i feel it in my fingers, i feel it in my toes...

i finally found a RARE photo

from when we first met

all those years ago

wasn't he handsome?

*swoon*

i was 21

he was a worldly (to me) 28

softly spoken

articulate

funny

did i mention handsome?

i knew he was husband material 

about two minutes after we first met

(i don't know why it took so long)

he was washing dishes, vacuuming and reading a bedtime story

to my friend's young daughter

for him it may have been when i used to turn up in
 fluffy, cow-shaped slippers...

late at night...bearing ice cream...

offering to spare him of the agony of two-fingered keyboard poking

with my speedier typing of his uni assignments

i remember moving in together just weeks after we started dating

it never felt crazy or impulsive

there was simply no other way to be...

except together

that was sixteen years ago

 and today marks the day we sealed the deal

on 22 September 2001

since then its been a wondrous, beautiful journey
travelled together

made lovelier, livelier and louder now

with the addition of two cute and crazy little people

let the magic continue...

happy anniversary, my darling

yours forever

Es

ode to tom...

brother to 14 

father of 5

grandfather to kate, thomas, emily, megan, lily, ben and sean

friend to countless others

and the love of nancy's life

we are all going to miss you

a hole in our hearts 

a void in our lives

now filled with cherished memories

the big laugh

the impish smile

that twinkle in his eye as he told another one of his jokes

love always, and rest in eternal peace

R.I.P
Thomas Joyce
6 .6. 1942 - 17.9.2012

ta-daaa!

its taken us seven months

to finally get around to 

re-painting and repairing the lounge room at the front

completing its conversion into our new

master bedroom

there was much sanding::spak-filling::plastering::painting::polishing::varnishing

the dust is still settling

the top photos are the walk-in wardrobe, waiting to be fitted out.

 the maroon and yellow HAD TO GO

now its clean, crisp and waiting to be prettied up

i assembled the bed myself today too

i am not the most efficient and skilled at DIY projects

but somehow

with determination

fuelled by the imminent return of my love

who has been away visiting his family in ireland for two weeks

i did it

my hands look like those of a labourer

cuts, broken nails

roughened skin

but it feels GOOD

the fun bit is next

decking it out with my favourite

pretty things

candles

pictures of my loved ones

bitsy furniture

making it a romantic and cosy

sanctuary

nature's riot

every year we wait patiently for spring

heralding new life

a bit of colour injected into the landscape

the amazing range of wildflowers

that spring (pun intended) up

dazzle with their intense

colour

the ones i like are usually

non-descript and tiny

the thrill is spotting something in amongst the show-offs

kings park is the place to be

over the next couple of months

i get boring whenever we head out there

as the fancy camera comes out and gets a good workout

everlastings are my favourite...

whats yours?

the centre of our universe...

he is the core of our family

he is there for every

grazed knee and

wounded heart

he makes us laugh louder

and more often

the love he envelopes us in

is fierce and theres nothing like it

we are everything to him

and he, to us

love you like crazy

Happy Father's Day

seaside salve...

i've been feeling a little fragile

missing my love

missing his warmth, smell and voice

life's chaos is the same while he is away

but there is no one at the end of the long day 

to work out its kinks and knots with

today i felt drained and in need of some joy

so i decided a visit to the sea was in order

fremantle

a lovely place far away enough to feel like we are escaping

but close enough to home so its do-able in a couple of hours

we took in the roundhouse

a tunnel underneath led to a beach

fossicking through tumbles of seaweed for cuttlefish bones

watching the waves lap in and out

breathing in the salty fresh air

stumbling across a gallery featuring lovely local art

with two artists in residence painting away while we watched

grumbling tummies led us on to our dinner

familiar smells led us to a nearby chippie where we got our squid rings, chips and 

battered barramundi

more exploring afterwards

climbing pylons on the beach, following old railway tracks

finishing with over-the-top sundaes

the sun had just set

and the rain clouds rolled in before we could find shelter

we ran through the rain

shivering, ducking and weaving

laughing

 in the dark through ancient norfolk pines

till we found our way back to the train station

they are tucked up now

warm and dry in their beds

little smiles on their faces

and the sunshine is back in my soul

those wings are growing...

Miss 7.5 & Mstr 5

how the heck did that happen?

i've been getting glimpses of what my

little people will be like as

BIG people

i want a 'freeze' button

to stop time

and relish who they are now