popped and pooped

Despite the heavy weight of tiredness that we both carried from Friday morning until about 3pm (or as the time which will be hereafter known as 'when Wicked Winter saved our sorry selves'), Bell and I had so much fun at our Pop Up Shop. We had lots of visitors to our shop from start at 11 til end, at about 6 (8pm, who were we kidding), loving the space, the wares, the concept, the reality. It was so lovely seeing The Workshop evolve within a couple of hours to an inviting and beautiful looking shop. We both, wonderfully, also sold quite a few items, which is just as well I guess, considering it was the whole purpose of the shop. Already we are discussing when next we might pop up. 

Just realised that I didn't take that many pics and the ones I did take aren't too great but sorry folks will have to do. 

Our saviour, the Wicked Winter, partnered with some Chai, helped us get through the day. This little number is raw and insanely delicious, I have had a few of these in my time and this is the most delicious of them all, courtesy of the beautiful folk at No. 5. Speaking of which, after we shut up shop, I was asked by Jason to take some photos of Susanna Carman for the Coffs Advocate Social Pages. Hmmm, I rushed home, unloaded car, got changed for the Alter Ego party with some valuable assistance and enthusiasm from Scott and then headed up to No. 5 to take some pictures. Not sure whether I really got any pics for the Social Pages, mainly because one, I am not one of those photographers who can approach people and get them to wear some cheesy grin for the sake of a photo nor was the crowd really a crowd that I could imagine being too happy about having their pic in the social pages (they all looked really relaxed, comfortable and quite happy in their cosy bubbles). I did get some nice pictures though and Susanna asked if I could send them through to her as well, so at least they will have some purpose.

After I had taken a decent amount of photographs, I quickly scrambled out of there to pick up a freshly showered and newly attired Bell and headed out to the Promised Land for the Alter Ego party. Yes we did thoroughly discuss the plan of staying an hour max as we were both shattered but we ended up staying for about 3 hours, not sure exactly where the 3 hours went but i know a lot of it was spent gazing in awe at the beautiful Soli, dressed as Frida Kahlo, absolutely and stunningly amazing. Go on, spend some time just here and get a good look.  The rest of it, was spent dancing, chatting, laughing and then trying (unsuccessfully) to stifle yawns. 

As a Flapper, I know doesn't really look like any kind of Alter Ego but I was tired
and didn't have any space for dress up creativity

The next day after, we all lurched out of bed at 9am, we hurried up the mountain for  Dorrigo Market day, Scott jammed with a couple of friends whilst Poe, Ilo and I, explored, played at the park, found a few remaining Autumn leaves and ate Anzac cookies in the car, as the rain fell around us. 

 

i could look at those little brown fingers all day, oh that little pincer grip

Today we also had a really gentle yet creative day, we made fabric balls (i made these a few Christmas's  ago and they were a hit, basically they are thin fabric scraps wrapped around a stuffed old sock, really beautiful, will include pictures soon) with Woo, Ziggy and Sidney, whipped up some Almond Nut Butter, thought about making Jude's amazing Zucchini Bread but put it off til tomorrow, had tea and one remaining Anzac in the cubby house, spent a lot of the time bouncing and lying on the trampoline in the sun and finally, we went to Cracker Night. Run by the Lions club, it is so much fun, an amazing display of pyrotechnics, which had not only the children but the adults laughing with pure joy. So yes, deliciously pooped (again, maybe not two words quite meant to be next to each other) and to make matters worse, I managed to stay up a lot last night thinking about what I will make for the markets this Saturday and my embroidery pieces for the Energy Festival the following Saturday, hmmm, I have lots of squeezing to do (oh and bugger it is now 12.08am, eeeeeeeek), goodnight.

these guys

These little people, the doll versions of The Mid North,  have been in our lives for a while now, made by the immensely talented Pepper Stitches, the film clip which they were commissioned for is nearly ready, and we are really excited, it is looking great, I can't wait to share it with you. We did the photo shoot above when we realised Scott needed a band picture for a poster for these people and we had no band shots, so after looking at some very average shots of Scott and a blurry band or an overexposed pic of the band on the back of a truck, we gazed over to our little peeps and what do you know, instant band shot, totally awesome. 
Yes, I know there is only one more sleep until the Pop Up and I shouldn't be dawdling over here in blogland but I think all is under control, despite having nothing tagged (I have visions of doing at a leisurely pace in the morning) and the shop basically still looking exactly like a workshop space, I feel quite calm, in an understated excited kind of way. I have actually just been running about town in a covert chalking operation with Bell and thought I would pop (it's amazing how often that word has smuggled itself into by vocabulary of late) a post in before I head to bed and lie there thinking about all the things I forgot to do. After the Pop Up, Bell and I will be carting our weary or totally adrenaline pumped bodies to an Alter Ego party in Kalang, hmmm, alter ego eh, hmmmm, might need to brainstorm that tomorrow. Stay tuned. xxx

popping in

          

