day{bed} dreaming

 I remember a summer with my cousin Lil when we were about 16.
She was house sitting at a gorgeous old house among green hills and I was lucky enough to visit for a week.
The house had chickens, a wood fire pizza oven outside, and a day bed. They had a big block of land with the most amazing garden. It was truly a place that as nice as the house was, I just wanted to spend all my time outside breathing in the inspiring feel it all had. During this dreamy week I took in lots of inspiration for how I wanted my one day house and garden to be.

These dreams have stayed with me and ever since every summer I have longed to be in that daybed. Smelling of coconut oil, reading girly magazines with Lil in our bikini tops and pajama bottoms. Carefree and in the moment.

As of yesterday thanks to my wonderful Benny I finally have my own day bed. It was worth the 7 year wait, its every bit of heaven that I remembered from that week and with the happy bonus of memories.

 Willow the fluff ball has had a 'hair cut' and now he looks like a whole different bunny!

Ive worn these slippers so much that I needed a warm weather version.  I made these new Mary Jane slippers a few nights ago from felted opp shop clothes. The blue is from a cashmere/angora jumper and its the nicest felt I've ever used! They are lined with stripey cotton knit fabric that was my favourite top for a good few years. It eventually got too stretched so I'm happy to be able to enjoy it again in my new shoes:)
I've worn my first pair in the garden a lot and they've held up so well that I call them my garden shoes

 The garden is loving warm days, I've been getting strawberries, raspberries (yum!) and the first green tomatoes have been spotted. Its going to be a good summer!

 the beach is calling me on the warm days already

I think we've had more friends and family over for barbeques already at this new house than the old one. Its so much easier as this place looks tidy with a lot less effort. Did I mention that its going to be a good summer?!

 today was so warm. perfect weather for getting bare hands and feet beneath the soil in search for buried treasure.
After the other day care children go home me and josh usually spend the late afternoon in the veggie patch. Well I spend most of my time there, he wonders and explores, chats to chickens, finds a tea pot to water plants, makes a few sand castles and then wonders back to see what I'm doing.
He's pretty fun as a veggie patch buddy because he will eat pretty much anything that's handed to him. His favourites are raw potatoes and coriander

 more carrot seeds were planted

A new watering can spout was put to good use keeping our happy little plants moist.
A few weeks ago the spout snapped of and I was quite upset. I love this watering can but the spout is necessary for starting seeds. Luckily when I went to reluctantly buy a replacement they had spare spouts so I get to keep my original blue gardening companion!

first strawberries are so close!

Ive been knitting some new dishcloths in this long ago stashed (for who knows what) blue cotton. Can I say that as much as I like knitting lace and cables, plain old garter squares are nice too. So easy that last night I had a fire (yes the weather was different yesterday!) and while I waited for the last logs to burn out I happily knitted in the almost pitch black dark

the veggie patch yesterday

potatoes and a handsome mish-cat

apple blossoms

My apple tree that we re located here from Mum and Dads garden is thriving

peas and petunias

I didn't realise I liked coriander so much but now that its growing I cant help eating a few leaves every time I walk past it

future pesto (Ive already managed to sneak enough little leaves for one small bowl:)

beets

my newest veggie patch bed has carrots and beets (as every bed i think!) as weal as calendular, tomatoes, chives and some vines. A mixture of pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, watermelon and rockmelon. I absolutely never think of labeling any seeds I plant because I seriously presume that ill remember whats where. Of course I DO NOT remember it all! My garden is always a lucky dip

I like the edging of this bed. I'd like to eventually get enough branches to edge all of them

this is a very (below) average photo of my raspberries but I'm so excited about them!

every day I discover more strawberries, I cant wait for them to ripen!

getting filthy!

 A month or two ago I started providing food for the day care children. I had been wanting to for a good few years for a few reasons.Its been going well, and I certainly don't miss having to throw out all the packaging from all the packaged snacks they used to bring!
They love helping to prepare and cook their own foods and its also fun for them having the same things to eat as their friends.
I'm so glad I committed to it now but we've also had some challenges figuring out what every one will eat etc. I feel like we've gotten to a good menu now, including lots of things they all like and a few extra things that they mite have a taste of when they feel brave:)
So the rhythm we had sort of dissolved into 'every day is baking day and we do a few other activities here and there. Perhaps soon we'll get back to it properly but in the meantime I'm enjoying these days when i step back and let them find their own fun.

 For the past few days we've had drizzly weather, the perfect weather for getting nice and filthy!

 Today we had fun mixing up and playing with some peat moss, planting another potato patch, emptying out this half barrel and finding a use for it that is much more fun then as a pot plant. (oh, and then washing some little clothes!)
I now have six large strawberry pots and when they tired of this barrel I will pot it up as number seven. Some of the new strawberries are beginning to grow to a decent size, we are eagerly anticipating the first red ones:)

 The most exciting thing in the garden this week has been ladybirds! We happily welcome them to our garden

 we've been harvesting the first of our 'new house' carrots. Yum! The first taste has inspired me to plant many many more. I'm still getting the hang of how much of things to plant each time, I didn't plant nearly enough the first planting. I'm managing to squeeze in more and more veggie garden beds.
 Its funny how it seems like I couldn't possibly plant any more and then I just find more and more spots for new seeds. Paths are getting a little on the narrow side now though:)

and finding new ways to use our rainbow arch blocks. I thought this way was rather clever