Sunnyside Sam

Letter From The Palace

2012-08-25T15:25:00.001+10:00

Pip was not very impressed really.

"I gave she a necklace and she did not give me

a necklace. Only paper, paper, paper!"

Remember this?

2012-08-24T11:34:00.000+10:00

We have had a reply.

From Balmoral Castle no less.

"Darlings!" She says in a mock British accent.

Stay tuned.

I'm having scanner trouble.

Will publish soon.

Gunmetal

2012-08-16T11:58:00.001+10:00

Leonore requested or suggested

Gunmetal.

Carol said burgundy.

I'm struggling Carol.

Think I will have to combine red shades.

2012-08-10T11:41:00.000+10:00

Introducing Chocolate Duck.

She came to live with us after a little mishap with local wildlife.

Not so Fantastic Mr. Fox came to play.

After one kill, one maim and an early morning trip to the vet

for a magic sleep needle, we were two ducks down.

Thanks to cousin Monique for selling us one of her babies.

So now Lucy has a new sister.

Goodbye Granny Duck and Daddy Duck or was it Roger?

Remember our last duck disaster?

I decided against such medical intervention this time round.

purple

2012-08-05T11:28:00.000+10:00

Mandy requested purple.

The challenge is I have to find the colour in the garden.

Tradescantia.

Hyacinth.

Cabbage.

Iris (originally from Nana Mac's in Footscray.)

Fairy shoe.

Dainty geranium.

Sparkles.

Daggy swim trolley.

Next colour please.

yellow

2012-08-01T10:21:00.001+10:00

Amid the winter gloom and flu viruses

there is always a splash of colour to be found.

Today's colour is yellow.

Cox's Orange Pippin leaf yellow.

Daisy yellow.

Lemon yellow.

Snow White Apple tree yellow.

Rose yellow.

Last leaf on the Pip Squeak Pear yellow

Gum boot yellow.

Massive rubber ducky yellow.

Sprinkler yellow.

What should the next colour be?

I can see a red orchid from the office window...mmm maybe.

Any suggestions?

Oh yes, and what do you think of the new look?

For those who receive this by email,

log on and check out the new fresh layout.

Melbourne Date Day

2012-07-25T11:22:00.004+10:00

On the last Saturday of the school holidays

Jack and I went for a trip to Melbourne.

We went on the train and he was so excited.

He told everyone that this was his first trip on a Melbourne train.

He told everyone it was his first time on a tram.

He told everyone it was a special day because we had to organise it

and it was the first time we were alone together for a long time.

We went to the Aquarium first.

The sharks and rays were our favourites.

What a dream job those girls have.

We saw space aliens

and soldiers.

We walked the river and acted silly.

Jack was really great company.

He has a good sense of humour and tries to make you feel good.

Often by making you laugh at his expense.

We went to the NGV and added our own graffiti to an exhibition.

Then we crossed the road and looked at others work.

Jack was intrigued by doorways.

The day was great.

Jack was great.

I need to do stuff like this more often.

Sydney Book Launch

2012-06-28T14:14:00.004+10:00

Pip, Mardi and I went to Sydney on the weekend for the launch of this book.

It has been produced by the team from Gardening Australia

as a result of an overwhelming number of responses to a competition

they held last year, in which they asked readers to send in photos

of their chicken 'palaces.'

These are our pages...

We met Costa at the launch.

He was great and right on Pip's wave length.

(Mine too actually!)

It was fun having a laugh and generally being silly.

Being a history and architecture buff I thoroughly enjoyed Sydney's juxtaposition of old and new.

Framed and famed views.

The shadows of past ghosts.

The company.

The special treatment we received from The Marriot management

who sent us complimentary champagne and lollies

all thanks to Pip and her sparkling shoes,

her non stop talkative nature and honesty about jumping on the beds!

Letter to the Queen.

2012-06-15T11:14:00.000+10:00

Dear Your Royal Magic,

My name is Pippa and I am 3 1/2.

I am writing you a letter because

Jack said it was your birthday and I remembered.

I think you turn your hand fancy

when you say thank you.

I am giving you a photo of me and a

necklace for your birthday.

I thought you live in Australia or America but

Mum said you live in England.

Happy Birthday Isabella Queen,

I mean Elizabeth Queen.

You have a beautiful diamond tiara.

Love from Pippa.

Fair Ride For Poor Children.

2012-06-13T17:03:00.001+10:00

What do you do when the fair has left town?

Luna Park is too far away?

