Monday morning water cooler catch up

Sheesh that was a long morning wasn’t it? Anyone else ready for School 1.5 hours earlier than usual? Or was that just us? The old change in time always keeps you on your toes, or your tired toes. All those people that talk of enjoying an extra hour of sleep obviously don’t have children because it actually just means that you have to get up at 5 instead of 6, 4 instead of 5. Needless to say, I’m a little weary. But grateful that the end of the week means school holidays at LONG LAST. It’s been a loooooong term. We’re nearly there.

So let’s pretend you are making your way through to the photocopier to do something, maybe you just have paper in your hand and you’re actually on the way to get a coffee but need to look busy (or was that just me that did that when I worked in an office?!), maybe you are filling your water bottle. In any case, let’s stop and have a chat amongst adults.

How was your weekend? Get up to anything interesting?

Me? Well thanks for asking! We actually had a cracker of a weekend – long overdue! No sick kids and I even started to feel better after a shitty week. Friday afternoon we were in visitor prep mode, gardening and taking in these glorious autumn afternoons where the shadows are long and the light just so glorious. Mags and I sit outside and watch Rob go round and round and round, eating the odd chive as she goes.

IMG_1634

While I did the housekeeping inside. Flowers in vases, fresh sheets and towels, cleaning the bathrooms that kind of thing. I’ve got it down pat after 5 years of this hosting business.

IMG_1648

We had the start of the hockey season Saturday morning and both girls had great games that were actually good to watch and it wasn’t freezing cold – a good start to a very long and cold season ahead of us. We then hightailed it home for some last minute preps before the visitors arrived. I went all out and trotted out a tray of fresh scones (you can get the recipe for them here) and a bottle of French for their arrival. We caught up with these guys when we were in London in 2014, they have just moved back to Australia after 16 years in London. It was so nice to be able to host them and show them a little of our country life, and show those English kids a little about Australia.

IMG_1657

It was the most GLORIOUS Saturday afternoon. We went for a walk around the village, up to the pub for a cider (for the Pommies, Coopers for the Aussies), the kids scooted, oh man it was just one of those picture perfect Highlands afternoons. The light! The leaves on the trees, the ones where you just know that THIS is what life is about. How lucky we are.

IMG_1658 IMG_7779

We set up the fire pit outside, got the kids fed and then sat as the sun went down and the last of daylight savings faded away to the top of the world. I was busy inside getting dinner ready when I came out and couldn’t believe my eyes. THE SKY! The most amazing sky. Thanks summer, we will miss you but you sure did put on a grand finale for us. Thank you.

IMG_6229 IMG_6232

Then it was inside for a lovely dinner (I’m allowed to say that because I made it and it was delicious). I roasted a rib eye (over did it bugger it), slow roasted some cherry tomatoes with garlic for an hour or so on low then threw it all into a hot pan with a bunch of silver beet, some roast potatoes and a big old jug of béarnaise (I use this recipe and double it depending on how many there are). A good bottle of red, some candles, some Van Morrison crooning in the background, it just doesn’t get much better.

IMG_6239 IMG_6235 IMG_6236

Guests left after breakfast and a drive to our local waterfall and National Park, and it was a quiet and slow Sunday with lots of drawing, movies, book reading and baby wrangling. And now there’s a house filled with lovely flowers and quiet.

IMG_7563

So it was a cracker of a weekend. Thanks for asking! I do tend to go on a bit.

How about you? Did you have a good weekend?
What did you get up to?
Good luck getting through that final week of school, and if you are already on holidays, enjoy!

Comments

  1. Whitney Sigler says

    We painted a bedroom that’s for the grandchildren then picked up a sofa at the local thrift store for them. Now I have to paint the trim and decorate. The oldest and his family stopped in with pizza Saturday evening. I also did 6 loads of laundry and today doe Sunday supper I baked a ham along with beans and mashed potatoes.

  2. That sky! Oh Beth, how amazing. I love the sound of your weekend.
    On Friday I was lucky enough to spend the day with my niece Matilda. I had to set the alarm clock, which was a shock to my non-parental, not-working-at-the-moment system, and our day together was lovely. We started with pancakes, if you please, we hung on the couch and took turns reading, RD’s Matilda if you don’t mind, then we were off to IKEA to meander and find a suitable kitchen stool for m’lady’s cute butt when she visits.
    We had lunch in the sunshine, then it was art time when we got home again.
    So much fun! I love hanging with my niece.
    She’s good with a flat pack too. Quite a handy kid to know.
    I’ll call that my weekend highlight, because there’s not much I love more than being with her for extended periods of time.
    Hats off to the parental units, she wore me out!

