Reconnecting with nature and community in the inner city.
On Saturday Uncle Bevan and beautiful Aunty Anna celebrated their engagement. It was a riotous night which ended abruptly for me with a phone call from my parents with Emby sobbing mama mama mama in the background. No doubt she was distraught at being torn away from the party an hour earlier just as she had warmed up her smiles.
So the dancing continued on at the bowl’s club two streets over, while a sweaty little Ember Wren was snuggled to sleep by her mama.
This year there is an immense sense of achievement in the community garden. The transformation over winter was stunning and now the raised gardens are overflowing with verdant growth. After the long winter the joys of rummaging through the prickly leaves of zucchini to find succulent fingers of fruit evoke a chorus of memories of happy summer’s days both lived and locked away in our genetic memory. It’s pure ecstacy of spirit. A feeling I hope Ember will enjoy one day.
We celebrated with a morning tea and it really showcased the cooking talents of the group. Sarah impressed with homemade lavosh created with a pasta machine, which I can’t wait to try making myself.
Ember sported the turmeric and marigold dyed cardigan that I started before she was born and almost didn’t finish in time to fit her. It paired nicely with the pink cosmos which I think have become the unofficial emblematic flower of summer in the community garden.
After all the hard work we put in we can now look forward to leisurely years of planting and harvesting, grass free and water secure.
Wishing you all the same in the New Year!
The world is a lot more wondrous when you get to experience it through the eyes of your baby. A second chance to relive our firsts. Tissue paper is such a delight that taking it away from her is one of life’s greatest tragedies. Lip drops, tears fall. No need for a gift inside, let alone an expensive one.
Christmas is special again with a bub to spoil and she certainly was the life of the party at our family breakfast in the park. I hope you all had a special day filled with little people and laughter.
Nanny Annie gave Emby a beautiful knitted cardigan that she started making before she was poppy seed sized.
Children and grandchildren dogs were part of the morning celebration. Although Charlie, my parents dog had to be sent home in disgrace for barking and general mischief.
The Newell Family provided entertainment with their tomfoolery on the playground. Aunty Anna gave the best hugs.
Some lovely present giving later in the day and a visit to see Emby’s great grandma Audrey.
Exhausted from the day’s hyper stimulation little babu went to bed. In her honorary place as first grandchild she was spoilt rotten with attention as she deserved. We had one last item on the agenda while she was sleeping, squeezing in my birthday celebration. A lovely chocolate cake made by my dad and a quiet happy birthday chorus from my parents and Dylan was just perfect.
The perfect time to bring out the old Bee Pinata! Although the masses voiced regrets at destroying such a wide eyed, smiling guy all sentiments passed when the bashing stick fell into their hands.
There was a moment when all in sundry thought that the bee would never give up its inner treasures, too sturdily was he constructed of cardboard and tape. But they had forgotten we had a corporate lawyer in our midst. With three short, sharp wallops to the face the bee could take no more and spilled forth chocolate ladybirds, lollipops, summer seeds and knitted ornaments all over Carly’s rows of peas and beans.
We gobbled left over treats of spanakopita (both vegan and otherwise), woodfire pizza with lanterns glowing pink savoring the last moment of the celebration.
All in all a most magical and beautiful day spent with new and old friends, this definitely will become an annual event worth every hour of slaving over crochet flowers and pinterest boards.
Perhaps we will see you at our next spring party dear reader.
