out and about - canberra

Next month Luca will be ten. Ten! I can't quite believe that my baby boy will soon be in double digits. It doesn't seem like a decade ago that I was just 23, attending midwives appointments, excitedly washing newborn sized blue clothes and putting up by expanded feet (that never did go quite back to their pre baby size) all during one of the pleasantest, balmy Springs that I can remember.

After a rather large party last year, and no real desire (on the parenting end) to repeat the experience, we asked Luca what he would like to do for the day.

So that's how we ended up spending a day out in our nearest city, catching the lift up to the viewing platform of Telstra Tower. It was the height of excitement for this tower obsessed boy of ours. From lego tower building, to memorising heights and statistics, to drawing comparison graphs, it is definitely one of his biggest hobbies.

Last stop was an impromptu visit to Cockington Green, which all, even little Violet, seemed to enjoy. It seems very like how I remembered it as a four year old, and as an adult I enjoyed the tranquil gardens and quaint little English cottages. It seems you never really grow out of some things.

Which is really one of the best things about these kind of days. Being out and about and seeing interesting things that you don't see everyday, you start to relive some of that childhood spark and excitement, and see things fresh through their eyes.

a 50's style dress

Do you remember the sudden explosion of 50's style dresses a few years back? Okay, more than a few years back. I loved them, and they loved my pear-shapedness back. There were so many pretty variations around that I went a little crazy and virtually filled my wardrobe with them in the summer of 2006. Since then I've always looked for the elusive 50's style dress as my others became too worn and torn or simply didn't fit anymore.

So it was with all this in mind that I decided to go a little out of my depth in the sewing department, and tackle this slightly more complicated fitted waist style. I'd had New Look 6805 (which may be out of print because I was unable to find it on their website) sitting around for longer than I care to admit. An optimistic purchase, that had taken quite a lot of time to even work up the courage to figure out how much fabric I would need.

But as it turns out, I didn't really need to worry too much about the fabric. I happened to find a rather large stash of a lovely cotton or cotton blend at the local op shop. Soft but with a structured, tightly woven feel, perhaps some sewers out there may know more about?

I chose view C, cut out the 12, but ended up with a lot of unpicking and sizing down in some areas. At some stages I wondered if anything would ever come of this mess that was around me. But I find when things get too tough, I'm learning not to press on with it. Leave it and come back. It seems to right itself in the end this way. Sometimes you just need fresh eyes.

I ended up creating a centre seam in the back, as on reading up on the pattern, a gaping back tended to be a fault with the pattern. And my dress certainly did gape. I made it a little shorter than the pattern, following my usual rule of higher neck shorter hemline.

The bodice I lined in vintage sheeting, picking up on the purple in the geometric pattern.

My pleats aren't perfect and I ended up with two broken zippers (I found this company online, finding every type of zipper there, and with quick delivery), and as it is my zipper is a little wonky (my fault) , but I'm overall quite happy with this dress.

I've already worn it several times, and it passes the out and about comfort test with flying colours. Always important for whether I will reach for an outfit or not. Comfort is a little more important these days when you are running around after a toddler.

But it's all a learning progress of trial and error, but I'm actually starting to enjoy the challenge. My only regret is that I didn't attempt it sooner.

 


It's nice to have a new 50's dress.


(Apologies for the grainy, rainy day shots and the smudgy eyes taken at the end of a long day!)

eight little things

Eight little things making me smile this week:

1. a yoghurty kind of mess - and almost back to her normal self - thank you for the well wishes and hints yesterday
2. scones with quince jam and cream
3. rainbows
4. the blossom tree from the bathroom window
5. a new knitting project - a vest for Julia - from Lovely Knits for Little Girls (a lucky library find)
6. an unflattering op shopped maxi dress turned into a maxi skirt for Julia
7. a new, though slow going, sewing project
8. seeds waiting to be planted

What little things are making you smile this week?

indisposed

There were a great many things I had in my head that I wanted to get done this week. Apart from the usual keeping the house clean, keeping up with the washing (a challenge in itself with this rain), I'd also wanted to tackle those kitchen cupboards. In a little leisure time I was hoping to finish a dress I'm sewing, and make some good progress on a knitted vest. Oh, and get some seeds into the garden to make the most of this wet weather.

