All Hallows Eve

Miss Nine

Miss Six

Master Three

Our Welcome Gate - Dead roses and Skellies

A New Friend

This is Asha, my beautiful first born child. She recently turned nine years old. And on Sunday while our studio was being demolished (did I mention we were renovating?) she found some geckos in the roof. They are named Liz and Ed. A boy and a girl, she googled, nine year olds can do that, and she worked out their genders, and made them a home. It has rocks for sleeping under, sand for burrowing, water for drinking, and each night she and her brother and sister go outside and find bugs for them to eat. 

Last night Liz and Ed both lost their tails. I think the children need to be a little more gentle with them. They are soft friendly little creatures. I hope that my kids don't love them to death. 

Flying Fox

Asha and I have just returned from a long weekend in Auckland, catching up with old friends and visiting places which have a lot of memories for us. You see, for those who don't know, we moved to Auckland in January 2005 when Asha was two and Lulu was two months old, then returned to Melbourne in September 2008, with our little souvenir, Geordie, who was then six months old.

So for almost four years it was our home, where my little ones grew up, went to kindergarten, started school, where we brought our son home from hospital. We made the most wonderful friends, caring supportive fun friendly people, and it was a wrench to leave that beautiful country. This past weekend was the first time back after almost three years. And of course, not too much had changed, it was as amazing and beautiful as always, the harbour and Rangitoto Island, the gorgeous villas, the wonderful people. They really turned the weather on for us too.

Anyhoo .. I will stop there and share a special place to us all, Little Rangitoto Reserve, or Upland Road Park as we called it .. and the amazing Flying Fox. We couldn't imagine anything like this in Australia - tell me if I'm wrong! - and Asha started on it at the age of two! I wasn't there of course, Matt decided it was a good idea, when I found out I was horrified! But Kiwis are courageous cool cucumbers, and I had to fit in with culture didn't I? Lulu started on it before she turned two, and kids are always standing on the platform in line awaiting their turn. Parents sit babies and toddlers on their laps and have a go, parents have a go on their own! It's all fun.

Below you can see images of Asha as she grew, in the first pics she is two, Matt running by her under my instruction to catch her if she fell! - second lot of pics she is three, and in the last video aged eight, just this last Saturday.

Untitled from Jo Beveridge on Vimeo.

The BIG Clip

These single Mega Clips are on 68mm strong metal snaps, wired to 45mm buttons. 

They will be available on my Etsy tonight. 

Please visit my Facebook page and 'like' to be in the running for special offers and giveaways!

Magnficent Magnolia

There is a magnolia tree in our front garden. It's only wee by magnolia standards, but it's coming into bloom at the moment. Deep purple buds are forming, and they are taking me back to a very special time in my life. There are huge magnolia trees further up the hill, higher than the homes they belong to, cluttered with petals, leaving carpets of colour below them already, but our little tree belongs in our garden, at the bottom of the hill, shadowed and cold and moist, and the buds are only forming now.

There are a few friends of mine who know how meaningful the magnolia is to me. When we lived in our second home in Auckland, from 2006 to 2008, there was the most beautiful magnolia you could imagine in our rear garden, it was the hub of the home in many ways, it sheltered us, cheered us, the kids climbed it, swung from it, it was adorned with balloons at parties, pinatas hung from it,  it dropped it's leaves in winter to allow us to bathe in the sunlight through the living room window, then grew them again to shade us in summer. And in Spring, the most amazing blooms. It was the backdrop to almost every family photo for those two years, however unfortunately I've lost a lot of photos due to computer hard drive crashes, but wanted to share a few remaining ones with you, from our home in Benson Road, Remuera. It was the home where we lived when my firstborn started school, where we brought our baby boy home to when he was born, where we had parties and friendships and love and lots of laughter. I miss that house, and I really miss that tree. 

Just arrived, 2006

New Gumboots :)

Christmas Elf 2007

Blythe Backdrop

My view from the couch, morning sickness to the Max. 

Fathers Day 2008

New Spectacles for Lulu