where did she go?

Posted on January 30, 2013 by rosalindentree

Excuse me

Have you seen January?

I seem to have misplaced her

While i

Neglected the blog/boggle

Spent a lot of time in the moment

Travelled as far south as we could go

Caught the sky from the bridge

fished unsuccessfully

Fossicked for shellfish and feasted

she sang

cockles and mussels alive alive oh…

Wondered about the history of the place

Now called Cockle Creek

Abundance food and wildlife

Whispers of grand old trees

And strong people watching

Wails of whales as they where massacred in the bay

A sad sad history to learn about

From humorous informative rangers

Learnt about our magnificent giants of the sea

And how to rescue a beached one or many

{remember, call for help, keep warm, don’t breath in their blowhole, pilot whales are the most commonly beached in Tasmania, put a stick in the ground infront of live ones, keep their tails to the sea until you are ready to release them all at the same time, shade them}

felt impressed that my girl has this appreciation for whales and dolphins, experience and knowledge for the rest of her life now

felt on the right path of life

Took a classic portrait of men and bones

had a whale of a time!

Enjoyed the sea air and the shelter from it

i Got cold but

Jesse finally took the plunge

while Lily had a nature drawing session

I lounged in triggerplant bliss

My head amongst a million pink helpers

the medicine of rejuvenation and restoration

Met young old friends

And had a date up a giant tree

Lily had a lock on

Then we

Grudgingly left

Coaxed on by a berry good carrot

Drove north

While I processed a myriad of thoughts emotions and responses

And gave thanks for a time of respite

Amidst the chaos of full days

Mostly joyful

With berry/cherry stained lips

Noticed the tiredness.depression link

And went to bed

xxx

Waking up to…

Posted on January 6, 2013 by rosalindentree

Following the lead of lily’s crafty wakeups

I think that felt picture is awesome!!

This morning I needed a little craft meditation

Stem stitch, back stitch, over stitch, herringbone stitch, French knot, Chinese knot…
It’s an ambitious project I started while on retreat and it’s teaching me all these wonderful new techniques of embroidery.
I am being teased for being a granny but I am loving the peace and stillness the focus and beauty of the thousand little stitches.
After this sweet time
It evolved into a time of stressful traveling through the city, getting lost, grumping in tiredness and being overwhelmed by the sprawl.
I have become a bumpkin it’s true.
Connecting with dear friends from pre parenting days brought my smile back, ( and a touch of urban cool)
as did eating out at a fab Vietnamese eatery in northcote. Cheap and cheerful and tasty:)
We strolled down high st to the organic shop for supplies and I dove into the second hand shop, a chaotic jumble taller than me and sprawled into the vast and unreachable distance. I came out with minor shock after being accosted by a lone polka dot shoe and tripped up by a heart cake tin wearing a pink check house dress! Phew.
Thank goodness I didn’t take my purse in I think I would have been pick pocketed by the vintage jumpsuit with the sequins,,,
Feeling grateful for friends who laugh and kids who are self content and cuddly and patience from my partner and the diverse experiences I find along the way!

We travel to Tasmania on the morrow, my heart goes out ahead of me to all the people, the land and the creatures affected by the tragic bush fires these last days.
I wonder how it will be for us…

Well it’s late now. Goodnight.

Waking up to…

Posted on January 3, 2013 by rosalindentree

Waking up to a full day.
I have a few drafts of interesting thoughtful wordy posts, yet they will have to wait as here and now I am wiped out by the heat of the day, the long hours on a blazing highway (sydney to Melbourne) the crisp golden tortured landscape, glaring light and engine buzz, cranky hot kids and it’s just been one of those long travel days.
It’s forecast to be 43’c tomorrow so we have tried to position ourselves close to Melbourne so a little morning drive completes the trip. I will be putting wet tea towels in the fridge to cool us…
This day began so cool in Jugiong with a chill wind, deep shade and a patch of thick grass for stretching, I had a great session, so inspired by my days at mangrove yoga centre last week. Finding it has strengthened my ability to focus quietly inwards despite external distraction. Simply connecting with my own breath and being.
then Jesse was joined by Cedar who mimics our postures!

