Is anyone else ticking things off their calendar like it’s a relief? ‘Oh thank goodness, we can tick that one off.’ Is that how I want to teach our girls to live their lives? Everyone’s talking about it. December is crazy when it comes to functions, break ups, Christmas parties, Christmas drinks, as well as … Continue reading Advent calendar or not, the countdown is on
Farm life
Sometimes it’s hard to write. When big things are happening in the news, what I’m about to write seems small. When people in my life have just lost a relative, a pregnancy or their health, suddenly what I’m about to write seems not worth saying. So I wait a few days for the dust to … Continue reading Farm life
The things our kids teach us
Earlier this year, Elsie said she didn’t need to go to school next year because she already knew everything. I hoped she wasn’t paraphrasing something she’d heard me say. At the time and since, I did my best to explain what school is and what she’ll learn and the fun she’ll have. Thinking back to … Continue reading The things our kids teach us
Let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see
I read that quote today. And that’s what I did. Actually I didn’t lay in the sun (who does nowadays?), but I thought about that quote as I drove into town and all of a sudden I saw how many shades of green make up the trees, how they differ in shapes and cast cool … Continue reading Let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see
Attention to detail
I moved my butter knife gently and smoothly across the surface of the margarine. Once it was evenly coated with just the right amount to cover one slice, I spread it on the toast, not too thin, not too thick, ensuring all surfaces were completely and evenly covered and no margarine remained on my knife. … Continue reading Attention to detail
Mythbusters: cake pops
We made cake pops. I had to know what the fuss is about. Now I know. The fuss should be there. It should be bigger. Any recipe I found on the net involved a packet cake mix and a tub of frosting. We didn’t have either. So we baked a regular chocolate cake and my … Continue reading Mythbusters: cake pops
Today’s news, tomorrow
In most Wimmera Mallee small towns, businesses close on Saturday at midday and re-open on Monday morning. For that reason, I was amused to drive through one today, past all of the closed doors and darkened stores, and see that a bright yellow sign advertising the Sunday Herald Sun occupied a quarter of the newsagent’s … Continue reading Today’s news, tomorrow
I’ll be the filter
As a kid, my idea of cool included footy cards, motor bikes, and Test Match cricket (I loved putting the silver ball in the tiny cup at the end of the bowler’s arm and tilting it so that the ball rolled along the green felt straight towards the wicket—whether or not it hit depended on … Continue reading I’ll be the filter
Magic mushrooms
The holidays have started and our first activity was baking. We always bake. Always have. It started with one little girl on the benchtop and one spatula. Now I have two little helpers and had to buy another spatula. We made toadstools for a fairy party we went to. Here's some shots of how we … Continue reading Magic mushrooms
Writing by Larissa Patton 