  3. I was already envious of your weekend when I saw scones & champagne on Instagram. It all sounds delicious & perfect. Mine wasn’t bad – but was tempered with a 9 year old having had a double whammy of a circumcision & dropped testicle operation during the week. Meant we were split up for weekend activities & grumpiness of the 7 year old who still had to do her chores and over compensation of pain by the patient.

  4. Michelle Collins says

    Love living in the highlands Beth, we are so lucky! I spied that funky looking bench by your fire pit, it’s fantastic! I want one.

  5. I’d give anything to feel the pain of switching back the clocks. Queenslanders miss out when it comes to long summer evenings X

  6. Sounds like you had a glorious weekend. The start of hockey season here too. We had more summer weather and enjoyed a day on the river yesterday with friends.

  7. Sunset on Saturday was special! We are out on the south coast, but still a doozy. Love your fire pit. Scones are on my list for the school holidays. I’ve never made them, and I have decided now is the time to sort that out. Also sausage rolls. Do you have a good recipe for those?
    Daylight savings meant Sunday morning ended up being ridiculously productive, with garden weeded, 3 loads washed, pumpkin soup made for the night we get home late due to swimming, all by 10am. Ridiculous!

    • Google Gourmet Girlfriend chorizo sausage rolls they are excellent! I have a cheat version on my blog where I just buy a good quality sausage and roll in puff pastry – works a treat! The fancier the sauso the better the roll.

  8. The husband has been working night shifts (and weekend nights) so our weekend largely involved me keeping the toddler A) quiet or B) out of the house so he could sleep! There was a glorious roast chicken, and some fairly special time with rellies in there. Love your blog Beth x

  9. Shazziebazzie says

    Yep all up at the arse crack of dawn here and ready waaaaaaay too early. I am so stealing this meal next time we have people over, yum. Once you go rib eye you can’t go back. We had a similar weekend of sport, friends, homework, work and baking. I do love a rainy Monday at home alone. Sooooooooooo looking forward to school holidays. Mostly because it means no before or after school activities!

    Nice to meet you on Easter Saturday ?

  10. Wow, sounds blissful Beth!
    I spent my weekend absolutely exhausted because our beautiful almost 5 month-old has decided sleeping through the night is for the birds and he will now be waking every few hours thank you very much. Plus we had our school quiz night which is tiring in itself due to the need to use one’s brain- oh well it was fun! And I might just live vicariously through your idyllic weekend and pretend to be relax & rested 🙂

  11. Lisa Mckenzie says

    Sounds beautiful Beth it was quiet around here ,I don’t have children at home but I could not keep my eyes open last night..so tired!

  12. That dinner sounds delicious! Your friends are so lucky they have someone who puts so much love in to their visits.

    We had the usual 3 lots of dancing classes on Saturday morning. The rest of the weekend was pretty slow and easy. Had major blues on Saturday – who knows why! So I slothed around all day! But cleaning up my baby girl’s bedroom on the Sunday lifted my spirits. We dismantled the cot and took out the change table and now our baby number 3 is in a big girl bed and that is the end of babies in our home. Sad but exciting! She was super excited to add decorations to her room and make it her own.
    It’s amazing what a bit of clearing out can do to lift your mood.

  13. Weekends like this are my favourite. A bit of fun socializing with one relaxing day too! We (well, my fiancé) built a chicken coop, had friends over for dinner and a movie, picked up our new chickens, did lots of cleaning and lots of snoozing on the couch. As a teacher, I am hanging out for the holidays! Need to recharge 😉

  14. Weekending for us involved more building/renovating new room we’re doing behind our carport to make way for baby in the house! Picked up our GORGEOUS reclaimed elm benchtops for built in desk, got them installed by late Sunday (took us all bloody weekend!) and starting on custom open shelving for another wall. Takeaway pizza was involved in our dinner menu! And pottered around in the garden a bit with the wayward toddler, planting out some Winter veg – cabbages, carrots, beets and broccoli.

Leave a Reply to Louise Cancel reply

*