Make and do: More volcano fun!

The volcano that we made recently is well-loved, treasured even. The pirates play with it nearly every day. Mostly the volcano could be described as dormant, however there was a surprise eruption earlier this morning.

A number of dinosaurs had gathered to observe the lava flow...

plus one random donkey (there he is in between Brachiosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex ... probably not for long though... I am pretty sure Spinosaurus is eyeing him off! )

Oh the joy on their little faces! They just love it!

The Organic Markets

Every Sunday, not far from our house, there is an Organic Market. We have our favourite stalls (in particular organic meat, eggs, mushrooms, nuts, goats cheese... the list goes on...) but no visit is complete without one of these:

THEY.ARE.OUTSTANDING!

The boys enjoying theirs whilst listening to a busker:

We also like to stock up on these:

Afterwards we have coffee and catch up with friends. The boys (and one of their best buddies and his beautiful grandma) found a truck mud flap and they happily spent the rest of the morning having rides on it:

Creating a weekend tradition, it's all good!

A colourful winter...

In Sydney we don't really get to enjoy the change of the seasons, it is something that I really miss about living in Canberra and the UK. However, we do have a lovely mild winter and are able to enjoy the garden all year round!



Sidewalk chalk can be used all year round:






Summer flowers...still popping up:

Even the Begonias!

Rainbow Lorikeets, little bursts of summer colour, come and visit every day :

Summer in Sydney is truly lovely, but winter is spectacular!

Vintage Fisher Price Little People

When I was about the same age as the Captain, my family lived in Indonesia, where my father was working in the Embassy. While we were living there, my parents picked up, (from an American family returning home), a whole bunch of Fisher Price Little People toys. I have the fondest memories of playing with these toys, I especially adored the campervan and was fascinated by the tiny toilet, the beds above the cab and even the little boat. The toys came back to Australia with us and then travelled on to India where we had our next posting. They are still there now presumably. My parents gave them to the children of our servants, I often imagine that their children are playing with them now!



As you can see I have endeavoured to recreate my own childhood for the boys! I have collected, over the last few years, various different vintage play sets. Finding them in all sorts of places, op shops, Church fetes, garage sales and of course, Ebay.


The details in the toys are fantastic. No batteries, yet with handles and levers you can move the baggage carousel or turn the helicopter's propellers.


A fireman going on a camping trip with some mates (and other children of the 1970s... do you remember Lucky the dog? There he is peering out the back of the campervan.)

The baby is filling up the plane with some avgas!

It is extraordinary how many people have catastrophic accidents and serious illnesses in Little People world. Luckily, there is an ambulance, an operating theatre, an X-Ray machine and a lift to move the invalids upstairs to recovery whilst strapped securely in a stretcher.

The baby operating the off shore cargo base.

Hours of play!

The baby no longer...

Despite a few days that looked like this...

My sweet baby boy, who looked like this a few hours after his birth...

and like this on his first birthday...

Looked like this yesterday...
BUT... he is completely toilet trained and all 5 weeks before he turns two! Proud Mama!

A week in Melbourne

Husband had to work in Melbourne for a week so we thought that, as he might miss us, we should join him there! His plans for sleeping in and glamorous evenings out in Melbourne were foiled... instead he had the pleasure of waking up to the boys screaming "hot air balloons" at 6am every morning for a week...

We had a wonderful time in Melbourne though, husband of course had to work during the day so we spent our days exploring and visiting friends and family. Our first morning, after the excitement of the hot air balloons, the Captain asked over and over again, "If I promise to be really, really good will you please take me on a tram?" Thankfully, there was a stop for the free City Circle tram right outside our hotel. We did numerous rounds of the city and the boys never tired of it!

We visited the Melbourne Museum. We had been intending to visit the Titanic Artefact Exhibition as the Captain had seen posters promoting it across Melbourne and was mesmerised as I told him the tragic story of the ship featured in the ads. Then as we were walking towards the Museum he casually asked "So how did they get the ship into the Museum?" Once I explained that the ship was still on the ocean floor (where she had sunk!) and that there were only artefacts from the ship on display, his enthusiasm had waned somewhat. Luckily, the Museum had a marvellous kids section and even better... dinosaurs! They loved it!

Time at Federation Square was spent chasing pigeons...

Mummy wanted to visit the cake supplies shop, so cup cakes had to purchased as the word cake had been said aloud...

The bribery was worth it, the cake shop that I found via Allyson from The Lark was well worth the visit. I stocked up on some gorgeous cup cake cases, icing colours and cup cake toppers, I can't wait till the next birthday party!

The Captain even managed to entertain himself while I enjoyed my coffee...

A wonderful week away!

Mother's Day

This is what my beloved boy made me at pre-school for Mother's Day. A gorgeous card and the most beautiful necklace imaginable!

He was so proud and excited when he gave it to me, I truly can't think of another gift that I would rather of had, than that moment when he presented it to me in bed, beaming with pride and joy.