Hello and happy festive season! I hope this post finds you well - no doubt also feeling the after-effects of December's indulgences and hopefully enjoying some much-deserved down-time! The Australian summer holidays are in full swing and we are savouring a few weeks at home with no real plans beyond casual catch-ups and plenty of beach and outdoor play. We were treated to a weekend on the river to commence the school holidays, and whilst it meant turning down several subsequent social invitations, it was a great way to escape the pre-Christmas hustle and spend some quality time in nature with friends and the kids. Floating in the river, jetty jumping, stand-up paddle boarding, boat rides and basking in the sun certainly set a laid-back tone which we've fortunately carried through the latter part of December.

Geed up on geocaching!

"Geocaching is the world-wide treasure hunt that's happening right now, all around you. 
There are 2,482, 791 active geocaches and over 6 million geocachers world wide"

Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site

I first came across geocaching on Nature Play SA's list of 51 Things To Do Before You're 12 where "find a geocache in your neighbourhood" features at number six. It stood out as the only activity on the list I'd not heard of, and the description "global GPS treasure hunt you can do with most phones" piqued my curiosity. I started to see references to the activity about the place but still wasn't actually sure what was involved when a free 'come and try' geocaching event at our local wetland was advertised. Bingo, just the incentive required to get our treasure hunter on!

Weekend Wildness

"We need the tonic of wildness"

                                                                                                    Henry David Thoreau

Winter's concluding month has been characterised by multiple bouts of illness for our family, and for the past week and a half we've been caring for one especially miserable toddler. The side effects of this run of illness have included a strong case of cabin fever and sleep deprivation for all, as well as a sudden drop-off in our family outdoor adventures [the cumulative impact of which may have just elevated us - ok, me - to borderline crazy status]. 

Rethinking the reli-bash agenda

Alright, confession time: for the past three years my parents have lived next to an expansive recreation park aaaand... I only stepped foot in there a few months ago. 

hang. head. shame. 

The too-hard basket is overflowing with potential reasons slash excuses: a[nother] sick pregnancy, an unwell infant, the mombie haze, and a tendency for our reli-bashes* to occur within a ten metre radius of the dining room table. Hmm. It still doesn't quite add up, but oh well - this one will just have to be put down to a case of c'est la vie.

The good news is visits to Grandma and Pops' place have taken on an extra dimension since realising the park lies before us. Walks now feature as a key agenda item: the gumboots are gleefully put on, spare clothes packed, the dog runs in wild circles of anticipation, and off we venture. We descend down a dirt track and then find ourselves able to select from numerous walking trails, any of which will have us follow and traverse small creeklines lined with towering River Red Gums and South Australian Blue Gums. 

Project Wild Thing - now only a keyboard away!

A quick heads up! Project Wild Thing is a brilliant, funny and truly inspirational film created by British filmmaker David Bond - and as of today it's available for viewing worldwide via this link! 

So what's the deal?

Project Wild Thing is a film led movement to get more kids (and their folks!) outside and reconnecting with nature. The film is an ambitious, feature-length documentary that takes a funny and revealing look at a complex issue, the increasingly disparate connection between children and nature.

a family farm and woodland wanders

"Why get families outdoors? Quite simply, nature is good for us... Family ties are strengthened, a sense of community is nourished, and a sense of place is cultivated. All in all, nature is good for children and their friends and family, too!"

Nature Clubs for Families Tool Kit, Children and Nature Network

Like many Aussies, I made the most of a spate of mid-autumn public holidays by taking three days annual leave and getting a block of ten days off in return - high fives all round! The break coincided with school holidays and some extended leave for my husband so we took up a couple of opportunities for low-cost family adventures in regional South Oz. First up was our trip to the river, closely followed by a visit to a family farm in the state's South East.

The SE's Limestone Coast is one of my favourite parts of the state to visit in cooler months with its crisp air, rugged coastlines, pockets of diverse scrubland, expansive agricultural lands and world-class wineries. This affection for the region is also steeped in nostalgia: my father's side of the family descends from the SE town of Naracoorte and there's been plenty of [infamous] road trips over the years to the coastal village of Robe and surrounds with uni, friends and work.  

word up

hello! I've had a short hiatus from the blog courtesy of a smashed iPhone. Bill for a new phone aside [let's not go there], I really enjoyed being unplugged for a while. The urge to check the phone quickly diminished and I made my way through a couple of books. A tech detox every now and then is definitely a good thing, and is all the impetus I need to start day dreaming about somewhere out of range I could take the kids in the July holidays... A few days in Deep Creek Conservation Park with a wood fire, beanies and kangaroos is currently winning... keep you posted!

This week's word up comes via Richard Louv and his book Last Child in the Woods. In the chapter "Cities Gone Wild" Louv explores the assumption that cities don't have room for wildlife. Zoopolis is a word Jennifer Wolch [director of Sustainable Cities Project] uses to imagine cities transformed into habitats through land-planning, architectural design and public education. It gets a double-thumbs up from nature // street - let's dream big! 

