Late March in Victoria -- Gardening Heaven!

Our time away from Victoria meant that we had to give up a year without much gardening and so we have come back with new energy and inspiration. It took some additional energy to clean up from a year without much gardening but we really have come to a place now where things are looking superb. We have made number of new beds because we really want to blend a kitchen garden into our existing yard. Our time away inspired us a lot -- seeing all those productive people all over the world taking their little lots and supplementing their kitchens with gorgeous fresh produce. We live in a very temperate place here which is ideal for growing quite a variety of food. So no more excuses! We have always loved gardening so why not build a skill set around food production.
What follows is series of pictures showing the new garden beds with the lovely rich soil we recently added. Pippin was kind enough to work with her Papa and showcase all our hard work. We also recently replaced the back porch -- with a stairway that now leads directly into the yard. It is a vast improvement making the yard and the house feel that much more connected. It is better Feng Shui as some would say...
The last picture is of Kai yesterday out at a farm we visited... Kai is becoming quite the colourful dresser these days!

Kai's 12th... OMG!

As they say -- better late than never. It has been too long since I have added an entry and so here is Kai's birthday from over a month ago.
A swell time was had by all! Sundaes, cards, presents, a home made ice-cream cake, a large gathering and a sweet, sweet lad who has turned a whopping TWELVE.
How is it possible that the years have gone by so quickly? He has gone though such big changes in the last year and I am sure it is a sign of what is to come. So here are a few pictures of that brilliant day!

Bragging rights for Papa!

I have been absent lately from my blogging responsibilities. We just went through a Semester change at my school and it has been busier than usual. So to get me back into the swing I have decided to add that which makes me very proud...
Our Pippin loves her piano playing and so here is a chance for you to see the results of all her hard work. Enjoy! Pippin is sitting next to me right now and wants you all to know -- she says: "I like cheese!"

The Incredible sound of a Hang Drum

A student of mine today introduced me to this most amazing instrument. It is called a Hang Drum. The “hang” (pronounced “hung”) is a relatively new musical instrument that sounds like a hybrid steel drum and gamelan (a Thai xylophone). It is played with the hands or mallets (or whatever) on the lap or a stand and is tuned to make a variety of sounds depending on where it is hit. Hang means “hand” in the Bernese language.

It is made by a swiss company Panart but you can only purchase a new hang by making an appointment with Hanghouse, traveling to Switzerland and meeting the creators in person. Apparently this instrument has quite the following.

Look at these links below and you will understand why. It has the richest, deepest, sound imaginable. I want one sooo bad!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQXn5ba0aT8



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0xxnFqdBCE&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICZ3h5NnxIM&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsGqymRcpKQ&feature=related

More from the pulpit!

Take from this what you will --
I think this is worth a watch, especially for those of us who have brought children into this world. Our children will have some significant challenges ahead. There are some good minds out there looking for solutions.
http://www.eenvandaag.nl/swf/player.swf?videoID=95012&external=0

Pippin and her passion for creativity!

Continuing with the theme of uniqueness -- our not so little Pippin marches to a drum entirely of her own. Her bent is most definitely to be creative! This comes out in a variety of ways. For one thing she has taken on the piano with a passion and zeal that is quite unique. She plugs away daily by practicing endlessly and has a real love for it. As Skye always likes to say about Pippin: she is very persistent and this quality has big pay offs for her since she tends to master things that she enjoys. The same persistence can be a tad challenging at times for us as parents, because she can be ridiculously head strong!
The same passion she has for piano comes out in her painting. She definitely has a great eye and spends endless hours drawing, penciling and painting when the opportunity is available to her. So on that note, here are some of her bigger paintings that we have up around the house. They are all fun in entirely different ways.

Kai the Collector!

I am determined to be an observer in my own life and this blog is a great way to make it a reality. Living as I do with my sweet children who are changing by the day -- I have realized they are slowly growing into very unique individuals. Kai in particular is going through some major shifts as he enters the tween years. I think that story will be saved for a blog entry later on.
Since Kai was a tiny tot he has had this amazing facility for collecting and organizing his finds. Wonder where that comes from? Kai was never much into toys as a small kid. We would spend good money on the toys other kids played with and invariably they would get neglected and ignored. The flip side of that coin was that Kai was always desperately keen to collect sticks, rocks and other natural curiosities. All his allowances have been funneled into that passion over the years and he has quite the collection as a result. So here are some images of his curiosities orgnized into neat little drawers in his bedroom. They are fun to look at. Enjoy!