What would you do…

to welcome home someone who has been living in France?

Well, if you were us, you would buy a whole lot of wafer biscuits…

and after sampling a few…

you’d stick them together with fondant

to construct the eiffel tower.

If disaster struck…

you’d just alter your design and add more fondant, MUCH more fondant.

With the final addition of a flag…

la tour eiffel is complete…

even if it does have a slight lean!

All of these photos were taken on my brand new camera. A digital SLR. I love my new camera. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Trivialities

After an event so shocking and so all-consuming as the death of Ashleigh’s friend everything else seems trivial. I do intend, however, to return this blog to trivialities.

When someone so young is taken in a manner so horrible as this a strange thing happens. Many people, so many people, are affected. They react not to the loss of a much loved friend, but to the tragedy. Those who did not know her, who did not love her, are touched by the circumstance and also feel the need to participate in the grief. There is a canonisation of the victim, as people who participate at this level grieve the horror of the event rather than the loss of the person. These people have only the very best of intention, but their involvement in the grieving process can affect those who knew and loved her the most. The inner-circle of grief. The wave of other mourners can push the process along in directions unexpected. It can force the inner-circle of grief to make decisions and participate in ways they would not have chosen.

For this reason I will not write of this event again. I have decided to do this out of respect for that inner-circle of grief. They need the space and time to grieve in the way that is best for them.

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your words of support. Please know that we are moving forward the same way that every person in this circumstance would. You put one foot in front of the other until one day you notice that you are walking.

A Sad Homecoming

Ashleigh does not have a sister. She is lucky enough to enjoy the bonds of sisterhood with a very close group of friends.

These girls love each other dearly, care for each other deeply and look out for each other constantly.

This week, through no fault of her own, one of Ashleigh’s dearest friends, one of her sisters, was killed in a car accident. Just eighteen years old with a future filled with promise. She was doing all the right things. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and an out of control driver ended her life.

The whole of our city is in a deep shock. Ashleigh is devastated. We have arranged for her to fly home from France for the next two weeks. She needs to be amongst the people who love her most, the people who understand.

We have craved Ashleigh’s company and physical presence for so many months. We could not imagine that it would come at such a great cost to us all.

Lady Beetle Mission

I have decided that this needs a button.

A button shaped like a lady beetle – bright red with black spots.

I went searching through my collection of buttons shaped like insects and found:

two different bees, dragonflies in several shades and three beautifully decorated butterflies. None of those are right.

I’m off to the shops in search of a lady beetle. Wish me luck!

Cupcake Disaster

Poor Imogen.

What is a girl supposed to do when this happens?

The best part of her cupcake is missing – stuck to the top of the bag.

She knows what to do…

eat it with a spoon!

FOURTEEN!

Today Philip turns fourteen.

When he was born Ashleigh was almost four years old. Philip was born at 3pm. Ashleigh had been with my sister for the day and was brought to the hospital around 5pm. She bustled into the room and demanded to know – where was her baby? She sat with her father and held Philip saying over and over, “I just love him”. She made it sound like she just wanted to eat him up, right there.

She has been a very loving big sister. (At times rather bossy too. As Philip would say to her, “You are not a parent, Ashleigh!”)

She would have made a cake for him today, from scratch. It would have been delicious, much better than the cake I am about to make.

We will miss her today as we celebrate Philip.

Happy birthday, Pip. We are so lucky to have you in our lives!

Best in Show

This weekend we took ourselves to the Townsville Show.

We did a lap of the showgrounds, but we didn’t go on any of the rides or buy any of the show bags. The boys did get into the spirit and eat dagwood dogs for dinner.

Our reason for going was to visit the art gallery to see Pip’s painting hanging.

I am immensely proud to announce that he was awarded a highly commended in the open arts under 18 section.

Imagine that! Awarded for his first ever painting. The boy has some talent! I hope this gives him to incentive to continue. My Pete and I would love to see him pursue a creative life. This has been one of the good things about his surgery. He has had to slow down and it has given him the freedom to follow his interest in drawing and painting.

It would appear that it may well be a very rewarding pursuit…

Finished!

I did.

I finished something:

 

I started these the week before Easter.

 

Of course I was completely certain that I would have them finished by Easter in addition to working, running my house and finding time to eat and sleep.

One day I’ll learn!

For the next two weeks I am on holidays and I plan to finish lots of things. No doubt I’ll start lots of others though…

Girly Goodness

The ever tasteful Kirsty provided me with some girly goodness to even out the excess of masculinity in my home.

A personalised card:

(although Kirsty should know that I would only ever drink diet coke while watching an exercise video!)

and some beautiful sherbet-y fabric.

I may just wear this fabric around the house to ward off boy germs.

One of the Dudes

For the first time in my life I live in a household that has more boys than girls.

What does that mean?

So far it means that I have to watch Scrapheap Challenge every night of the week and Gladiators on the weekend.

It means being impressed by incredible physical feats.

Hey Mum. You know Tom. Yeah, well, his brother Jack can lick his own elbow. I’ve actually seen him do it.

Apparently it is really difficult to do. Although no one can tell me why you would want to do it…