Down by the River

The day was sunny and warm, we grabbed a simple picnic and headed down to the river.

We saw a grass snake swimming in the water, lots of squirrels darting about the trees and as we were close to a rabbit warren there were plenty of young rabbits playing hide and seek too.

Later on a mama duck and her babies paddled along, probably drawn by the scent of our sandwiches so we through a few crumbs her way and she obliged us with a few quick photos.

Bujana tried to catch fish with her very own handmade fishing rod.

She put little bits of bread and sweetcorn on the end of it and waited and waited.

Sadly the fish were too canny for Boo and waited patiently for the little tidbits to fall away into the water (which they invariably did)

Beautiful Emmy...

Emmy has just published her own book of poems...
It is a lovely little book and a great way to keep all her writings together.
She has now been motivated to start on her second book! What begun as a homeschooling project has turned her into a budding novelist!

More Spring Sunshine Garden Prettiness...

Just because...
Boo took the first picture (the clothesline) yesterday evening. It was such a beautiful evening, not a cloud in the sky, everything was bathed in gold. The sunlight made even my multicoloured smart price plastic clothespegs look romantic :)

The Beautiful view from my kitchen sink this evening...

Yes that is Poppy our rabbit sneeking scraps under the table!

Then Boo wanted her hair curled....

So then Boo, wanted her hair curled...

So that is just what we did! What a cutie! When she was little she always had the most delicate ringlets she like a china doll. She hated having her hair brushed though and to save her the trauma I cut her hair into a sweet bob. It was fun to see her ringlets back for a day:)

Here's my green fingered garden girl on her own little patch. I knitted the bolero with the same pattern as I used for Fina and I've just started on one for Boo. The bolero seems to knit up so much more quickly than a conventional cardigan and it is just perfect for sunny yet crisp spring days!
Emmy made the dress Tilly is wearing for her birthday originally, though it is a 14 piece panelled dress which is a real step up from anything Emmy has attempted on her own before so it took a little longer than expected and ended up as an Easter present instead. It was worth the wait!
Emmy chose the pretty fabric from a charity shop (it was a bed cover) and has plenty left over to make a matching dress for Seraphina. Matilda is just over the moon that it's pink!

Boo's little knitted ladybug... Boo loves to knit and this pattern was a lovely simple design that didn't take to long to knit up. Her first real piece of knitting!!!


And then we made a sun dress for "Flower" cause a dolly needs a new dress for Summer too you know :)

Tiger Tilly... and some on the rest of the bunch....

Tiger Tilly!

The three littlest girls love to dress up and play pretend. They are always pretending to be animals, wolves, leopards, dogs, or making up plays, songs or dances in different characters.

Since her birthday Matilda has been really having a lot of fun with the face paints. She is such a little actress and loves to use her imagination. The stories the girls make up can go on and on for days, it's beautiful to have a peek into their world as I watch them bring their ideas to life.

Yesterday Emmy Bujana and Matilda made a fantastic fairy castle in their double bunk bed. It took up most of the room with different "realms" I was amazed at the detail the girls had put into their design and the magical feeling that was created by a few bit's and pieces they had found around the house to embellish their "fairies world".

Today the three older girls spent a good part of the afternoon trying to design a marble maze. They were so focused and full of excited ideas about how to use different forces to manipulate the speed and direction of the marbles journey along the hallway! I think they were quite inspired by this video which they watched the other day on you tube.

I just love the absorption children have in their tasks, they absolutely become a part of the ideas and worlds that spring from their imaginations. Us grown ups could take quite a few lessons from them I'm sure :)

Breakfast favourites this morning, served warm with great big mugs of milky teas mmmmm!

Fina enjoying helping make dinner.

Snuggle bugs...

Fina's new favourite thing to do... Sit in front of the bookcase in the girls room and pull out book after book after book... She knows the stories off by heart so is often found contentedly "reading aloud" to herself... So sweet.
I made the little knitted bolero in this picture a couple of weeks ago. It's the first time I've tried a cardigan pattern in years and I was surprised at how quick and easy it was to knit up!
It should be just the thing to keep little arms from feeling the chill during these crisp spring days.

Since I last stopped by...

We've celebrated a 12 year old's birthday!

Two sisters growing a friendship...

We've celebrated a 4 year old's birthday in pink!!! Well of course :) The red paper braclet was made especially for Tilly by her best friend Emily :) Matilda treasured it as one of her favourite presents.

I made this little Dolly as a present to a little girl who just loves dollies so, so much.

And I spent a lovely couple of quiet hours making these fairies and their little pocket purse home with my own Bujana Grace who is becoming quite the little seamstress!

Now just to say a few words that seem to have been pressing on my heart...

This place feels so special to me. It records the days we spend together, the things we create, the things we learn, hand in hand...
Sometimes I want to hold these things close and let no one in. But sometimes I read something like this... and sharing seems special, a gift even. A gift given in trust in the hope that something beautiful may reflect "out there" and give a little warmth and love too.

God Bless Friends...