A Camper's Paradise

I love it all: the tent, hot tea in the morning, itchy mosquito bites, the frantic rush to put up a tarp in the rain, meeting camp site neighbours, swimming at the rocks, canoeing in the sunshine, biking through the mud, hearing the call of loons, hammock naps, sunburnt shoulders, poptarts and jujubes ... really, it does not get any better. Why do the days fly by so much more quickly when you're on vacation?

Girl's Night Out

Last weekend was a long overdue weekend away with some girl friends, at a gorgeous lake house deep in the woods. Relaxing on the dock drinking coffee, laughing our heads off in the paddle boat, enjoying each other's company. It was a lovely welcome weekend!

Art Gallery

I am such a proud mom! These abstract works were done by my son and I absolutely love them. So much so that I had them framed and hung in the art gallery. Well, really, it's the living room.

A Saturday in July

My apologies for neglecting this blog! I've been taking a course and this pic below gives you a taste of what I've been looking at for the past couple of weeks. The course is choc-a-block full of quality stuff that's really applicable and I am thoroughly enjoying it.

My better half has been working like a demon, though, and still has found time to install new fans in the kid's bedrooms (same fan) which have remote controls and nice bright lights and whir along brilliantly keeping the heat wave at bay. It's hard to find ceiling fans that don't look hideous, are the right size, don't sound like the Concorde landing on your roof and are in a reasonable price range.

Also, the mirror for the upstairs bathroom was ordered, picked up and installed ... and it looks MAGNIFICENT! The only drawback is that I have a full view of myself as I exit the shower which is a bit of a fright first thing in the morning.

Scooby on Duty

Most mornings, Scooby barks like a maniac at the big pine tree in the front yard and I always wondered what he saw that I didn't. Well, Mrs. Raccoon and her five babies strolled across the driveway and right up that tree, and Scooby went wild!

Scooby's sniffer went into high gear under that tree, but the Family Raccoon scampered up the pine to safety with moments to spare. We were concerned that the missus might be overly protective of her new bairns so we called Scooby back to the porch.
There they go! They must have a summer home somewhere in the farmer's field beside us.

Are hawthorn trees all that bad?

Hiding in the thorny branches were two surprises, one sweet and the other sweeter.

A mummy robin sitting still as can be atop her eggs ... hawthorn branches are fabulous protection!

And a jumble of raspberries hidden in the hawthorn leaves. Delicious!

Maybe I should reconsider my wanting to annihilate the dread things from our property. Maybe they're not all that bad ...

Exhausted Pup

Undeniably, Scooby has some puppy tendancies like ripping apart his empty Scooby snack bag that was in the recycling bin. There were bits of chewed-up wrapper everywhere.

Exhausted by efforts, he cuddled up with Laa Laa and fell asleep.

Last Day of School!

In keeping with our family tradition, on the last day of school we have a BACKWARDS DINNER and eat dessert first. The kids had DIY ice cream sundaes with an assortment of sprinkles and toppings and whipped cream. For the first time ever, S's last day happens a few days before J's ... J has to go for 4 days yet. Healthy? I think not.

Fun? You betcha.

Daddy's Day

Happy Dad's Day to the father of my children! He was rewarded with a well-deserved gift of rest. Hammock, pillows, sunshine, kettle chips, ice cold tall boys and a trashy magazine ... and an uninterrupted hour to himself.

Now get back to work!!

You can rest again next year.

Happy Father's Day!

Here's a photographic trip down memory lane, to a time when the two fathers in my life were at the beginning of their parental journey. As a parent now, I appreciate how rewarding that journey is. Thanks for being the greatest dads and grandpas ever!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!