the mural

Howard has done a spectacular job with the mural! Fortunately, we had painted the walls not too long ago, so all we had to do was the actual mural. Because we both work in rivers, it seemed to make sense that we should have a river... and the tree is somewhat reminiscent of our wedding invitation (by chance!).

This is how the mural looked in the very beginning. I like how it rolls over onto the ceiling. That makes Bugalugs smile too:


Here you can see the river, surging and tumbling behind the crib/cot:


The mural wasn't just Howard's project though. Lots of people got to help out. Here I am with Bugalugs, working on the sedges (notice how Bugalugs helps to hold up the palette while I paint - what a good kid!):


Howard added some magical gold leaf to the autumn leaves (I found Semilla in here a couple of days later, barking at the roof and freaking out a little because of all the orange and gold - she's used to it now and happily sleeps on the rug any time):


Bugalugs' grandmother Claire added a nest of bunnies to the mural (inspired by grandfather Jim!):

And Auntie Cathy added a praying mantis, hiding in the sedges on the bank of the river:

I love that the mural turned into a community art project! There is still room for the other grandmother and auntie to add their little animals.... Maybe Mum will be inspired by the swooping magpie in her yard. Any suggestions for Auntie Kristin?

And here is the final result:


Pretty cool, hey?

Is half-and-half really a dairy product?

The other day, I happened to notice the expiration date on the cream that Howard puts in his morning coffee. It was a nice little reminder that Bugalugs will be with us soon (possibly, he/she will be here before the cream goes off!).

Lately I have been wandering through the supermarket, searching for tasty things that may satisfy my increasing appetite. Oddly, I keep finding myself loitering by the puddings. You know the place - jello, tapioca pudding, weird mixes to make caramel-flavoured puddings, gooey chocolate things in tubs...

Normally, I wouldn't even look twice at these things. Usually, I'm more interested in the wholesome sort of stuff that we normally eat, like the food that comes from our garden, and not interested in things that come in little plastic tubs. In fact, I have spent the afternoon making relish from home-grown tomatoes (I'm trying to have it all in jars before Howard gets home from the San Juan so he doesn't get a nosefull of vinegar when he walks in the door. It's bubbling merrily on the stovetop now).



Obviously, the pudding thing is an anomaly. But a very delicious and tasty anomaly. I blame Bugalugs....

Chimayo

Well, it has been a couple of long, hot weeks around here. And busy! So very BUSY! Ayesha went to another conference and Howard did a couple of river trips. We have been harvesting tomatoes and eggs like it's going out of fashion. We're still working on the nursery - it's now inhabitable, but there are still a few finishing touches (more about that in a future blog, once it's all finished!). Ayesha is convinced that the swamp cooler is busted and is finding alternative ways to keep cool (this involves lots of fans, lots of damp towels and driving to the supermarket to loiter in the frozen-foods aisle).

Happily, field work has finished for Ayesha and Howard only has a couple more trips left. The big belly was getting kind of awkward, climbing in and out of the truck and running around in the river. The office used to be too cold, but now it is a relief to be in air-conditioned comfort every day!

To celebrate the end of field work for Ayesha, and her 35th birthday, we headed up to Chimayo last weekend. We stayed at the wonderful Casa Escondida and did very little, other than lots of lazing around. Unfortunately, the only restaurant in town was closed for renovation so we headed into Espanola for dinner and found a great place to sit outside with Semilla and watch the lowriders cruise by...


The next morning, we had a beautiful breakfast on our private patio (with our very well-behaved dog!) before heading out to take a peak at El Santuario de Chimayo - wow, what an incredible place! The church is filled with retablos and santos and so much colour! In the back room, there is a 'sand pit' with healing powers - the walls are lined with crutches and photos of people who have been healed by the sand. Amazing.



Oh, and then we popped into the local store to get some santos and popsicles...

(This may look like an innocent country store, but really it was jam-packed with a busload of tourists, all desperate to get their hands on a bag of authentic Chimayo green chile and some silver jewellery. Needless to say, we didn't last very long inside.)

After all that, we high-tailed it back to 'Burque to get on with normal life. (And to go to Colleen's bridal shower - hooray!)

the bump is growing....

It's been the usual hot summer weather down here in the Southwest. I'm developing cankles and the need to nap in the afternoon (especially after a day in the field). Ice cream is my saviour.













Finally, the bump comes in handy. Here I am, looking hot and sweaty, but enjoying some home-made berry ice cream - conveniently balanced on my belly.

[My belly makes an excellent trap for tasty crumbs and spills!]

Howard was out on the San Juan River again last week. Often he brings me home little gifts from his trip - usually an interesting stone, or an unusually-shaped stick, or sometimes something that he has whittled. A couple of days after arriving home, he suddenly remembered that he had a gift for me. I was expecting another little piece of nature to add to the collection. He told me to close my eyes and I felt him lifting up my t-shirt and pressing on my belly. When I opened my eyes, this is what I found:

In case you can't read it, it says "Australia navel".

Bugalugs growing up...

It's been a while since we updated the Bugalugs photos. A lot can happen in a couple of months....

This is a couple of months ago, back in the good ol' days when I could still fit into my normal clothes.












A couple of weeks later, and a new skirt (hooray!). The bump is growing but I still look like I'm just chunky, not pregnant.























Now I'm really starting to look the real deal. Semilla might be starting to wonder what's going on (that's her nose that I'm looking at).
















Oddly, Howard's belly isn't getting any bigger. He has a lot of catching up to do if he wants to get to my size!

Even though his waist is still the same circumference, he's complaining of other pregnancy symptoms - wants to nap all the time, gets really hungry and has an aversion to yoghurt. But I guess that's nothing new....

WHB: I don't want to nap all the time!!


And here is a cute photo of Semilla, just for fun.

Pecos wilderness (Holy Ghost Creek trail)

One weekend, late in June, we headed off to the Pecos Wilderness with our good friends Aaron and Leslie. It was wonderful to see some green forest and to walk in the cool mountain air....







It was Bugalugs' first backpacking adventure - 6.5 miles to camp and five months pregnant! Here I am in some very attractive Grandpa Pants - my usual attire no longer fits.










Semilla had a wonderful time on the trip. She loved adventuring and running backwards and forwards. She never goes too far out of sight - she always runs back to check that the humans are coming along as well.














Here she is at Stewart Lake, admiring the view and wondering if she should swim across and see if Howard is catching any fish. (Howard did indeed catch a trout - Ayesha and Bugalugs got to eat it that night for dinner because we forgot to pack the garbanzo beans that had been on the menu.)
















Here's the happy camping crew, coming down the mountain the next day.

We saw a billion wildflowers that weekend - wild orchids, roses, lots of things that we didn't know how to identify...


Finally, here is a must-watch video. Semilla is part otter and part beaver. And part clown.

She was a very tired puppy the next day....

If you want to see more silly dog videos, leave a comment and we'll stick some more up here!