Great Uncle Steve, we are so proud!

I'm sharing this news a little late, however I am so proud of my great Uncle Steve that I wanted to share this news article.  I am so thrilled that finally, in his later years he has been able to make this trip to London to see the Lancaster again, to witness the opening of a controversial memorial, to be with fellow veterans who perhaps have not spoken of their horrific ordeals until recent years.

Surprisingly I grew up thinking that there was noone in our family who fought in the wars. Yet my grandmother's brother was there serving with the Bomber Command.  He has only spoken of his experiences in the last decade and I am only really just coming to understand what he was actually involved in.

It is sad I did not know until now, but I am so very grateful that now I do know.

Tearful trip to UK for Bomber Command vets

• by:From correspondents in London 
• From:AAP 
• June 27, 2012 5:03AM

During a special Australian service at an Air Forces memorial on the outskirts of London overnight tears flowed among an aged gathering as thoughts turned to thousands of fallen comrades.

About 10,000 Australians served with Bomber Command, with 3486 killed in battle, while a further 650 died in training accidents in the United Kingdom.

"In lonely cockpits at dizzy altitudes ... in fog, in deadly cold, in storms, on fire, in prison camps, in skin grafting hospitals, there are none deserving more honour. Today we remember their selfless sacrifice," Major General Mark Kelly told the gathering of about 100 veterans.

The veterans from across Australia are in London for the dedication of a memorial to Bomber Command by the Queen on Friday. It commemorates the 55,573 Bomber Command aircrew killed during the war.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Happy snap of war history The Daily Telegraph, 4 hours ago
• Honouring bravest of the brave Adelaide Now, 2 days ago
• Memorial remembers brothers in arms Courier Mail, 2 days ago
• Queen unveils WWII airmen memorial Courier Mail, 3 days ago
• Bomber Command honoured at last The Australian, 3 days ago

"This is a very emotional day," Adelaide veteran David Leicester, 88, said.

"It really gets to me and I will find I have tears in my eyes for the whole week of celebrations. The playing of the Last Post and the national anthem of both countries gets right into my heart.

"When the Queen unveils the memorial on Thursday (local time), I can't even begin to think how I will react, with so much emotion."

Mr Leicester flew 68 missions with Bomber Command, mostly night-time bombing operations over German cities in aircraft including the Halifax, and Pathfinder Lancasters.

"One of the worst nights for me was March 30/31 1944 when 96 aircraft were shot down and a further number crash landed," Mr Leicester said.

"It was the worst night for Bomber Command casualties and we had a particularly bad time, returning on three engines and severe damage to the aircraft.

"It was a very rough landing, but we were the lucky ones."

Steve Flood, 88, from Stanthorpe in Queensland, flew as a air gunner in 30 Bomber Command operations for 467 Squadron over enemy territory in 1944.

"One was a raid to Revigny (France) which was only a small raid of 106 aircraft and altogether 24 were lost. (Squadron) 467 had six aircraft on the raid that night and only four came back."

While Mr Flood is looking forward to Friday's Bomber Command memorial dedication as a "fitting" tribute, the highlight of his trip to England will be a war museum visit where he will be reunited with the Lancaster aircraft affectionately called S Is For Sugar.

"It will be the first time since 1945 that I've seen her," Mr Flood said of the Lancaster.

"I was on board her one night when she lost 120 rivets out of her wing. I remember the pilot saying `we've been hit', but we still got back okay."

Thankful Sisters of the Dawn

Vielen Dank Juliane

Our new friends arrived safely on Christmas Day,

and have found places in our home and our hearts

Both 'Bella'

and MY Bella

love to join us for tea parties on hot days

and imaginary play

as well as visits to our friends and family.

They especially love joining us for dress-ups.

These precious little hands worked for many moments in order to fasten the studs on this precious wedding dress.

The veil was attached, the doll was declared "beautiful" and the two rolled, giggling and smiling, "sleeping" together, cuddling.

My Granny sewed many doll's clothes for my sister and I

which we have now passed down to our girls.

The wedding dress was made for me and my doll as a child.

It uses fabric and lace from my mother's wedding dress,

which I am certain my Granny would have made also.

It is very precious!

I am delighting seeing my girls have so much fun with it,

yet to understand the true value and feel the nostalgia of it all.

Thankyou Juliane.

We especially love the story you wrote for us:

Sisters of the Dawn

Many thanks also for the lovely little mushroom ribbons I used to adorn my girl's mushroom pouches. Luzia Pimpinella's ribbons are indeed gorgeous, some of which can be found here in Australia at Ribbons Galore.

