Fun in the Sun

The sun has finally come out to play this week - and what a glorious week we've had!

I thought we'd enjoy a pictorial journey through summer so far...

I finally finished Ellie's handwarmers that I started ages ago.  Love the wool - hoping to make socks out of the rest (if I can remember where I put the ball of wool when I was done!)

Matt, Julia and Lily Sides (such a perfect triangle) came home to visit from Japan; Zahrina came home to visit from India - it was lovely to have some of the girls over for lunch to meet Lily and visit with old friends.

An AWESOME combination - homemade lemon curd (which I made at the beginning of the summer, with lemons from our tree - it was a bit runnier than it should have been, but still yummy) and long overdue sultana scones.  They turned out perfectly... together, such a lovely pairing of my culinary awesomeness.

Mum, Rebecca, Fiona and myself out for a leisurely lunch at Masala in Mission Bay.  Yummy in my tummy! 

Homemade tomato chutney - made on a drizzly day with tomatoes from our garden.  All the recipes I could find were for large amounts, so I made this half portion.  The recipe is on my new food and garden blog, found here.

A stunning sunset out of the upstairs hallway window.  Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

And the following day was indeed stunning, so we legged it to the beach. 

A small (tiny) sampling of the beans from our garden.  I picked two full metal bowls of beans today.  They are now safely blanched, dried and frozen for future consumption.

I really do love summer holidays! Two more weeks of this fabulousness - bring it on!

Summertime - Sunday Evening Reflections

source

Today was the first sunny day in ages and I feel fabulous.  I realised once again that my mood can be very dependent upon the weather and I've been a bit of a grump this week, what with the crap weather.  I'm mostly disappointed that I haven't been able to do fun, summery, touristy stuff with Mum, which has irritated me.  Upon reflection, I need to leave that nonsense behind and just enjoy having her here for the hols and cherish being curled up on the sofa, watching movies with her.

So in the sunshine today I pottered, cleaned, weeded, baked, dozed, read my book, giggled and stared out of the window at the water and the sunset.  It was perfect - lots of me time, yet it was spent with two of my favourite people (Phill & Mum.)  I love summertime.

Such a lovely way to end a dreary week and kick off a great week to come!

Your turn... What's your favourite thing about summer?

If we took a holiday...

You can turn this world around

And bring back all of those happy days

Put your troubles down

It's time to celebrate

Let love shine

And we will find

A way to come together

And make things better

We need a holiday

- Madonna

That Madge - she sure knows what she's talking about.  The above is one of my favourite verses, ever. 

You got it... 'h' is for holidays.

Not only are holidays a fantastic opportunity for travel, they are also vital for recharging and recuperating, an awesome opportunity to catch up with friends; to sleep in; to put yourself first.  It has been an emotionally draining term - I need this holiday and I need to put myself first (whether it's on a beach in Samoa or on my sofa in my living room.) 

I am presently on school holidays and loving it -  and it's only day two!  Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but man, there is nothing more delicious than snuggling in bed on a cold winter's day, past 6:30 a.m... or falling asleep on the sofa under a stream of sunshine while watching mindless TV (those are the most satisfying sleeps.)  I love going to the gym when it's still light out (when I go, it's either dark in the morning or dark in the evening) and the only people in there are unintimidating, friendly retirees.  I'm even looking forward to going into work when there are no children there and just pottering around.  I can bake, clean, sleep, have lunch dates, get my hair done, do some knitting, work (on my schedule) and finally sort out some healthy eating and recipes. 

It's all about what I want and what I need; not only is it okay to put my needs first - it's necessary.  I don't think it'd be possible without a short holiday. 

Bliss.