something to eat

Something to eat? Shell perhaps? Nice pink flower? Shiny fresh green leaf? Or perhaps I can tempt you with a small tasty stone? Just whatever you do, don't allow any gravy to touch my food. And Dad - you know I never eat beetroot. And NO MEAT for Jamie OK? Not even a scrap of mince because he's a vegetarian. And also no potato - because he will have to take that off his plate and push it away as far as he can. Mash - eugh. Mushrooms I will need to pick those out of my food and leave on the table. Broccoli - I DON'T eat trees.

---------------------

So thank heavens for:

PEAS

and

avocado

and

TOAST

and

cucumber

and

vegemite

and

risotto

and

PIKELETS

and

sushi

and

yoghurt with jam-corner don't mix it up

and

muesli

and

CHIPS

---------------------

Mum says:

"No 'YUK' at the table."

and

"If you take something off your plate, clear it up later."

and

"Tidy your plate away and say thanks."

and

"DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FOOD - OK?"

---------------------

"But why you've got a cross voice Mum?"

---------------------

see how they treat me?

What a truly expressive boy this is. Cruelly forbidden from interfering with his sister's outdoor cafe - his turns to tell us his thoughts on the sorry state of affairs. A few seconds later he has been seen - acknowledged - his feelings known. He can get back to his work.

girlympics

where the boy?

At the Pirate Park.

"One day you and your children will be in the choir."

Ella and I were doing a lot of "getting ready" for Nana's big concert. Nana is a singer in the Melbourne Millenium Chorus. While Jamie slept we did nail-polish, texta-Henna, body-jewels and twiggies. How lovely that her hands have unconsciously made the shape of a heart in the photo. I got interested in Henna after seeing the scene in Mira Nair's lovely film The Namesake where the bride is decorated by the women in her family before her wedding. Anyway I like the idea of decorating yourself in offbeat ways. And obviously I'm not the only one.

As soon as we stepped onto the street, Ella was accosted by a friendly lady "I just want to say you look absolutely beautiful." We went into Federation Square early, so no rush - take it nice and easy, meet Pa, eat chips. On the way we came across a jazz trio just starting their gig in the Atrium - they played a while and then the trumpet player lowered his trumpet and sang. We stopped to listen and Ella and Jamie danced and darted about.

Mum/Nana's concert was called "Limpopo", directed by the brilliant Andrea and Valanga Khoza. This year they were singing with the Mafumani Secondary School Choir from South Africa. This is the fourth Millenium Chorus concert we've been to and I find it so moving to hear the hundreds of voices and hearts singing about freedom, love, peace, family. It was altogether a lovely experience for me, I had, with several other families, some of the 'free-space' seats at the back, so my two dancers could be free. Lots of people with kids there, so no growly scowlers. Late afternoon sun shining in the through the glass walls of the amphitheatre, people wandering past outside - singing, dancing, music. Ella, discovering that she could navigate the glass balcony behind and above the choir, stood directly above her Nana in the choir - a protective whirr of red hovering above Mum's head. A silver-haired volunteer-helper behind me had this whispered conversation with me:

"Your daughter?"

Nod.

"Lovely."

"Thank you."

"Do you know someone in the choir?"

"My Mum."

" Ah."

"My daughter is standing on her head."

"Ah yes. Patsy. Alto. Lovely lady. Lovely."

"She is lovely."

"One day you and your children will be in the choir."

"I hope so."

----------------

how to paint

Another rainy afternoon, so what about a bit of painting for everyone? This was the first time our boy got into painting and I think the pictures can tell the story. We are talking Max Mess of paint and water for both small painters, plus a very large range of large and small brushes plus various painting tools: spot-maker, line-maker, wedge-thing - all pressed busily into lots of squishy paints. So much for limiting the number of tools out at once. Everything was out, everything being squished and mixed and sloshed about. Pure painting happiness. Sadly Jamie's masterpiece could not be saved - by the end it was a puddle. But Ella's has been remade into a book cover as part of my new book-binding project - will try and get some photos up soon.

so beautiful

I love this picture. Ella's arm wrapped around me, cuddled tight, a quiet moment. And how the camera can deceive - in real life Ella is hanging on to me for dear life - about to go for a crazy, noisy ride on the Mummy racing car.

yoga anyone?

Isn't this great - your friend comes round and you get into a bit of yoga for fun. Note the different variations of the pose in the first picture - I called this the Child's Pose (how appropriate) but Ella calls it The Seed and hearing this description, Kaelan interprets The Seed in his own way (hands over head - about to burst free). Ella was teaching me the yoga she'd learned at kinder and it was great to get down and do a bit together - reminding me of how much I love yoga. "You love it so much you haven't done it for three years" Edward noted when I last spoke yearningly about it. Ha ha.