a nomad's christmas

What's that you hear? Deafening silence? Sorry about that...been a bit busy! You know how it is - getting married, having a mini-honeymoon, packing up a life, sorting through a life of where it is to be stored (note: all over the countryside?!) and somewhere in there shoving my face full of turkey, ham and pudding. Ah the joys...

We spent Christmas at home in Gippsland - our last hurrah before heading off into the sunset on our around Australia honeymoon adventure. Christmas Eve was spent at my Dad's new house having a pool party with all five of my nieces, my two sisters, my brother-in-law, my brother and my sister-in-law. Oysters and champagne were called for, as well as copious amounts of prawns, crayfish fresh from Flinders Island my Dad flew down to get a few days before and loads of watersliding antics. All followed by traditional Christmas Eve mass at our local parish where we all grew up, and my niece is now going to school.

 

Christmas morning at my Mum's was met with squeals of delight when Scarlett and Ava found Santa's beer had been half drunk (who choose the dodgy beer?!) and the carrots nibbled by the reindeer, leaving a big mess on Grandi's box hedge!

Cousins arrived from next door to more squeals. So much squealing with five little girls! Santa was generous, as was Mum/Grandi with the traditional Christmas lunch spread. Roast turkey, roast chicken, a leg of baked ham and a buffet roast turkey. Followed by plum pudding with the most brandy-infused sauce we've ever had - woooo!

 

In the afternoon we headed down to Mr M's family by the sea to spend our first Christmas in the new and improved 'Shirwell' - a home that has been in his family for generations and has just undergone a serious renovation and extension. Floors had just been sanded and there isn't any furniture in yet but we enjoyed a (somewhat soggy) Christmas dinner on the new deck.

We set up our camper (our new home!) next door at Mr M's mum's cousin's house (confused yet?!), the beautifully restored 'Charnwood' - quite possibly the oldest house in Inverloch. This is our happy place. Mr M's parents are building a new house just in front of 'Shirwell' which will be our new family home. All this will happen this year whilst we're gallavanting about the country, which makes Mr M a tad sad that he'll be missing out on the action. But we're so looking forward to returning and having so many more beautiful meals with beautiful people on the deck at 'Shirwell' and the new house. 

I know most of you are all busting to see wedding photos, hear about our movements, how we left Brindabella, where we are now, what our plans are...but that will have to wait for another day. Right now I just wanted to share some love from the past week :)

We're off to Mildura to ring in the new year with friends and waterski to our hearts content. Until then...

Images by Emma Steendam for Cinderella at Brindabella

wordless wednesday: at the bottom of my mum's garden...

Playing along with Faith, Hope and a whole lotta Love.

Image by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

a pretty little violet

This morning my family welcomed another little beauty into our world - baby Violet Creina Gabby (late name change!) joined us with a mop of dark hair and alert clear eyes. A third daughter for my sister and her husband.

Last week, before my mum headed up to Brisbane to look after big sisters Scarlett and Ava, I made this unisex blanket for the impending bambino. Red minky was called for, along with a grey and white polka dot print. I wrapped it up pretty and sent it off with one excited Grandma-to-be-(again).

Welcome sweet Violet - we just know that you're going to be totally rad, just like your Mum and Dad xxx

Love you, Aunty Em + Uncle Matt 

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

a little tea set

When Mr M's parents were packing up after selling Dumerilli, his mum was giving away these sweet little tea cups and assorted saucers. Naturally, I snapped them up to take to our house, against Mr M's protests of 'no more stuff'!

There was also a very special complete tea set in a little suitcase which Mr M's mum had as a little girl, it has gone to live with Mr M's niece. I'd love to one day have tea parties with my own little girl using these tea cups of her grandmothers. 

Aren't they pretty?

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

point + shoot: birthday boy

This past weekend brought lots of family to Brindabella - it was Mr M's birthday! Quarter of a century. Older than me (for a few months anyway). He wasn't forthcoming with a birthday cake suggestion so I took it upon myself to make him a white chocolate mud cake...and it was a winner! Super easy to make and worked perfectly, even though the recipe was a bit vague as to cooking time I baked mine for 1 hour 20 minutes. Perfect.