Cutie boy had his second hair cut last night by his own insistence and was coyly hiding behind his big leaf for his portrait, also at his request…

I had a sweet date with the two shorts at the cafe but the shots are on the other camera…
Anyway there was
Lots of kilometers …
Lots of gold, parched slopes…
Little water, yet lush willows are squatting down in dry gully’s so it must be wet sometimes…
Jesse and I are both revelling in the feelings such an expanse of vivid sky reveals…
He reminds me I originally wanted to call this blog ‘ under open skies’ which was evocative and original i thought, but turned out to be a famous song and used by various others for a myriad of causes already. Boo.

And some swimming gratefully in man made lakes and then finally a halt is called and we spill outside as the sun finally lowers its invasive glare for the eve. Phew we survived.
This land is so crunchy underfoot , the fire hazard is extreme. I hope the rains come before any burning disaster.
Lily is showing a new found appreciation for food and commented today was a great eating day how do we do it mama?
Muesli
Eggs and sourdough toast with tomato compote( cafe)
Nori rolls with all the trimmings
Cherries and lychees
More sourdough loaf with goats cheese pesto and salad.
Mm simple and tasty and no cooking for me today! Yay!
What do you feed yourselves when in transit?

And then I was so tickled by the beauty of the suns departure tonight!
I rarely see it set over lake water and tonight it really shimmered so peachily and peacefully
Ah sweet relief as the day cools
We are at lake nillahcootie, not an official camp spot but it seems quiet enough for an overnight stay.
Oh bed I love you! And I’m loving the new wool stuffed pillows I chose as our family Christmas gift!

Goodnight
Xx
Ps my blogging/boggling may not be chronological or consistent for a while as I adjust to being a traveling lady again and work within the bounds of technology and time on the road, I do a lot of imaginary blogging on busy days so I hope you enjoy those as much as I’ve enjoyed composing the words and stories which you may never get to read…

Advent adventuring inside

Posted on December 18, 2012 by rosalindentree

and then later again

making swiss biscuits on advent Sundays over the last few years has become

a simple joyful tradition for us

connecting me with my family heritage in Europe

we bake them, taste them, parcel them up pretty, then walk up the street to our nieghbours and share them

or take them to friends

this year i have lacked any christmassy stamina until four days ago {new flower essences have supported me to shift my mind and lift my energy YAY!}

{oh gosh thank goodness what a relief because i was feeling i could not pretend and i had nothing authentic i wanted to share or celebrate

i was planning on jumping ship and avoiding the whole thing ie. go camping alone

it is revealing how low i have been feeling this last month and now i am perking up a little again and i am grateful

and it would be a non event in our household through advent and isn’t that sad for the children {lily wants the full glitz and glimmer and festival felling}

and i honestly had only one gift and no inspiration to make any more {lily has made a basket full and keeps asking where i am hiding mine…}

and i was wondering if that’s ok, to not give gifts and how would that feel and would i be ashamed or embarassed or would i write letters

or… should i rush out and just buy stuff?

well, what would christmas be without the gifts, the advent rituals, the biscuits, the candles, the nativity, without Mary Joseph and a donkey walking across our house through december, without the singing and poems, the wreath, the secrecy and elving, the crafting together, the fun and wonder?

it’s great things to contemplate isn’t it? what do we give from our hearts? what do we hold in our minds and beings? what is the energy which enlivens the experience beyond the gift giving bit? do i just take it all too seriously and need to lighten up eat lots of bikkies and be silly? probably a little…

before the advent of jesus there are the festivals of the solstice and the return of the light and many other ancient traditions around the world at this time of year

in the last years i came to thinking of the birthday of jesus {who is jesus mama? a kind and good man who was a healer on earth a long time ago}

and found i could sit with the picture of the birthday of the light within me and within us all. the looking towards the goodness and love and kindness and generosity in all of us that we celebrate at christmas. and when i put that lens into my glasses, it makes sense again in a way it hasn’t since childhood.

the handmade gifting element began when i was 20 and i decided i would aim to hand make as many of my gifts as possible

they can be very humble offerings, but you know if you get one, i have thought of you as i stitched or wove or painted or preserved, i have held you in my focus and embedded my good wishes for you in this gift, i have enjoyed the making of the gift and reflecting on our relationship

there is no cold winter to bring us in to the hearth together here in the southern globe but we still gather with our families and friends inside and out at this time of year around candles and games and beaching and reading and costuming and eating and cooking together

i’m so grateful to my family of origin and my extended families for the brightness you all bring into my life and the forethought and generosity which you share with me and mine

for me once again in december i am seeking a depth of meaning in the festival/life

it doesn’t mean i am judging how you or anyone else does it

im on my personal quest to enrich the experience for me and my children

so i can cope with all the hoopla out there in the world

so we have made our first batch of advent Basler Brunsli

and it was really fun even though it was on a monday…

delicious chewy almond meal, cinnamon and chocolate biscuits

this year’s recipe i am trialling can be found here

i think it was a little sticky as i used big eggs

so we waited a few hours before cutting the hearts

messy

yummy, but too sweet for me with the sugar sprinkled on top

will remember to cut down the amount inside

{my family always complains i don’t put in enough sweet}

cute huh?

