50/52

Maggie: Whilst I didn't take many photos at their birthday party they were generously given so many gorgeous new presents, including some excellent dress up clothes. Maggie makes the most adorable little nurse.
Elisabeth: Maggie is a little frightened of her dinorider costume, but Elisabeth was keen to give it a go! (Rob took this photo).

Hard to believe they are three now. More about their birthday later.

Joining in belatedly with Jodi's 52 portrait project.

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Rob baked my birthday cake, Nigella's Blonde Mocha Cake.



I think a birthday is a good time to take stock, I've been meaning to do this blog post for some time.

Making: the most of leftover roast chicken with a salad for dinner tonight.
Cooking: I need to cook a pavlova using my new pavlova plate (seen above with my birthday cake on it), as you can cook it straight onto the serving plate.
Drinking: Lanson Champagne (a birthday treat for myself).
Reading: I have been on a roll, after nearly a year-long break from reading fiction. I finished my two Christmas books from Rob, both Alexander McCall Smith. I finally finished Mr Wigg, which has sat next to my bed as I found it so poignant, and could see the end coming. Next up is the Book Thief.
Wanting: Some Ridgeline Pottery dinner plates.
Looking: at the Australian Open tennis online, after missing my annual tennis fix for the last three summers.
Playing: Taylor Swift's "Shake it off" on a loop just to see the girls dance.
Wasting: home grown lettuce on the girls, we hopefully put it on their plate every time we eat it, but they are not fans.
Sewing: um, nothing.
Wishing: for summer to return after a week of rain and wind.
Enjoying: Call the Midwife and Sherlock on iView. Late to the party, but that's ok. Except that I cry in every episode of the former, every birth, no matter what the outcome, big fat tears rolling down my face.
Waiting: for the girls to sleep through the night, any tips?
Liking: the abundance of flowers in our picking garden at the moment.
Wondering: how I will cope tomorrow with my first day at work after a month's holiday.
Loving: my little family.
Hoping: to blog a little more this year.
Marvelling: at the expanding vocabulary of Maggie and Elisabeth, and the way they are actually starting to talk to each other.
Needing: a hair cut.
Smelling: the oriental lilies from the garden, the tree like Barbaresco.
Wearing: my pyjamas of course!
Following: Lisa Kingston, a local flower farmer on Instagram, and working up the courage to ask if I can come and learn how to make up bunches of flowers.
Noticing: how big the ornamental pear trees that line our driveway have grown.
Knowing: I should go to bed.
Thinking: not sure how much conscious thinking goes on for me at the moment.
Bookmarking: children's toys for buying next year for the girls birthday and Christmas!
Opening: lovely thoughtful gifts and cards from my family and friends. Rob's special gift was a set of black pearls. They are beautiful.
Giggling: at the Evian baby ads.
Feeling: grateful.

I might try to do this again once a month.....

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Maggie: A pensive moment in the middle of the usual dancing hilarity. These two love to dance, whilst Elisabeth has the edge on the moves at the moment, Maggie is working on her repertoire. We will eventually take them along to a dance class, but for the moment, their dancing to music on the radio or iPod makes them happy. Photo taken on a Nikon D700 with a 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/400, f 1.4, ISO 200.
Elisabeth: Taylor Swift's "shake it off" is a regular request, and here she is "shaking it off". The girls headed to care this week, and while they were happy to go, apparently they missed us at nap time. Elisabeth in particular asked for her MaPa (her hybrid between Mama and Papa when she wants us both),  and even escaped from her portacot giving her carer a bit of a scare! Photo taken on a Nikon D700 with a 50mm 1.4 lens, 1/200, f 1.4, ISO 200.

Joining in with Jodi at her blog Practising Simplicity for the 52 portrait project.

Today is my birthday so after a slow breakfast of home made waffles and opening gifts, we have spent the day at home together. I did pop out for birthday essentials, a bargain bottle of champagne and a chook to roast.

How old are you? Two!

Nearly a month late, but a little post to remember Maggie and Elisabeth's 2nd birthday celebrations.

