Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (Wednesday 7 January 2009 )... at 2am

Outside My Window... darkness brings a blessed coolness and relief from a sweltering day. The UV index yesterday was at 12 - on a scale of 1 - 10! Today is going to be another scorcher.

I am thankful for... catching up with my mother and brother for a post-Christmas picnic.

From the learning room... I am going to teach Wombat how to play "Go Fish" with the set of Cars cards we gave him for Christmas. I started with SNAP but it was a bad idea - the point of the game was lost in the boyish joy of running around hitting things and yelling SNAP! Fish should help with matching skills, concentration, taking turns and manual dexterity in manipulating a hand of cards.

From the kitchen... very tasty (NOT!) a new batch of playdough is needed.


1 cup of flour ; 1 cup of warm water; 2 teaspoons cream of tartar; 1 teaspoon of oil; 1/4 cup of salt. Mix all ingredients. Stir over medium heat until thick (I keep stirring until I can hardly move the spoon). Remove from pan and knead on a floured board until smooth. Add colourings if desired and extra flour if it becomes sticky (I have used watercolour paints, food colouring and chalk in the past for specific projects, but since it all becomes a uniform grey or brown within minutes of Wombat getting his hands on my pretty rainbows, for everyday play I leave it plain). Place in airtight container.


I used this same playdough recipe to make saltdough ornaments for Christmas. We cut out Christmas trees with a cookie cutter, brushed them with water, sprinkled green glitter, and pressed beads into them for decorations. Worked beautifully just left to air dry for a week.

I am wearing... a loose tunic dress I made when pregnant with Wombat, and an oversize striped t-shirt. I want to make more of these dresses, and some light, long-sleeved peasant blouses to go under them, as they are so comfortable for summer.

I am creating... softies, still. Here are the pictures I promised last week. Meet Bounce (the bunny) and Pounce (the kitten).

I am going... to sneak outside when I finish this post and hang the five loads of washing I did today. It feels so wonderful to be out in the cool and the quiet when everyone is asleep, just me (and the possums, wombats and wallabies) under the glorious starlight.

I am reading... about 'Emotional Freedom Techniques'. Though sceptical at first, I have been trying out this method of do-it-yourself acupuncture without needles and am becoming more and more impressed with it. I really want to share it with my Mum as I think there is a good chance it will help her manage her back pain which is becoming increasingly resistant to medication.

I am hoping... and praying for lasting peace in Gaza. I keep thinking of all the children there, and of how truly lucky my family is to be free from such strife.

Around the house... the heat has brought rats in from the bush to shelter in our roof and walls. The rats drop lice eggs which hatch into invisible itchy-bitey-bugs. So, lots of washing, vacuuming, baiting traps and airing the house until I get rid of them again.

One of my favorite things... the trust of Wombat's hand in mine - and the joyful grimace on Munchkin's face when he first tastes sweet potato.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

• battle the bugs


• re-enrol at the College of Law to finish my graduate diploma


• print out this beautiful calendar


• write a ballade about ants by Friday

Here is picture thought I am sharing... our picnic with Mum was at 7 Mile Beach. The picnic area was quite nice, shady, very clean free BBQs (though we hadn't bought anything to cook this time) and Wombat even got to have a good conversation with a friendly kookaburra (see him sitting in the branch at the very top of the pic?).

The beach, however, was another matter - so windy that we were being sandblasted the whole time we were there. Munchkin fell asleep immediately in his pram, swathed safely under a mossie net and sunshade (Yeti had a great hint for getting a pram over sand - PULL, don't push!) Mum and Peter didn't like the wind much, so stayed with Munchkin and turned their back to the gale. It doesn't look at all windy in the pics, but you can just see the streaks of blown sand near the water's edge. Trust me, it was a rather blustery day, as Piglet would say.

We wanted to make sure Wombat brought home some good memories after driving for hours to get there, so Yeti launched the kite and I did a little bit of paddling, after showing Wombat the shells we had promised him he could collect.

Wombat took to shell collecting immediately, and only when his bucket was full to the brim did he give in to personal comfort and decide "It's time to go home, NOW!"



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