winter months

1. Winter walks on the beach 2. Smokey and Blackie being taken to their grass patch in the sunshine 3. Winter Willows 4. Snow peas on a frosty morning 5. Hannah's beanie beautifully hand knitted by VictoriaOC 6. One hundred kilos of macadamias 7. Matryoshka Doll measuring cups 8. Chili in the middle of winter? 9. Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett, a new favourite book.

puppet community

Oma knitted these finger puppets for us when we were little kids. A bride, a groom, a bridesmaid, a school girl, a school boy, a baker, a grandma, a grandpa, a nanna, a mamma, a daddy, a teenager, a baby, a sailor, a swimming champion, a hunter, red riding hood, Sinterklass and Zwarte Piet. My favourites were always the bride and groom and Sinterklass and Zwarte Piet (Saint Nicholas and Black Pete. Sinterklass is a celebration on the 5th of December in Holland to celebrate the naming day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of Amsterdam. It was such an exciting day for us as kids).

Mum kept the finger puppets in the attic all these years, and recently brought them back to life for our children to play with. I really appreciate now how much work went into making them and how beautiful they are. Made with the most intricate details, using tiny buttons, feathers, beads and embroidery.

cuddle blankets

When my sister was pregnant a couple of years ago I knitted this blanket for her baby boy. I think this was the first handmade thing I had made in years, and possibly what got me back into being creative. I also made one for Hannah when I was pregnant.

Little cousins and their blankies.

Ot en Sien

Ot en Sien (Otto and Francine) is a series of children's stories set in Drenthe in the early 1900's about the daily life of two Dutch children growing up next door to each other. The stories written by Hendricus Scheepstra are inspired by Jan Ligthart's idea of showing young people what was considered a "healthy daily family life". The stories however, portray an idealistic version of what life was considered it should have been, rather than the impoverished provence Drenthe actually was. During the first part of the twentieth century, the stories of Ot en Sien were extremely influential in elementary school education as a teaching tool for reading. Generations of children in The Netherlands have grown up with the stories of Ot en Sien.

When Mum emigrated to Australia she brought these hand sculpted clay figurines and a book illustrated by Cornelis Jetses. They are something I have strong memories of playing with as a child. Ot en Sien are a definite reminder of childhood.