Dainty Delicious Delivery

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  ~G.K. Chesterton

A small box arrived in the mail.

A little fairy had travelled to school, from me to Ess, to give her an inkling of something special in the air.  Our walk home was filled with anticipation, alongside whinges of aching legs ;).

Once home from school, the box was very promptly reduced to this - lots of spots on pretty pink paper and a pretty fragrant sachet.

With little Eee waiting patiently, Ess hurried to open the box, still keen to know its contents.

At last she saw the words 'Fröken Skicklig' on the dotty rose placemat and exclaimed "Froken Sickling:)".  At once, she knew, these were our gifts from our friend Juliane.

She moved away the pretty pink dotty placement to discover eight delicious petit fours and three stunning strawberries.

They were immediately placed in a "bundle" (as Ess called it) for us to see and to taste, to hold and to smell.  They smell so delicious; of anise, cinnamon, lavender and chocolate.  I could sit and smell one all night long.  Indeed I am certain the smell has lingered on me, or perhaps in my memory, from the play little Eee and I enjoyed with our delicious Petit Fours and the Princess and her Pea this very morning.

It was our pretty little chalk drawings which made our neighbours smile and the planting of a native bush in our neighbourhood which rewarded us with this gift, after participating in Fröken Skicklig's Garden Guerilla Challenge.  Juliane will have another challenge each month so be sure to take a peak at her blog.

Also included in this delightful package were a lavender sachet for each of my princesses, some sweet motifs and a Little Red Riding Hood handwritten card and note from Juliane.

Thankyou Juliane, you are so very thoughtful and we are so very grateful.

Enjoy your weekend.  We will be having royal tea parties here for our friends and family.

Swap Thanks

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say "thank you?"  ~William A. Ward

Today I am the very lucky recipient of a package to my front door.  I am expecting a couple of packages, both from across the seas, this one for me and another which will delight my two little princesses.  So little Eee and I are keenly waiting to hear the knock of the postman on our door as they are delivered.  We were not disappointed.  This package arrived today during lunch and, so as not to dirty the goods with grubby mitts, we downed our lunch in super record time while patting the outside of the package eagerly awaiting the time to clean up and open up.

Inside we were delighted and surprised to find these two sweet little knitted bunnies along with the contents I expected - a kitchen towel and a potholder.  All were beautifully knitted and crocheted (I think that's how she made the potholder) by my down to earth swap partner, Susan.  I love the warm golden yellow she has used... combined with our favourite - pink.  It is all beautiful.  Let me take a second to say a heartfelt "thankyou Susan".

Here is a little peak at what I made for Susan as well.

Enjoy the moments or hours you spend in your kitchen today cleaning and feeding, nurturing and chatting as well as singing, dancing and playing.  If you have a moment, take a little time to read what Rhonda of down-to-earth has written here and here about how these tasks nurture and make us.

The Princess and the Garden (Part II)

One kind deed begets another.

Just look at what I arrived on my pillow last night!

To understand the full significance of this little posy of petunias you might like to read about The Princess and the Garden which I wrote yesterday.

Excuse the terrible photography (I am yet to figure out how to take great shots with my camera at night time), but I just couldn't miss the opportunity to share the goodness going around our house at the moment.

I am delighted to see my daughter learning to give and doing so of her own accord.

And for those of you who might be reading the story to your little girls here is the next section.

...At last she came!  She was drawn to the bright pink flowers, “Aren’t these beautiful bright pink petunias, “ she exclaimed. “Oh! and look there’s the tiniest sweetest garden fairy.  What’s your name?” the little girl asked.  

“I’m Peta the Petunia Fairy. Come and play with me amongst these pink flowers over here.” 

“They’re the beautiful rose blooms - The Children’s Rose, “ the girl exclaimed.  And they danced and played and smelled the delectable fragrance of the rose.  With her sweet little nose absorbing the fragrance of a bloom so near, the little girl detected a hint of cinnamon and a sparkle of fairy dust.  At once she spotted the rested fairy, “Hello, you must be Rosetta the Rose Fairy.”  “Indeed I am” Rosetta replied.  And the three of them danced and twirled all around the pretty garden...

Please do share any kind deeds that are happening around your home at the moment.  We'd love to read about the smiles you share, they bring a smile to us here.

The Princess and the Garden

To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.  ~George Kneller

I have found that sites which I am drawn to again and again are those which inspire creativity in me.  They encourage me to see the everyday things I am doing in a new light and urge me to act according to my own creative spirit.  One such site is dear Juliane's Fröken Skicklig.  She is having a giveaway this month which propels you to undertake a very special task which will warm the heart of at least one of those special people around you.

