if they will ever be finished completely, but I'm getting happier with the result as I go along.

teeny cat

I have some teeny cat brooches made from sculpy clay. They are approx 3 to 4cm in height and good for cardi's, bags, coat lapels or scarves. There will be some more designs soon and they will be up in the shop on my website. In the meantime if you would like a teeny cat email me paula@thegrassygarden.com.au . Great price at $10AU.

what we saw

I would have to say Federation square in Melbourne is one of my favourite places to visit. It always has interesting things to see and they are usually free. I took Pei to see a concert and event with Aboriginal singers, songwriters etc performing and general info about the 1967 referendum to allow Aboriginals the right to vote. It was very interesting and Pei was rocking out to the music. Following the theme we went inside the NGV to look at the exhibits created by Aboriginal artists. Its been a while since I really looked at Aboriginal art, and I'm so glad I took the time. As I talked to the baby about the colours and shapes and things that we could see, it really came alive. I took some very bad photos so you will have to believe me when I say that two works by Tommy Watson in all my favourite pinks colours was just so beautiful. It was a great afternoon and just enough culcha for one day, enough to keep the mind and soul alive.

mei li

I was just going through some old photos and remembered this sunrise over the himalayas in Western China. It seems like a very long time ago, this kind of trip is not possible or practical with a baby. It was an amazing journey and to look at this photo, it reminds me how lucky I am to have the partner, the means and the desire to go to such places.

scented garden

I wanted to plant a scented garden, meaning, plants that had flowers and fruits that smell very nice. I am not a green thumb but I do try hard. Now I am inspired to make a garden like the zoo and have a scented garden too. It will take some time. Here is proof of some delirious smells of the coming spring, daphne and cumquat and the lovely orange blossom flowers (which have been spent). I have tried the gardenia and the dwarf magnolia and the jasmine, all of which are hanging in there but because of the drought and not much skill of the the gardener, they are just leaves with no flowers. I plan to revamp the garden over the coming weekends and put in some new lavendar, poke around the local nursery, move things around and do some "loaming". Loaming is an invented word by my husband, it basically means tilling. The soil involved in loaming is called "loamus"....So I hope to get some loamus and mulch into the ground and encourage some lovely smells to grow.

loveliness

Today I received a beautiful card and a beautiful felted brooch in the mail from a dear friend. It is so lovely and sweet. This has made me feel very happy. Thankyou so much missy h xxx

learning windows

There is said to be 'windows' of learning opportunites for humans and when we catch them it is easier to teach a new skill, for example, eating, talking, walking etc etc...if we miss that window, it is more labour intensive to teach a new skill. I can totally understand this and view learning a new language as an adult (when you have grown up mono-lingual) as a perfect illustration of this point. The trick is knowing when that window is open. I am currently anticipating the 'learn to eat independently' window for Pei. I am totally enjoying watching him learn something new and enjoy himself at the same time. Learning should be this fun. I must remember this joy when sweating over long forgotten Chinese and Japanese vocab/sentence structure/tone etc etc etc...

day at the zoo

Here is my big darling telling my little darling about the brown bear...

Little houses filled with wooden and clay animals.

We went to the zoo to see some animals but were just as impressed with the beatutful landscaping and general surrounds. This has inspired me to create my garden at home to be like this part of the zoo, it might take some time, but to create such a pretty and relaxing place cant be a bad thing to do. I made a picnic lunch with rough cut egg and salad sandwiches, a fruit bun and some fruit. We sat and ate them on this big wooden chair in the afternoon sunshine. It was such a lovely and simple way to spend a few hours. The highlight was to see so many animals all up and about including the meercat, lemur and orang utan. I think one of my favourite animals is the hairy nosed wombat

call me crazy....

Pei is 8 months old today. I gave him a pen and this is his first drawing. Genius is he not?!