Baby Remy {a photography session}

This beautiful shoot never made it to the publishers due to a technical hitch, so here it is only 2 years later!

I was recently honored to photograph newborn Remy and his lovely family.

we had planned a maternity shoot; which ended up being the day of birth!

i met this gorgeous bundle when he was two weeks! ahhhh sweetness.

he slept for the entire first 1 and a half hours! then peeped open for a few family photographs.

May you have a good and happy life on earth xx

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new babies never fail to leave me in awe of the powerful mystery and strength and surrender possible in a woman’s being, and the magic that man and woman can co-create.

Well done you mama! a living miracle xx

An alpine birthday

Now on this day we celebrate your day of birth 

And we wish you a good and happy life on earth!

(Alternative birthday ditty)        The traditional pancake breakfast substitutes for a cake when we are camping. Lush toppings, fresh berries, cream, yoghurt and maple syrup. I eat renegade savoury pancakes first, gruyere cheese and pesto.

  Craved farm animals from Werner reifentiere. Found at Pastorini in Zurich. Up up up on the cable car from Falkenberg to Oeschin. Summer tobogganing.       The ausblick/outlook is enthralling.     Postcard moments. Oeschinersee. The lake is turquoise. Crispy clear and cold, it is fed by the snow melt and glaciers.       I am enchanted by the alpine flowers and the children hunt out wild strawberries and raspberries. It keeps them busy and happy for an hour and I can soak up the incredible environment at 1500 or so metres above sea level. We are blessed with mostly sunshine and wonderful cloud pictures being sucked on by the peaks.       Another gift was a junior Opinel whittling knife . The end is round so not quite as perilous but just as sharp. There are sticks of softest pine to be found in the woods. This fellow hiked up with his alphorn! I opened conversation as we had all been guessing what was in his pack, and he willingly took it out and played for Us some folk tunes. The harmonic singing of the horn was beautiful to me. It seemed so fitting in this environment. I couldn’t have imagined a better spot to hear it for the first time since childhood.   The sound carried across the water and the long tones needed the space. Magic.   There are many carving and sculptures along the lakeside path. Cedar played his own little birthday Sansula and enchanted us.  

     

 The folk art and carvings on the buildings continuously impress me in Switzerland. I have been guessing they are winter arts to keep hands creative when indoors for much of the year. Strong traditions. The little model house had a barn full of cows like Cedars birthday cow Tulip.  

  Jesse dared to leave the signed pathway (incredibly practical signs for Wanderweg/walkway with distances and times, everywhere in Switzerland. I love the walking culture. This has been a focus of our trip) and despite our resistance ( I’m imagining lost on the mountain in the dark with hungry tired little people) found us a gorgeous place to have a fire for our traditional Swiss sausage roasting. 

  

   

Who loves chocolate and hazelnuts in fire cooked banana s? Have you tried this? Wait  until you have a bed of embers then lay upon it bananas with their side split and chocolate stuffed in. Yum.      Walking down the mountain is not always easier! I think the grade was about 16%. Sore knees and ankles. 

So happy to get to the playground at the bottom! We walked back to camp at 9 pm via the restaurant for slices of cake and warm milks. I took candles and we had a mini birthday celebration there. A super special family day! Hooray Cedar!

To you we sing

And happiness we bring

To celebrate your birth

An angel here on earth. 

Thanks to friends for this song

des glaneuses {the pecan harvest}

IMG_0004in the fields the pecan trees drop their bountiful treasure

the cockatoos swing overhead and the ticks lurk below shadows

a basket of size or make, soon spills brown eggs to hatch small brown birds

the queen nut and her babies are captured lovingly

while children bounce, frolic, nest and throw.

oh to covet a fireside nut crushing eve

and invent our own fairytales

this kinship and little people wriggles

jaffles in moonlight and the bright silhouettes sway

the foragers filled and the gypsies sleep by the coals in mandarin cloaks

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*

nut tree nut tree

there is treasure hidden in your leaves

nut tree nut tree

drop your gifts down to me

*
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IMG_0082thanking thee dear friends.

and Miss F for the capture of me in the frames above.

pumpkin and pecan pie anyone?

pecan ice cream?

pecan truffles?

pecan and cinnamon cake?

pecan and mushroom soup?

pecan pecan hecan mecan?

xx

did you like my nutty poetree? and my nutty daughter?

because you are what you eat!!

more on foraging here.