Feeling heartened on an otherwise lethargic day I decided to surprise my eldest princess Ess.  While she watched a movie with Daddy indoors I ventured outside to the garden to pick her a bouquet of flowers.

The bouquet contained petunias and a rose, basil flowers, garlic chive flowers and mint.  Its fragrance was beautiful.

I then placed it on her pillow and proceeded to write her a little story, that was coming to mind, in a tiny homemade book.

It is the story of the Princess and the Garden.  It was to be a short little story for her to read and illustrate.  It turned into quite a long fairytale of nearly 1000 words so I may not publish it here.  Let me know if you'd like to read it however, as I may change my mind.  We'll see!

Later that afternoon Ess ran to me calling out, "Mummy, mummy, you've got to see my bed.  It's amazing!  Who did that?"  (I am certain she was convinced the fairies had been in her room again.  I didn't say anything to the contrary but somehow I think she came to realise who the real life fairy was).  "Let me read the story" she cried.  And so we spent the late afternoon and evening reading the story over a few times so Daddy could enjoy it too.

The story commenced thus...There was once a gardener who longed to find a Princess to enjoy her pretty garden with her.  Only a true princess would know all the flowers and herbs and how to care for them.  So the gardener called on the Fairies of the Garden to find her a princess, a true Princess.

“My dear fairies”, she said longingly, “I long for a sweet princess to share my garden with me, to delight in the blossoms, to dance amongst the plants, to enjoy the fragrance and delicious flavour of all my herbs.  Please find the sweetest, kindest, brightest Princess who would love to share this garden.”

And so the fairies set off.  They had seen many sweet girls in their travels from Fairyland, yet they knew the one who’d meet the Gardener’s desires would be a most particular one.  She would be able to see them, those delicate tiny fairies, as they rested contentedly, yet with eager anticipation, in the flowers by which the girl passed.  The girl who saw the fairies would be immediately recognised as a Princess.

The fairies came to rest in various flowers and waited for the little girl to pass as she came out to play.  Patiently, they waited....

The creativity inspired by Juliane's little set task went further as the following day was filled with lots of drawing in our backyard.  Ess enjoyed illustrating the first couple of pages of the fairytale which I had to print out for her.

Later my darling could be heard saying "Thankyou for my present."

Even later she said, "I love my present. Thankyou so much!"

Her gratitude is absolutely thanks enough for me.

Patience Gratitude

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. - Matthew 21:22

Yesterday I spent a bit of time in my garden searching for a little soul restoration. This morning I was there again, yet not before I had noticed a change in my spirit. This morning seemed similar to previous mornings, Ess slept in again, Eee woke with lots of goop in her eyes - better but still not well, and we prepared to head out the door to school again. Yet I was calmer, I was not about to become harried, Ess did not say to me "You are grumpy, aren't you Mum!" (I so hate that.) We got ready and headed out the door pretty much on time yet we were a little later than I'd like walking into the classroom. For some reason today it did not bother me, something in me had moved, had shifted.   I didn't do it, at least I don't recall doing anything except asking God for patience, conscientiously enjoying my girls' company yesterday afternoon despite the fact my Generous Gentleman was going to be home late, and then later enjoying some good conversation with him. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband.

So when one prays for something and one receives it, one must certainly give thanks. I asked for patience and received it. Yet along with that patience I seem to have received situations and circumstances which did not even call for me to rely on and test my patience. A cup full to the brim and overflowing.

Thankyou God, my gratitude is all yours.

Autumn Fall of a Very Special Variety

Look at this... can you see?...

Yes it is my gorgeous rose, my Children's Rose, beautiful as it is, with buds coming into colour.  But can you see something else, something more precious, more unique, more rare?...

Oh my, it is a raindrop!!  Raindrops in abundance even!!

Perhaps your sense of wonder at this precious commodity may not be so prominent as mine if you have been living in the northern or eastern parts of Australia recently, or in northern parts of our world.  However we have become accustomed to this over the last age (or it seems an age anyway!)  Heat, dry heat, and quite a lot of it. Even I, a well-known warmth lover, found this year's heat-waves and lack of moisture to be rather ridiculous.

Last evening we had a shower or two and I took the opportunity to photograph these beautiful blooms.  Oh how I wish I had a camera with a better macro setting (one that actually works) and a bit more camera knowhow. Raindrops glistening are such a pretty sight!