lily’s teachers gifted her with the cookie cutter for a farewell gift

perfect.

wow end of class two already!

i know we spend a lot of time away from school anyway

but really that has come way too soon!

anyway enough rambling

blessings to you and yours

what are you doing in preparation for christmas {if anything}?

what does it mean to you?

what stands out from your childhood christmases?

what is special to you at this time of year?

a little mending…

Posted on November 15, 2012 by rosalindentree

how to love mending as much as the making

i’ve been working on this and in the last weeks

gathered in the holey things and begun

wow! i’ve let them go a long time and some holes have grown noticeably

but here i go with my needle and thread and a little stillness

and a lot of enjoyment of handling these beautiful things again

and knowing i am giving them a new burst of life

Lily is not feeling well

as i wrapped her in her baby blanket {with big girl extensions}

i noticed those holes

so with children at one end and me at the other

i got to my task

feeling the texture and weight of this beautiful crotcheted blanket

how quickly it warmed my legs and memory

i was pregnant with my first big belly

traveling in a beautiful old yellow kombi van

Jesse and I on our first adventure together

i gathered yarn from my family and friends

along the way i gathered more

and as we drove often i had my basket of yarn at my feet and

this growing blanket on my growing belly

i wove into it all my wondering of who and when and how

all those pre mama feelings

who would i be bundling in this wool one day soon?

thousands of stitches thousands of kilometres and thousands of blessings.

from my reverie i glance up

and here is my daughter

bigger than ever

as i mended we talked about her birth

she and Cedar chatted and played

and i cherished this gift i made

once upon a time for a wee babe

dear bunny…

Posted on November 13, 2012 by rosalindentree

our honored guest has been with us nearly two weeks

he/she hovers, drapes, naps, meditates by the bunny cage

{a friendly python so don’t worry about us}

bunny naps on the other side and carries on its inconsequential activities

is bunny aware that death is about?

does it remember being saved from snakes embrace before?

is it longing for release from this world?

would it return for another round of the karmic wheel?

is it comfortable and accepting with that which is inevitable?

are you?

am i?

tonight in the boom crash and heavy tinkle of the storm

i let myself see some great fear and panic regarding death

stay away from me and mine!

impossible, but thats what i cry for

i feel it in my chest like the impact of a fist

in these moments

i am clinging to this life and the tangible forms of my beloved ones

and all that is perceived by my senses

i am cultivating dreams and ideas and cherishing hope for the future

i am nurturing relationships and gardens and love

i am struggling through the quagmire of some days and challenges

i am pursuing myself in the interest of growth and understanding

i want to be here and sit and knit and contemplate

i am afraid of the unknown yet

i do have faith in a greater force

but i simply don’t know what comes after

i haven’t been there yet or i don’t remember

and as Lily said to me on wondering what it is like to die

“…then i won’t know, because i’ll be gone and it won’t matter”

how about me?

how about you?

{later on this day i passed two severe car accidents on my trip to town

and i was given a worldly reflection of my thoughts}

blessings to those who are grieving right now

teahouse treehouse

Posted on October 31, 2012 by rosalindentree

when you where small

did you have somewhere equally small and sheltered

to play out life, imagine, create, tinker, have teaparties, or disappear?

