TuShare - a sharing community

Recently my friend shared a story of her Nana that warmed my heart. It was during the great depression and with her husband away at war she brought her first babe home from hospital alone. Rather than face the daunting and unending task of stretching her pennies whilst raising her child single handedly, the ladies of her street rallied. Their own nests had been carefully scrutinised and household necessities were salvaged. Towelling nappies, sheets and even food coupons were selected from already meagre supplies and were shared with much grace and generosity. It was the way people did things. A walking past your own front gate and offering a hand; a sharing community.

Whether it is the tempo or the demands of modern life that have seemingly driven us back inside our four walls but the concept of community is skewing, and not for the better. What with anything and everything simply the click of a button away with credit, convenience is trumping our sharing spirit and sadly our desire to mend and make do is being eroded.

But innovative souls are harnessing the undeniable power of this technological age and marrying it with grass roots philosophies.  Tu share is such an organisation. Through the incredible reach of the Internet an altruistic energy is passed on to thousands as people can share their unwanted items with those that need them for free. From the 1st to the 5th of June they are launching their first ever Flash Share with a goal of sharing 5000 items in a single week.To be involved you simply find some unwanted items around your home, log on using your smart phone and share a picture and some details. Tushare will connect you with people who need your item and they can either collect it from you or Tushare will organise secure and easy delivery at the cost of the receiver (with special Tushare rates).

With reuse and recycle as its core philosophy this initiative is something that heartens me greatly. Filled with community spirit and providing a good excuse for decluttering this is a wonderful opportunity to extend a hand..We have hunted out a pile of unwanted household goods and I so look forward to sharing them. What might you share?

Steph x

21/52

"A portrait of my babies, once a week, every week."

Bijou -  We found a shady spot on an very warm Autumn day and she played in the sand for hours.

Remy -  Unhappy with our choice of fresh lemonade and little Dutch pancakes he chose to devour a punnet of strawberries instead.

Steph x

Joining in with the beautiful Jodi.

20/52

"A portrait of my babies, once a week, every week."

Bijou - Weekend mornings are slow, gentle and full of giggles.

Remy - Watching the diggers down the street. The bench top next to the sink is simply the best vantage point.

Steph x

Joining in with the beautiful Jodi.

spinning top

She has always been impulsive, high speed and animated just like her Mumma.  But lately these effervescent ways have bordered on hyperactive.  Constant fidgeting, up and down at the dinner table and an inability to stand still and focus on one task at a time.  At first we blamed tiredness from school and the need to let loose after a day of structure; a lot of brain work and not much physical activity.  And although school and its new routine is certainly bringing its share of interesting behaviours, it was something much closer to home that was causing her erraticism. It was me.

It's no secret that I struggle to sit still and will find something, anything to do to keep me busy and moving. Idleness doesn't come easy to me and I often teeter on the neurotic edge of hyper efficiency. What with school schedules to adhere to, uniforms to be pressed and lunches to be packed I spiralled into a "doing" juggernaut - an efficiency spinning top.  Ironically, I wax lyrical about a slow childhood yet have been creating a far from simple existence for myself.

When I truly scrutinised my behaviour I realised that Bijou was simply mirroring my patterns.  Conversations with eyes darting from child to task and then child to the next task, and dishes packed up and in a sink full of soapy water while mouths are still chewing.  I'd stepped on a "get it done" conveyor belt fuelled by fear of forgetting something, being late somewhere or not having something prepared.  And sadly, I was dragging my girl along for the head spinning ride.

So I slowed down.  I now linger at the dinner table. I put down things and look my people in the eyes when they're talking.  Yes, the jobs are still there and yes, we've been late...and forgotten things. And life goes on. But in my stillness I'm seeing so much more. Where my thoughts once spun from the crumbs on the floor to the ironing pile to the note to be signed, they now seek out the crooked smiles, the tousled hair on pillows; the quiet, hidden things.  In my constant haste I was missing so much of the little sparks of my babies.

So now each day I am consciously slowing my movements and we're seeing a dramatic change in her.  I think we're all seeing a change in me too.

Steph x

19/52

"A portrait of my babies, once a week, every week."

Bijou - She makes sunglasses with her hands to help cut out the glare.

Remy - He arranged and rearranged coloured pens in the morning sunlight. 

Steph x

Joining in with the beautiful Jodi.

winged sprites

Native foraging, windy day rewards; speckled, mottled and crinkly.
Quiet time together, oh so special "grown up" tools.
Personalities emerging, stories ignited.
Wisps of the natural world, winged sprites.

Steph x

a creative life

On a recent camping adventure I found myself with a small group of children and time to kill.  Producing a few watercolour palettes, some brushes and old jam jars of water, I sat back and watched it all unfold.  There was no question of ability, whether their creations would be deemed "good enough". They colour mixed, splattered watery paint ,experimented with their tools and moved from paper to bark to leaves and back again. They worked with ease, confidence and abandon; they created.

Creativity is an innate component of being human not a rare gift ceremoniously lavished upon a lucky few.  I truly believe it is as much a part of being alive as eating, drinking and love.  Some people have been privileged to have it fostered in their early years with exposure to mediums, tools and skill development opportunities. But early exposure and lessons aside, the seed of creativity lies within each and every one of us and it is what helps us to problem solve, invent, manage a household and parent children. It defines our individuality and provides a way to unleash our true feelings like no other.

Over the coming weeks I am going to explore creativity;  I'm endeavouring to redefine it. I will unpack the creative process and explore ways to weave creative time into the everyday. Hopefully I can offer some organisational strategies for spaces and time to encourage exploratory "play", discuss some mediums and tools and tackle the demons of self criticism, doubt and confidence. Creating in the everyday is something I am deeply passionate about so I hope you will join me on this journey.

Steph x

18/52

"A portrait of my babies, once a week, every week."

Bijou - Awake and full of life not long after sunrise on our camping adventure.

Remy - Proud as punch from climbing high on the granite boulders.

Steph x

Joining in with the beautiful Jodi.