It hasn't really rained a great deal.  It didn't stop me walking to school this morning with my girls although it did prevent my neighbour. It's coming in fits and starts.  Just after my baby and I arrived home from our school drop off it came, quite heavily, quite satisfactorily.  We both enjoyed sitting and toddling and watching raindrops fall and puddles form.  Little Eee, who has seen very, very little rain in her 18 months of life, delighted at the sight and longed to go outside to play.  Had it not been only half an hour til her nap time, and had her legs been walking more confidently,  I think we would have ventured out to play.  Being from warmer climes, I am used to the combination of rain and warmth.  (It was 28degC this morning despite our maximum temperature forecasted to be 23degC - go figure).  I remember playing outdoors in the rain, enjoying the feeling of relief of a cool raindrop after the build up of humidity.  Down here in the south the rain usually comes with cold winds and much cooler temperatures.  Today is just so pleasant.  Dark with cloud cover, cool with a slight breeze and soul-filling, heart warming raindrops.

So here I sit talking of rain and it has stopped again... one can only hope!

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens,

brown paper packages tied up with string

these are a few of my favourite things!

My Favourite Things, The Sound of Music

Tweet and Toot announce my 100th post and a little giveaway to celebrate

One photo out of focus is a mistake, ten photo out of focus are an experimentation, one hundred photo out of focus are a style.  ~Author Unknown

Tweet and Toot, inspired by Jikke and Lila, are here to announce that Cee has finally written 100 posts.  It has taken a while but I think I have finally got some blogging mojo this year.  I'm not sure whether I'm at the 'experimentation' or 'style' stage with my photos but at least now I'm in the running for 'style' with posting :)

Little Tweet has found a home on Ess' school bag and she proudly carries him to school each day.  She did not appreciate me removing him in the morning so I could take a photo for this post during daylight hours. 

Little Toot has not yet found a home. So to celebrate 100 posts and to express my gratitude to family, friends and new blogging mates, as well as to give my desire to increase my generosity a boost, we are having a little giveaway.  We hope that soon Little Toot will find a home at your place.  Or maybe you have an appreciative little family member who'd enjoy him.

The two of them will hate to be parted but that's OK.  Toot's new owner will be most caring I am certain.  I have met some lovely lovely people in the blogosphere.

As an addition, I will also giveaway a recipe of mine.  Yes I know you can see them here and copy and paste and print or whatever but I want you to have something real and tangible of me and my place.  In this case, my handwriting.   So I will contact you and we'll negotiate a recipe you'd like to have which I'll handwrite for you and post off with Little Toot.  My handwriting is quite stylish I think and a little more sophisticated than my five year old daughter's.

I value handwriting very highly and am sorry that we don't use it as much these days.  There are so many things we can do with our handwriting to add a special touch.   I remember a tea party held by a friend of mine (who'll read this) who had written the names of all that she had baked and displayed the tags beautifully on the table with her wares.  I remember feeling lost when the handwritten labels on my father's client's files were all replaced with typed ones (unbeknown to him). I would find files by the sight of the handwriting rather than reading the label.  That soon changed.   These days you can also have your own handwriting made into a font to use on the computer.  That's a bit construed I think but at least it reinforces the value of handwriting.  Maybe one day there will be a font named Pea Cee.  I just need to get a scanner to complete that task on my list.

And my recipe book!  I have a few, but my fondest one I started when I was just 10 years old.  Wrapped in Mr Men contact ;), it contains recipes I've written over the years.  It also has recipes that were written by my Mum, my Dad, my Aunty and my best friend from school.  My sister-in-law recently wrote in one for her Tagine.  I remember each one by the individual's handwriting.  Seeing the handwriting reminds me of that person, the times we shared together, enjoying a delicious meal together.  Do you  have a similar recipe book?  Or is your recipe collection like my newer books - display folders showing printouts from the computer and pullouts from magazines?  Each has its own merit, yet there is something extra special about a handwritten collection built up over the years, do you agree?

So to be eligible for this little giveaway, I urge you to leave a comment (about anything at all). I know I have a lot of readers there who are not commenting so now is your chance.  I'd love to meet you and get to know you and I really am very lovely... at least I don't bite - usually!

In a short while, when enough of you have commented, I will randomly choose someone to win and advise you who that is, in another post soon.

Baked Peaches with a Crumble Topping

If two or three persons should come with a high spiritual aim and with great powers, the world would fall into their hands like a ripe peach.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tis the season for peaches.  We were very fortunate this week to receive some peaches from Grandad's neighbour.  Who can turn down fresh fruit from someone's tree in their own backyard and their wonderful generosity to give it to us?  We are privileged.