I got excited mid year, and was planning an elaborate Teddy Bear picnic party for the girls. But then realised the girls weren't really particularly fond of a teddy yet. Then I read a post somewhere about trying to keep children's parties simple which struck a chord with me. Thinking about it I thought better of my elaborate plans (especially when it is so close to Christmas), and decided to pare it back. I kept the invite list short (family and a few close friends), and reduced the decorating to some fresh flowers from our garden, a few garlands of honeycomb decorations (that I already had) and helium balloons. The menu like-wise was simplified to bbq chicken wings, home made burgers and chips, and an ice cream cake.

Their actual birthday fell on Friday this year, so I organised to have the day off work to spend the day with them. The day before I sent along strawberry cupcakes with them to celebrate with their play mates and carer at family day carer.

On Friday we woke up early enough to ensure we could let them open their gifts from us, which we had hidden under their cot! We sent them off to find them, and they were highly excited to see their new dolls. Rob had to head off to work, so we had a morning of playing together, then after lunch we headed into the city to pick up Rob and take some brownies to the nurses at the NICU.

Usually when we visit we just greet the nurses in the foyer, but one of the nurses (who was at their birth actually) whisked Maggie off to meet some tiny babies. Maggie was intrigued and as we peeked into a humidicrib at a small prem baby, I started crying, much to the surprise of myself and some of the nurses. He seemed so small and fragile, and combined with the all too familiar beeps and alarms, I was taken back two years, to the feeling of fear, as we dared to hope we could bring home two healthy babies. The nurses then told me that the baby was twice the size of my girls when they were born! After chatting to all the nurses on duty, and having a family photo (the girls refused to smile- I wonder if they remember some of their experience in the NICU?) we headed off to our car.

As we left the hospital via the air bridge to the car park, I quickly took a similar photo to the one I took the day we left with the girls. In the original Rob was looking down at a baby carrier with both girls tucked in it together! The new version the girls insisted on walking across themselves, but Rob had the same expression, so proud and in love with his youngest daughters.

The next day was warm, with a perfect blue sky. After heading into the city to collect the best brioche buns from Pigeonwhole bakers, and the meat, we headed home to get ready. Cleaning, and setting up the party area down on the verandah of the laundry hut. We had a quick break to feed the girls lunch and then put them down for a nap. Rob prepped the burgers and potatoes, and I quickly decorated with the garlands of mini honeycomb paper balls. We inflated the helium balloons together, including two jumbo balloons, the girls woke up and immediately started playing with the balloons!

The run down to party time, was relatively smooth, with enough time for me to bathe the girls and dress them up in their new outfits, and even for us to have a shower (one of us is usually in the shower when our first guests appear).


They were a bit overwhelmed by all of the visitors, but excited to see their cousins and a friend's baby. We sat around in the warm late afternoon sun, the adults drinking cider whilst the girls opened their gifts and Rob cooked the chicken wings. These were quickly devoured, and then followed by home made pork and apple burgers on the softest brioche buns from Pigeonwhole Bakers. After a little break for bike riding we lit the candles on their Neapolitan ice cream cakes. The cakes had three layers of homemade ice cream, baci (nutella) chocolate ice cream, vanilla with glace fruits and pistachios and raspberry.




The guests headed home not long after, and we took two tired but happy girls to bed.

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Maggie: Rob took the photos again this week, these on the eve of their second birthday. We can't quite believe they are two now. Maggie had grabbed the sticky tape and was busily sticking it to herself!
Elisabeth: She has such a sweet smile.

Joining in with Jodi at Practising Simplicity. 

I hope to find time this week to write a little about their birthday party, it has been a big week and both girls are asleep on the window seat, and I think I might just join them!

Checking in.

After my blogging bonanza in December things have slowed back down in January. Perhaps it was the lazy summer days; our month of holiday together before we both headed back spent relaxing with no deadlines.

My birthday was lovely. 35 years young. It was spent with just us. After Rob cooked my birthday request for a hot breakfast (fried ham, eggs, tomatoes and bread), we headed to a local nursery so Rob could pick out some plants for my garden. Rob has quite rightly taken ownership of my flower garden, I have not contributed a great deal the past two years, for one (or two) reason or another! So he has revised our planting, as the bulbs are two infrequent for reliable flower colour, he has picked out some perennials to add foliage and flowers too.

