Photo A Day Challenge Continues

 Day 5 "What I Wore": We slathered on sunscreen for a day by and in the pool.

Anyone else hosting sleepovers for their kids these school holidays? Last night we had movies (Smurfs), pizza, popcorn, ice cream and giggles until after midnight. They woke up in time for a brunch of bacon and eggs.

Day 4 "Letterbox": this baby may be weathering under the strong sun's rays, but it's so solid that it could withstand being hit by a mail truck. It could house a huge flock of birds.

Day 3: Photo A Day Challenge

Theme: 'Something I Adore'

There's NOTHING better than jumping into a pool on a 40 degrees Celsius day.

Another scorcher. Ugh.

2012 January Photo A Day Challenge

I am jumping on board Sarah's challenge to take a photo on a different themed word each day through January.

Check out Sarah's beach blog for the directions:

Beach Cottage Photo Journalling A Photo A Day Challenge |

www.abeachcottage.com

Day One: 'Me'

Me with my head in a book, as per normal.

Wasn't outside for long though. It was 40 degrees C! Ugh.

Day Two: 'Breakfast'

Here is the breakfast hubby made this morning. Salubrious.

Organic tea with lemon straight off the tree.

Poached egg with cracked pepper on leftover Christmas ham (he tried to cut the ham into the shape of Australia to amuse our Canadian family back home) with a smidgen of Australian mustard.

Oh, and buttered toast.

Mom and Dad in Toronto will be licking their lips, knowing that hubby likes to whip up big breakfast (ends up being brunch) once a week:

usually omelet, hashbrown, bacon, tomato, mushrooms and toast.

Check out the pics being posted every second on Twitter by searching #JANphotoaday. This challenge is catching on like wildfire.

I loved the pic of the donut with green sprinkles, the one with the McDonald's chocolate frappe, and another that just showed a Vegemite jar, and there was a pic that depicted a lone pear.

New home needed for AGA stove!

Photo: AGA Living

Our white and black wood-burning AGA stove has been sitting unused in our kitchen without a flue for a couple of years. What a travesty - I know!

But we didn't want to install it in our current home because it's meant to warm and feed us in the house we hope to build on our farm.

So it's time to take action. We have to finalise a house design and implement a plan.

The AGA is begging to be used in the new homestead.

I am looking to all you clever and creative bloggers for advice and inspiration on building a home and designing a farmhouse.

On the wish list:

• mudroom, roomy laundry and toilet/shower for easy access from outdoors (thinking muddy boots and kids traipsing in and out to go the loo)
• wrap-around porch with a screened-in portion to stymie some of the flying insects from storming into the house
• a second-floor balcony to enjoy the view of the ranges
• butler's pantry
• and, of course, enough room in the kitchen for the AGA and a normal stove for the hotter months

Do you have any words of wisdom or warnings that we should follow?

2012 is here!

Ringing in the New Year with family, friends and fireworks at Lake Nagambie.

We can't wait to skype Canadian family later in the morning and tease them about still being in the past. Har, har!

Just a few highlights from 2011:

• Gran and Gramps visited us for over a month in February and we spent two weeks at Burleigh Heads Beach on the Gold Coast, and a couple of nights at Docklands in Melbourne.
• Son A was the first person to catch a fish (an English perch) in the lake on our farm - on his first attempt at casting in! And it was a whopper! The fish was gently released back into the lake.
• M performed in the Victorian State Schools Spectacular at Hisense Arena which was broadcast on TV, and with the Victorian State Schools Choir she got to perform at the National Gallery of Victoria, and for the Queen at Government House when she visited Melbourne recently. She even got to chat with Prince Phillip.

Wishing you all a healthy and magical 2012, full of wonderful possibilities.

Back to blogging!

It's only been, oh... about a YEAR since I last blogged. Determined to do better than one post a year.

It's been sooooooo goooooood to be on leave from work - which is why I have time to contemplate blogging. It's been a very busy year with work, compounded by a long commute.

After the fun of family gathering over Christmas, the past few days have been full of swimming, picking apricots and plums from our trees, and visiting with friends camped out in their caravan at a farm (our annual Easter camping site) 10 minutes down the highway on the Goulburn River. And yesterday we went to see Mission Impossible 4 on Imax at the Melbourne Museum. AWESOME!

A checking out some minerals and fossils before the movie started.

Gotta dash. We're heading to Nagambie with friends for New Year's Eve fireworks. Shebang!

Happy Australia Day!

Bathing, boating, batting, barbecue and best friends.

That's what our annual Australia Day celebrations involve.

This year we gathered at Waranga Basin, Rushworth.

The boys were given a ride in a special boat by it's owner who was set up with his family and friends beside us at the water's edge.

The other boys managed to play for hours in the "sand" when they weren't in the water.

Of course, on the drive to the Basin and back home, derigeur was the small Australian flag flapping madly out the car window. Flags proudly sprout up from boats and out truck windows everywhere on this day.