Finding joy in the everyday

When my children were small I bought them lots of books. They have their own bookcase that was full to over flowing with picture books, story books, books full of facts, books on maps and science, books about animals, history books etc. . .   I love to give books to children for their birthdays, for me, its the perfect gift.  I buy far too many books, I have pile of books on the floor because my bookshelves are full. Life would be very dull without books. Sadly 3 in 10 children in the United Kingdom don't own any books. A survey of 18,141 children found that 4 in 10 boys and 3 in 10 girls did not own any books ( source - thanks Jeanne for show me this article) .  According to the research, children who did not own books were 19% more likely to read below their expected level than children who had their on books. Interestedly, parents are more likely to buy books for their daughters than their sons and mums are more likely to read to their children than their ...

Tulips at Floriade I have been home for five weeks and now I am returning to work.  You may not understand this, but  part of me is looking forward to going to back to work and let me explain why. Whilst I enjoyed eating breakfast in bed every morning and having time to read without being rushed, I did feel rather lazy by the end!  Whilst I liked being my own boss and doing whatever I wanted during the day, I ran out of things to do (constructive worthwhile things). I found myself dusting when I didn't need to and I finished any housework well before morning tea and this left me with almost an entire day to do what every I wanted e.g. reading (managed seven books), gardening (all the weeds have been removed, mulching is now complete and the vegetables planted), going out (and spending far too much money as I am no good at window shopping), eating (I eat far more when I am at home), watching DVD's (not terribly constructive at all but I did finish the Christy seri...

Artist: Carne Griffins Born: 1973, Liverpool, UK Works primarily with calligraphy ink, graphite and liquids, such as tea brandy, vodka and whisky and then manipulates the drawn line. It may not be to every ones taste (a bit of a pun!) - but I love the flow of lines and colours make by the materials he uses.  I only selected those I liked (I rarely like all art by a particular artist), some of his other works are darker and these haven't been included. http://www.carnegriffiths.com The Storm using ink and tea on watercolour paper "Poppies" "Comfort" "Wheat" "Find ourself" "Rose" A gust of wind "Nature's healer" "Crushed" "Nector" "Old boots, new laces"

I am a (big) fan of these small melamine trays. I have quite a few and as they are cheap (they start from approximately $5.00), like to add to my collection.  They come with all sorts of designs, often pretty pictures that are feminine and colourful for any kitchen and they come in different sizes. My friends asked me why I buy them and I said I have many uses for them, and here are some: * When I am preparing dinner I cut up all my vegetables and place them on these trays.  I find this makes my cooking so much faster having everything prepared before I start. * They are very handy when cooking and you need to rest your spoon or tongs on something.  * Great for an afternoon tea mug and a little snack. * Handy when defrosting meat as it saves the shelf in the fridge from getting wet. * Great as a serving tray. * I keep one in the fridge for oily containers e.g. the feta cheese container. This is a longer version of the tray. * Great fo...

Five year old India girl carried to her own wedding at the dead of night as child marriages are illegal in India.  At age 11, a young Afghan girl is married off to a 40 year old man, making her only one  of more than 10 million young girls who are being forced to wed men old enough to be their fathers or grandfathers every year. . .  Although child marriage is against the law in many countries, and international treaties forbid the practice, is is estimated that about 51 million girls below the age of 18 are currently married. In Afghanistan alone, it is believed that approximately 57 percent of girls wed before the legal age of 16.   ( source ) T he 11th of October was the United Nations International Day of the Girl Child . The purpose of this day was to remind those more fortunate of the millions of young girls around the world that are denied a childhood, an education, forced to marry at a very young age, victims of abuse and...

With a little free time on my hands I wandered about the net looking for easy to make craft ideas for  birthdays and Christmas. Here are a three that I really liked and even I could make them (and they aren't very expensive either!!) Gorgeous bookmarks Aren't these bookmarks gorgeous - so pretty and feminine. They look really easy to make - cut a piece of velvet ribbon the length you want (e.g. 9 inches), using flat-nose jewellery pliers affix the ribbon clamps (make sure you buy the ones with loops to attach the trinket to, this isn't necessary for the clamp at the bottom of the ribbon) to both ends of the ribbon. Finish by attaching charms, trinkets or vintage earrings to the clamp with jump rings.  I'm not sure if you can by buy ribbon clamps in Australia - if not, they are sold here .  (instruction found here:  gift idea ) Coaters I love these coasters made from small tiles (easy to buy from the local hardware store) and som...

Goodradigbee River in flood Earlier last week my DH and I went on a picnic to the tiny village of Wee Jasper hidden away in the mountains an hour from where we live. I had never been there before so didn't know what to expect, what I saw was just so beautiful I wanted to share it with you.  What is usually a small quiet river was full and overflowing into the most magical lake and the photographer in me snapped away at such beauty.  For those of you who are familiar with one of Australian's most famous poets and story tellers, Banjo Paterson, was part of a syndicate who purchased the 16,000 hectare "Coodravale" property on the east back of the Goodradigbee River at Wee Jasper. His experiences there are commentated in "The Road to Hogan's Gap" and "The Mountain Squatter".  This is my last week of holidays - back to normality and work next Monday. With my DH at home, we have had a lovely 4 weeks together doing all sorts of lovely...

Artist: Christopher Boffoli Seattle, USA Miniature worlds Art doesn't need to be serious and today's most certainly isn't . . . hopefully they will give you a chuckle and inspire your next art class. Christopher Boffoli is a Seattle-based photographer, writer, artist and filmmaker.  Largely self-taught, he took up photography as a hobby in his teens, honing his skills as a student journalist in high school and college.  While still an undergraduate he started his own commercial photography company in Charleston, South Carolina.  With a background in literature and English, he worked for more than a decade in the field of Philanthropy, raising money for elite schools like Dartmouth College and the London School of Economics.  Christopher was able to integrate his creative skills, in writing, photography and graphic design into much of his fundraising work. ( source ) Cone camping Cheese moon smoker Cinnamon Lumberjacks Wafer Cookie ...