Back in the car (after dropping off the plants and a nappy change!), we he headed to the new Apple Shed at Grove for lunch. We snacked on a cheese and charcuterie platter (actually the girls mostly!) and tasted a range of the Willie Smith ciders. 

We are amazed at how the girls behave when eating out. They really enjoy themselves! After a quick wake us up coffee we continued on to Franklin for boxes of apricots and peaches, then onto Red Velvet lounge at Cygnet for more coffee and cake. We headed home to nap before a simple salad for dinner and a bottle of Jansz. A perfect day.

My return to work was fine. Both Rob and I have a few things to fine tune to ensure dinner and bed time doesn't run too late, but we'll sort that out. I am trying online grocery ordering. So at worst we just need to stop at the butcher. My first day was busy, adjusting to my job share situation, finding out what did and didn't happen over the past year, and getting used to our new digs on the Hobart waterfront. I enjoy my morning walk from the car park to work, but the afternoon can be warm (that won't be an issue for long), and of course  I am tired and want to get home. 

After two work days, we had four days off together. We went shopping (for a proper backpack for me!), had taco picnic in a park, took the girls for a walk at Trial bay, visited family up north for a day and today was a quiet day at home hiding from the heat. 

The breezeway was the place to be, with all six of us lazing on the cool concrete floor. Until the girls discovered the dog water bowl for the first time. This resulted in a taste test, eww! After a lot of splashing a change of clothes was needed!

Back to work for me tomorrow and Wednesday, then Rob returns on Thursday and Friday, when it will be back to just the girls and I for the first time in six weeks!

Hope you enjoyed your long weekends too.

Birth day

Today the girls are one! They woke me around 4am for a sneaky breast feed, and I kept both girls in the bed between us. I slept right through the time of their birth (5.54 Maggie and 5.55 Elisabeth), but I was happy as I was snuggling them close. So different to last year when we didn't get to hold our babies at all. Thank you to those of you who have been reading along and commenting, this is it, the last chapter of their birth story.

The sleeping tablets didn't work as well as previous nights. I kept waking every 15 minutes to breathe through a contraction and then I'd doze in between. I honestly thought in my befuddled state that they would calm down. Although I was alone (I didn't bother the midwives often that last night) I didn't feel lonely. The babies were wriggling around like crazy (due to the contractions), I only realised the other day that term babies would be too big to wriggle the way they did that last night. I always found their movement a comfort. Perhaps the other big hint that this was it, was that I was leaking colostrum all over the sheet. 

Around 1am I did ring the bell as the contractions felt a bit worse. The midwife gave me some panadeine and a heat pack, she stayed with me to feel how they were progressing, and said she'd see how I was at 2am. Meanwhile I had texted Rob. As we only have one phone he had borrowed my mother's old mobile. The buttons were too small for him to text very well. It made me laugh because every time he wrote xxx it came out www. I was willing the contractions to stop, but instead they were just as strong. I toughed it out, throwing aside the useless heat pack and curling up on the bed whenever one hit. 

Just after 2am I sent Rob another text to say they were not getting worse but weren't that nice either. He asked if he should come in. Why I didn't say yes then I'll never know! The midwife went to discuss my progress with another doctor to see if it was worth calling my doctor. I had not lost any fluid so I still thought they would calm down. 

By now it was impossible to doze between contractions, I was trying to be brave. The babies were still kicking like crazy. The contractions then went up a notch, they started getting longer and more painful without a break. I still didn't call Rob, I didn't want him to worry. Just after 4am I sent him an understated text - getting more frequent, can you come in soon. He replied ok. I didn't realise ok meant to Rob have a cup of coffee and a leisurely shower and shave. Perhaps we should have discussed my texting code. Because to me it meant come immediately! 

