A Week of Easter Goodness Final Pt 7...

Anzac Day.

What a perfect time, at the end of such an Easter week, to reflect on the Anzacs.

When the concept of time and what it means has been playing so keenly on my mind...

And we will remember them.

Shell xx

A Week of Easter Goodness Pt 6...

Easter Sunday.

An eggy topped cake baked by myself in the morning, and general preparations for an afternoon feasting in celebration that He is risen! in the sunshine with the family, singing songs and watching the children perform their yearly Easter play.

The only thing I love more than celebrating Easter, is teaching the story to our children so that they too know how to, and why we celebrate it...

Then later on, I had the opportunity to make a brief appearance at the Folk Festival to watch my three sisters & brother do a swing dancing display which had my toes tapping, and my inspiration soaring at the thought of singing some of this kind of music in an upcoming songsmith adventure...

So a happy, happy Swinging Easter to you!

(And I'd love to know how you made yours special)?

Shell xx

A Week of Easter Goodness Pt 6...

My bush baby...

And a perfect Saturday picnic sky.  We each brought together ourselves, and a plate to share.  A cup for copious amounts of communal tea, and a mind for both spiritual and jovial conversations!

All out in the crispest, cleanest, most inspiring air in the world.

The Aussie bush.

Where there is beauty which is subtle -from speckled reds, to blue gum greens...

And though I know I'm really a city slicker, and do not profess to be much of a country gal - my feet are happy on this ground...

My husband's family history is abounding, and nostalgic - I can almost feel them here still.  

I marvel at the thought of their feet, once upon a time treading this very ground.

Our time here is so fleeting.

Or should I say our turn here, is so short.

From when we are seen here, to when we are felt.

Precious, precious day.

Shell xx

A Week of Easter Goodness Pt 5...

Good Friday.

Is a quiet day.
Children off with their cousins camping overnight.
Myself here,
blogging & reading blogs.
{Especially these special words}
By the warmth of the afternoon sun,
Catching up on you beautiful bloggy people!

Reflecting on Jesus' last day in the flesh on this Earth...
Searching my heart for a greater depth of understanding of persecution.
Knowing it is an honour, to bear some of His burden...

Baking bread.
Dyeing a dress red, on the stove.
Having tea with my husband.
Thanking the Lord for my life,
with every sip.

Feeling everything-
This Friday.

To be continued...

Shell xx

A Week of Easter Goodness Pt 4...

Thursday.  Day four of Easter goodness...

Is a fresh lunch consumed in the Autumn sun out of doors, followed by a walk down the paddock where Kangaroos play...

{Photo by Emma Tully}

{Photo by Emma Tully}

With Beatrice trotting alongside smiling!

{Photo by Emma Tully}

{Photo by Emma Tully}

And gorgeous native berries, a pleasure for the lens to behold.

Followed later by my darling nephew's 6th birthday party.

And much later, decorating eggs with my babies by lamp light.  

I am looking forward to a reflective Good Friday, 

a road trip planned on Saturday, 

a feast and new life celebration on Sunday which honours our Lord and Saviour.

And not forgetting to slow down a little myself, so that I can feel and enjoy everything all the more.

Shell xx

A Week of Easter Goodness Pt 3...

Wednesday is a slow, and considered breakfast before a fast moving day...

And tea is taken with some very delicious Easter treats.

I hope your week is blessing you with small treasures too.

Shell xx

A Week of Easter Goodness Pt 2...

This morning when I woke to the sound of the bread maker's beeping, and as I thrashed the fragrant wholemeal loaf out of it's snug little tin ready for breakfast I thought I needed to make today more than just a day - my husband is *sings* HOME! ...and all of my children are here, alive and well - I needed to make today memorable.  So after carving up and slowly savouring said fragrant wholemeal loaf, we packed a flask of tea + some sweet goodies and high-tailed-it to the nearest children's novelty miniature railway!  As you do.

Ooh, the Autumn-park-bench-tea-sipping-double-patterned-cardi-pashmina-hot-pink-leggings-Easter goodness of it all..!

But time is so fleeting.  

So measured by people, and so completely unimportant to God, who is outside of it!  Which always makes me wonder - how real or important is this whole time thing?  The mixture between the physical: seconds, hours, days and years - and the spiritual/emotional: moments, lessons and memories of time spent absorbing one another's company, watching children play, and babies grow...  

I think time is a mind game.  Played, and won by those who walk, in the physical - in order to run, and dance freely in the spiritual. 

Thoughts, to be continued...

Shell xx

A week of Easter Goodness!