Disney Land is an impossible dream?

Ride the overbalanced washing machine of course!

Kitchen Karma

2012-05-26T14:37:00.001+10:00

It all starts off so well...

...of course it is inevitable that it will decline.

"Don't play with your food."

"Someone is going to get hurt."

"Don't come crying to me if you get injured."

"If I've told you once..."

...you get the drift.

"Pippa! Don't play with knives. Put the knife down."

And there we have it.

"I told you so."

What Measure Success?

2012-05-11T10:09:00.003+10:00

Many of the blogs I enjoy feature stay at home Mums living in apparent domestic bliss.

Angelic kids, lovely homes, plenty of craft time, me time, him time, us time, cooking tasty, nutritious meals straight from their own gardens.

Of course in reality, we all know that they have laundries full of washing, hairy legs, and the only picture perfect part of the house is that 2 or so square foot they have photographed.

A friend of ours was once present for a photoshoot by a big fancy architecture magazine. It was in the home of some big and fancy architects. Their home photographed beautifully. The curved timber walls a sight to behold. The minimalistic decor sharp.

In reality, apparently (is that an oxymoron?) they were slobs who lived in clutter and choas.

All the furniture, magazines, clothes and detritus was shifted from one side of the room to the other and back again.

A few days ago, I had an enjoyable afternoon in the kitchen. A successful day

if you consider that I managed to make a lovely loaf of fruit bread. (For breakfast.)

Blackberry cupcakes to die for. (Morning tea)

A scrummy, flaky meat pie. (Dinner)

Chocolate self-saucing pudding. (Sweets.)

Lets ignore the fact the bottom fell out of the loaf.

Some cupcakes sank.

The handle of the saucepan caught fire.

The entire house smells like a chemical fire.

By my standards, it was still a success I'd say.

Sand Angels

2012-04-25T12:34:00.001+10:00

How to make a sand angel.

Crack O' Dawn

2012-04-21T14:56:00.000+10:00

We were on the beach early this morning.

Quite early.

We explored the dunes and expanse of beach.

We found the good...

The bad...

And the ug....gorgeous.

The Dress That Sam Made

2012-04-18T13:11:00.001+10:00

These are the hands that passed the buttons.

These are the buttons sewn onto the dress.

This is the lace that adorns the pocket attached to the dress.

And this is the dress that Sam made.

This is the cardi, knitted by Gran, to be worn with the dress that Sam made.

Ravelry pattern here

The Circus Is In Town

2012-04-15T14:29:00.000+10:00

On Saturday afternoon we all went to the circus.

Having just finished a book based on the circus

in the 1920's I have been looking forward to it.

The circus is such a contrast between seedy and glam.

Behind all the oil paint and glitter often lies bloodshot eyes and tension.

But we were there for the fun...and it was fun.

I love the big top.

The years of delighted kids and excitement has seeped into its fabric.

Of course you must eat fairy floss.

You must act like a clown.

And of course perform too, if you get the chance.

I have never heard Jack laugh like he did at the circus.

The trapeze artists and hula-hooping girls amazed Pip.

She couldn't just sit a watch but had to perform

her own gymnastics on the sidelines.

What a laugh.

Today's Wish List

2012-03-31T10:20:00.000+11:00

This morning I woke up to a clean and tidy house.
We won't discuss the dead rat in the roof though or what it smells like.

This is what I would like to achieve today:
1. Bake bread.
2. 1 load of washing in. 3 out.
3. Re-make beds.
4. Plant up lots of tiny flower pots with the kids.
5. Put veggie seedlings in garden.
6. Feed and water the animals.
7. Buy a birthday present for a party tomorrow.
8. Buy pantomime tickets for next week.
9. Be ready by 1pm for a meeting.
10. Try to keep the house cool calm and collected.
11. Look half decent for when we go out tonight.
(Child free, with lipstick, like adults do.)

How I plan to achieve this:
1. Keep sense of humour.
2. Continuously feed the kids.
3. Don't look at the increasingly messy house.
4. Ignore Jacks new trick of jumping on oranges to watch them explode.

Objects of Desire

2012-03-20T13:43:00.000+11:00

All that timber, varnish, creaking ropes...

either you get it or you don't.

Best In Show

2012-03-11T16:14:00.000+11:00

We went to the Bellarine Agricultural Show today.

We have come home exhausted.

We guessed the weight of the cow.

Patted ducklings,

rabbits,

and goats.

We squirted the fire hose.

Slid on a slide,

whirled around and around.

