fairy cake pond

"Wishes do come true"....a few years back, I was in a pretty dark place. I won't go into details, but suffice to say that I was on a bit of a downward spiral, and then the universe stepped in to teach me some big lessons. Perhaps one day I shall share here, but for now, I shall just leave it at letting you know that I did some things that I wasn't terribly proud of.

But life has a funny way of providing you with the people and the situations you need to learn some big life lessons. My journey these past few years has been pretty intense, and I've learned some amazing things about myself. The big one is that I am responsible for the decisions I make, and I can choose to be bitter and resentful about a lot of stuff, or I can suck it up and change my perspective, and also how I feel about things, and take responsiblity for my own life. I also learned that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was!

My journey led me to study Art Therapy, which peeled away so many layers, years and years of 'stuff'which was holding me back. From there, yoga became a natural progression of my unfurling and shedding that which no longer served me. I am almost finished my Yoga Teacher Training, and it has been incredible and wonderful. I can't wait to get out into the world and inspire others.

Anyway, back to my story (sorry, I kind of veered off course there, didn't mean to) and what the picture above is all about. As I was in my dark place, and at home much of the time, I discovered a magical world that spoke to my inner child, and that inspired me with it's magic and creativity. That blog was Old Flowers 4 Me written by the whimsical Miss Jo. I have shared Jo's blog with you here before, and told you about how we came to meet. (The first time I met Jo, I felt as though I had just met a movie star, giggle).

Something began to awaken in me as I perused Jo's world, and I was truly inspired...she really does live her life out loud and in colour, dresses in her own style, decorates her home with her amazing collection of treasures, and is a beautifully, generous soul on top of it all. She believes in magic and adventures and making wishes come true.

Anyway, the delightful Miss Jo turned 50 last week, and I was lucky enough to receive an invitation in the post. Of course I got busy making my headpiece (Jo had asked that all the girls wore frocks, with flowers and feathers in their hair) and Ian and I took a little roadtrip to Fairy Cake Pond, where we enjoyed a magical night of dancing, decadent treats and Alice in Wonderland type fun. We sipped champagne and ate sweet treats, and talked by the fire into the wee hours of the morning. After having a swing with Jo, we snuck off to bed and were greeted the next morning with "hello, are you awake in there?"Miss Jo had brought us a tray with a pot of tea, two vintage cups and some musk stick lollies (who else but Miss Jo would bring musk sticks to stir our tea?)

I wish I had taken some more photos to show you - everyone looked so amazing. There were fairy lights strung about and chandeliers. We were even serenaded by a friend of Jo's who sang opera.

It really was such fun to dress up and let my inner child out to play. Thankyou divine Miss Jo for the gift of your friendship, and a wonderfully, whimsical night.

 

We never stop growing and evolving, and I am by no means perfect. Hell, some days I am a downright mess!  I am most definitely á work in progress'. Friends and family sometimes ask me why do I blog? It is because of you, dear friends, and your wonderful little notes you leave, and also because sometimes, just sometimes, I may be lucky enough to inspire one or two of you. And I can tell you, that is a pretty amazing feeling.

It's such a big wide world out there, and sometimes we can feel so teeny, but this amazing internet has gifted me with some beautiful friends around the world. Kindred sisters x

My little post today just goes to show you that the connections we make on here, can indeed lead to connections in the 'real world'....and that's pretty special, don't you think?

Dream, Play, Dance, Dress-up, Have Tea Parties, Be Awesome, Create, Hug, but most importantly, BE YOU, cos YOU are amazing xxx

HELLO...

What have I been up to? Well, let's see...we finally got some new chickens, and I upcycled an old chest of drawers into a nesting box. The ladies seem more than happy with this and have been gifting us with fresh eggs everyday!

So I have been baking up a storm! It's that time of year again where my girls celebrate their birthdays, so chocolate cake is definitely in order.

Ian and I have been on some adventures, stepping outside our little boxes, and experiencing new places...the girls are getting older, the times they are a-changing.

Pip is as adorable as ever...she really is the sweetest little girl, although she is a bit of a pudding at the moment. Our winter has been long and cold and I am afraid I have been a bit lazy walking her...I know, I am naughty. But thankfully, spring has arrived (not before time, I tell you!) and we have hit the pavements again.

