K State Gardens in summer!

These photos might be nearly a month old, but I've been wanting to share them since Jimmy and I walked around the K State Garden in June. So, here they are. K State Gardens in summer!

There's really not much to say about the Gardens that I haven't said before. There's also no need to point out that Jimmy likes water, and would have gone into the fountain if I'd let him.

Despite the dark clouds, we did not get caught in any rain, and the time we had in the garden was fun, until Jimmy fell into a strawberry patch... Ops! He went into the Manduca pretty quickly after that, and from memory he stayed awake the whole walk home.

There are more photos...

Missing/Enjoying: Fresh air...

It might be difficult to tell, but I took this photo in winter. January to be precise. And yes, the windows were wide open.

No, I'm not crazy.

Ok, maybe I am, I am from Queensland, Australia, after all.

Now, coming from Queensland, I know a few things about the cold - mostly that the novelty is nice, even if I feel I need to sit on a heater just to stay warm. Having lived in the tropics and subtropics for the best part of the last 10 years, I know a lot more about living in hot, humid climates. The most important thing to remember is when to open the windows and curtains or blinds.

In winter, in Warwick, Queensland, I have memories of my parents opening windows for short periods during the warmest part of the day and usually on the sheltered or sunny side of the house. The windows were shut tight an hour or two (or three) before the sun went down, and might not open the next day. In summer, east facing windows were shut and curtains drawn after 8 am and opened after midday, when the windows and curtains on the west side of the house were closed up. In Brisbane it was relatively easy to do the same thing, although in summer we would open the house up once the sun was down, to let the heat out.

This practice allowed for some fresh air coming into the home, most of the year. And it was good. It wasn't until last summer, our first in Manhattan, KS, that I realised how much I like sleeping with windows open when night time temperatures are above 20 C (~70 F). I realised this because there were many nights when we couldn't open the windows because it was either raining or hotter outside than inside, even if we were only 'cooling' the place to ~30 C (85 F). We would sleep with the ceiling fan moving the hot, heavy air around while we stewed in our sweat.

Summer passed, and there was a brief period in the autumn fall when we could leave the windows open just a little, without getting a chill. And then it was winter proper.... and it was cooooold - Queenslanders know nothing*. The apartment was closed up, stuffy even, so every chance I had, I opened those east facing windows until the thermostat hit 15.555 C (60 F) and then I'd close the place up again.

It was worth it.

And now it's summer again. And it can be really, really hot - over 38 C (100 F) in-the-shade hot. And our apartment faces east. It's on the top story. There's a concrete carpark outside. Oh and the hottest part of the day is around 2-3 pm, sometimes later. Hot-box much? Some days there's nothing else to do but close the windows and blinds and turn on the A/C....

Initially, just like last summer, we were 'cooling' the place to ~30 C, but Jimmy and I were still sweaty, cranky creatures in the stuffy hot-box. So, after a few really, really hot days, I turned the A/C to 28 C and it made a huge difference. The apartment was still warm, but the temperature much more bearable, and we weren't sweating anywhere near as much. Even Michael noted that the 2 degrees Celsius made a huge difference. And no, the A/C doesn't seem to be working harder to maintain the lower temperature.

But the funny thing is that when the day is mild and the maximum hovers around 30 C, it is actually nice having the windows open, letting the air flow through the apartment, and having the noise of the day drift in and out. The apartment might be hotter than it would be if we closed the place up and turned on the A/C, but there is just something about fresh air.

Hot or cold, fresh air is what it is: fresh. And I like it. I miss being able to sleep with a window open 9+ months of the year, but we're aiming to move back to Brisbane, so I'll enjoy the dramatic changes in the air, when they come... in a few months... In the meantime, there is always the A/C to keep us from melting, even if it means no fresh air for a few days.



*Ok, ok, so there has been a cold snap across Australia, and there has been snow in parts of Queensland, but 3 days is nothing compared to 3 months. Just saying.

Over the weekend we...

Had a little birthday party for Jimmy. And didn't take a single photo. Except a photo of the cake (and yes, it's the same recipe that I made for his birthday breakfast).

Just like last year.

And just like last year, it happened sorta-kinda by accident, but it is also easier to host and get lost in the moment when I'm not trying to get a photo of a fast moving boy. (I'm also really bad at asking my friends if I can use photos of their children here.)

It was a lovely gathering and it was really good to keep the numbers low - Jimmy, like so many small children, can be overwhelmed by crowds and lots of noise even in his own home. The two small children who were able to make it seemed to have a great time and left tired but happy, even if one of them wasn't that interested in going home. Jimmy slept well once the guests were all gone, and he was happy to see his friends today, so I think he enjoyed his birthday party.

One of the things about having guests over for special events like birthday parties is that it's nice to have a clean house for everyone. Yes, I'm not a huge fan of cleaning and sorting, but there is something about clean surfaces and organised books. It won't last long. The mess is already returning.

On Sunday we found some uninvited guests on our sage... Three little, green caterpillars had been happily munching away on some of the leaves. And of course I didn't take any photos. Story of the weekend? The wee beasties are gone now, so are the damaged leaves, but the sage might still need a little attention. Ah well...

