Hanging at Ruthie’s

Yesterday I had the very rare opportunity to visit my mate Ruthie. I hadn’t seen her in the longest time, 2 years? Maybe 3? But time didn’t matter, we managed to pick off exactly where we last left off. Lots of laughs. Belly laughs. Hugs. Coffees. And the kind of conversations that never get finished, go down different roads and then back again, and for me the very best part? Being able to sit around her kitchen bench and watch her cook.

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Ruth is a busy woman. 5 boys. FIVE. Grown ups right down to little (18 to 8) and her house is filled with colour and life and noise and life. It’s glorious. Her kids are amazing. Like legit, proper amazing. Smart and kind and tolerant and creative. And that shit doesn’t happen by accident, it’s hard bloody yakka over a long amount of time. But those boys sure did strike it lucky when they landed in that family with those parents, that Mum. She pours her heart and soul into that family and home.

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You can check out her gorgeous home when it featured on The Design Files last year. I was reminded yesterday of my best friend Soph when I was growing up and her house. I loved to stay there and visit when I was little, it was the same kind of house, it feels the same way, just full of life and love.

Clever clogs Ruth also recently discovered a talent for ceramics. What started as a simple creative outlet for all that GROWN UP LIFE has turned into a serious talent.

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What a lovely thing to see someone that you love discover something that they love, and that they are really good at, and be successful at too. How good is that?

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She wouldn’t want me to bang on about it, but how can I not? You can check out her cleverness on her online store here and I mean, really, HAVE A LOOK AT IT.

I’m so proud of her. Lucky that I can call her a mate and so glad that I got the chance to sneak in a few hours with her yesterday.

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I hope it’s not as long between visits.

Have you got old mates you can pick up with exactly where you left off?
Got a clever clogs friend you want to tell me about?
Need to buy someone a great pressie? Go shop here now!

I also went shopping to THE most amazing place ever here. And bought a cute top from here.

Comments

  1. OMG – Ruthie is amazing. Five boys – that’s intense. I often wonder if we will have four boys. I have kinda always imagine that that would be my life {even when I was little and playing with dolls}.

    After moving back to Sydney {after 10 years in Canberra}, I picked up my friendship with an old school mate, like we had seen each other the week before. We have both had babies {our eldest are 4 months apart, our middles are 1 month apart and when my third arrives, those babies will be 6 months apart}. We live similar lives and share similar parenting styles and it is just so easy.

  2. Ruth is SO wise! I wish I could be half the parent she is!
    And really, there’s not many things better than having a friend you rarely see but time & distance don’t mean a thing. I’m lucky to have a friend like that too. I miss her everyday but whenever we speak it’s like we seen each other yesterday. It’ll always be like that for us. I just hope one day we get to see each other WAY more often.

  3. Your amazing friend Ruth made fabulous bowls with the best advice for boys…..”Be kind, be grateful, love big and don’t be a dick”, written on them – I bought 2 for my boys to give them when they leave home (one leaves in 2 years *sniff sniff*) – I love ‘pick up where you left off mates’ and have a few fabulous ones around the world. I just spent the European Summer home in Oz and picked up where we left off with several mates, all from different times of my life and most of whom just happened to be in the one city. It was quite the catch-up with conversation (and bubbly) flying every which way – I loved it.

  4. Josephine sando says

    How proud do you think I am to be mum to that Ruthie? Actually ‘humbled’ is more the word, as I marvel at her at least 16 hour days, constantly on the go with her merry men and her own creative work and her cooking and her music and her photographs and her relationships and her writing and her man ( did not mean to put himself so far along the list!) and and and ……..Her abilities and interests are myriad. Anyway, you know what I mean. She’s a legend.

    Ps I love the way your photos capture Ruth’s essence and spirit. A beautiful heartfelt post. Thankyou.

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  1. […] reminded me that last year when I was visiting my friend Ruth that we were both talking about how our time and friendship online has stretched out about 8 years. […]

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