I have been having fun on Instagram (you can follow me on Carousel Dreams if you like), so these photos are some I have been posting there. This one was taken the other night when we were out for dinner, and were lucky enough to order the dessert tasting plate...OMG! Can you tell how happy I am, lol?

Remember our annual street dinner party? Well, this time the theme was eighties, so of course I had to channel Madonna! Lots of fun...

 

Our favourite times are snuggling on the couch in our pyjamas in front of the fire...

I always like to make a big pot of chicken soup when the weather is lousy...extra good with noodles thrown in! So simple to make, and keeps the winter lurgies at bay. I just throw in chopped onion, carrot, celery, a free range chook and some water to cover with a couple of bay leaves and salt and pepper. I simmer it away for a couple of hours (which imbues the whole house with delicious smells), then toss in some noodles at the end, and maybe some Chinese veges such as bok choy - Voila!!! Healthy and yummy!

As I mentioned earlier, we just celebrated Georgia's 19th birthday (I know, I'm old!!!) We decided to have a picnic in front of the fire. It was so lovely and cosy, and as the light faded, I lit lots of candles, and we stayed here until late, making music and just chilling. It was so lovely. Next week is Abby's sweet 16 - I cannot believe how they are growing.

And I am nearing the end of my Yoga Teacher Training. It has been such an amazing journey for me. Truly, I cannot express how wonderful the yoga makes me feel...I so look forward to finishing my course so I can begin to teach others how to empower and heal themselves. It's been such an amazing year, this 2012 - big changes in the air. Can anyone else feel the magic?

 

GRATITUDE

I know, I know, I have been the world's worst blogger lately. Please don't take it personally, I just haven't felt like I have anything important to share. I knew that 2012 was going to be an amazing year, and after all my struggles and anxieties, life finally feels like it makes sense. I am slowly learning to get out of my head, and to let 'stuff' go. Stuff which I used to obsess over, like "why don't they like me?" or "why didn't I get invited?" You know what, it just doesn't matter anymore. I've come to realise that all I need is within me, and by healing those wounds of not being enough, the love is beginning to flow, and I find myself attracting like-minded people and situations.

I am halfway through my yoga teaching training, and, I know it is a cliche, but yoga truly is transforming me, and things that seemed so important before seem to not have any hold over me any longer. I feel so peaceful and calm, and am honestly enjoying the everyday moments. Seeing my daughters blossom and mature is such a privelege, and I realise that I don't want to miss one single moment. Time is fleeting, and oh so precious.

So I thought it might be lovely to link up here at Wooly Moss Roots to express what has made me grateful this week...

1.   Snuggling on the couch watching the fire flicker with my family.

2.   Walking Pip along the train tracks, enjoying the autumn smells of the earth and the pine needles beneath my feet.

3.   Making beautiful, nurturing soups, filled with delicious beans and vegetables.

4.   Divine Yum Cha with my sister, then a movie and some shopping.

5.   Cheering from the side lines at the local football, sipping hot lattes and eating my niece's home-made cookies.

6.   Watching Abby's netball game and chatting with the other netball mums.

7.   Challenging myself with a new yoga teacher, who we nicknamed 'The Smiling Assassin'.

8.   Always enjoying my Monday night Yoga class with Michelle, who inspires me every week with her joyful classes.

9.   Being invited to sleep with my big girl in her bed, and chatting in the dark.

10.  Eating from the breakfast menu at lunchtime with fellow yogis at a local cafe.

11.  Making new friends and getting excited when their interests reflect your own. Love that!
12.  Allowing myself time to read, read, read...one of my favourite things to do.

13.  Devonshire tea in the mountains with my parents and my sister for my niece's birthday.

14.  Singing at the top of our voices with Abby, my youngest daughter in the car, and giggling when it becomes a singing competition.

15.  Gathering as a family to watch our favourite show on T.V. and deciding who will make the cups of tea, our family ritual.
16.  Finding the score of the century - a beautiful old cast iron claw foot bath on the side of the road...I have always longed to have a bath in the garden for moonlight bathing.

17.  Indulging my visual senses with my Pinterest boards, which is totally addictive and which you can check out here

18.  Finding a beautiful mauve vest in a quirky little shop and deciding I must have it.

19.  Taking a journey to the mountains and enjoying the gorgeous autumn leaves...my favourite time of the year.

20.  Sipping real Spanish hot chocolate...the kind that the spoon can almost stand up in - pure decadence!

21.  Hand feeding the lovely kookaburra who came to visit on my back deck...cheeky fellow!

So there you have it...the little things this week that have made my heart sing and my soul very happy.