But apart from keeping the house tidy, I haven't really been able to do any of that. At the moment most of my time, (and a few sleepless nights),  has been taken by a toddler with a cold. And a grumpy little one at that. So things to do have been left for another day. I've been sitting on the lounge a lot. Reading stories over and over. Doing essential housework with one hand, and guiltily resorting to the dvd player more often than usual.

But it's okay. Fortunately Violet's cold is a minor one, and she seems a little brighter and happier today. Being forced to slow down is not always a bad thing in the scheme of things. Accepting that I can't always plan (and a very rough plan at that) my days or weeks. It's a small lesson in patience for me. Life does what it wants to do, particularly life with kids.

of bread, braises and cow manure

There was quite a lot of cooking going on this weekend. With twelve family members when we are all together, and the littler and not quite so little ones getting bigger appetites every year,  there is always lots of cooking and eating involved with our Italian side of the family.

I made my first batch of ciabatta bread (and had to laugh at this video, as well as my need to watch said video) from this book. (Recipe online here). As well as a braised beef in red wine, from Angela Hartnett's Cucina, replacing some of the not so good quality wine with marsala, which seemed to even out the flavour nicely.

Not photographed, but worth mentioning as is it is now officially Luca's favourite dessert, was the semifreddo, also from the Cucina book. I found the recipe online here. Luca has requested it to be his birthday cake this year, despite the slightly adult taste. It really was delicious and quite easy, which says more for the recipe author than for this cook who has never made ice-cream in her life before.

Sunday was a little quieter, and after our breakfast of leftover semifreddo, we headed out to the paddock behind our house, where the lady owner had kindly given us permission to take as much cow manure as we wanted. The manure was several months old and had begun to compost beautifully. I never thought I would get excited about manure, but there you have it. All hands helped with the gathering, and bucket carrying to the trailer, and I think the littlest of us may have even taste tested it. Old timers around here tell us that this paddock was once an orchard, and there is a few remaining old blossom trees, with one old white one that I find particularly beautiful, which also provides an idyllic scene framed by our bathroom window.

So it is was with rather full tummies and an abundantly piled compost heap, that saw the weekend, and the school holidays, draw to a close. Quicker than usual, and perhaps feeling just a little more tired, with our loss of an hour due to daylight saving. It feels a little too early and cold for this yet, don't you think? This Monday morning our wood fire is burning again and I'm blogging here in my favourite wool jumper and old faithful ugg boots (that desperately need a good clean!). The house is so, so quiet with school starting up again.



How was your weekend? Did you enjoy a good meal? Any crafting done? Was it an indoorsy one for you with the rain? Is your house a little quieter today than it has been?




Wishing you all a wonderful start to the week.

strawberry

1. crabapple blossoms are having their moment right now
2. panna cotta with cointreau spiked strawberries
3. new wool
4. bordering our driveway
5. in the village
6. strawberries, banana and yoghurt mid afternoon pick up snack
7. sultana eating
8. extended family dinners from the night before

It promises to be a rather full weekend with family down. Some preparatory cooking today of the slow cooking variety and a frozen dessert. It's hot and windy here (Spring where did you go? We seem to have skipped that season.). The garden is in need of some attention and I have a new dress to make.




Have a lovely weekend and I will see you all next week.

nine little things

1. My biggest little things - school holidays with these three. Yes, it has been a little up and down. But I'm determined to enjoy these last few precious days.
2. Amazed at the generosity of bloggers - a beautiful parcel sent by Zara of the charming Zaranne Handmade. If you do happen upon this book it is an excellent read. Isn't the bunting gorgeous? Thank you again Zara.
3. New Japanese Lawn for a dress.
4. Country Style and a cuppa. The perfect antidote to school holiday chaos.
5. Rabbit pie (based on a Jamie Oliver recipe from Jamie's Great Britain)
6. The latest library reading pile. A Cooks Life enjoyed and completed, moving onto The Food Clock.
7. Village wandering.
8. Spotting an abundance of yellow. For the gardeners out there - is this Forsythia?
9. Bringing a little bit of this sunshine inside.

What little things have you been enjoying lately?