23/52 The River House

A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2013

Coco: Content to relax in the morning light by the river, she is pictured here looking towards the bone treasures she hid in the garden.

On a crisp winter morning we rose from the warm comfort of our little bed to wander along the bank of the slow moving river. The earth was damp and cool under my bare feet, forcing me to hop back towards the river house to find a pair, any old pair of shoes.

I love to visit the river house in the winter time. The sunlight plays on the water as it hops from one ripple to the next and the whole scene is quiet and calm as nearby floating ducks create wake triangles downstream. Here I sit on the weathered bench and close my eyes. I listen. The distinct sounds of nature can be heard: The musical trill from the birds on the island; the gentle rustle of dry leaves in the breeze and the rhythmic lapping of the gentle ripples against the pontoon and embankment that was built to prevent flooding onto the perfectly manicured lawn.

I stretch slowly, deliberately as I inhale deeply. My worries drift downstream with the ever flowing current and I feel serenity. I have my health, my greatest love, my family, my life to be thankful for and I make a silent promise to myself to come back here. Soon.

My favourite portraits from last week's link up with Jodi's 52 project are of these sweet faces, from the magic of bubbles to the cheeky expression and tiny toes. These are precious images. I was also struck by the humour and sweet nature of this little one as she bathes her brother in the kitchen sink.

Less than one week remains to enter our giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, the link may be found here. I will announce the winner on the 17th of June, 2013. Good luck my dear blogging friends and check back soon for another fantastic giveaway that I'm bursting to share with you all... As my readership grows, so too does my excitement with our giveaways.

You're going to love it!

Bella xx

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Our Little Herb Garden

Late last year, as the daylight hours grew longer with each passing day and the temperature began to soar, we packed up our entire lives into cardboard boxes and moved to a beautiful seaside house.

Within our first week I had accumulated the first seeds for my future vegetable garden. I hastily planted a rosemary root, plucked from my mother's garden, planted cherry tomato seeds and pushed tiny black basil seeds into the soft earth.

Fast forward almost three gorgeous Summery months and the dried, spiky brown rosemary root has been ripped from it's tiny grave and tossed into the green waste bin for collection. How does one kill rosemary? My mother said it was one of the most durable, low-maintenance plants to have in my garden and that I couldn't kill it if I wanted to.

Well I sure showed her... I'm not proud of this.

Luckily the basil took off and we can use the first leaves very soon. I cannot wait to serve a meal with fresh produce from my garden, it will almost make up for helplessly standing by and watching as the rosemary faded from lively green to deathly brown. Almost.

Yesterday I decided that I would plant seedlings in premium potting mixture with the finest vegetable fertiliser available. I spent the afternoon heaving 15kg bags of potting mixture into a shopping trolley with a broken wheel. Unfortunately I did not realise the trolley wheel was broken until I tried to navigate my way through the checkout, then zig-zag across a massive car park. I'll call it exercise, my spectators might have called it comedy.

I watered the tiny seedlings as soon as I arrived home, placed them in a sheltered area in our garden and went to bed, dreaming of crunchy green cucumbers, firm red tomatoes and bulging purple aubergines.

When I woke up, I skipped down the stairs wearing my 'Gardening Clothes' because it was time to get serious. I was covered in the daggy threads one might consider throwing into the rubbish bin, but not me! Once outside in the bright sunshine, I began the painstaking work of lifting rocks out of the ground, digging deep into the dirt and removing the soil (Read: It was actually sand, not soil) that had sucked the life out of my rosemary.

On a day where the temperature soared to 32 degrees Celsius (that's about 90 degrees Fahrenheit), I managed to plant cherry tomatoes, eggplant and some of my herbs, including one of my favourite herbs, sage.

I took a break in the warmest part of the day and was surprised to discover how much cooler it was inside. I cooked a traditional Massaman curry for dinner, it's on the stove right now as a matter of fact (smiles smugly) and tomorrow I am looking forward to planting the following: Vibrant green stalks of Italian parsley, a small bay tree with shiny dark green leaves, oregano, fresh mint and tiny cucumber seedlings.

I'll keep you updated on the planting progress and what I eventually prepare with the vegetables and herbs freshly grown in our little green garden.

Backyard bliss!

Bella xx

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