There were some bumps and bruises on them however and the flavour was perhaps just a little tame, so I have created a very healthy delicious dessert.

Baked Peaches with a Crumble Topping

Halve and de-seed your peaches and place them in an ovenproof dish.

Make a crumble by combining the following ingredients:  

1 tablespoon of shredded coconut per peach half

1 tablespoon honey (maybe more if you are doing a load of peaches)

1 teaspoon rosewater

some crumbled cereal (I use low gluten Kornies (à la cornflakes))

Place the crumble mix on each peach half.

Bake in a preheated 200degC oven for 10-15 minutes until golden.

These are absolutely lovely with a dessert wine such as Bleasdale late picked Verdelho if you feel like indulging just a wee bit.

Simplicity is bliss...enjoy!

Heatwave Gripes and Grats

Heat, ma'am! it was so dreadful here, that I found there was nothing left for it but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones.  ~Sydney Smith, Lady Holland's Memoir

Photo Courtesy ABC News.

We are in the midst of it here.  My daughter's first days of school will be remembered as being in an incredible heat wave.  Yesterday was the hottest day in 70 years and the third hottest day on record reaching 45.5 deg Celcius and I was out in it collecting my daughter from school with my 16month old baby on my hip.  We felt we could have put on some olive oil and roasted ourselves for dinner.  An amazing feeling!  I can only get the house to cool to about 26-27degC so that makes it very hard to cool down after an outing.

Last night was our highest minimum on record only dipping to 33.9deg just 12.30am.  It is no wonder I rose this morning feeling as though I didn't have any sleep at all last night.

The forecast does not bring much good news as for 7 days we will have hot days of 38deg and above.  The only saving grace will be minimums that go back down to 22degC.  Phew!!

Apart from that all is going well here. I am very very glad that we have not had powercuts as some have had.  Imagine not being able to keep your food cool in this situation, let alone keeping your body cool in an airconditioned house.  Our airconditioning is on 24/7 (not that it feels like it) and my fridge is working well.  We can feed ourselves comfortably.  My plants are feeling it but I think they are still edible at this stage.  I can only water on Wed and Sun and then only within three hours (which just happen to be my busiest with my littluns).  Othertimes I am trying to convince myself to stay outside in the heat just that little bit longer while Eee sleeps to water with my watering can.

Usually I like the heat, usually I have nothing to complain about, usually I say that so long as the aircon is on we are fine.  Sometimes I even feel cooler on the hottest days when we put on the aircon simply because it IS on.  Not this time.  This time we are all really feeling it.

Thankfully our basic needs are catered for.  Thus we can rest content.

Handmade Gifts

But it is a cold, lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy something, which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmith's.  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Gifts," Essays, Second Series, 1844

A lovely friend of mine turned 40 the other day and we visited her bearing a bagful of handmade gifts.  Yes, these gifts "represent my life and talent".  I know she appreciates them, she is wonderful like that.  Truly a great friend to have - one who appreciates you for just who you are.

She received a handknitted dishcloth, the pattern for which I found here.  Along with some olive oil soap sadly not made by myself but purchased at our markets.  I hope to do some soapmaking of my own when I don't have littlies in the house.  This just seems too risky when you have little ones around - what with caustic soda and heat and needing to get it exactly right!  I'd love your advice any of you who are experienced in this.

There is one of my cards and one from my daughter which incorporates some lovely felt hair clips (inspired by Mel) to give to her daughter (Ess' best friend).  I think I'll make a few more cards with clips attached for gifts for other little girls this year.

I also gave a basil plant which I have been nurturing from seed.  This one was pulled out of the crop of tiny seedlings, potted up and doted on since before Christmas in order to be able to give her a lovely full plant. I know she will prepare lots of lovely meals incorporating this.

I love handmade gifts - giving them and receiving them also but am not so certain this sentiment is shared.  What are your thoughts on the matter?

Gratitude Swap

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

~William Arthur Ward

On my return home from our little trip away this is what I found in my mail. A lovely Gratitude Box filled with cards and tea and moisturising hand cream from the lovely Miriam.

Thanks so much Miriam. This is very generous of you. It is hard to describe how one feels when they receive something specially home-made for them from someone who has chosen to give yet does not know you at all.

I am truly grateful and feel privileged to be involved in a lovely community of people.

And this is what I sent to Miriam - a lovely strawberry themed Gratitude Wrap.





I really enjoyed making this having never made anything like it before. I think it might make a lovely Christmas gift.