Lying down and breathing was doing nothing now. I could feel the contractions building up like a wave until it was intensely painful. I remember walking around the room and leaning over the bed quietly moaning. Then suddenly I felt a pressure deep in my bottom. At first I thought I had to go to the toilet and even tried. Then I suddenly remembered the day before one of the questions my Doctor asked was if I felt a pressure feeling. That's when I finally admitted this was it. I rang that bell and told the midwife, who turned and ran out the door to get help. 

Two other midwives came back with her and a wheel chair. By now the pain and pressure was constant, and when they asked me to sit in the wheel chair I initially refused. But somehow I sat down and was whisked back into a delivery room. They had already rung my Doctor. They helped me onto the bed, removed my knickers, and one of them did an internal exam as gently as she could. I remember the lamp at the end of the bed didn't work, so it was all dark. But I could see her face and heard her whispering to the others that I was fully dilated and she could feel Twin B's head. Then she told me to shut my legs and whatever I do, not to push. Stranger words I'm sure haven't been spoken in a delivery room. This I admit felt impossible, your body just takes over and does what it has to. But I gritted my teeth and tried. The midwife who had been with me all night asked where Rob was. So I rang him (I later checked my phone the call was at 4.57am), understated was thrown out the window as I gasped "get here now", followed by "where are you?" He told me he was just driving through Snug. Still a 30 minute drive from the hospital. My heart sunk. I wanted him with me, I was so scared. I didn't want to face their birth alone.

The mood of the room quickly changed and it suddenly became full of people. I was very relieved to see my Doctor. She looked very serious, even more than the other day. The lights were thrown on, and it became crazy, it felt so surreal, as if it was happening to someone else. They reattached IV lines and gave me another massive dose of magnesium sulphate. Perhaps telling about the pain I was now in, was that I didn't feel the burning this time. The other had saline reattached. They gave me an injection to slow the contractions, and those fetal heart monitors went back on. The midwife told me to breathe through a contraction rather than tense up and squirm and quickly showed me how to use gas. 

Other people were in the room, an anaesthetist was at my head asking me all sorts of questions I could barely hear or understand. On the other side my Doctor put a consent form in front of me to sign. The anaesthetist was still talking to me, but I wasn't taking anything in. I had to swallow some foul stuff to stop me choking. I could see NICU nurses checking the warming beds. I was shaved and a catheter was inserted. Then as suddenly as they appeared, everyone started leaving for the operating theatre upstairs. My bed was wheeled into the corridor, and as we went past the midwife was grabbing towels and oxygen canisters and placing them between my feet. I thought that was odd at the time, but later a NICU doctor told me when they were paged they were told I might give birth to one of the twins in the lift on the way to the theatre!

I don't actually remember any more contractions from now on. I was exhausted and kept looking for Rob. The midwives rushed me out of the lift and wanted to wheel me right into the theatre, saying to theatre nurses as they pushed there was no time for normal protocol. But in the rush it wasn't actually ready yet! As we waited briefly the anaesthetist's nurse let me know that they still weren't sure if I would be having a general or a spinal. I really wanted to be awake at least, but I knew it wouldn't be up to me. They said if it was a spinal when Rob arrived they'd bring him up. I desperately wanted him to get there, but perhaps all my silly bravery would mean he would miss it. With all the commotion I had lost track of time. 

Finally I was allowed in, I remember the huge lights above the table. I was shuffled across to the table, and noticed it was getting light outside. I saw two humidicribs, each with a NICU Doctor and nurse. The main NICU Doctor came and introduced himself. I could see my Doctor and another obstetrician in scrubs prepping. I was asked to sit up and hunch forward for the spinal tap to be placed, because my gown was open at the back it kept slipping off. One of the NICU nurses rushed forward to hold it up to preserve my dignity. I felt so defeated that I didn't even care if I was naked, and tried to tell her I didn't care. I don't remember if someone told me or I looked around and saw him, but I suddenly saw Rob standing in the corner in blue scrubs and face mask, his blue eyes fixed on me. I was so relieved. 

I had done all that I could to stop their birth. Endured more than I thought I ever could, but in the end I had to surrender (thanks Jodi for that totally appropriate word). I could do nothing more to protect my babies from their early arrival. It was now up to the NICU doctors and nurses, and the babies themselves. 

