The last birthday cab off the rank around here for a while was Scott. First day of Spring heralds another year older for my lovely husband and the coming of warmer, longer days around these parts.

Something to smile about all round really!

 If you’re a young man celebrating your tenth birthday then here’s how you do it!

Take to the bush with three of your friends.

NO GIRLS ALLOWED!

 Except for Freya. I mean how could you leave this little girl out of the fun?

 Build a fire and light it.

Gather around and poke it.

Enjoy the fun of getting that ‘bushman’ smell that only a campfire can assist with.

 …while she does a spot of dry land fishing.

 Poke the fire a little more. Dad’s turn this time. 

 Add highly coveted spud guns and appropriate ammo.

 Too much fun!

 These people took care of the birthday cake for me.

 Sooooo much easier than trying to tote an elaborate cake out to the bush, keep it whole and have to cut it up….aaah too much mess.

Donuts were soo much easier and a big winner with the kids.

 Then after a long long bush walk inspecting goats (who were REALLY hard to keep away from the chips and goodies!), jumping the creek, helping round up the alpaca’s and checking the yabbie net it was back to the fire.

With flames licking the wood and some easy access hot coals exposed all was ready for roasting marshmallows.

That’s how it’s done.

The perfect tenth birthday for the most wonderful boy.

Happy Birthday Harry.

We hope that you had fun….we know you did!

We love you so.

There is a new pdf pattern in the shop.

It’s called ‘Dance with a Dolly’ and I’m really pleased with how it’s scubbed up.

I’ve kept it simple so that it can be quick and easy. You can finish this quilt competely with a few leisurely hours of cutting and stitching. Great for a beginner. Little girls…of all ages will love it.

Leave me a comment and if the random number generator gods smile on you then I’ll send you a copy of the pattern. Easy. I’ll draw it at say…..5pm on 29th August (Aussie time). That’s Harry’s birthday so it will be nice to share the day of giving.

 edit: the giveaway has ended. I decided to give all who left a comment a copy of the pattern. Seemed like the right thing to do to help celebrate Harry’s birthday!

Well as I sit here listening to the rain come down outside I’m hesitant to say that Spring is on the horizon.

There are only a few weeks ‘officially’ left of winter. That doesn’t mean winter’s gotten the memo. I’m not complaining though. While ever that rain is coming down our water reserves are building up.

Freya needed a new coat this winter. The last one was a thrifted coat that she wore and wore and wore and wore. It owed us nothing and it was sad to see the sleeves slowly becoming shorter. It couldn’t have been her arms getting longer.

For some strange reason I tend to become more ‘emotional’ about the children outgrowing favourite winter items. I’ve come to understand it’s because these garments have kept them warm while the wind whips by. They’ve helped us fend off illness and therefore help make my mothering job that little bit easier in a season where nothing seems to come easy.

I can’t bring myself to pass on the little old coat. It might be too small but I still feel like I owe it a debt. It can have it’s spot in the cupboard for a bit longer. I think it earnt it.

So it was time for a new coat. I bought the fabric without having a pattern…because I was going to design and draft one myself. However…like a lot of these things, my plans come thick and fast but the action tends to have to play catch up.

If the girl was going to have warm wrists and the little old coat was going to have a rest then I was going to have to ditch the plan to draw up a design, buy a pattern and get stitching.

The fabric was a favourite Kaffe design. Freya chose it. We went for the upholstery weight for extra warmth.

 The pattern we chose is a kind of a pseudo cape. Buttons up the front (I even had a little dabble at covering some buttons! Tres chic!) with a wide hood at the back. The pattern as I read it didn’t seem like it was going to be warm enough. To counteract that I made a second coat out of polar fleece and fitted it as a lining. Sadly I hadn’t bought enough of the polar fleece to line the hood and when I went back there wasn’t any left in the red….bah….so I substituted it with red homespun. The end result is a really warm, snuggly, quilt like coat that’s been keeping the cold out brilliantly.

 As usual I made it too big. I did it for a reason. I thought that the lining would pad it out and mean that it would need to be bigger to compensate for the additions I’d made. This was true, however I could have gone one size smaller. It seemed like a tragedy when I first saw it finished. However, once she wore it for a bit and we both fell in love with it I was grateful I’d over estimated. This little coat can be trotted out next year and maybe even the year after that if I’m lucky.

 It can keep out little girl happy, snug and warm. Safe in the knowledge that there’ll be a little spot in the cupboard for it when all the hard work is over. It will be in good company.

When she turned five it seemed monumental. Huge. Couldn’t believe it. On the cusp of change and no way of stopping what was coming. She would start school before she had another birthday and it all seemed very confronting.

Now here we are. Six.

How did that happen?

Wasn’t she only born yesterday?

Testing her lungs while her father fought desperately to keep the bright lights out of her brand new little eyes.

Where does the time go?

Next stop ten for Harry.

Watch this space for his birthday shots. A party at the property. Yabbies, campfires and chasing goats. Great boy fun!