in the last days Cedar and I have been working on his place

it’s been so sweet, delightful and cherishable {is that a real real word?}

we are both pretty happy when there is good work to be done

i thought this outdoor working together would suit us as a mama and toddler team

and it’s gratifying to see it really does

when there’s digging, lifting, mulching, weeding, watering or lugging to be done

we are slow but we are happy in the task together

it’s a simple place this boy of mine has now

tucked in the deep shade of a bottletop lemonade tree

{delicious sweet lemon with a bulbous bottle like shape}

a bit of raking

a bit of pruning

a bit of mulching

a little hauling of stumps

a little plank balancing shelving

a golden enamel teapot

some tiny teacups

free access to water

some linen {mama of course}

a wee bottle of flowers

and some guests {leopards}

a little content man

in turns, we where graciously invited in for tea…

thankyou sweet little one for reminding me to stop and play

and bringing the simple gladness of being together

and evoking memories of my own small years

***

keep cool for after school {bircher muesli}

Posted on October 29, 2012 by rosalindentree

Bircher Muesli Recipe and story

when i was a small girl

we lived in the West Australian wheatbelt

summer days frequently kissing blue skies and 40~celcius

after school the seemingly endless burnt orange gravel drive

shimmered and baked me

chasing after bigger faster sisters on bicycles

anxious in the hot vast expanse of golden crisped paddocks

i don’t remember a single tree on that km stretch to the house paddock

was there shade along the way?

and then i was there

pushing through the small side gate

often teary often late

there was our sturdy brick home with deep shaded verandahs

and my calm mama waiting in the cool dim kitchen with

hugs cheerfulness and

bircher muesli

sweet tart chilled textured cooling surprising delicious

was it so tasty because it was made with genuine swiss hands

and the apple grated with an authentic swiss bircher grater {so i call it}

what secret ingredient did you infuse this refreshing meal with mama?

mine never meets the reputation of my memory

so here i am now

on a meltingly hot day

waiting for my little to come dancing into home again after a long week

and i make bircher muesli

and think of cool kitchens and dark, even cooler pantries

{where i used to sneak crunches of dried pasta or other goods and lat on the cold floor

or draw on the back of door chalkboard}

now i think of

mama love

growing up

sour apples and yoghurt

i am blessed to be using yoghurt from the cows milk provided by yonder dexters

which forms a coveted cream top

thankyou to C for making it

there is an abundance of Bircher Muesli recipes out there in the world

i wouldn’t say mine is traditional as my bircher grater is still in storage and i chopped the apple instead…

you know i’m kidding right?

so I won’t do more than list the ingredients i used this particular time

2 handfuls organic unstabilised rolled oats

2 oranges squeezed over oats fresh from orchard

2 cups natural yoghurt from neighbours cows

1 handful dessicated coconut

2 tablespoons unhulled tahini

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 small handful raisins

1 handful chopped almonds

1 tspn cinnamon powder

1 green apple from farmers market

1 green pear

1 banana from big market

1 handful blueberries

1 handful wild rasberries picked by a neighbour

mix and refridgerate

be inventive be flexible use what you have

the idea is softened oats yoghurt and fruit

i tend to soak the dry goods in the orange juice for a while before i add the yoghurt and fruit section

some people soak the oats overnight in the fruit juice til morn

for me that becomes a super digestible breakfast but kind of slimy and sticky, what do you think?

i forgot to add chia seeds, that might be nice

my mama used to put in stone fruits and grapes in later summer

and i hear tell she used some condensed milk to sweeten it…

is that true? did i forget any other special ingredient mamala?

how do you make this dish?

what would you add?

what was waiting for you when you got home on hot days?

what do you make for your kidlets now?

**peace be with you and your bellies**

a sibling moment…

Posted on October 27, 2012 by rosalindentree

dressing up is a big part of play in our household

and also from my childhood a beloved play

actually we used to make plays with the five of us girls…

that’s another story another time…

my sisters you’ll all be grinning now probably…

anyway anyway

Lily has started introducing Cedar to the idea

i love witnessing this sibling play

the helping, excitement, ideas, role play, seriousness, clumsy little feet in big gowns, cooperation, adaption, happiness, silliness

the fact that Lily is enraptured and deeply involved with the characters

and Cedar really just carries on life but with a costume on

and follows his sisi in her play

or gets on with what he was doing

and then they where ready for a formal old fashioned sibling portrait session…

fun for them, fun for me, fun for all, fun for you?

my costumes are still packed up but i love to join in too

how about you?

do you allow other inner characters to come out through how you dress?

are you comfortable with cross gender dressing in your children?

have you worn dress ups all day and even into town on an everyday trip? {i did, dressed as Madonna, the goddess not the singer, thanks to Lily’s encouragement}

do you ever allow your children or someone else to choose what you wear?

~Lily wears a vintage chiffon party frock with a vintage crotcheted bed jacket waist frill and numerous under skirts

~Cedar wears Lily’s corduroy floral frock from Oma with numerous frilly puffy underskirts

look at that, he has the hang of hoisting up his hem out of the dirt already…