They gently laid me back down, checked I had lost sensation and hastily put up a curtain (which kept falling against my face). Rob sat next to my head and held my hand. Then the operation started. It wasn't long at all and I heard my Doctor ask Rob if he'd like to stand up and see the first baby's appearance, and I felt excited. She joyfully announced "It's a beautiful baby girl", and as Rob's tears fell on my face, I quietly wept as I heard Maggie's tiny but determined cry, and I felt it. A love stronger than anything I had ever felt, particularly for someone I hadn't even seen, as I became a Mama. One minute later the Doctor asked Rob to stand up again and Elisabeth entered the world screaming just like her sister, and another wave of love washed over me for my second daughter.

I have written before about meeting the girls later that day. Despite all we had been through already, we knew it was just the beginning of a long stay in hospital for our daughters. Unlike their birth day a year ago, I only have tears of joy today. There is no sadness or fear. Just love, wonder and awe for our girls and how far they have come. We are so proud to be parents of our Maggie Simone and Elisabeth Hazel.

Monday Menu {the Hoot cake}

Well this last week was all about one thing the cake. My sister sent me a text a while ago with a photo of a Hoot cake (up until that point I admit I had never heard of Giggle and Hoot). It looked doable. I gave them a few types of cakes to choose from (for inside) and they decided upon a caramel mud cake.
So over the last couple of days the cake took shape, I baked two mud cakes, made some buttercream, Rob sandwiched them and covered them in the white fondant (he's much better at that than me, and believes he has a second career in plastic surgery if he ever desires a career change), then the cake was carefully transported to my sisters. Where, on a very cool and miserable Friday evening, she and I set to work with 2 kilos of coloured fondant and that photo. We're pretty proud of our effort. Although it didn't start promisingly when I was quickly trying to make some royal icing to use in sticking the bits together with. I hit a spatula in the mixing bowl with the electric mixer throwing icing sugar and goopy icing all over me and the bench and the wall. My sister just heard me say "oh no". She had the good grace just to laugh at me, and the damage wasn't too bad. But we moulded and rolled and cut and came up with:


My sister had cooked up a storm, baking cupcakes, jelly cakes, scones, biscuits. meringues, fudge and fairy bread. I offered to make a second cake just in case the 40 guests were still feeling hungry. I quickly made the Annabel Langbein lemon and coconut cake on Saturday morning, covered it in cream cheese frosting and added some pink mini bunting. I left the coconut out of the icing this time, as I thought that last time it made it look a bit lumpy.


The party was a great success, the birthday girl walking around (yes she can walk), dancing to music, opening lovely gifts and being loved by all her many Aunties, Uncles, grandparents, great grandparents, great aunties and uncles, and friends. I'm not sure what she thought of the Hoot cake, she smiled and looked intently at it, and seemed shocked by us all suddenly bursting into song. But she knows how to clap and clapped along with us.

I got the icing from a new-ish cake decorating shop in South Hobart, A Tiny Bit Marvellous. A bit like a lolly shop for cake decorator professionals and wannabes like me!

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and doing some de-beige-ing.
The menu this week (apart from the cake):
Monday: leftover beef and quince tagine with pumpkin and fennel couscous, and a fennel and orange salad.
Tuesday: a fish-less paella, with roasted red peppers and olives.
Wednesday: a spinach and pine nut omelette.
Thursday: Tomato pasta sauce, with red peppers, olives and fetta.
Friday: THAT cheese (1792, a washed rind matured on a piece of Huon pine board).
Saturday: Beef, mushroom and red wine pie.
Sunday: Beer braised ham hocks, with fennel, apples and cabbage.


What's been on the menu and your place?

Psst there's a birthday at the hut

We like birthdays here at the hut. We celebrate the day, the week, the month.
Today is Rob's birthday. So far he's opened gifts and cards this morning, he walked the dogs around the block in the early morning, and for lunch we picked up some take-away sushi and headed to our favourite park in Battery Point to sit in the Autumn sunshine.
Rob's choice for dinner at home tonight and we've got a table booked for yum cha on Sunday.
April is a special month at the hut. More on that on Monday.

