26 September 2015

Saturday

Today's felt like a bonus weekend day because I know Simon has the day off on Monday.  Yey!

We took the kiddos to the Botanics this morning.  It was overcast, but some flowers are still blooming and Felicity had a great time finding the frog statues in the hot-houses.  Amazing to me to think that just 4 months ago, I had to ride on a scooter to get around at all.  And the last time we went, Titus was pretty newborn - I was in agony walking around the hothouses by the end of the tour.  This time, I felt pretty darn well normal!

My kids are so beautiful.  Felicity was flitting around like some bird-like sprite.  Titus was happy when he wasn't fast asleep.  I sat on a bench on the balcony walk-way over the mild climate greenhouse and fed Titus while Simon took Felicity around the fishes and the lilypad zones.  There were a couple of robins that had found their way into this little paradise and they were singing.  I know they were robins because one of them lit on the back of my bench and looked at me interestedly.  I had been half-humming/chanting a Faure Chanson sotto voce out of sheer contentment and I think he determined quickly that I was not a rival.  Still, felt a little like Snow White - he lit down nearer to me - about a 18 inches away from my shoulder - before darting off.  What life and energy in such a small fragile body.

We read through most of 'Plants do Amazing Things' this week, so Felicity was very interested in the 'meat-eating' plants when we got to the Venus Fly Traps and Pitcher Plant display.  She kept telling me, 'plants need water or else they will die!'  I'm trying to get her to remember that green plants also need carbon dioxide and sunshine and the minerals from the soil as well.  I've asked her, 'what else do plants need?'  'I don't know....SOIL!'  It's a start.

We had hamburgers for lunch and I finished re-stocking the freezer with hamburgers and meatballs this afternoon.  Our friend Stephen came over briefly, had a cuppa and picked up strawberry runners I've transplanted from the backyard.

I've been looking at materials to recover a chair I found (eek, on gumtree!)  Before and after photos forthcoming when I finish the project.

I re-stuffed two of our old tatty sofa pillows with feathers (yes, *feathers!!*  Good grief, glad I waited until the children were in bed!) from a very over-stuffed and uncomfortable pillow I bought last year.  Result is amazing - sooo cushy!  I used the tatty covers as the new inside pillow case and stuffed them inside the nicer cushion covers.  They are all zip-closing, so no sewing involved!  #feellikeagenius #recyclingrocks

We are getting our livinroom ceiling repaired, relined, and the livingroom painted next week.  So excited!  Must remember to take before pictures.  I am hankering after wooden shutters for our bay window, but I had a shutter-quoter-guy come out on Friday and they are definately out of the budget.  Now, I am looking at wooden blinds with tapes, which should give the same classic, stream-lined look without the shocker-sticker-price.

My favorite TV show this week has been 'Call the Midwife.'  I have finished series 1 already.  I went upstairs last night after watching one and I was literally sobbing.  Good, cathartic, clean crying - like on the perfect climax of a Puccini aria or when Dumbo's mom sings 'Baby Mine' to him when she's locked up in the prison-car.  'Mid-wife' is based on a book of memoirs from a lady who worked as a newly qualified nurse in a very poor London district in the 1950s.  I love the sets, the costumes, the dialog, the characters and how charming but also real it is.  It's dramatic without being coarse or obscene. (Is it too late to start series 2 on netflix?......yes.)

We are going to a Community Group 'brunch' (how middle-class does that sound?) tomorrow morning and I really want to get out to a cloth-shop for my upholstery project if I can before church in the afternoon.  Other than that, goals for tomorrow are to keep the kids fed and clean, tidy the study and livingroom in preparation for Monday morning, and try not to drink quite so much coffee tomorrow as I did today.....

OK, seriously bedtime now.  Kids not been sleeping well the last week - wish me luck.  xx