But best of all.

We entered a cockroach (last minute plan obviously!)

we found under some mulch, in the Best Pet Show.

We won under the most unusual category!!!

Boy it was funny.

We rushed out onto the oval with the little critter

and lined up with several dogs, a goat and a sheep.

When the MC announced "Pippa with her pet cockroach," the crowd roared with laughter.

When asked it's name she responded "Barbie Fashionista."

Then the CFA mascot bear came over and Pip freaked out to more applause.

(Both kids are scared of people in animal suits.)

All the other entrants had gone to a lot of trouble.

They paraded their pets and had them perform tricks.

We just tried to get away from the bear, Barbie did not perform any tricks.

Thanks to the cockroach we won a first place sash and $10...

...Barbie went back to the garden.

Message In A Bottle.

2012-03-07T13:17:00.000+11:00

Sometimes have moments when I wonder why I am blogging.

At times it feels so pointless, other times I really enjoy it.

I wonder if anyone is reading what I send out there.

Then I wonder if people should be reading what I send out there.

Should our little lives be documented or should I just get on with living it?

Anyhow…

…we found a message in a bottle.

Early Sunday morning we left home to give Paul a chance to sleep in

and went to the Back Beach.

We built a sandcastle and decorated it with dead crabs and cuttlefish.

(I decided not to take my phone or camera…just do the living it bit.)

We explored the sand dunes.

Played ‘Aborigines’ and the kids painted me with different coloured mud.

We met a lady who was an art restorer.

We found a message in a bottle half buried in sand.

A message was written on white paper with blue lines.

A blue ballpoint pen was used.

A small white bread tag was used to tie the note.

We wondered what it would have inside.

A letter?

A map?

Points of interest:

Scilla is a place in Italy.

Scilla is the botanical name for a hyacinth.

Scilla is the name of a character in a Warlord computer game.

Scilla was a mythical sea monster.

Who or what do you think this is about?

The Long and the Short Of It.

2012-02-28T10:20:00.001+11:00

I promise not to scare you with actual photos but I just had a funny thought. My legs are a perfect example of how is week is running. We are just out the door to the doctors after my 4th load of washing (2 to go). I just threw on a pair of shorts and noticed I have only finished 2/3rd of shaving one leg!

Ghastly Gastro Gouls

2012-02-27T20:28:00.000+11:00

Sorry about the lack of transmission... Now let's see, what have we been up to? Well, let's start at the market...it didn't happen. The night before, I got a txt saying that it was produce only. Oh well. It sucked but 'C'est la vie.' This week we have been up to our elbows in washing, disinfectant, buckets and that lovely aroma of Glen 20. I have never had the experience that is 'gastro' before and I sincerely hope to never again have the beastly monster cross my threshold. Auggghh! We have had our best day today in 6 so hopefully it has passed. Paul was the lucky one who missed out. But not so lucky to nurse the other 3 of us all at once. May your week be a good week and your homes smell like roses...unlike ours.

Ready to Rock

2012-02-16T17:01:00.000+11:00

If anyone is in Ocean Grove this Saturday check out the Farmers Market.

"Held in Ocean Grove Park in the centre of the town, but providing plenty of safe space for children, the market is perfect for a relaxing Saturday morning of healthy shopping and catching up with friends for brunch in the park..." Bellarine Times.

To view map. Click here.

I will be on the Rocksalt Catering stall.

Check them out here.

'Kitch'enalia

2012-02-10T12:05:00.001+11:00

Well here is a quick preview of some of the things I

will have in my stall...

Pot holders/doilies.

Tea Cosies.

Aprons.

I am not making huge quantities of each until I know there is a market for them all.

My theme seems to be as kitch and frilly as possible.

I want it to be fun.

And I wish someone else hadn't already registered the name Kitchenalia.

Rag Rug Rage

2012-02-01T09:42:00.000+11:00

It's something I have wanted to make ever since I saw Amanda Lisa's.

Isn't it fortuitous how the world provides. I think therefore I can (?!)

Jodie from Ric Rac has jumped on the bandwagon and has started a Rag-a-long apparently it is all the go.

This is what I achieved in about 1 1/2 hours last night.

Including watching this tutorial

Toothbrush Rugs Instructions

The cutting up of old t-shirts etc. into 1'' strips can be a bit tedious as the stretchy fabrics don't tear neatly.

Ripping old table cloths and pillow cases however is thorough therapeutic!

Anyone want to join the Rag-a-long?