Peacock Chair

Look what I've just acquired - a groovy Peacock Chair and no, this wasn't a recent purchase or a cheap Op Shop find. It was absolutely, 100% free of charge - courtesy of Brisbane's Kerbside Collection Scheme. These chairs can retail up to $900, so this is definitely a bargain in my book.

I spotted this chair on the side of the road during yesterday's school run and, remarkably, it happens to be in pretty good condition. Amazing what people are willing to part with.

With a coat of white paint and a round seat cushion, I'm sure I'll find a suitable place for it in the new house. Perhaps on the front verandah or in the corner of the main bedroom. And on a sunny day, I just might drag in out into the backyard and place it underneath a shady tree. But until then, it will sit in our basement.

The scroll detail!

The weekend in pictures

As we live beside the river, we had a bird's-eye view of the disaster which unfolded over the Australia Day long weekend. Fortunately the residents of Brisbane came out of this one relatively unscathed.

First the rains came ...

then the river slowly started to rise.

People began moving their possessions to higher ground.

The river at it's peak, engulfing Riverside Drive.

The clean-up remains.

Then Tuesday rolled around, and just like that, the holidays came to an abrupt end. So after a lot of preparation, and thankfully no tears, the kids were ready to start the new school year. Sure is very quiet around here minus two.

After being house bound for the entire weekend, the kids were only too happy to don their new uniforms and head off to school.

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013." via  Che and Fidel

Jack:  He still likes to sneak in for an early morning cuddle.
Harry:  Playing his new guitar - we had it specially strung for a lefty.
Charlie:  He has the bluest eyes and the longest eye lashes. I wish I could say he inherited them from me.
Oscar:  His love of music started long before he was born.

A small glimpse of what's been happening at our place on this very wet Australia Day long weekend.

CAUTION: Men at Work

Every so often I come across recipes for toddlers with instructions for cutting up food into "interesting" shapes and turning their meals into some kind of artwork to make them more edible (or something.) I've never bothered with this sort of thing - I'd rather food just look like food.

The other day I left Mark in charge of organising afternoon tea for the boys, which consisted of pieces of fresh fruit. But this wasn't quite what I had in mind:

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013."

Harry: Relaxed, or perhaps he's exhausted, from his early morning swim.

Jack: "What?" he turns and says after I call his name to take a photograph. He is hard to capture as he never sits still.
Charlie: Waiting patiently at the table for his breakfast.
Oscar:  Belting out a few tunes on the guitar.

Sheesh, have I got them all? Thank goodness there's only four...