Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts

Tuesday, 15 May 2012

a day at Stourhead......

when the national trust flings wide its doors for a weekend of free romps around its properties, 
then you absolutely MUST take advantage of the opportunity and head to your nearest spot 
with a picnic and a few special people and enjoy a lovely spring day of exploring.....


{around every corner there was another surprise.....
something to take your breath away......}




{grottoes and statues......
magical and secret......}




{tiny cottages with old stone benches.......}


{and ever such old glass windows.....}


{knarly tree roots........}





{big books in the library.......}


{isaac's dream....... a library with a staircase on wheels for reaching all the books......}






just lovely......

Friday, 13 April 2012

Easter Sunday........

if you didn't already know, we love traditions in our house......

Christmas has its own set of traditions
with the writing of letters.......
the decoration of the advent wall hanging......
the reading of a special book.......
the decking of the house.......

Easter too has its own traditions, including the easter egg hunt......

this year the children were spoilt and actually got to have two egg hunts on easter day......

one was a very early morning {before we set off for church} hunt at our house......
man, I wish we had thought of how many stairs we had to go 
up and down before we decided to do an 'anywhere-in-the-house' hunt.....
we went up and then down....
up, up and then down......
up again and back down.....
{it did mean that i could justify eating a few chocolate eggs myself as i am sure i
had worn off quite a few calories with all the 'upping' and 'downing' that i did....}

the second was one they have been looking forward to for a long time now......
one of unky-neil's-famous-super-duper-garden-easter-egg-hunts.......

off they went with imogen, each carrying something to put their booty in.......
{the little blue bucket isaac is carrying has been his 'easter-egg-hunt' egg holding
vessel since he was about 5 or 6 and he uses it every easter for 'the hunt'...... 
evie has a little pink bucket but she forgot to take it to auntie dottie's house and
was actually quite devastated at not having it with her....... 
she had to make do with a wicker basket this time round instead.......
imogen took her paddington bear bag with her, complete with two mobile phones
a salt and pepper shaker and a few other bits and bobs which are necessary when a
nearly two year old goes on an egg hunting walk.....}


it was so lovely to watch them pootle off and it reminded me of when
my two were little and their cousins would hold their hands
and lead them round the garden to find the hidden eggs......
precious memories.....
now it was my childrens turn to lead the youngest member
of our family out for the fun and frivolity that is 'the easter egg hunt'......


unky neil's egg hunts are always devilishly hard and the kids
had to ask for a little help on a couple of occasions but they
did find all the eggs in the end and came back with a nice 
little stash to add to their already bulging sweet bags.......

then, of course, comes the eating of the eggs.......
imogen was very excited to be handed a chocolate egg
to eat all to herself......


nom, nom, nom......


and then, oh happy day, there was a second one to enjoy.......
definitely worthy of a hand clap........


yummy......

Monday, 30 August 2010

I know I've moaned a little.......

but seriously, the weather here has been awfully wet and cold recently....

now I can't say that I feel like a 'whinging pom' because every Ballarat person I speak to has said the same thing, so it's not just me......

I'm ready for a bit of warmth now..... a bit of sitting outside on the deck closing my eyes and enjoying the feel of the sun on my face....... a bit of not-wearing-so-many-layers-that-I-feel-like-the-michelin-man kind of time......

Today was a little glimpse of what I am looking forward to.....






and it was, as my front door bell declares......


most welcome......

endings and beginnings......