LOOKING BACK AT THE WINTER THAT'S BEEN
Winter has been a lovely change from the hot, dry, extended Summer we experienced here in Western Australia. The cooler days and the rain have been really welcome - it's so lovely to see the world green up around me and to hear the rain on the roof at night as I snuggle under the covers.It's been three months since I wrote my last update and today I wanted to share a few of the highlights from the family, the blog, and life in general - I hope you'll enjoy them too.....
ROTTNEST IN WINTER
As I mentioned in my closing paragraph of my Autumn update, we headed over to our favourite holiday destination, Rottnest Island - it was the first time we've been able to book accommodation there since covid made everyone decide to holiday closer to home. It was lovely to return in a different season and to experience the peace and tranquility, the quokkas, the beaches, and the bakery again. We'll definitely be heading back again next year if we can find a few days available in their bookings.
SELLING HOUSES
Both our adult children decided it was time to sell their original
first homes, and take the next step into their "forever" homes. The
housing market in Australia is very hot at the moment and houses are
being sold within days of going on the market - great for the sellers,
but very stressful for those who are making huge decisions and locking
into very large mortgages. You need to be 100% sure about what you
want, and be ready to grab your chance if and when it comes
along.
Our daughter and son-in-law had been looking for over a year and were
beginning to despair of finding something in the area they were keen
on.....in the meantime, our son and daughter-in-law fell in love with
a house they saw advertised and leapt in almost overnight. Just as
they found their dream home, our daughter and SIL also found exactly
what they'd been looking for and also jumped in. So....within two weeks of each other, they've moved into new homes and new
lifestyles - both chose half acre blocks because they say they're
drawn to the idea of living with more space around them (probably
influenced by their childhoods living on a 2 acre block). It's so
exciting to see them putting down new roots and beginning the next
stage of life.
AND THE DELIGHTFUL GRANDGIRLS
Every school holidays the grandgirls come for a visit for a few days.
There was more excitement this time because our local park has just
acquired two new playgrounds. It's been a long time coming and the old
playground was getting outdated and boring - so it was a bonus to have
all the new equipment to try out. We also did the usual visits
to the shops and to other kid-friendly places and all the memory
making that happens.
BLOGGING
I reached another lovely milestone on the blog last month when I hit 2½million views. It's so amazing to think that so many people have stopped by over the last (almost) ten years, and that there are 32,000 comments spread out over that time too. Thank you to every single person who has given me a few minutes of their week to read one of my posts - and an even bigger thank you to those who've come back to read more, and to those who leave a comment, or who follow me on my Facebook page. You all make blogging so worthwhile.
If you missed any of my posts from the last few months and want to
catch up, you can find them all in my sidebar archives, here's a few
of my favourites:
DABBLING
I started a new book of collages over the winter months - inspired by
a style I saw on a youtube video. I loved the idea of it being a
little like a child's pop-up book where images are connected but also
hidden. It's harder to photograph, so I did a little video to try to
demonstrate how it looks - there's no soundtrack or voice over, so
feel free to hum your favourite tune while you watch.
AND A WINTER EQUANIMITY QUOTE TO FINISH WITH
I love Ullie-Kaye's poetry and I thought this one tied in beautifully with
my WOTY
Equanimity
- "I'm living simpler, gentler, kinder, softer, in ways that reflect my
heart..."
 |
| via: Ullie-Kaye |
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Thank you for sharing your winter loveliness Leanne. I love your collage book. It is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Gaye - as a very "unartistic" person, I'm always thrilled when I create something that I think is pretty, and even more rapt if others like it too :)
DeleteOh I think you're very artistic Leanne! 🥰 I will replay your little video many times. I'd love to try it out. Any tips on a good tutorial video I could find?
DeleteOh that's just lovely - thank you so much. Lately I've been inspired by this site: https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritofNatureArt - she's very talented. I'm a big fan of finding pictures that I like and deconstructing and reconstructing in a book rather than on loose backing pieces. Nothing beats scissors and a glue stick :) Here's another site that looks good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_KoJZNT7YM
DeleteGosh thanks for taking the time and sharing so generously. You're right! Nothing beats the basics. I like no fuss and working in an existing book sounds lovely, otherwise I'm bound to get overwhelmed and not want to keep trying. Thanks for inspiring me today. Gorgeous work😊🌺
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure - have fun and you're welcome to share any of your results with me on my CTH Facebook page :)
DeleteThanks Leanne!
ReplyDeleteLove the collage book! I’m sure your granddaughters would love to flip through it! So yes to children’s books! You’ve got a great eye.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a huge accomplishment for your children! 🏠
Thanks Mika - I really love collaging for some strange reason. It just seems to tick a few creative boxes for me. And yes I'm thrilled that our kids are both locked in and settled with their new homes. Very satisfying for all of us. x
DeleteI love the collage book, Leanne. It's given me ideas for my own collating projects.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much - I find that collaging has lots of little interesting styles and there's always something new to try. It comes in bursts for me - these were my winter ones :)
DeleteCongratulations to both your children and their spouses on the new houses. Must be difficult and exciting all at once.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your big blogging numbers! What an achievement. But not surprising with the quality and consistency of your posts and your focus on commenting! Wishing you many more fulfilling years of blogging.
Your collages are so beautiful, Leanne!