Hello there, we are back from our lovely trip to Mullumbimby, and right back into the swing of things, but first Mullum and Bimby (thank you Ilo). Staying with my aunt Patma was so easy, she adores Poe and Ilo and they feel the same way about her, which basically meant sleep ins for Scott and I and lots of laughing and craziness. We ate lots of Milk and Honey pizza (best pizza ever, yes ever and they also do a mind blowing chocolate mousse), checked out the growers market, which was full of interesting and delightful local produce such as tempeh made with fava beans, a sprout stall and a brown rice sushi stall that included tempura pumpkin and goats cheese (Nikki, are you reading this?), searched through op shops and garage sales with limited success, caught up with another aunt and cousins, ate scrumptious organic donuts (two words that are rarely placed side by side) at Brunswick Markets and had loads of cups of tea. It was a lovely little break.

Just a couple of days after we returned we celebrated Ziggy's 7th Birthday, which was also lots of fun and then my mum and dad came up for a couple of days. Yes only a couple of days, nowhere near enough but they will be back in August for Ilo's birthday. As always it was so great seeing my mum and dad, they have so much love and energy to give to Poe and Ilo, you can see them beaming with adoration, beautiful. Both Poe and Ilo wanted to go with them back down to the Coast and all today, after they left this morning, they have both been lamenting the fact that they aren't here with us (so was I).

Tonight before reading books, Poe, Ilo and I had a talk about their upcoming birthdays, Ilo upon asking what he would like for his birthday answered "a book and a perfect apple with no holes in it and another perfect apple to give to Sidney for her birthday and a Bally, Bally, Bally, Bally (i then intervened "Ballet?") yes a Ballet skirt in red". Poe meanwhile was getting excited about a torch and a detective kit with a notepad and magnifying glass. 

Two more sleeps until the Pop up Shop, woohoo and eek. Bell and I definitely have fears of sitting in the space by ourselves as the clothes gather dust and spiders find some new homes. But I have stifled such thoughts and after a little panic today managed to sew a whole heap of new items, which has been fun, including some tops that are orange and white striped with, wait for it, cherries on them (thanks Mum). So hopefully I will sell some stuff but leave enough for the markets next week and some for the Blue Caravan shop (it is looking a little empty, which is great but also not so great). 

space

On Monday, Poe, Ilo and I headed to the beach, stopping briefly into Kombu for supplies we ran into some friends (which you do the minute you step out the door in Bellingen), they too were headed to the beach, buoyed by this news I went to tell Poe and Ilo, initially they both reacted with excitement, these friends are pretty lovely, but then Poe stopped and said 'actually I think I need some quiet time at the beach, I would like to just explore, dig and have some time with you and Ilo'. I felt so proud of him, identifying what he needed and communicating it so beautifully. And the beach was wonderful, so invigorating yet calming, so much fun. 

We have been having such a beautiful holiday, our mornings often start with all four of us in bed, laughing, hiding, telling jokes or dreams. Yesterday Poe came into our room and gave Ilo (he always comes in with something for Ilo) a 'yoga mat' they then hopped out of bed and did some 'yoga' in the loungeroom, then somehow ended up bring us plates and plates of oranges and mandarins as our breakfast in bed. 

Last night we were invited to Rick and Eli's paddock to share food, a fire and a moon viewing. Considering we were heading to a -2 degrees morning, we were very rugged up. It was a lovely and easy evening, it was particularly beautiful watching all the children run around with torches and then as the moon started to rise the children came closer to the fire and just sat (all of them) and listened as the adults chatted, about everything from the ridiculous; Rick Astley and Aqua, to matters of the heart, namely Cordelia Fine and the recent Radio National GOMA talk.  And then tiredness set in and we scuttled off home.

Sunlight streaming into our room in the morning, it is particularly hard to leave this space in the morning and it continues to beckon throughout the day.
We are off to Mullumbimby tomorrow morning (after yoga, of course) to visit my aunt for a couple of days, we can't wait. In the meantime, check out the trailer for Big Easy Express, oh my goodness, Scott and I watched this movie the other day, so amazing and infectious, would have loved to have been on that train (Scott did tear up a little, it is definitely stunningly beautiful and emotive, the songs, the energy, oh my).