 

Home made Mayonnaise ~ easier than you think

i have attempted mayonnaisse once before, it was a terrible gloppety glop which seperated in the first hour and no-one would eat. boo. condiment disaster.

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and then one day recently, like a home cooking queen, my dear friend Dalee {Owl and Snail blog} casually offers to whip up some mayo to accompany lunch as the rice is not cooked yet. WHAT? squawks I

what can’t this woman do?

whip up mayonnaisse? i thought it was a half hour hand whisking ordeal for secondary results?

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not anymore ladies and gentleman.

mayonnaisse, fresh, lemony, creamy mayo is within your grasp {if you have a power source/sauce and a blender}

no more sad sandwiches gasping for some moisture, no more shop tainted slaw,

read on and then

quick get your apron on and blender out…

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Dalee’s deelicious home made whip it up casually MAYONNAISE

disclaimer~recipe is just a guideline, adjust ingredients as you see fit…

pop into your blender jug

  • 2 good and fresh eggs and another egg yolk
  • juice of half a lemon or more
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon of honey or similar

whizz til smooth then with motor running slOWly pour in oil in a steady drizzle until mixture thickens to your liking… ta da!!

approximately more than 1 cup of good oil but possibly less than 2 {depends on the weather}

Dalee recommended a blend of olive and a lighter oil like sunflower, i agree after tonights recipe trial. i also added a sprig of parsley to dye it an appealing shade of rolling meadows green

then good people, dollop, slather, spread, dip, splat, lick, enjoy!
Keep it in the fridge. I can’t legally recommend an exact UBD but perhaps up to 7 days?? do not leave out of the fridge for extended periods as it contains raw eggs, food poisoning is a concern.

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try with roast potatoes, fish and salad {my dinner above. mm not bad… in another life i am a food shooter for culinary prints}

try it with….

vegie sticks

in coleslaw

in nori rolls

in chicken salad

egg sandwitches

in salad dressings

on frittata

on pancakes…?

IMG_0283well go on, make some soon and tell me what you enjoyed it with {as long as it’s food now}

looks good, tastes great and has raw eggs in it!

and what about Miss Dalee, artist, mama, musician, crafter, pioneer, yurt dwelling, homeschooling, mayonnaise queen. did you go look at her blog? or her skilled husband Jesse, who handcrafts beautiful Shakahachi flutes.
some more moments from my visit

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Lily plays for The Ridge children
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view from community house/kitchen to the sea

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the kitchen of mayonnaise heaven…

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Dalee also makes KimChi {fermented spicy vegetable condiment from Korean origin}

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Lily disappears into the schoolroom within arms length of the bookshelf

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playful artworks by Dalee and children

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The Yurt~temporary home while they build/wait for approval to build from council

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so cosy and light. furnished with many handmade pieces from the hands of mama and papa

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a wedding gift from Jesse’s dad

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circus fun

 

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jesse dalee and eltham

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my cute wee home for the night.

my cute wee home for the night.



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rainbows

peace

and mayonnaise

xx

there is another good mayo recipe and scientific examination of the sauce here

thankyou Ridge friends, you where the last stop on the way to Bellingen. i enjoyed my three fun days of inspiration with different friends and i left you feeling full and motivated and, well, inspired!

fisherman pullover & little scallops

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I began and completed the little fisherman pullover in Tasmania earlier in the year but lo and behold here it finally is. documented proof i can make a pullover on round needles! hooray!

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i am gradually progressing to more complex and larger items of knitting which is sensible isn’t it?

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these original shots from Tassie are so adorable! look at that long golden hair.. all gone now…

and remembering to use the pattern as a guide, don’t stress out about a stitch here or there i say… or a row of knit instead of purl…

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i made the sleeves short so he can wear it two thirds of the year instead of just the few cold months.

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the fisherman pullover was knit from hand spun, plant dyed alpaca found in the salamanca market Hobart.

it can be accessorised in many ways…. tractor and wings, or drum and no pants….

beautiful fluffy yarn. hot tip, berry berry fluffy so don’t use for smaller children as they tend to eat the fluff stuff.

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beautiful though. and cleverly made too large to get some good wear from it!

