Days on bikes and water

Somedays, sometimes, 

"I am, I am, I am Superman, and I can do anything"

as R.E.M. so aptly sing. Well, I'm sure they do. I can't find that song now that I'm looking for it. Does anyone know which album that is on?

I recently had a day with some of those Super(wo)man moments. I carried 3 bikes in to the boat. Yes, "carried". Hitched 'em up and stepped on into it. They then needed to be off-loaded, along with the children at the Point, after 3 big hearty waves to the Water Police (in their newly decorated swish boat).

My little boys and I then rode along the shore to one of our favourite bayside parks where we played with friends. The ride took about 25 minutes and was mostly flat for my little Chooch, who hasn't mastered the hand-brake on his big bike. Oh how I wish I had a photo of those skinny legs, skinny arms, flat strong back in purple T-shirt, big head in funky helmet - so happily cruising around on his newly acquired yellow BMX. That memory is gold to me.

Children riding free. Such blissful moments. I know I've always loved the freedom I feel on a bike. My home town is very hilly. That didn't deter us though as kids... we just spent more time pushing our 'pushies' than flying down hills on them. But there was a lot of flying too.

After a few hours of sun and water play we rode back and the boys were treated to ice-blocks, hot chips and jumps off the public jetty. Oh yeah... Mama's taking all the points today as holiday Mama extraordinaire! We then brought ourselves back home for a nana-nap before packing a picnic dinner and heading back to the water. Jetty jumps, dogs chasing cockatoos, picnic dinner... today was well and truly a gold star kind of day.

 Blue-tongued lizard in our backyard.

 I am Happy Feet dangling in warm, summer waters.

 Do I look like Superwoman? Who cares! Sometimes I just am.

They really were much happier than they look. Really. It was a gold star day.

new beginnings

It's the last night of the summer school holidays. I'm so relieved.

They've been lovely. It's been a summer of fun, friends and frivolity.

Now I'm ready to get stuck in... to Noah's Class 3, to Choochie's Kindergarten (yay! the beginning of school for my littlest one), to a new venture for the Zimbo, and... most excitingly for me... to my slow emergence from the womb of motherhood. As those spunky little boys grow and grow and take leaps of their own, it's time for mama to get "out there". O yeah. Late thirties may be a tad old for starting a new university course for some, but I say It's the university of life, Baby! I love learning. I'm sooooo looking forward to being a uni student again. And I hold it as a great GREAT privilege. (So thank you, Australian government, for loaning me the uni fees.)

New Year's Day 2012

Lenka, getting friendly with quite a well built goanna...

dappled sunlight

one summer's morning, at home... with mess, and pyjamas, and a thousand cobwebs around windows, and children playing with neighbouring children. One long, slow, summer's morning...

early Summer's eve

It's crazy to have posted about a day in snow just a few days ago (though it was not referring to this month in Sydney). There is only one word for tonight: HOT.

This evening's sunset was just beautiful... streaks of pink glowing behind our neighbours' jacaranda tree. As I enjoyed a 10 minute evening swing in my stripey hammock (a gift for my 37th birthday), my bare arms and legs were warm, warm, warm. Thousands of flying ants zig-zagged up, up, up in the warm night air, mozzies bit my arms, crows crowed and cockatoos sqwauked. What is is with cockatoos? My goodness they SCREEEECH across the sky.

The water shimmers peacefully in the twilight and I can hear boats arriving home at the jetty, voices carrying up to me on my deck amongst the trees. My boys are in their bedroom behind me, ceiling fan on, door open. We sleep with open doors at our house, though it's going to be difficult to sleep tonight.

I wonder how our Zimbabwean is sleeping. He's in the US of A for the first time, discovering southern fried chicken and Santa Monica boulevard. I bet his eyes are wide open and his soul is soaring. It should be. He works hard and deserves a little adventure, even when it will be mostly work. We like traveling to new places, that Zimbo and I. I can't be sure what he likes about it, but I love seeing how people live in different places, how they talk amongst their friends and families, what's important to them, how they build their homes and spend their days.

A girl in Stellenbosch, South Africa, asked me once, what had all this traveling taught me? I can't remember her name but I remember the kitchen we were in, and I still ponder her question, 13 years later. I guess it's taught me about freedom, choices, that the world really isn't very big and we are all connected through human spirit.

"It has rightly often been said that the independence of an individual is only as strong as his ability to at least feel that he is not identical with his body - and thus not with his gender, sex, race nor folk either."

- Manfred Schmidt-Brabant, The Spiritual Tasks of the Homemaker

PS. for those of you who enjoy a bit of vicarious travel, you might like this blog about five lucky ducks.

signs of summer... usual Wednesdays

Ten years ago, I didn't know life in Sydney could look like this.

One of my favourite people, in one of our favourite places

O yes it is. It's the road that leads through to our favourite swimming pool.

One of our dragon friends. He lives there.

summer camping

Where do I start when waxing lyrical about summer camping?? O God, how I love it.

The camping, the night sounds, the sun on our faces, the dirty children, the dirty bums of clothing. We swam in the peaceful Shoalhaven river, we rode bikes, we sat around the camp fire, we made many cups o' tea, Johnno enjoyed re-bonding with his beloved MSR, we sat like super-stars in the back of rather luxurious speed boats, we jumped off said boat to swim, we ate like kings, we jumped off rocks to make a splash, we went to bed late.

With the tents packed away, it has been a crazy few weeks of getting back in to the swing of the new school year, the beginning of pre-school, finding our weekly groove. But we can always go again.

the 2 handfuls: Chooch and Tom



Charlie's seal impersonation

a visitor to Noah's tent
boys do breakfast

Charlie, Tess, Wombat and Noah (with some campsite friends)
How to get Tess to give a real smile for photos: tell her to think of her Dad in his undies.