Big Easy Express Official Trailer from S2BN Films on Vimeo.

Cabin on the Hill

Cabin On The Hill by The Mid North from scott collins on Vimeo.

Here is a film clip Scott and I made last night for The Mid North, using the footage I took at No. 5 Church Street last week. We are really happy with it and love that it really captures the night, hope you like it too.

ah nuts

Upon uploading photos for this post, I did pause, albeit briefly, and wondered if there was such a thing as too many photos of tamari almonds roasting in a pan. As you have probably gathered I dismissed that ridiculous thought quite quickly, hence the inordinate pictures of said nuts. The almonds were a little snack crafted by the beautiful Jack (Nicole's eldest son) as we busied ourselves at their working bee (oh how we love tamari almonds).

The old sandpit's frame put to a wonderful new use

 My first Blue Caravan order before being sent out. I was lucky enough to have the beautiful and amazing Jodi as my first customer (woohoo), if you missed seeing 'Finn', the top she bought,  go have a look at her blog and you can have a peek there.

Hold onto those reproductive organs people, this new little human is Elsie and as you can probably tell, she is totally awesome and so gorgeous. The lucky parents are Robin and Stewart who stayed a couple of days in Bellingen on their way up North, so lovely to hang out with this beautiful new family.

Poe has already been on holidays for a week and it has been oh so wonderful, I love having him home with us and getting to delight in his company. He was getting quite tired and a little worn out heading to the end of term, so it's been great to see him relax and just enjoy the gentle rhythm of our day.

This weekend marks a year since we moved to Bellingen, obviously I have been reflecting on this quite a bit, all that has changed, what has grown, what we have lost. It has been a delightful year but also one of the hardest in my life (big call but very true), so full of emotion, a lot of which was (is) very hard and sad.
But even with all that has happened (including all the bits I wish I could erase) I am so happy that we are living here, that we are part of this beautiful community and are delighting in exploring ourselves, challenging who we are and what our lives are like. I love that Scott and I are both available to our children, to ourselves and to each other.
That is all the reflecting I am willing to share at the moment but be warned there may be more random reflections throughout the week.

what a night

photo courtesy of No 5

On Saturday night The Mid North took Bellingen by storm, playing at a sold out No. 5 with a waiting list as long as the bookings list, it had promises to be big even before a single note was played. The atmosphere was festive upon arrival, there was a buzz in the air as more tables were squeezed in, special menus were laid out on the tables and the fire was lit. Beautifully the staff, who were so excited, had gotten dressed up with a Bluegrass theme in mind, suspenders, overalls, boots, scarfs and flannels, you get the picture, they were all looking totally hot. The stage was adorned with our beautiful red persian rug and deep red velvet curtains, surrounded by pumpkins, gourds, lemons and vases of random greens and flowers, beautiful.
The first half of the night, people were eating, listening, appreciating and chatting, but the space was warm and comforting and it was the most perfect thing to do. Once appetites were sated and a few warming ales were working their magic (not that alcohol was necessary), it was all on, the energy was electric, everywhere, everywhere I would look (and there were a lot of faces to look at, as people were lined up along the walls and squished in all over the place) there were grins, beautiful grins, clapping, spoon playing by young and old, toe tapping, head nodding and then dancing, dancing in the only spare place; the kitchen and bar area, it was infectious and wonderful. After two hours of playing, The Mid North were finally exhausted but upon mentioning that their last song was nigh, there was outrage and offensive screaming, demands for more, banging, laughing, it was hilarious and wonderful, they were hooked. So Scott managed to bring out a couple more standards and finished up the night with even more whooping and a hollering.
I felt so happy for him, it was an amazing gig and so many people were just blown away. It is so wonderful that Scott has found a space (musically) where he feels so at home, it really suits his voice and he is amazing at writing songs and weaving a tale, so beautifully rewarding and fulfilling. We were reflecting the other day how he previous wrote introspective kind of songs which were lovely but maybe a little forced and to see and hear him now, nearly every week he is creating and conjuring new stories, it is so creative and nourishing. Scott, you are amazing.

psst

Keen eye readers may have already noticed that little badge in the corner to your right, quick have a look, no, up a bit further, yes that's it, it's true it really says Blue Caravan. So hop yourselves back up onto that chair and press that badge, go on. Yes I am encouraging you but I do feel quite nervous about it, oh go on then. Hope you like my little shop.

blessed

This is a little flyer for the workshop I am running next Sunday. 