I simply adore Easter time!  It's a precious season, one I think should be celebrated as seriously as the  other major Christian holiday on our calendar...  So I thought I would post everyday throughout this special week of Easter {from the Monday before, up until Easter Monday} about the preparations, prayers, reflections, gatherings, feasts and celebrations that are going on in and around my home at this time of year.

So Monday morning was a good start to a special week with an early soccer match on Foxtel.  

Liverpool FC were playing and sisters were coming over to watch it with us and to enjoy the camaraderie of team spirit.  However when I say us - I don't really mean myself, because I completely don't understand sport of any kind!  But I do relish the idea of early morning guests with regard to designing a menu to tantalise the committed football fan.  So I made drop scones with thickened cream and homemade mulberry jam, pipping hot tea, and we sat and delighted in the first day of Easter goodness on into the morning light.

 

Last week sadly, my poor old fridge passed away - and the first sign of it's sudden yet timely demise was the smell of my stockpiled frozen bananas {which were waiting to be turned into homemade banana bread} melting into banana puree'!  So I put together some money I had saved for a rainy day, and bought this magnificent not-so-white white good!

And I only tell you this story in the context of Easter because I'm so happy with my elegant space on the top shelf for a delightful store of Easter eggs - in the form of Lindt bunnies and Cadbury Chickens!

Day one.  Sorted, and successful!

To be continued...

Shell xx

For love's long awaited return upon the morrow...

Would it seem odd if I told you, that while he's away, in a way, so am I?
I'm not wholly myself-
I'm some here, some there - where ever his there may be...

I move from world to world, my focuses range from;
the boy
the babies
and the washing pile
To suitcases
and meetings
and foreign hotel rooms...

'Can you Skype today?'
'How has your day been?'
'What's the weather like there?'
'What did you have for dinner?'

So as you see,
I'm a bit of a collected mess.
I'm a bit of a stationary wanderer.
I'm on the highs of a success.
And on the lows of a blunder.

In truth I'm neither here,
nor there,
while he is where, ever his where may be...
I'm waiting in limbo with silent impatience,
For love's long awaited return upon the morrow,
Looking so, so forward to the wheeling in of his (my) suitcase inside-
For as you know, I have explained;
when he comes home -
So do I.

Shell xx

About a Boy...

Sean Donald Tully

Born six years ago today!

I baked a fabulous cake, and we partied in the Autumn sunshine all afternoon, for the love of him...

Happy Birthday, darling boy.

With thanks to Anna Eliza, for the slideshow.

Shell xx

Making music on a Sunday...

I don't want to make this post look like a plug for my career, or an ad for my band.  But can I just tell you, I am a performer at heart - and last Sunday's first gig back since giving birth was a blooming slice of heaven!

I was delighted to be making music again with my sensational guitarist, brother-in-law and good, good friend Cam.  It was the Tidbinbilla Extravaganza and we thoroughly rocked the crowd, especially the kids on a perfect Sunday in the gorgeous surrounds to which the event was dedicated.

Oli waited for me during sets, and fed and cuddled with me during breaks - he is definitely a good stage baby - now road tested for his portability and willingness to be happily minded by his doting grandmother and aunties...

I tell you people it felt good to do what I do!  And only seven weeks after giving birth, I felt kind of secretly proud, and clever!  I realised that no matter my age, stage or the scale I do it on - I will always perform - it's part of why my heart beats, and my eyes glow...

And clearly for me, it has ever been so.

: )

Shell xx

Autumn, April, loaves & lambs...

There are so many blog posts taking place solely in my head of late.  At times I have thought I'd already told you about the prefect Autumn sky above my mountainous home, the way looking up at deciduous trees' leaves with my lens is something I look forward to doing every year.  A lot of people prefer blue, or black - but if I could, I would truly wear nothing but this trees autumn turning leaves...

We've loved, and lost...  A lamb has been in our care since I posted you (in reality) last.  

Her name was Lucile, and her mother was Emma (who was observed to be the most attentive mother a lamb could ever have dreamed for), her sibling, Oliver, and in short - we loved her, and she us.  And even though it was only a little while that Lucile was with us in our home, we know we'll never forget her wooly loveliness.  And I told the children we'd see her again, and her dainty hooves would tap along the wooden floor behind us again, in heaven.

I have also been baking bread, in all of it's quaintness!  

And generally trying to make my default setting love, with a good helping of grace, instead of anxiety or fear...

I fail often.  But my plan is to gradually fall less often, and have more days that see me smiling at the end of them knowing I have served my family, and pleased my Father God.  In the meantime, I have so many more posts to pull out of me head and bring to you here.  So, if you will stay tuned, I will too.  See you soon.

In love,

Shell xx