Cheers to being another year wiser.
Rob models a classic 1970's safari suit saved from the op shop pile after my father cleaned out his wardrobe. Only worn on very special occasions!

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On the eve of my birthday last night we were treated to a fantastic thunderstorm, with lightning that lit up our bedroom. This morning Rob made me pancakes for breakfast in bed. I'm feeling spoilt already.
Am I feeling another year wiser? I think so.
What have I learnt over this past year?

Having our own home has made a big difference to how secure and settled I feel, and you know what it's ok if I want to spend as much time there as I possibly can.
I like our little life in the country, waking up and seeing the bush on the hill opposite, the quiet, or the sound of frogs croaking, watching wallabies hopping and feeding in the paddock at dawn (rather than our garden) and watching and listening to birds. Sorry if I sound like some sort of crazy bird watcher freak, BUT the other night I was sitting on the terrace having a cool drink and a wedge-tailed eagle flew up the block over the dam, it was being harassed by a pair of forest ravens, and for once was flying quite low. I could barely get the words out to get Rob to come and have a look! It flew over us, the hut and then hid in a big eucalypt on the hill. I'm glad that I can still feel awe in moments like that.

I like being married...to Rob, a lot.
We've lived together for awhile, but it was always something we wanted to do one day. Sure we haven't much changed, I don't think, but making it official was important to us both, I love starting sentences with "my husband.." I like seeing my wedding band on my finger, watching those bunnies and foxes chase each other, and didn't mind changing my name at all.

It's ok to wear boys jeans.
I've come to loathe shopping for jeans. This last year, after trying to squeeze myself into several pairs in Myers, I walked out of the women's change room, walked up a flight of stairs and found a perfect pair in the men's section! Comfy, long and my favourite boot cut style. Not even baggy in the "wrong" places, which makes me wonder how comfortable they are for guys!

I have to stop worrying so much.
I know I let things niggle away at me, until I come up with all sorts of crazy scenarios. I've watched my mother stress about everything and it's not a healthy way to be. So this year I'm trying to work on my negativity and enjoy life a little more, instead of worrying about the what ifs.

Two dogs are so much funnier than one.
Watching our two muck about and play games never fails to make us laugh.

I like baking cakes for parties.
Our wedding, birthdays, Christmas and work events. I like doing it well and making people something they enjoy.

Babies are cute.
Sure I may have thought this before, but since my niece was born in May, I've realised that a baby who's related to you is quite different. I like that she smiles at me when I visit, or tries to share my ice-cream, or tips her head sideways when looking at me. She's adorable. Watching my little sister (whom I can remember holding as a baby) as a mother is beautiful. She's the same but different. It suits her.

What will I learn this year I wonder?

Just had to share...

I'm lying on the window-seat (heavenly) reading one of my favourite Bill Bryson books (have I told you we met him on the Tarn Shelf?) enjoying the golden light coming through the window.
My God-daughter and her family came down for lunch today to celebrate her birthday. I've been keen to decorate a cake with mini bunting, and today we produced a totally oversized Primrose Bakery lemon cake with cream cheese frosting. I have to say that I'm having a moment of quiet pride, the birthday girl was impressed too!

High tea at the Hut in the snow

Sorry again- things have been flat out at the hut. The weather still hasn't been behaving for a photo shoot, we've had hail, sleet, rain, gale force winds, and snow, but no sun. The hut looks best in the sun.

Last weekend was super busy. We hosted a 16th birthday for Rob's daughter. She decided on a blue themed high tea with 7 of her closest friends. I may have gotten a little excited about the decorating. I have discovered tissue paper pom poms in a big way. I'd found a picture of a party with pom poms, chinese paper lanterns and honeycomb decorations hanging above a table and that was it. I found a great website for a company in the states with the most amazing array of paper decorations, Devra, a family operated business who produce them in New York. The exchange rate was excellent at the time, so I may just have ordered 60 decorations? If anybody wants to borrow them for a blue party let me know!
Throw in some paper fans, a parasol, some white flowers and the decorations were under control (if a little excessive!)


