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Saturday 30 June 2012

M for Monsoon







English summer - it comes and goes as it pleases, and I'm quite used to packing my bag with different clothing options for Odessa, just in case in suddenly gets very hot... or it rains again.

Fortunately we are going on holiday very soon and it's time to prepare Odessa's wardrobe for a very hot Sardinia. Both the dress and shoes you can see above are from Monsoon, which is my favourite shop for summer clothes for my daughter. I love their charming flowery pattens and gentle colours, their simple dresses or tunics with thoughtfully designed little details - which makes it stand out (not to mention the very good quality - I buy lots of Monsoon clothes second hand on eBay or in Fara Kids charity shops - and they still look great).  These dresses are a little bit "hippy", but their romantic styling make it perfect for summer picnics or trips to the beach.
  

Monday 25 June 2012

goodbye



The kittens have been with us for over a month now and have perfectly adjusted to our small family. We adored them from day one and were fascinated watching them growing and changing every day. 

It has been a wonderful experience to have five of them around us, constantly jumping and playing somewhere in the background. I will never forget Odessa pushing them all over the house in her toy bus.
  
I do believe it's great for kids to grow up with pets - it teaches them to care for and respect animals. We did engage Odessa in taking care of the kittens - she was allowed to pick them up when they were very little - we taught her how she should handle them, she was giving them milk and helping us find them when they went missing. She was also making them cups of tea with her other dollies and insisted they needed to get dressed or dance ballet. On a few occasions they ended up locked in one of her drawers or wardrobe - but the kittens loved her anyway. In the evening they sat on sofa and watched "Aristocats" together (see pictures).

Odessa was a very lucky girl to observe whole process from the beginning; first our cat Bea being pregnant, then the arrival of the kittens, opening their eyes , learning to walk and eat etc... I tried explain to my daughter as much as I could - I hope she will remember some of it.

Unfortunately, the kittens had to go - we do have two cats already and Tim claims more than two is 'crazy old lady territory'. So it's time to find kittens new home. Saying goodbye is part of life I guess, and a skill to learn for Odessa but still very sad.






Thursday 21 June 2012

new

First few images taken with my new camera - let it be the beginning on a new chapter.






Monday 18 June 2012

'I want...'

- Odessa would you like to go shopping with mummy and daddy?
- No!
- Where would you like to go then?
- To the museum!


You see it's generally great that she wants to go to Museum and prefers it to shopping, but the thing is Tim and I really wanted to go the shops... so then comes the next part of this ritualistic conversation which I'm not very proud of:


- Odessa if you go shopping with us mummy will buy you a new toy! (Yes, I know how wrong this is!).
- No! I don't want a new toy! I want to go the museum to see the rocket! (and by that she means she wants the Science Museum).


At that moment I just have to sit down and take a breath because slowly I have finally realised one important thing: my three year old daughter is a GEEK! A ballet dancing, numbers obsessed geek. (Anyone who has ever met Tim or myself knows it's not her mother she gets it from).








Of course she did go to Science museum as you can see in the above images. The photographs are of Odessa and Tim planting "virtual trees". 

Friday 8 June 2012

and a bit more sunshine







The shorts Odessa is wearing are from Laura Ashley children's collection and are another great charity shop find. I think they go really well with Odessa's laid back personality.

Monday 4 June 2012

full of sunshine

Running bare foot on the grass, an imaginary cup of tea in the tree house, lunch in the garden with friends and lazy hours in the paddling pool - it's what summer should be (ahhh).  I'm looking out of my bedroom window with raindrops on the glass and the sound of the wind in the background and those few warm, amazing days seems like a distant memory. Now we are back to the 'English Summer' and Wellington boots.


Our current home is Odessa's first house with a garden - which is big and wild and very much loved by the whole family. It's likely we are not going be living here next year and it might be our last summer in our magical garden and it's how I want to remember it - full of sunshine and children's laughter.