So...it's been a long time

I have no excuses really for neglecting the blog, just that the longer I went without updating it the harder it got to sit down and try catch up.
It finally dawned on me it had been too long and it was time to sit down and trawl through the photos I had taken and finally upload some...although there were far fewer photos than I expected, it seems I have been neglecting my camera just as much as my blog recently!

So here is a little of what has transpired over the last 2 months:

Lots of conversations with the local chicken whisperer

 Easter happened...yes...it has been THAT long!

 We have had a variety of visitors, some of whom I did manage to get a pic of

 Puppies have grown

 We made a trip up to the big smoke and spent Father's Day with family

 And then made the trip home again

 We've enjoyed the warmth of the sun in winter

 My Mom has done a fantastic job in the veggie garden and it's yielding up treasures every day

 And I managed to finish a few different knitting and crochet projects, including the baby blanket which was my first granny square project.

Laying out the squares

 All done

And a little hat with the scraps

And when the eldest asked for a scarf how could I refuse...so I made a cowl for him, and it was worth every moment I spent on it as he has hardly taken it off since :)

So...Ballet

Someone asked if she could do dancing this year, so we set about finding what was available in  our area and found some ballet classes for her to try out.  She was so excited to start but when we arrived for her first lesson she was a bit apprehensive.  I didn't want to distract her too much with the camera but I managed to snap a few hazy pics while she anxiously made sure I never left her sight.  Since then we have returned and she merrily ran into class without a backward glance at me.  She is really enjoying it and I am enjoying watching her dance about like the beautiful ballerina she is!

So...April's Bits & Pieces

I love the change of seasons and April has definitely seen the weather cool, the colours start changing and the light gaining that beautiful crystal quality I love.
We have had many lovely warm days but today the wind has a particularly icy chill to it that makes it hard to remember we were swimming with friends a short week ago.
We also had to say goodbye to our cousins, hello to the easter bunny and unpack all the feather duvets.  It's been so long since I last posted that trawling through the photos was no small feat, so here are the first batch with more to follow over the next few days *touch wood*

Water baby girls

A bed full of tired munchkins

 The littles made friends

 We spent a few hours at the Mud Man triathlon, spectating the way sane folk do.

 We had a lovely day at the beach

 And took all the cousins for a walk to try get a photo or two of all of them

 And then miracle of miracles...all the children together!

 There is something I love about this photo of Seth helping up his cousin

 Spinning

 Conquering tree stumps

And our girl insisted I take a photo of her doing this..,planking???

 We spent a day at the aquarium which is always a great treat!

 Having a snack at the dolphin show