"A woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself" - Maya Angelou

 

Seven Sisters

I know, I have not been here lately, so not even sure if anyone will be reading, but hey, that's ok. I just had the awesomeist weekend, and I wanted to share some photos here.

When I returned from our little roadtrip a couple of months ago, I felt revigorated and since starting on a healthy diet of green smoothies every morning since new year's, found I was jumping out of my skin with energy. I began to feel kind of restless, and like I needed to be 'doing something' with all my extra energy.

As I've told you here before, I have fallen madly in love with yoga...so I decided to begin yoga teaching training! I love it! Yoga is so amazing, and for me, it is changing my life, one posture at a time! I feel the best I've felt in a long time, not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, mentally - phew! Wish I discovered it years ago...

Anyway, I have found myself opening up, and remembering my essence, if that makes sense. The 'me' I was before I realised I didn't have to be living my life the way everyone else expected me to. I can't tell you how liberating that is. I am opening myself up to new experiences, new people, new places, and it feels wonderful.

Which brings me to what this post is about...sorry, it took a while! Last weekend I took Abby to an amazing festival called Seven Sisters and let me tell you, I am still floating on a high. It was the first time I have experienced anything like this, and completely out of my comfort zone, but I'm so glad I went. It was an amazing weekend of beautiful friends, inspirational musicians and performers, yummy food, delicious coffee and chai, an abundance of love and also some healing, which was totally unexpected, but completely welcome.

So I just wanted to share some delicious photos of our blissful weekend...I certainly hope that it returns next year, and perhaps I can even persuade Georgia to come along next time...

I put a spell on you...

I think I have mentioned here before the wonderful Spell and the Gypsy Well, when we were in Byron Bay recently, we were lucky enough to find their little shop...Abby was so excited, because she is very inspired by their website.

I treated her to a couple of pieces of their clothing, which we put away until Christmas day...

And here are my girls, with Abby wearing her 'Spell' top...she made the little shell necklace from a shell she collected on our travels.

I had the collecting bug too, and scored lots of driftwood to make a mobile for the beach house...

I was also excited to see all the lovely dreamcatchers in the Spell shop...I really enjoy making these for people, and can't wait to begin creating again.

I thought I would leave you with a picture from our Christmas Day...it was a very busy one, celebrated with my family at lunch time, then Ian's for dinner...Phew!

Roadtrip...Part Two

...and then we found paradise! At a beautiful national park called Jervis Bay, we encountered one of the most beautiful beaches I'd ever seen. There were wallabies and kangaroos along the rainforest path to the beach, which opened up onto this amazing view...I could have stayed here for days. The water was crystal clear, and the sandy, squeaky white. The perfect place to take a dip and just 'be'...I will definitely be visiting here again one day - sigh.

This gorgeous little village nestled into the countryside is called Tilba Tilba. It is filled with quaint little shops surrounded by cottage gardens. We stopped for a hot chocolate and to do a bit of Christmas shopping.

I couldn't resist snapping a pic of puss relaxing on the porch...even though I don't own a cat, I have always had a soft spot for ginger pusses...

There were lovely little antique shops...we fell in love with the little Noddy car at this one, but resisted the urge to buy...

Our last day was spent in a little fishing hamlet called Eden...so pretty...

We enjoyed a lunch of the freshest seafood, which was delicious. I had the scallops, which were amazing, and Ian had to try the mussels.

I have definitely caught the travel bug, and totally recommend these amazing homes on wheels - in my opinion, the best way to explore the countryside. It literally took 5 minutes to pack up and keep moving if we didn't like somewhere, or wanted to chase the sunshine. We just pulled over when we got hungry and made something to eat, or popped the kettle on for a cuppa.

Ten days really wasn't long enough for such a journey...there were places where I could have stayed much longer, but we only had a small window of time to travel. Next time, we will definitely take more time...oh yes, you can bet there will be a next time!

So well done for hanging in there, if you got to the end of this post! I am looking forward to popping in to see what everyone else has been up to. Happy 2012 my friends...I feel it is going to be an incredible year, and I look forward to sharing with you here...