Tania McCartney's Riley & the Jumpy Kangaroo - a Journey Around Canberra INSTAGRAM book GIVEAWAY

Greetings all,

Welcome to the first ever Tania McCartney Instagram book GIVEAWAY!! 

The much anticipated & exciting release of a new Riley journey with Ford Street Publishing is another fantastic adventure with my local gal pal author Tania's creative mind & Kieron Pratt's delightful illustrations.  

POSIE REVIEW: Riley the Aviator takes his famous red bi-plane & animal friends on a journey around Canberra, to discover who is making all that thumping raucous & action packed commotion??  Your children will love this cleverly photographed & beautifully illustrated journey all over Canberra, as the Jumpy Kangaroo pings, pongs, bounds, zigs, zags & catapults around  the landmark sites of Australia's capital city.  Will Riley catch up to the Jumpy Roo??  What is she in such a hurry for anyway??  Luckily Jumpy stops long enough to smell the tulips at the magnificent Spring Floriade flower festival 

. . . to find "exactly what she'd been looking for."

 Tania concludes her stories with a heart felt ending & writes about cities she has lived.  They are a mix of street-smart & tourist must-see items for any adventure.  As a fitting tribute, Canberra is celebrating its Centenary in 2013!!

Recent journeys have included A Grumpy Wombat in Melbourne; A Curious Koala in Sydney; A Dancing Lion in Hong Kong: & the original . . . A Sleeping Dragon in Beijing.  Collect them all, my children absolutely adore this series of books.  More information & order details at TaniaMcCartney.com.      

 For your chance to . . .

win a copy of Tania McCartney's 

Riley & the Jumpy Kangaroo 

A Journey Around Canberra

 . . . head over to my Instagram feed Posie Shoots & leave a comment at the 'Tuesday 30th July Riley & the Jumpy Kangaroo post' to enter!!  You will need an Instagram account, please follow Posie Shoots & enter between Tuesday 30th July & midnight Sunday 4th August 2013.

The full Jumpy Roo tour schedule is here, for more reviews, news & chances to win copies of this fabulous book.   

Good luck everyone, thank you Tania for asking me to host, it was such fun, as always - a pleasure working with you!!  Love Posie

Want more Tania McCartney magic in your children's book shelves . . . here's a sneak peek at her next book . . . to be released with Exisle Publishing in the coming months, illustrated by the divine Tina Snerling . . . the perfect gift this Christmas!!

Comments have been closed on this post to ensure you do not place your entry here!!

do you like shacks?? i took photos of stacks!!

Greetings all,

I have loved shacks, sheds, barns, machinery-lean-tos & rambling old broken down cottages, forever.  I recently took a string of photos of such visual delights up & down the Pacific Highway between Sydney & Brisbane.  I wasn't sure if they would be well received & posted them on Instagram . . . it appears many of you like #stacksofshacks too!! 

 Some are quite long barns, industrial & booming in their day.

 They have been left to the elements . . . 

 to reveal the most beautiful weathered wood & rust.

 Really loved the feedback on this image - referred to as a 'salty car window at high speed' filter.  It's not perfect & i think that makes it even more special, even with part of the car window blocking out the bottom corner.  I'm not a professional photographer & don't pretend to be either.

 The dramatic skies & lush paddocks add to the character of this cottage.

 This mossy shed was my favourite, collapsed & consumed by the landscape.

 I much prefer these open machinery sheds with light flooding through . . .

 because these dark enclosed sheds freak. me. out.  Creepy!!

 The lean on this old gutted barn is amazing.  

 You can just spy the Clarence River in the background of this image of an open shed near Grafton, so this would now be completely flooded over.  I've seen some lovely old wooden shacks lifted off their foundings & floating flooded rivers in Queensland on the news.  Crushing.

It was pretty lush & waterlogged when i took these images a month ago, the water will have nowhere to go but create a massive flood plain.  Heartbreaking for the locals.  Stay safe flood victims, love Posie

choosing chicken breeds for your needs

 Greetings all,

I am constantly asked about keeping chickens - how, why, which, what, when & who.  It's quite flattering as while i'm a huge cheerleader for the backyard chicken, we haven't even had them for a year yet.  I do my research & a lot of love, goes a long way to keeping animals alive, happy, fed & flourishing.  Toss in 4 eager pairs of hands to help, you have tame, friendly, healthy & vibrant pets!!  

Today was a scorcher - all around Australia - 40C here in Canberra with a hot wind blowing in your face . . . & we were off to collect a couple of 3 month old Plymouth Rock pullets.  WHEN: we've only had baby chicks in Winter, keeping them alive during -5C nights was quite manageable with their feather coats & older hens' wings to snuggle under.  Of course, as new borns, they were indoors under heat lamps on tiny blankets.  Raising chicks over Summer requires water, shade, cool breezes & more water.  

HOW: our chickens have a coop (bought on line, half the price of pet stores, even with delivery) under waterproof shade cloth, with extra nesting boxes, all elevated on crates - off the ground.  We have extended the chicken wire from the side passage - the full length of the garden, so they have over 40m of wandering, under hedges & shrubs too.  Chickens prefer covered spaces with trees overhead, so don't discount the idea of extending a chicken run around/ including bushes, they'll love you for it.

WHY: we chose Plymouth Rock chickens today, for a few reasons . . . a) it's a breed we haven't tried yet, b) we could purchase some locally, c) they are beyond pretty with amazing feathers, & d) they are both an egg laying & table bird breed, something to consider when we move to a real farm to produce our own 'meat'.

 WHAT: we prefer the slow growing breeds - so their legs can hold their weight.  The average/ inexpensive chicken raised for supermarkets are fast growing (it's all about profit, maximum turn over, mass production) & their legs cannot support the weight of their 'huge breasts' = cruel.     

WHICH: a mix of breeds is fun, interesting, aesthetic & an adventure.  We have Spangled Hamburg, Pekin Bantam, Rhode Island Red, ISA Brown, Wyandotte, Araucana, Silkie, Indian Game, Plymouth Rock & cross breeds.  The Pekin Bantams would be my pick for young families - so friendly, easy to handle & not at all overwhelming, loving a cuddle; the Wyandottes are nortoriously unfriendly, shy, aloof & our Saxophone (white Wynadotte) prefers to stare at a fence than let us love her.  My favourite is the Araucana as they lay coloured eggs (blue, green, lavender, khaki) & they know they are the princesses, soak up the attention, love a little adventure & are so pretty.     

 WHO: this is 'who' humans??  Chickens thrive on a wonderful variety of healthy kitchen scraps, ours adore the animal husbandry & time we put in - cleaning & freshening up food, water, scratch piles & nests.  By extending the run to the back fence, they have a hill to wander, endless places to dig cool dirt nests during the hot days & chat to us through the wire/ windows/ gate all day.  They lay a fantastic amount of eggs & we appreciate it.  One day we will breed a table bird group for eating, but we won't tell them that, just give them the best lifestyle . . . until it's our dinner time.   

I would invest in a couple of books, don't overwhelm yourself with internet searches & information, keep it local, then experiment with different breeds, starting off with ISA Browns is excellent - they are fabulously friendly, inquisitive & produce almost an egg-a-day, however, they are very common.  We use The Contented Chook from the ABC Shop as it's Australian, filled with common sense, ideas, recipes & local know how.  They require simple feed, water, nesting boxes & perches.  

Above all, they make the most lovely pets, with interesting personalities & quirks.  They are fantastic school holiday entertainment . . . teaching children the highs & lows of real life, love & loss.  You have to ensure your chickens are safe, from foxes, hawks & dogs.  Some chicks stop thriving & fade away, but best give them a fighting chance with absolute security.  

I've been tagged on Instagram #5shotinstachallenge theme #chooks, if you want to see more.  Enjoy, love Posie

Summer is bush fire season in Australia

Greetings all,

Skies over northern Canberra tonight, smokey from grass fires & we've heard sirens all day.  I know many of our wonderful (& handsome) firemen are off into NSW fighting fires as they are at the mercy of catastrophic conditions - where things here are under control.

It's still pretty steamy here tonight, i think i'll flick the air conditioning on low to sleep soundly.  Such a luxury - i know many people are without electricity or running water.  Thinking of them all, those still in danger & the heartbroken who have lost everything.  Stay safe Australia, love Posie

last minute Christmas shopping . . .

Greetings all,

Personal plug for my 12 year old business, which is closing down, sigh.

MASSIVE 

7 day sale

30-80% off

vintage style imported Tshirts 

including American Apparel

printed paper bags & coloured twine

jam jars with labels

Kirsten Doran screen printed panels

Christmas lanterns, napkins, plates & cake stands

toadstool lights, erasers & lamps

Moyou acrylic jewellery

party decorations for tables & cakes

hanging tissue fans

toys, books & games

+ special offers . . .

spend $100 & receive a copy of Handmade Living book,

flat rate shipping Australia wide & credit cards welcome.

store closes/ last orders Monday 17th December, shop here, SHOP NOW!!

I'm also doing a market on Friday night 4-8p.m. at Downer Hall ACT, details here, come along for nibbles, drinks & gorgeous locals selling their wares.  More incredible bargains at the Posie stall, always with a beaming smile & EFTPOS.

Thanks for your support, you won't be disappointed, love Posie

hello Summer

Greetings all,

Welcome to Summer in Australia.  It's hot & dry, stormy & humid, where we all hang out for those Southerly changes with a cool breeze blowing off Antarctica.  

The smell of Summer . . . mangoes - when we lived in tropical Darwin, we had mangoes falling in our backgarden.  A local road side fruit stall was stocked full of mangoes, so i loaded up with 4 punnets of strawberries, 9 mangoes ($1 each, bliss) passionfruit (3 for $1) avocado, tomatoes & the world's biggest capsicum (50c each!!) 

 The colour of Summer . . . blooming flowers - incredible & vibrant.  

 The skies of Summer . . . stormy - vast blue skies are swept away with amazing storms & lightening displays, the humidity builds & the rain brings cool relief. 

 The taste of Summer . . . pavlova - i have been making the BEST pavlovas since we've been raising chickens, the egg whites in the meringue are like nothing i've seen or tasted before.  Says a lot about egg whites being FRESH!!  My 3rd daughter (aged 11) decorated this pavlova, she made the meringue, whipped the cream, chopped the strawberries & flicked the passionfruit.  

 The heat of Summer . . . escape - i have no idea how feathered friends stand the heat, there have been a lot of random dirt nests dug up around the garden this week.   

 The benefits of Summer . . . produce - our tomatoes are on their way, 3 different varieties this year, mixed in with chillies, all growing wild with this heat.

I love Summer, the way the washing dries so quickly, the general feeling of light happiness inside, endless days by the pool & soaking up the holidays.  I can't wait until the children finish school, as always, my eldest breaks up first, it's treasured one on one time with my first born.  Love Posie  

PS don't forget the current giveaways - good luck, Duplo Lego ends tomorrow!!

celebrating 'blog day' . . . yes really, there is a blog day!!

Greetings all,

NuffNang are celebrating Blog Day 2011 by asking their subscribers to recommend 6 great blogs from around the world.  Easy??  Oh so hard to narrow it down.  So i close my eyes & hold my breath, spin around . . . & i'd love to share a mixed selection of fabulousness . . .

the talented TexWis Girl from The Run*A*Round Ranch has a beautiful photography blog i frequent, capturing delightful 'postcard' views of nature & her farm animals (with names & stories, like Elvis & Priscilla - her resident ducks in the pond) around her patch of earth in Texas USA. 

 Loving the life, cooking, style, mothering, fashion, travel . . . TinaJo from Sweden at her TinaJo@Home blog does it all, so effortlessly, glamorously, fantastically.  I'm new to her too, so when i visit i go back a few blog posts each time to soak up more of her world.

 Oh oh oh, LONG time fan of Heidi over at The Polka Dot Petticoat, blogging from Alaska USA.  Here you'll discover updates on the local family of moose who moved into her garden, an amazing converted house filled to the brim with a lifetime collection of vintage & antique finds, creating a cosy home, which photographs like the pages in a coffee table book.

 It's a French vintage style children's shop-spin-off 'le blog'.  Do i even need to say more??  Dorothee from My Little Day has the most incredible eye for detail, colour, styled photo shoots & old school party fun, she needs to be shared with the world.  Can't read French, use an on line translator, 'le blog' not to be missed.

 Yay for Australian blogger Jacinta from MODELmumma in country Victoria . . . who just announced (Beyonce style) her 3rd baby bump!!  Congratulations!!  This girl can rock op shop finds, mix colour, bohemian prints & $1 finds like nobody else.  She's also a hat person, i know, she's got it all going on + she makes the alterations on vintage fashion herself!!

 Talk about handmade talent, honest parenting, heart breakingly down to earth, wholesome & all star American - she's a mother of many, married to a handsome fireman . . . i have followed Samantha & her journey on The Handmade Dress blog for years.  Anyone who can put an image of themselves in this situation - the exploding nappy - is totally keeping it real.  She also makes beautiful patterns for children's clothes.

Like my selection?? 

Familiar with their blogs already?? 

Pay them a visit, they are fantastic ladies with a lot to offer, you'll only be enriched by the experience with eye candy & feel good vibes from the clever people who make up this world, one blog at a time.  Love Posie

top of the morning to you

Greetings all,

Happy New Year!!  As my piggie calendar tells me it's 1.1.11 so a top of the morning to you all.

 Truth be told, i've had a migraine for past 3 days, but blogging & housework in small doses was possible.  What a joy to wake up to a 90% migraine free head + all these wonderful, meaningful comments - you guys are the greatest, i've never thought of myself as 'inspirational' i'm just an Army wife & mummy who sews a lot!!

 My chipper handsome soldier is making pancakes for the children . . .

 & i should start removing the upsidedown birds from the Christmas tree.

 It's hard to put away super fun decorations like this Oxfam reindeer from our gorgeous friends Rob & Lisa (thanks you two!!)

 But the recycling needs to go out, 'twas a good Christmas (says me, the non drinker & starting today . . . non chocolate eater).

So if you're in Australia, no doubt you're having a scorcher today or humid blast of hot Summer rain, we're swimming our cares away!!  Wishing you all the best in 2011, love Posie