Michael and I stayed up late on Sunday night, reading our books. And then there was a storm, just as I was crawling into bed. Let's just say today required lots of coffee and a nap. At least it was cool enough to have the windows open.

29/52

a portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015

Jimmy: "Actually being noisey."

Yes. Noisey.

Noisey, noisey squeals of joy and laughter.

Jimmy has been discovering his outside voice in a big way and it is mostly fun... especially when being sorta-kinda trapped by Daddy while Daddy takes photos - yes, Michael took this brilliant photo while entertaining Jimmy (by taking photos and running around the apartment).

Sweaty...

It's hot. We're a sweaty, stinky bunch, and that's with the aircon on! Mind you, we have the AC set at 30 degrees C, just so that we don't died of shock when we head outside and it's 40C in the shade. Sometimes we make it to the pool...

The concrete is sometimes so hot that none of us like walking on it. I worry that it might even burn Jimmy's little feet, but so far, so good.

And then, when we think we've had enough, the clouds come over and open up and cool the whole place down...

Walking around trees in the rain is always fun, and makes the pines smell differently, fresher and sweeter. But the best thing about rain is the puddles that are left behind. Always jump in the puddles.

The cool day was just that, one day. Oh well. It's nice to know that sometimes summer isn't always 40+ degrees C, even if those days are few and far between.

Two

We celebrated Jimmy's second birthday last week. I would ask someone to pinch me, but Jimmy is so different from a newborn, so different from a crawling baby, and so different from an early walker.

The sounds that come out of his mouth are different too. Surprise, surprise. He imitates and copies, and if we're not careful he might start sounding like Ron Weasley, if Michael and I keep saying "bloody hell"...

We had a great day making a fuss over our little boy. The night before, Michael and I set up a tunnel outside the bedroom door and scattered Jimmy's presents throughout. We have built tunnels like this enough times that Jimmy knew what to do, and made for the emergency exit after opening his first present.

For breakfast there were strawberries and blueberries, just like last year, and this year there was cake. Wholemeal, almond meal, and honey, plus the usual eggs and flour etc. It was his birthday, and birthdays mean lots of cake, as far as I'm concerned, especially if it can pretend to be a healthy one.

There was a trip to the library, and one of Jimmy's presents (a matchbox car) joined us AND returned home - win! And there was a trip to Arrow, naturally. We were there after 5pm, and, because we didn't warn them the day before, they were all out of monkey bread... But Daddy was there before Jimmy and I, and so, the lovely staff at Arrow made some fresh monkey bread for Jimmy! What a birthday present! Even if Jimmy was unaware of the special treatment, Michael and I felt the love.

We took the monkey bread outside to do the whole blowing-out-the-candles thing (because none of us were sure it was ok to do it inside), and Jimmy was able to get up close and interactive - no burns, no fires, he was O.K. Then we went inside to enjoy the treat and the aircon.

Not that it was that hot. Once we were done, we head home, via our favourite footpath. And even though we had a gallon of milk to get into the fridge, we stopped at this little playground for a few slides.

A few... well... it was more like one slide and a bit of running around and investigating the equipment. It's a cute, well thought out playground. It just needs some shade cloth, and to be closer to home, and it would be perfect.

Slides are serious business. So is that tshirt Jimmy's wearing - it's a birthday present and it's just the loveliest cotton, soft and substantial and it's turning out to be a favourite already.

We fed a very tired boy pizza and more cake for dinner. Oh he was tired, but he knew what to do when we presented him with candles and started singing. He stayed up rather late, but that was ok because it was his birthday, and he had to have a red bath, just like Bunny.

Thank you so very much Granny & Pop, Grandma, Grauntie L, Auntie K, and CF & R for Jimmy birthday presents - Michael and I have been in denial, and reluctant to add anything to the list of things we need to bring back/give away, so we haven't actually given him a present yet. He is thoroughly enjoying all his presents, they are new and exciting and extending his knowledge and skills, and the clothes will come in handy.

And thank you Michael, for being Jimmy's Dad, for taking photos and letting me use them here, and for doing almost all of the tunnel building.

If you haven't read already read it, here's Jimmy's birth story.

No, I still can't quite believe it's been two years. Happy birthday little man!!

Over the weekend we...

Pretended to be mad dogs or Englishmen, and went out in the heat and midday sun. I kid you not, it was hot but so worth it.

Michael had to do something in the lab, so we kept him company, until Jimmy was going to slow and we were in sight of Michael's building and Michael ran ahead. By the time Michael was done, was were at the building.

We stopped by Arrow for Italian sodas and monkey bread to keep us hydrated and fueled for the walk home.

We also stopped for dandelions, squirrels, dirt, and the occasional stick, hat adjustment, and tickle.

Jimmy and Daddy played chasey along the path, mostly to keep Jimmy moving at a reasonable speed so that we could get home before we all melted in the heat. It was over 30C in the shade, but still just pleasant enough.

Somehow we returned home without sunburn or heat stroke. And then we stayed home for the rest of the weekend. Michael did do a quick ride to Dillons for some food, and we did go to the pool, but most of the weekend was spent indoors, avoiding the heat... melting, melting... oh what a world...