My and your way are both perfect

Oli and Frankie had the most beautiful time together playing in the sand.  Some moments were up close and intimate and others more spacious ... yet still immersed and feeling connected.  It was gentle and very beautiful to witness ... and they both left signs of their signature ways in the world amongst it all.

Oli ...

Frankie ...

Alessia's Tiger ...

As we followed the path down to the back of the farm in the morning, looking to see where the horses were, Alessia bobbed and bounced and skipped along narrating her journey out loud.   Sometimes to herself, sometimes to me and sometimes to each and all of us.

All of a sudden she bounced high and said, 'My Tiger, look at my Tiger.' ... and she didn't stop, until we all noticed where the Tiger was.

There ahead of us in the paddock was ...

Alessia's Tiger

... a little later we got up close and found out there were more ... and Alessia didn't mind that the ones without the stripes were called goats ...

We also found a really great cubby ...

Samson's sanger ...

Samson tucked into a big vegemite sandwich for lunch.

After a few bites, he stopped.   I watched as he looked a little disappointedly at his sandwich only to hear him say, "That's not very good of mum."

To my eyes his sandwich looked totally fine and I decided to ask a few questions to find out what the problem was.

I said, "What's wrong Samson, don't you like the vegemite?'

He replied, "I do."

So I asked, "Is there too much?"

"No."

"Don't you like the bread?"

"I do."

Then I asked, "So what is it Samson? What's wrong with your sandwich?"

He looked at me with his big blue eyes and said in a quiet, yet very disappointed voice, "It's got a hole in it!"

... and sure enough, there was a hole in one piece of bread which meant you could look into the middle of the sandwich and see the vegemite and bread on the other side ... and I might add ... a very small hole.

Samson then added, "I'm not going to eat that." ... as if he could hardly believe that Anna had given him this for lunch.

... and for those of you who don't know, on a day when bread has no holes in it, (well none that get noticed anyway), Samson LOVES a vegemite sandwich.

Next thing Frankie gave a little shrug and a smile and offered her solution, "Well, sometimes my dad makes me a sandwich with a hole in it and I just eat the hole too."

Mystery reveals itself ...

Friday morning moved from grey clouds and drizzle to the sun peeking through ...

... and growing among the fruit trees near the chickens are enormous sunflowers ...

... with lots of seeds missing as you can see ...

We all got to find out the mystery of just why ...

This was such sweet gentle delight for us all ...

and later in the sand, the wisdom keepers came ...

Mac with his staff ... like an elder and a sentinel listening and watching as the wise woman and sage in Frieda ...shared all her wisdom and design for life with him ... with love.



Look at me ...

On friday morn, Ari called as he played, 'Hey Nella, look at me!'

... and this is what I saw ...

Now if that's not a boy looking mighty pleased with himself, I don't know what is ... he'd climbed and balanced and positioned himself perfectly and was feeling happy, satisfied and proud.

Luke thought this was a great idea and like boys practicing pointe, up they both went ...

Which only made Ari happier ... he now had someone else who knew how good this really felt to be doing ...



Ted Smith ...

This is often Ted, immersed in his feelings as he listens to what's happening round him ...

... and then gently listens some more ...

He'll have a passionate mouthful of things to say ... sharing his experience, his enthusiasm, his questions and opinions

... and then quietly ad some more ...

He's a gorgeous boy!

Today ...

Morning ...

Midday ...

Afternoon ...

What are you two up to ..?

Samson and Kornelius were like liquid silver today ... morphing from one moment to the next.

We want you to catch us Ah-nella!

 A 'Who me?' moment when the chocolate cake went down quickly ..

Is that a little halo over your head Kornelius?

Huddling in with the gang ...

While we were all looking at the baby peacock chicks ... they were already over seeing if there were any little chickens ... look close ... you'll see them ...

Then down in the back paddock at the end of the day, Kornelius came running with great excitement and some concern.  'Quick, come look, we've found something from a possum!'   I though maybe they were looking at possum poo and we were taking a moment after just having found out Possum the guinea pig, Samson's all time favourited ... had died.

Here's what happened with that news ...

As we talked about this, Kornelius announced, 'Well we all gonna die.' 

'I'm not,' said Samson as if Kornelius had just said the most absurd thing to him.

'Yes you are', said Kornelius. 'We all are, you gonna get really old and then your body stop moving and then you die.' (He wasn't even around for the chat last friday ... see ... so what happens when animals die? )

He then added ... 'and you can't get out of the dirt because if you do, people will only see your old bones.'

To which Samson added, ' ... unless your a' alive skeleton, because some skeletons are alive.'

At this point we all headed down to the back paddock talking more about death and dying and back to what happened when Kornelius came running in the back paddock ...

Over we all went to see what Samson and Kornelius had found and there in the grass was a furry wet and very perfect little possum foot.   Now that's the foot from a possum, nothing at all to do with Possum the guinea pig.

We all just looked at for a moment.  It was quite strange ... so perfect and attached to nothing  the children a little stunned as it just looked odd ... they were also very curious.

Once we checked underneath and could see it really was a possum's foot,  I talked to the children about how foxes come out and night ... and so do possums, to play ... and how foxes like possums, the same as cats like mice ... sometimes they catch them and eat them.

We talked about this a little.  What was of most concern to the children was what to do with the foot.

We decided to bury it and took it into the garden where the soil is soft, dug a hole, placed it in and covered it over.   It was such a good moment to just gently talk a little more about what happens when animals die and where they go ... and why we care about what happens to their bodies.

... then it was time for home and I was imaging that first thing out of the mouths of the children as it happened in the moment closest to home time, was something about finding a possums foot ... which I've heard at the time of posting already did happen in a fashion at one house.

Animated Oli ...

Anyone who hasn't yet had a chat with Oli ... here's your chance to take a peek.  He is so animated it's like being talked to and entertained all in one ...



Frankie and Jyra by the fire ...

Yeah .. it got cold today and the minute we got that fire going .. Frankie and Jyra hit the ground and the most gorgeous of times together for AGES .. Frankie is quite a little orator and Jyra adored it.   Frankie read and embellished her own story .. more than happy for Jyra to join in and ask things and ad things .. all of which she did.   They were simply gorgeous with each other ..