We also finally finished Chateau le Chookie, played a mean game of Monopoly (ragers, I know), made some pretty awesome pizzas and cooked up 35 jars of jam for our wedding favours. Only 83 to go...

Playing point + shoot over at Lou's place.

Photos by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

of weddings past

At our wedding we want to display photos of our grandparents wedding days. I have been on the search for some candid ones as well as the traditional portrait ones, which I am familiar with from hanging on my grandparents and parents walls.

Here are my paternal grandparents on their wedding day, April 19th 1947...

And here is my maternal grandparents on their wedding day. I'm unsure of the date, I think it is mid 1930's. I love how elegant my grandma looks with her train and dashing new husband. They look happy. I wonder if they knew they would go on to have over 10 children?!

In the album with my Nana's wedding photos I found these ones as well. The one on the left is of my great-grandmother all dressed up to the nines in her fur for the occasion. The photo on the right is of my Aunty Mary and Uncle Mark. The caption on the back of the photo read: "My sister Mary and her fiance". They went on to have a long and happy marriage, but to me Aunty Mary has always seemed so elderly, once upon a time she was a young girl attending her sister's wedding with her fiance though. I think she looks like she'd have a good time in this photo :)

Do you have any family history stashed away in wedding photos of a bygone era?

the bloganista sista

The big sis has started a blog of her adventures in the Cambodian jungle - I know, why on earth would she not blog? Lou has spent the better part of the last five years living between Cambodia, Madagascar, London and Nepal so she has lots of stories to tell about day-to-day life as well as share the beauty of the Cambodian people and landscape. At the moment she is back in Cambodia completing her studies for a few more months (hopefully all going well with her turtle transmitters!) Way to make the farmers wife little sister's life seem uber boring, I know. I skyped her earlier this week and couldn't hear her over the resident rooster and monkeys she lives with?!

Head over to The Land of Smiling Faces to welcome her to the blogosphere. Hope you find those wascally turtles Lou! xx

Image by Louise Durkin

farewell dumerilli

On the weekend we bid a bittersweet farewell to Mr M's childhood family home, Dumerilli. Yesterday the moving truck arrived and the only place Mr M has ever known as 'home' was left standing empty. It was sad, Mr M's sister was especially sad, but we were trying to be rather matter-of-fact about it all. My future in-laws are building a beautiful new home down by the seaside, a new home to fill with new memories.

I will miss heading out to what can only be described as the veggie garden of perfection to grab some ears of corn for dinner or raspberries for dessert...

And I will miss all the little touches that made Dumerilli such a happy home. The family pieces scattered throughout the house - Mr M's great-grandparents trunk which travelled on the ship with them from England, the Australian landscape oil paintings, the big exposed red brick chimney in the centre of the home to heat us all, the spices lined up neatly on the open kitchen shelving...

Purple viola's in terracotta pots and glasshouses will always remind me of Dumerilli and it's rambling cottage garden full of foxgloves, hollyhocks, granny's bonnet, anemones and Erica bush all surrounded by the giant towering gums of the state forest.

In the late afternoon on Sunday we all went for a final walk down the paddock to the hay shed. One last time. Mr M's parents bought Dumerilli 27 years ago, the house was half the size with no power, the garden hardly existed. They created a beautiful home for their three children to have an idyllic childhood. A home where they felt loved, comforted, warm and safe.

Farewell magical Dumerilli, we will miss you xxx

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

point + shoot: ethan and the leaves

The weekend.
Saturday.
Hairdressers.
Seasons first lambs.
Lawn mowing.
Three nieces descend.
Gravel in Ava's hand.
Tessa terrorised by Scarlett.
Sunday.
Slept in.
Still packing at Dumerilli.
Collecting eggs.
Pumpkin soup.
Old bottles.
A trailer of mulch.
Raking leaves in the wind.
Silly.
Boys are different to girls.
Home.
Lazy pizza dinner.
Hot shower.
Warm bed.
Rain on roof.

Playing along with Lou at sunny + scout.

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella