She collects sea shells by the sea shore.

She collects sea shells by the sea shore.

She listens with amazement at the rush of swirling air of the beach that is coming from her shell by the sea shore.

We all love a treasure hunt by the sea shore.

She likes mother of pearl shells. She likes the smooth rainbow of colours and dreams of finding a pearl one day by the sea shore.

He has time to dream and plan a mobile made from white shells with holes in them found by the sea shore.

She loses track of time and distance on a walk with her Mum and comes home with sore legs and a bucket full of treasures from the sea shore.

And she (I) adores cowrie shells. She can't help but pick them up and admire their patterns and shapes. She dreams of finding a large dark one with white spots one day by the sea shore.

We fill our hands and our pockets with sandy treasures by the sea shore.

We collect greedily, hungrily....and then, after a while....we drop a lot of sea shells for others to find and use as habitat by the sea shore.

And she, my big girl, spends hours soaking and washing and rinsing and cataloguing the shells. It makes me so proud when people walk past to ask and admire them and listen as she tells her stories and answers their questions.

Thank you for a wonderful time 80 Mile Beach. We feel beachy and sandy and are enjoying the clinking sound the shells make in their box as we travel to the next sea shore.

Happy travels. xx

My place and yours - Our collections.

I love collections!

I love the way having a few of something together changes the way it looks as a single thing.

I have so many collections, mostly craft related but for this post I am limiting myself to one and have chosen my rubber duck collection.

This collection sits in the kid's bathroom on the window ledge (too dark in there today). The ducks I have bought are always second hand but I have been given some gorgeous new ones over the years. The ducks are pulled down and dragged around the house, but I don't like them in the bath because some of them are a bit old and used. I haven't bought a new one to add to the collection for ages because the window ledge is quite full, but I have considered building them their own shelf so I can.

Bren collects tools. No rules about where they come from or new or used, just lots and lot of tools. A while ago he had a dream that he was driving around the back streets of Daylesford and came across a new hardware shop hidden away. Somewhere only the locals knew about. He was disappointed when he woke up.

Indi collects owls.

Jazzy collects Barbies.

And Pepper collects words. I can't remember what the other two were like at this age but her language and sense of humour astounds me. She calls her toy turtle Armpit, she told me last night that she wanted to sleep in a huge bed (not a cot) in Indi's house (room), and she calls Bren Brenny, 'Bye Brenny, I taking the big girls to school now'.

Thanks so much for playing along this week and letting us have a look at your collection and thanks so much Pip for letting me choose and wear the crown for the week.

Announcing the theme!

I am thrilled to be this week's theme queen for the My Place and Yours game over at Pip's lovely blog.

After a week of changing my mind and deciding and then redeciding, I have come up with a theme that really excites me and I hope it really excites you too.

My theme is MY COLLECTION!

I want to see a photo or photos of what it is that you collect.

Then if you feel like it you could let us know what your collection rules are;

Does it have to be green? Does it have to be from another country? Does it have to be second hand or a gift? Does it have to be old or complete?...

What constitutes a collection for you? Is it more than three of the same thing? Is it rare things?

Is your collection ongoing or is it complete?

...what's your story?

I am so excited to come and see.

For those that have never played along, this is how it works.

1. Sometime over the next few days post on your blog your personal interpretation of this week's theme My collection. At the bottom of your post link back here to my blog, as this week's theme queen, and to Pip's blog, Meet me at Mikes, so other people who read your blog can see what it is all about and play too. Here is my last week's entry so you can see what it looks like.
2. Tomorrow morning Miss Pip will post a blog over at Meet Me At Mikes announcing the week's theme, My collection.
3. At the bottom of her post will be a list of all the people playing this week.
4. At the bottom of the list, next to the last number, it will say You are next. Click here to enter your link.
5. Once you have clicked there, you will find a space to fill in your name. You can put your blog name or your real name it really doesn't matter.
6. Under this is a space for your blog URL.
7. Click on the enter your link button and you are officially playing.
8. Pour yourself a cuppa and click on some of the other links to have a sticky beak into the homes of other people all around the world and at their collections.

Does this all make sense?

Are you excited?

I am!

I really hope you can play along so I can come and visit you sometime over the weekend.