Hi - I'm so pleased for both our "kids" and it's nice to be able to be equally happy for them at the same time - not happy for one while worrying about the other! And thanks so much for your kind comment about the blog - I love this little corner of the interwebs and am absolutely delighted with every single person who reads my stuff - and even more so if they comment (and especially the compliments - my very basic artistic soul always feels a little relieved if someone else likes what I do!) :)
DeleteFor some reason, my previous comment got posted as an anonymous one! I understand what you say about your children being happy. Always a pleasure to read your posts and learn from you, Leanne. Hugs.
DeleteHi Corinne - I'm glad you let me know - Blogger comments sometimes do the Anonymous thing if you're not logged into Chrome when you comment. And I enjoy your posts too - and following along with your journey of self discovery. x
DeleteSuch a beautiful book of collage! Magical!! Glad that your children found the house of their dreams. So stressful but so exciting too. Your grand-daughters are so beautiful So fortunate to have such a beautiful and kind grand-mother. Here, Fall will soon be on its way. Friday, August 30 th will be another 'trip around the sun' LOL .Not sure of the expression as English is not my first language. Thank you Leanne for another lovely post.
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne - happy birthday for Friday! I hope it's a special day for you and you celebrate with some cake and a splash of sunshine. Thank you for your lovely comment - family is such a blessing (especially when their lives are running smoothly). :)
DeleteThat sounds like a really wonderful winter! That little getaway sounds perfect and congrats to both of your kids & their new houses. My parents just sold their house this weekend (well it's under contract anyway but it will be another 3 weeks before they officially close).
ReplyDeleteHi Jo - house selling is so fraught with stress and even once you sell, there's all the moving and re-settling. It was so lovely to visit our kids after they had settled into their new homes and to see how happy they are. Lots of little jobs to do, but it's more fun when everything is new and they're making it into they're own taste and style.
DeleteLeanne, I adore your new collage book. Every time I see your collages I am simply in awe!
ReplyDeleteIt's always so interesting to read your end of winter impressions when I'm looking forward to the end of summer and some cooler weather!
Hi Pat - thanks for your kind words about my collaging - I love when the pages come together and it goes from scraps to something new. I have the same sense of strangeness when I see other people's posts about hot Summer while we're rugged up and being rained on - it's weird how the seasons are so different on opposite sides of the world - geography was never my strong point!
DeleteHow lovely Leanne, your winter sounds glorious! How clever are you doing the book, it's brilliant and very creative. Enjoy the next few months :)
ReplyDeleteHi Deb - it's been a good few months - I'm still loving this retired life - it's a bit like being a grandparent - you don't know how lovely it is until you're in the middle of it all!
DeleteWinter really is a respite, isn't it? Happy new houses to your kids, and love the collages.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo - and yes, winter was a delight after our very long hot dry summer. I think I'm almost ready to have the days become a little warmer though - rain and walking are not hugely compatible!
DeleteHow lovely that you were able to return to the peace and tranquility the ocean can provide. Thank you for the introduction to the Quokka. Love hearing about your family. And, Wow, 2½million views. I am happy to be one of those. Congratulations. Enjoy the next season
ReplyDeleteHi Judith - quokkas are such delightful little creatures and I love that they're social enough to be around people and not hopping off. The blog views still amaze me, but I'm grateful for every single one of them - and thank you so much for being a regular xx
DeleteHi, Leanne - I am sad to hear that your winter is at its end. That means that ours is just around the corner. :D Your winter does look lovely, as do your granddaughters and your collages. Congratulations on your blogging milestones.<3
ReplyDeleteHi Donna - our winter is so much milder than yours - not a flake of snow anywhere, but I am getting a little tired of all the rain (after months of wishing for some!) we're so fickle aren't we? I'll look forward to your snow pics as the sun starts shining here again in the months ahead. It'll be Christmas before we know it!
DeleteGosh Leanne, I think your collage and that pop up book are AMAZING..please stop with the "I'm not an artist" talk NOW!! Great news about your kids finding their homes. Sadly not the case for ours but we swallowed that news (like ours, as forever tenants) a while back. Your fun with having the two little girls stay looked lovely. Nothing like a park with new playground equipment to keep them interested and active.. I so remember those days which are now back in 2014! U remember when you announced your blog had kicked over to 1 million..now look at you go!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Denyse x
Hi Denyse - house buying in Australia has become so fraught. In WA our prices were so much more reasonable than the Eastern States - but that changed with covid and they just keep going up. Getting a foot in the door is so hard - even getting an offer to be accepted has become nigh on impossible. Both our kids are so beside themselves with relief and happiness to have found somewhere to settle and not have to go through the process again for a very long time. We're staying put - I don't think I could handle the stress of changing homes.
DeleteThanks for your kind words about my art and my blog - both have become more important to me than I ever imagined when I started dabbling in them!
It sounds like you did indeed have a lovely winter, Leanne. I'm happy you were able to enjoy a return to Rottnest. It looks beautiful. Congratulations to your children on their new homes and to your grandgirls on getting to try out all the new playground equipment with Grandma. (Is that what they call you?) And finally, congratulations to you on reaching that amazing milestone with your blog. You can count me among the regulars who enjoy your blog immensely. Here's to a spectacular spring for you (and autumn for me)!
ReplyDeleteHi Christie - thanks so much for popping in and adding to those views of mine! I always enjoy catching up with your news on your blog and sharing mine here. The grandgirls call me Nan (or more often NanNan for some reason...) and yes, Rottnest was lovely.
Delete