Lazy blogging using old (but adorable) photos.....

Charlie found Del's police helmet not too long ago, and couldn't resist trying it on.


'Allo, 'allo, 'allo! What's going on 'ere then?

PC Charlie is on the case.



Look, I'm just like Daddy! I'm off to fight crime and restore order to our neighbourhood.



But first..... hmmm.... I think something's not quite right with this helmet.



Oh.



A little adjustment.....



Ah, there we go! No-one pulls the wool over this policeman's eyes.



I'm the best policemen ever!



But you know what .....



.... I think I've had enough of this. Fighting crime and dealing with oversized headwear is exhausting.

I'm off for a nap. I'll leave the police work up to Daddy from now on.

Living in the moment.

As I pass through the door to go outside, carrying a basket of freshly washed clothes to hang in the blossom scented warm air, I stop, breathe and remind myself that this is the now, to just live in the moment.

How wonderful it is.

I hear the calls of the black cockatoos feasting on the bright red Callistemon flowers outside my home, so I stop for a moment, unbolt the front door and stand on the front grass (still in my pajamas!) and watch the magic of nature.

How wonderful it is.

Checking on my littlest boy, finally sleeping soundly, I gently kiss his cheek. Checking on my two older boys, stretched out long and lanky in their beds, one of them snoring quietly in his sleep, I also gently kiss their cheeks, and marvel at the joy of being a mother.

How wonderful it is.

Wandering outside to pick fresh produce from my garden, ready for our simple, natural and tasty family dinner that night, the freshest of fresh lettuce leaves, sugar snap peas that really snap, and delicious parsley to flavour our meal, I am thankful for the bounty of this Earth.

How wonderful it is.

Snuggling into warmed sheets at night, content that my family is tucked up safe and warm dreaming their special dreams, knowing that all I need to focus on is this moment, nothing else needs attention, my mind and body are free to rest. And dream. And hope.

How wonderful it is.

Another Fabulous & Fashionable Friday post

Friday! It's Friday everyone!

*insert happy dance here*

Not sure why I love Friday so much, since I don't work Monday to Friday away from home. Instead I work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so weekends aren't much different really from any other day.

But Friday is the day of love, named for Norse goddess Freya. So we have to love Fridays.

And being Friday, there's also something else to love.

Fabulous and Fashionable Friday posts!!!

This time I bring you something a little different. A sneak peak at another part of my life. My husband Del, runs his own business as a Dog Trainer extraordinaire. Every second Saturday he runs a group training session for clients and their dogs who have completed the initial training, and I take our dog Trooper along, to socialise and put him through his paces. He loves showing off!

Lately we've started to introduce some basic agility exercises, just for a bit of fun, and because I've been practising with Trooper at home, I've kindly been promoted to guest trainer for the agility side of things. Thanks honey! It's been great fun and the dogs, and owners, all seem to enjoy the fun of working the agility equipment.

So what's this all got to do with F&FF I hear you ask?

Well...............


.......I get to show you my Guest Trainer Extrordinaire outfit, of course.

Do I look like I mean business, command respect and can get those dogs jumping and weaving in no time at all?


Or do I look like a pushover trying to look the part?

Del says I look like a German Stormtrooper. Not sure if that's a compliment. You never know with my husband.

But I think it's all in the boots.


"The boots maketh the dog trainer." Leiani, 2011.

Anyway, just to finish off, here's the hand signal for 'sit'.

(BTW Trooper responds to spoken commands as well as silent hand signals, both on or off lead, close by or far away. He'd want me to let you all know that, show off that he is).



So sit down a while longer, have another cuppa and enjoy your Friday.

Good girl/boy! *pats your head affectionately* Well done!

Update as promised...... told in lazy-ass bullet point style.

• It's been the season of illness and injury. I'm very much over playing both nurse and patient.
  
• Currently, Charlie has an ear infection, so we got antibiotics. No biggie, except it turns out he is allergic to penicillin. At the moment we could easily play dot to dot on him, but the rash is so big we'd get bored before finishing.
• Recently found out that Corey needs shoulder surgery. At 13 years old. Seems he's one of the rare few lucky enough *sarcasm* that his shoulder dislocates in one of three possible ways (back, forwards and down) whenever he lifts his arm. If anyone waves at him and he doesn't wave back, he's not ignoring you. He's just trying to prevent his arm falling off.
• Kaiden turned 16 yesterday. OMG 16! Mentally, I still feel the same as I did at 16. Physically though I feel older. A lot older. Scary that your child is the same age you were when you considered yourself a grown up.
• Now he's 16 I get to teach him to drive. I'm both excited and terrified at the thought.
  
• Kaiden chose to have KFC as his birthday dinner. I chose not to partake of it.
  
• Kaiden had a caramel mud cake for his birthday cake. I did partake of it.
• Charlie hasn't slept through the night for about 2 weeks due to being ill.
• I'm tired.
• Very tired.
• I've neglected my home shamefully (please don't tell anyone). And no-one open any closets or closed doors, you never know what I may have stashed there.
• My dad had an accident moving house, crushing his hand. He ended up having his little finger amputated, and the next one screwed back together in the hope of saving it. He's doing fine, and is most upset that he may no longer being able to hold onto the paddle strongly enough to continue using his stand up paddle surfboard. Priorities, you know.
• Have been struggling to balance work commitments, keeping up with the housework, spending time with the family, study that never happens, getting enough sleep etc etc. Is achieving all this even possible for a mortal woman such as myself?
  
• The sleep part never seems to happen enough.
  
• I haven't baked in a LONG time. So much so that when I did go to bake everything was past it's use by date. Even the flour. Bad stepford wife.
• I've thought of a bajillion blog posts to write in recent months. Usually while washing dishes, driving or showering. I think to myself, that's fantastic, best post idea ever, well done self! Then promptly forget it two seconds later.
• Charlie and I have been enjoying the warmer weather as we head into Spring, and have been having a picnic lunch in the back yard most days. Just a short time out from the busy-ness of life, soaking up the sun, listening to the birds, hearing the breeze blowing in the trees. Aaaaahhh.....
• Currently, watching big grey clouds rolling in, ready for a thunderstorm to happen on the first day of Spring.
  
• Just remembered I have washing on the line...........................
  

My days.....

This is kind of like my days, only I'm less productive.... and less funny at writing about it:

Nothing Happened Today. Let Me Tell You Allllllll About It.

Will attempt to write a catch up post, stemming from now back to, oh hell, I can't even remember when I stopped blogging regularly, but to back then sometime anyway.

So much to tell, so little time. Might have to make it a bullet point update.

Just to save you the time in reading too of course.

I'm thoughtful like that.