Cedar calls it his ‘packa’

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Yes thats my own designed Windy Day Bonnet above… still fits!!

here’s another windy day bonnet for a little English Rose

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and then the little scallops beanie. inspired by Fox’s Lane

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intended for the 3rd birthday but came in a day late as i had to make and unravel three times to get the sizing right. yep third time lucky. {next time just follow the pattern Rosi} i knit quite loosely and my things stretch quickly too big so i try to compensate. this knit taught me how to carry over colors when making patterns, fun!

took a while to get the tension right. check out my progress

details on Ravelry

cuties! Lily has on her Perfect Beret
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what are you knitting?

I can’t decide what to make next… i have one ball of divine turquoise blend hand dye 4 ply which Jesse got me in Canada years ago i am ready to use! any ideas… {he will now get me multiple balls of yarn the clever man}

So far.. away…

on departure the morning mist cloaks the hillsidesIMG_0024

departing the fertile valleys of the mid north coast and headin south… it’s a beautiful perspective of the folds and crests of the land hearabouts from up sky..
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the big smoke… a fleeting stopover…IMG_1761

on the plane i listen with empathy to the crying babes

and turn back to my book with glee… it’s not me with puking kids, this time…

at the airport Sydney I am famished as the few mouthfuls of breakfast I distractedly inhaled have worn off, i seek the noodle bar my mama described to me and am so enjoying my broth and reading and then the $2 massage chairs…

i forget to check in for my next flight…

oops, lucky i got a self proclaimed ‘nice’ man at the counter who lets me on anyway…

{feeling abit country mouse at this point but enjoying myself…}IMG_1702

arriving into a babble of easy banter with my oldest young friend, we join her friends inner city for lounging, ethiopian eating and dancing! wow feeling so bold and dashing in my red wool coat and that new wool skirt i made… {details one day. maybe}

in between i had a stroll in the road and delighted in my find of this Pincushion Hakea a favorite from Western Australia. What a quirky flower and great name. Some aspects of the medicine of this flower is

to have an open mind and be open to new ideas and interested in the world. {can you see how the flower reaches out in every direction confidently?}

Think that might come in handy this week for me?IMG_1755 IMG_1711

dinner, Ethiopian flavours astound me, smoky paprika or warm cumin or slightly vinegar pickle or sweet beet or queer fermented pancake bread… mmmm new things to experience

and 5 other lovely ladies to enjoy with…IMG_1760 IMG_1759

and then and then there was more at The SubstationIMG_1704

Dead Quarry Mountain Rats play high speed twanging tunes, handsome talented lads with flying fingers

{but i snobbishly think they could do with some articulation assistance…}

I cannot keep up and go out for a breather and a cuddle with the radiator

enjoying people watching and trying to digest the days stimulation!

until the highly quirky and amusing Perch Creek Family jug band step up and have me soon in stitchesIMG_1757

four siblings and a partner, all beautifully talented musicians and a couple sporting magnificent vocal range! harmonies to soar in this great hall and hilarious almost embaressing banter betwixt.

when did dorky become cool? i think i could really fit into this scene in Melbourne…

In another life I played double bass and when i see the instrument hopping and jiving in this folk/bluegrass/soul context i long to be there thumping out the bass line. it really wasn’t so much fun at the back of the orchestra…IMG_1718

this sign greets me in my dear friends kitchen. I say YES yes yes!IMG_1736

being idle in the sunroom for hours… luxury… my thoughts can come to a natural completion with no interruption! hoorah! i can think any think i can think…

and then such a long long invigorating seaside stroll with a myriad of greys and mauves and silver sheening water for companyIMG_1763 IMG_1770

and pressing my face into WA wildflowers growing happily in the garden

Geraldton wax my favorite since ever has taken me on a great healing journey {still on it actually}

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in another life i spent a year working on an artwork of this flower and a dear friend put it onto my skin. daily reminders of the medicine of this flower…

have you ever crushed some of the leaf and smelt the divine aroma?

and then check out these enormous pillars of Banksia. Im not sure which variety but so striking.

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and then later…

IMG_1753my daily victual awaits…

ahhhh so full of gratitude to all who have made this a possibility and to myself, yippee you’ve given yourself a mini sabbatical… xx

what would you do if you could run away from life for a few days?