what I've been listening to, reading, and watching lately

I keep meaning to write about different things, but time gets away from me, so this is going to be a bit of a collection of random things on my mind. We've been having a quiet time lately, weekends with family and friends, I've been trying to lesson my screen time (well social media screen time) and spend more time just playing with Elroy. I think it's been working for us. And the seasons have definitely shifted, we did not have the usual March weather and I feel like April has been tougher to deal with than normal. It's dark so early - already!

I'm looking forward to seeing Isle of Dogs, super excited in fact. I've been listening to, and really enjoying, Adam Buxton's podcasts lately and his conversation with Wes Anderson and Garth Jennings was very enjoyable. I also really enjoyed his conversations with Jonny Greenwood, Paul Thomas Anderson and Greta Gerwig. Next on my list is Sharon Horgan.

Record Store Day is coming up, and there is a lot to choose from on the lists, I think there are about five different ones I want, so I'm hoping out local record store gets a few in.

Yesterday I got a copy of This is Home by Natalie Walton, and read quite a bit last night. I felt compelled to get a pen and notebook out and make notes. It made me think a lot about making our house a home. I do feel like it needs to be perfect, but the book helps to make the point that a home is made over time and that you can't just buy a heap of things and expect it to work. I need time and patience, a plan and some insight into what we want.

I started watching Paris etc on SBS on demand and I'm really enjoying it, something different for a change.

easter break

I have never been a huge fan of the easter break, it has always felt a bit too quiet and slow for me, but this year that was exactly what we needed! On Friday we visited the Art Farm at Birchs Bay which we hadn't been to before, but it was kinda cool and even though the weather was grey and a bit miserable it was still nice to be out walking together (and Jerry was there too). My favourite sculpture was a trio of hills hoist clothes lines bent and shaped to look like trees, and I also liked a little field of flowers made of metal.

We made chocolate choc chip easter buns, had a big family catch up, Elroy had a visit from the easter bunny (he was pretty excited, not that it shows in the last photograph - pretty sure he wanted to crack the bunny open and I said no), and yesterday we took a road trip and visited the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo and the tessellated pavement on the way home. Elroy and I visited the unzoo almost a year ago when Matt did a run near there, and he fell in love with Cheeky the talking corella, so he's been wanting to go back ever since. We saw Cheeky again, and Matt and I had to try very hard to stifle our laughs when Elroy was trying to talk to him and he turned the other way, Elroy was most put out by this and said something along the lines of 'come back Cheeky, I'm talking to you'. It was very cute.

I'm sad it's over, Matt had to go back to work today, and although I get the rest of the week off, I miss having us all home together. Time is definitely something that feels like a precious commodity at the moment, it's a juggle to fit in family time, individual time out, chores and all the other things we need to do.

third birthday

As I mentioned in my last post Elroy turned three over the weekend, three!!! My baby is well and truly a little boy now, even in the last two months it feels like there has been such a leap in his development. Yesterday I went in to his room when he woke up and the first thing he said when he saw me with a beautiful smile was "oooh Mummy I love you" followed by "get out of my room please"(he didn't want to get out of bed), the first part melted me, the second made me smile. He's articulate, sweet but crazy, loud, over confident, terrible at listening, gentle, curious, has the most amazing memory, focused (at times), he loves his bike, trucks, diggers (or anything construction related), books, lego, swimming, throwing the ball, and would happily watch tv all day everyday. He makes me frustrated but also so incredibly happy.

The party was big, it was the first one we've been able to have at home and we may have over-estimated the number of people our house could handle (40-50 is probably too many!). But I got to make a fancy cake (a truck) because it didn't have to be transported to the park, and hang some decorations. Elroy had a wonderful day, he was so happy, loved it so much when we sang happy birthday (he sang too), knew exactly what to do with the candles this year and ran riot with his friends. He's very loved and he knows it, which is the best thing ever.

I have been silent on here lately, there has been a lot going on and it's been emotional and rather challenging - things that I don't really want to blog about. I am so very tired (mostly mentally), but I think we are on the other side of it all and I'm looking forward to a bit of quiet time as a family and also some time for myself. Things that I have been missing lately.

We had Elroy's third birthday over the weekend, and planning that has been the highlight of the last month, so naturally I went a little over the top (a post and some photo's to come). I really am a sucker for party supplies, it's all the colours that I love. 

There are things to look forward too, a quick trip to Melbourne next week, an easter break with no plans whatsoever (but maybe a few jobs around the house), and we might sneak in another long weekend away somewhere soon - preferably somewhere near a beach! I think that is definitely something having a child has taught me, things never stay the same, hard times get easier and the world shifts again.

seven things for valentines

Valentines isn't huge in our house, but occasionally gifts are exchanged. I think it's nice to gift the people you love. I know it's not about gifts, but let me just say when you are parenting an almost three year old, both work, and both end up exhausted on the couch each night, it is nice to do something every now and again.

So here is my rather random, collection of things that could be loosely associated with valentines day (basically it's just a few things I like, pretty sure Matt doesn't want any of these things for valentines).

1. Moglea heart card (I love all their stationary, cards and gift wrap) 2. Oeuf love garland  (this garland - all the heart eyes!) 3.  Laura Lombardi necklace (also love this Elk one) 4. Bisous! poster 5. Citta melt candle holder 6. Rodin Olio Lusso 7. Pressed peony phone case by Jasmine Dowling for The Dairy

stuff

We've just had a long weekend and I'm feeling rather tired, but a good tired I think. It's been busy lately, and as always my mind has been on overdrive. Elroy started a at a new early learning centre last week, I think the change will be good, but I was feeling worried and concerned about whether we had made the right decision in the lead up. He seems pretty happy with it, although he doesn't want to wear the uniform!

I went to see Nigella Lawson speak a week ago, and that was pretty cool, and it might have sparked me back into enjoying cooking again. My friends also mentioned that they order a box from Backyard Bounty weekly, so we received our first one on friday and have been making all kinds of things - rhubarb and strawberry pie, rhubarb muffins, roast beetroot and freekah salad, spanish tortilla...

I also went to see the film Call Me By Your Name which was beautiful, I really loved it a lot and I'd love to watch it again. It makes me want to spend summer in the Italian countryside so badly! Next on my list is Ladybird.

Elroy and I did some valentines crafting. Crafting (or painting) with Elroy is always a very frentic activity, whereby he thinks he knows how to do things which he actually doesn't, has no patience for me to explain them to him, and makes more mess than I can handle (and actually I handle his messes ok).

And today we did our, apparently annual (we went almost exactly the same time last year), visit to Mona where we take the ferry rather than driving there. It's lovely and I can see why it draws so many tourists to Hobart, it's great seeing the city from the water. The new space that they recently opened was really great, I love the new James Turrell, and I'm looking forward to maybe getting out there again soon child free.

The next month is going to be an interesting one, with lots of solo parenting for me, I'm not nervous, but I know there are going to be moments where we both lose it completely!

(sorry for the rather boring and over saturated photographs - not quite in the zone at the moment with photography).

jam etc

Our bottom garden is a bit wild at the moment, it was inaccessible for most of last year, the grass has only been cut once and it long and straggly and gone to seed. Likewise the fruit trees are overgrown, and need some tender care. But the apricots this year have been amazing, we have two trees, and both have produced a lot of fruit. The downside to this is that neither Matt nor Elroy love them particularly. So I made a small batch of jam, and I've made the Violet apricot and raspberry cake about four times now (it's really great) because we all eat that, the rest of the apricots have been blanched and bagged and frozen for crumbles and pies on cold winter days. Although I think I might make crostada, because it is such a great recipe, surely the boys will eat that too.