MAKING: CROCHET CLOUDS IN THE CAR

When the baby has been sleeping or happily chewing on his giraffe during our road trips around South Africa I have been playing around with crocheting some clouds and flowers for a series of gift cards. The landscape here is so beautiful and I see lots of connections to the Australian landscape. Expanses of sky and rugged ranges as far as the eye can see. Our final car ride is coming up this evening as we make our way to the airport and prepare for the journey back to Oz, waving goodbye for now to this beautiful country, our home away from home. 

A WEEKLY COLLECTION OF STILLS

1. Vervet monkeys in the pecan wood at Harebeesport Dam

2. Beautiful brickwork, the baby and I

3. A hazey morning in the Magaliesberg (that 'g' is pronounced as a phlegmy 'hal')

4. Reminiscent of an Australian scene. Spot the Hadeda birds on the wire - they make you jump when they suddenly squawk 'Haaaa-diii-daaa', George finds them both startling and fascinating. 

5. Winged wonder 

6. A Pied Kingdisher in the Pilansberg National Park

7. Africa in the roof of the Palace at Sun City

8. The Palace from the pool

9. The lighthouse view from the Oyster Box in Durban after a fun family breakfast

17/52

'A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2014.'

George: you love Africa and Africa loves you. What a wonderful holiday it has been. You have adapted to our busy schedule and relished all of the love and attention you have received. You make us smile and laugh, and your personality shines through more and more every day.  Your Dad is convinced that you will be a Wallaby supporter however I am not so sure, I think you will be as proud as he is of your South African heritage and you will be a Springbok through and through. This week we have sung Old Macdonald to death in the car, so much so that Old Macdonald had dolphins and fish living on his farm. Shosholoza and Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika also featured heavily on our rounds to keep you amused. Like me, I am certain that you will come to know and love these songs and this beautiful country. 

16/52

'A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2014.'

George: the upside down Africanaussie. On the 6 month anniversary of your birth you are wondering why we have dressed you up in such a silly outfit, plonked you on a pillow in the bush and won't let you chew your little sign with the number 6 scribbled in chalk across it. Like your mum and dad you seem to be completely relaxed and at home in this strange new place. You take in all of the new faces, places and smells like a sponge and I swear you are telling us all about your adventures when you babble away to us. We love you, our happy little giraffe George. 

A WEEKLY COLLECTION OF STILLS

1. Joburg sunrise silhouette 

2. Love a bit of 70's Tupperware 

3. Joburg is something crazy like the world's largest man made park. Everywhere you look is green, green, green

4. The long grass

5. Roasting marshmallows 

6. The Baby on the daddy's shoulders at sunrise 

7. The Daddy and the Baby and the Grandy

8. Cape Point Vineyards for lunch 

9. The Baby in awe of his Daddy running the Two Oceans ultra marathon 

10. Africa from the air 

AT HOME

What makes a house a home? Whatever it is they sure know how to do it here in South Africa. It is more than this place holding a special place in our hearts. The houses are filled with so much love and warmth and such care is taken in homemaking. As we pack up our things back home (as in Karratha home) I am inspired to unpack our things and create a similar homely feeling as we settle into our new house. Possessions and decorations are one thing, bit it's how they are placed and positioned to create spaces that you want to spend time in. A light and breezy living room, a well loved and practical kitchen, room at the dinner table for the whole family, poolside relaxation areas and gardens for exploring and growing herbs and veggies. Heartwarming homemaking. There are also special African elements that I notice as we travel around this beautiful place; the smells of the long grass, the thatch and the wood after the rain, the fire of the bouma licking marshmallows, the hospitality and friendly faces everywhere you go and the amazing expansive view out of every window. What do you think makes a house a home? I'd love to know. Happy Easter everyone and happy pom pomming ***

15/52

'A portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2014'

My sleepy Mr Squish. This week you mastered sitting, spoon sucking and wrestling with your sippy cup. You giggle in fits of laughter when I give you sneaky glances as you amuse yourself in your bouncer while I do the dishes. I hope you will always find me as hilarious as you do in those moments. This week you also supervised your dad's weeding in the shade of the letterbox, and supervised me packing our house into boxes from your director's highchair. You are thinking about crawling and you rock back and forth like a funny little frog. The three of us survived 11 hours on a plane together, and you flopped on my shoulder like this after some bobbing and your normal grunting and groaning to get you to sleep for your morning nap in your little tent. Your camping adventure around South Africa has begun my boy. What fun we will have! 

THE WEEK THAT WAS

1: When the teeth give you grief there is lots of chewing and strolling in the shade to get you to sleep (whilst dreaming of the glorious swimming pool on the other side of the fence of one particular house)

2: Black-faced woodswallow lovebirds 

3: Hang me out to dry

4: Up in the clouds and sleeping in the baby burrito wrap

5: Yellow pom pom flowers after meeting the Priest 

6: Fat pom pom sheep

7: What a blissful first day we have had on holiday in the rainbow nation. We love rainbows and we love this place.

This weekly project series had been inspired by The Beetleshack's beautiful weekly stills collection project. Check out their blog to see stunning photos and stories from around the world.

POTTERING ABOUT: STAMPS AND DANGLY THINGS

 


Spotty and stripey petal and pom pom stamps.
'It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring' and rainforest dangly things.
Confetti wall hanging and 'I can sing a rainbow' wall hanging. All to be strung together and tested out with some good singalongs with the baby.

THE ORE, THE GAS, THE BUSH AND THE BEACH

Four elements of Pilbara life on a beautifully overcast day. So much space, so much sky, so many stories to tell.

1. The iron ore makes its way to the port
2. The flare of Pluto fires up and away
3. The bush and BIG rocks with BIG stories
4. Hearsons Cove as the tide comes in

14/52

'A portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2014'

George: At the beach with the ladies

THE WEEK THAT WAS

1 - 4: Our colourful life
5. Green beans
6. Pilates with a view
7. The baby's little bowls
8. Stop looking at me schwannn
9. She sells seashells by the sea shore
10. Sea, shells and sky (with some cars and lovely ladies in between)