I realise that in my last post I may have seemed a little overwhelmed by all the beautiful creative things I have to do, I reflected on the post (over analysed, got paranoid, let my brain go into overdrive) and thought I would add a disclaimer that is smeared with empathy....my head is full but I realise that no I am not working full-time and juggling parenthood, partnerhood and life or even, more challenging, solo parenting and all the rest of it, we aren't undertaking any major life changing project, whilst trying to earn a living and raise an amazing family or even living a life that is unfulfilling, dull or threatening. I know that I am very blessed to have such 'weights'  bearing down on me. I think I was just imparting some of my cluttered head space onto you all, trying to sift through and work out where inspiration will come from and how it will manifest.
All this frenzy is also part of working out how my craft can contribute more to our home (financially) and at the moment I am throwing everything at it and it is fun, challenging, terrifying and totally new.

Since

Curry nights and dress ups, together at last. Sydney friends will surely remember some of the outfits in this post, we have a massive red suitcase full of delightful dress-up attire, it's amazing how much we cram into it. 

 Oh, I am salivating just remembering, yes and the kofta balls are a staple, no curry night is complete without them.
We have had a really busy week this week and the weekend does not hold much respite; The MidNorth are playing at 5 Church St, which has not only sold out but has quite a long wait list and then on Sunday we are having a working bee at Nicole's place. She is selling her beautiful mudbrick home and heading with her family to Melbourne, to be closer to her sister, she will be dearly missed (but luckily we have her til the end of the year, yay).
I have my mind scattered in a few more places than usual, on the first weekend of July I am running a workshop at The Workshop and then on the 13th July Bell and I are having our first Wabi Sabi Pop up shop, followed by the markets the following week and then I am putting some pieces in The Workshop art exhibition at The Energy Festival on the 28th July, eeek. Oh and I have photographed my pieces to go onto Blue Caravan, I just have to do the pricing, descriptions, measurements etc. Oh my. It is really exciting and overwhelming and it's all about working out how to gently fit this into our life with two beautiful little folk oh and one larger gorgeous fellow. Speaking of which, Scott and I had a day date the other day, such a treat, we had planned on going to the movies at Sawtell but nothing really perked our interest so instead we ate a mushroom burger and a chickpea burger (and some amazing chips) on a grassy patch overlooking Sawtell beach, lying in the sun, chatting, not chatting, exhaling, ahhh. We then um, hung out at home for a bit and then collected our two little people who were being loved up by Nicole and Oscar, so wonderful and so necessary.
That night Scott and Poe headed up to Chrysalis to celebrate the Winter Festival, which happens around the solstice, both Scott and Poe were completely entranced by it. They shared soup together, walked the winter spiral  and then went on a lantern walk through the bush singing their winter festival songs, it was really special, the children had so much reverence and delight.
Leading up to the festival we received a little handout with the song 'Shine lantern' on it, Poe asked me to sing it, so I tried but obviously I didn't get the tune right so Poe corrected me and I asked how it went. He said "Come with me Mumma' and he led me to his room, he stepped into the built in and shut the door and proceeded to sing the whole song, including the four verses, oh my, the sweetness of it. This gorgeous little voice singing so clearly and earnestly, yet still a little too shy to sing so in front of me. I walked past the room half an hour later and Scott was sitting on Poe's bed and sure enough that little voice was singing again, so beautifully from inside the cupboard.  On the night of the Winter festival, he sung with full gusto and passion, Scott said he felt his heart just well.


Just a quick technical question for fellow bloggers, I have been told I have reached my picasa web album limit (didn't realise i had one) but if i delete any of the photos from the web album they will delete from my blog. Any ideas about this. Thanks. xxx

ahh home

Scott and I awoke on Sunday knowing that in a couple of hours Alice and Jamirah would be over for a play and then a few hours after that we would be hosting a curry night, before either of us said a word we set about doing one very important thing....hiding the boxes that currently cluttered our living space. It felt great, we reclaimed our space and started to feel settled at last. The boxes are currently in the guest room waiting patiently to be seen to one by one. Ahhh. I used this opportunity to take a few snaps around our new home, oh this space feels so great, I don't think I have ever fully experienced the absolute joy of north-facing living areas (with huge windows). Yes, I have read a bit about it, regarding solar passive designed homes and imagined the virtues but to experience it is such a delight.