The dessert table had lemon cupcakes (my new favourite recipe thanks to Jo and Michelle), with cream cheese frosting or as butterfly cakes, homemade marshmallow and turkish delight, wrapped bon bons (mini toblerones), Italian chocolates, gingerbread teacup and teapot biscuits, and blue macarons. We also made a batch of gluten free, dairy free, vegan cupcakes for the birthday girl.

The girls braved the snow to get to the hut (I was worried that we might have to cancel) and sat happily chatting over sushi, egg and prosciutto sandwiches and rice paper rolls, playing with their fans. They all wanted to pose with the parasol- not terribly appropriate with snow flurries in the background! After selecting their desserts and drinking strawberry and cream T2 tea, they decided singing and dancing was in order! Must have been all that sugar.

Rob and I finally got to sit for the first time after 11 hours straight. The dogs were a little worried by the singing!
The birthday girl had a lovely day, they all got home safely and we crawled into bed by 8.30pm!

The first hut party

So my birthday week continued onto the weekend. We invited some friends to check out the progress of the hut. These are the friends who have listened to our plans for our little home over the years, so it was a pretty special to sit and share food with them inside it!


I love that we can organise this sort of feast in less than a day. After a few phone calls we had a time, the location and everyone was going to bring something along (mostly from their own vegetable gardens). Aren't the best parties spontaneous? I also loved that one of our friends parents were visiting from Andorra, so we got to meet them, and our other friends had some visitors from France so they came too. We got to the hut early and swept out our bedroom moved in the picnic table, laid a cloth and put out some cutlery and plates and that was that.

So what did we feast on? Slow cooked then bbq'd lamb shoulder (so good we have to do it again this weekend), hummus, beetroot dip, cucumber, mint and yoghurt salad, radish and zucchini salad, green salad, olives, zucchini, tomato and cheese salad, and pitta bread. We drank bubbles and home brew beer. The five dogs lay sleeping in the shade around us. Alot of the conversation was in French as more than half the guests were fluent. I only know a few words but that didn't matter, it was fantastic to hear it, and either a hand gesture or translation allowed us to understand eachother!


We moved onto a cheese course (Tasmanian of course) and then thought before dessert a little mid afternoon walk was needed. Rob had cut a path in the long grass to the dam, so the five dogs all got to cool down and chase sticks and then shake muddy water all over us.


Moving back to the table we had my birthday cake, Maggie Beer's cumquat cake from Maggie's Harvest. Unfortunately we didn't take a photo. But it was a beautiful thing. A dense vanilla cake with a filling of sauterne soaked dried cumquats and the most amazing orange scented buttercream icing. We decorated it simply with a a few leaves, flowers and fruit from our cumquat tree. The table went quiet as we ate.

Afterwards we sat outside in the late afternoon sun on folding chairs, drinking tea, chatting about our orchard or the wedge tailed eagles swooping in the trees. This is what it's all about really for me. I said to Rob afterwards, I was so happy and relaxed, and it was a perfect afternoon in terms of weather and company, and he was in total agreement.

Nearly exactly four years ago we parked next to a for sale sign and walked up a simple bush track that opened up into the north-facing slope of pasture that is the block. Nigella ran ahead porpoising her way through the long grass. We knew we wanted it straight away. This was where we wanted to build our home. I know I shouldn't be so attached to physical things, and especially after the last few weeks of great loss of property to flood waters in Australia, I shouldn't let it dictate my happiness. But Rob and I planted our hearts at the block then. Sorry for the sentimentality, but it's true. It's been hard not to live there right away. Sunday was a glimpse of what we dreamed four years ago, a little hut, in which we could welcome friends and family into, and share a meal together. I can't wait for the hut to be finished. Hopefully it's not that far away now.

The builders have been busy last week, finishing the frame, wrapping the hut up in blue insulation and all the wiring has been put up for lights and power. Rob took these photos through the windows one evening.

Our bedroom window


The second bedroom window

Our bathroom window (which won't be frosted)