Unexpected

As I lay in bed late at night, trying to settle to sleep, our temperamental doorbell sounded - or did it? The chimes came a second time so I cautiously investigated. Yes, someone was at our front door! They didn't look too tall or aggressive through the frosted glass so I carefully opened to door, knowing there was a locked screen door between us.....

IT WAS MISS N!!!!! None of us had any idea she was coming home, we had not seen her since July when she moved to Sydney for work and cricket. Just a couple of hours earlier Miss G had been asked "What do you want for your birthday?" Miss G and Miss N were about to celebrate their 19th birthday, and celebrate apart for the first time ever. Her response was "I just want N". And now Miss N was waking her up in her own bedroom! After much planning and many weeks of silent anticipation, Miss N had executed her plan beautifully - involving a train, plane, taxi, train and lift from a local friend to make it home after a long day's work. It was a while before we all made it back to bed that night and even longer before we managed to nod off to sleep.

An extended birthday long weekend began. Miss N was able to watch her younger sisters play their weekly cricket game and also visited the seniors games, catching up with friends from her old local club. Another particular request while home was to set up the Christmas tree, a family activity she didn't want to miss out on. Then all too soon she had to return to Sydney.

Some major changes are occurring in our local area as preliminary work progresses towards an additional bridge to serve our town which straddles a large river. Some massive fig trees were felled in a day, and quite a number of houses are in the process of being demolished to make room for the necessary road changes.

As our calendar moves on we are having a definite taste of summer with a heat wave - tomorrow is forecast to be 40C (104F).  The plumeria/frangipanis are bursting into flower while the jacarandas have nearly completed their short yet magnificent display.

I have had fun combining Christmas fabrics, sewing a lined bread bag, a couple of specialty drawstring bags and a cute little fabric basket. These have been listed in my Etsy shop, but to be honest, I won't mind using them myself if they don't sell ;)

Finishing with a quote which is always relevant, especially so at this time of year  - 

Never be in a hurry; 

do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. 

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, 

even if your whole world seems upset. 

                                             Saint Francis de Sales

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Beautiful November

With an ever changing mix of friendly familiar, new beginnings and fresh challenges, our Spring days are fast disappearing. We've not grown foxgloves before, as our climate is quite warm but when we saw some seedling at the nursery a few months ago we decided to give them a try. Only one has flowered, gradually opening and developing rich colours over the course of a couple of weeks. Quite a fascinating and beautiful flower, I hope to plant some again next year.

Cricket is a constant focus through the summer months for most of our children and now our youngest, Miss E (8) is also participating - and loving it! 

The purple jacaranda trees bloom for a few short weeks each spring. Our town has hundreds of jacaranda trees and an annual week-long festival centred around them. They sure do make the town very pretty. Grace had opportunity to perform at three events during the week, enjoying each one.

I have made a selection of drawstring bags which I have added to my Etsy shop, along with optional sets of blank greeting cards which I've had professionally printed using my photos. A combination of sewing and photography which I have thoroughly enjoyed working on.

My birthday came and went in a blink - but I still have a little of the gifted artisan Cicada chocolate left to savour, chosen at a market in Circular Quay, Sydney, and hand delivered (thank you my older daughters!).

World War I was the focus for our homeschool History studies this term - making a visited to our local Memorial Park on Remembrance Day much more meaningful.

Last but not least - we caught sight of the supermoon late last night when the cloud cover cleared. It was noticeably brighter and whiter than usual. I find it quite interesting to notice the difference angle/terrain of moon photos taken from the northern as opposed to mine* in the southern hemisphere. We live in an amazing universe.


 *Photographic Note: I used my DSLR with 55-250 kit lens. I was leaning the camera against a balcony post for stability, set to manual mode with ISO at 100, f/11, 1/125 speed. As I shoot in RAW I then edited as follows - Crop, sharpen, increase definition and contrast until I liked the result.

Sharing at Our World Tuesday.

Another Sister!

It took very little time to realise what a special lady Master J had befriended over the last five months. There is so much to love about Miss J! We had the pleasure of spending a few short days together, including a visit to Iluka on Monday. The Iluka Nature Reserve never disappoints with its World Heritage listed rainforest right by the seaside. 

The rainforest walk meets the sea at the Iluka Bluff, where we all enjoyed searching among the many rock pools, spotting an amazing array of wildlife, including sea snakes! After spending the last 24+ years staying in safe areas, watching over our many babies and small children, I also am now having a chance to wander freely and explore - and loving it!

We even spotted some whales out to sea, a beautiful way to finish our walk. A very pleasant Monday afternoon indeed. 

Tuesday afternoon brought the beginning of a brand new adventure. Master J proposed to Miss J! And she said YES! He broke the news to his siblings by asking them if they would like another sister (we have six daughters and two sons). They were all very surprised - and very pleased! Master J doesn't waste time when he makes up his mind about something. The 'JJs', as Miss E (8) calls them, are now busily planning a wedding for early February, (just after Master J's 22nd birthday) before the 2017 Uni year commences. Exciting times ahead!


*Master J is studying engineering - his shirt defines Engineer as "Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge. See also: wizard, magician". Love it!
**Miss J is studying teaching at the same Uni and has a wide range of interests - but not sport.
***Text for each photo will appear as you hover your cursor over it.  :)