4th of May: a day to play [outdoors!]

"Many of us don’t get out into nature much. We’re too busy, plugged in to screens and rushing through our busy lives. But nature is crucial to our health and wellbeing — and to the health of our planet. Let’s reclaim nature and grow our connection with each other and the places we love!"

Australian Conservation Foundation

Today was "Play Outside Day", an initiative coordinated here in Australia by the Australian Conservation Foundation. The Day is a great example of the global movement recognising the importance of nature and unstructured outdoor play for the health and development of children [and adults!].

dream / inspire / do

enchanting visual stories celebrating all things nature, simplicity and play

 ***

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow"

Audrey Hepburn

The poor vegie patches are in need of some serious love. It's time to prep for the new season + what better way to get inspired than pulling + cooking up the last of the crops, pouring over much-loved garden books, + discovering a multitude of creative ways to grow seedlings. Let your imagination sow wild! [too cheesy? #sorrynotsorry]. Happy planting!   

Sources: Craft Gawker, Trendenser, Country Living, via Dishfunctional Designs, Fine Gardening, Elle Decoration, via Abundance, Tuinieren.nl Country Living, Thrifty Fun

On the 'gram!

Did you know that nature // street is on Instagram? Come visit + follow @nature_street to keep up-to-date with blog happenings and share in a solid dose of inspiration. The page offers a positive + playful take on nature, simplicity and play and profiles some creative, boundary-pushing blends of nature in modern living. Hope to see you on the 'gram soon! 

Take it easy, Claire 

  

Mombie tonic

"Today, the long-held belief that nature has a direct positive impact on human health is making the transition from theory to evidence to action... And many of us, without having a name for it, are using the nature tonic. We are, in essence, self-medicating with an inexpensive and unusually convenient drug substitute. Let's call it vitamin N - for Nature"

Richard Louv, in the Nature Principle

Blogging has taken a backseat over the past few weeks while I've been a "mombie":  a hybrid mom [mum] / zombie creature characterised by dark circles under the eyes, aimless wandering, grunting responses and relentless caffeine hunting [oh no wait - the last part's normal]. 

This semi-catatonic state can primarily be attributed to our toddler's recent grommet/adenoid surgery and recovery, immediately followed by his third bout of bronchiolitis this year alone. Combine serious sleep loss with über busy days at work and - voilà - you've got yourself a[nother] mombie on the loose. 

nature // street vision

"Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you"

Grace Coddington, Vogue Creative Director

This week's nature // street vision celebrates nature in the midst of  cityscapes: intriguing unions of man-made materials and the natural world. Inspiration abounds.

  

  

 

  

   

Source: Santoriniblog (via v-o-g-u-e-i-s-a-r-t), Blood and Champagne, Unknown (via Pinterest), 

Nicole Franzen Photography, chickalookate, Dwell; Guen-K; Erwan Fichou (via Kawaiigirl79), 

A Well Travelled Woman, unknown (via Pinterest)

  

word up

    

dream / inspire / do

Welcome to the first post of a new regular series on nature // street

 dream / inspire / do 

enchanting visual stories celebrating all things nature, simplicity and play

First up is my most favourite of day-dreams, mountain escapes...

***

Let's run away together,

Away from the city lights,

Where no-one knows our names yet,

And we'll camp out in the open,

Warming cold skin by the fire,

Tell each other hopes and dreams,

And all of our desires,

We'll own nothing more than we need,

Watch sunrises colour the sky...

~ e.h.

autumn adventures

"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living".

David Attenborough, aka The Man

There's something about the change in seasons that resonates with me on a fundamental level: it starts with a deep craving for the change, and follows with excitement and semi-ritualistic basking as the new season announces it's settling in. 

I find the change always brings a kind of a contagious thrill; an invigoration of senses, the welcome return of a suite of simple pleasures, and a promise of new adventures.  

The weekend past delivered on all of the above - heralding our first cool, wet weekend of Autumn after a summer of extreme heat. Those few days, although somewhat burdened by fatigue and responsibilities, were full of small celebrations brought about by the much-awaited physical arrival of the new season.

Friday night brought us a crisp clear night with the neighbourhood's first wood fires tantalizingly drifting smoke on the wind. Ordinarily the kids would go to bed after a later dinner but instead we excitedly donned trackies and jumpers to explore the garden after a few days absence. The kids seemed to pick up on the changes in the air, eagerly investigating the vegie patch, bouncing on the trampoline, and finally lying back on the lawn to yell goodnight to the moon and single star in the emerging night sky.

word up

default mode: hustle

"once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed how 

much more life she had time for"

                                                                                                              Unknown

The summer past was definitely a game changer. It marked the end of a year distinguished by rolling sets of challenges: where I'd give my all to reach the crest, snatch a glimpse of the horizon, and have the next set on top of me again. Keep going, keep going, push through I'd think. You're resilient, you work best on adrenalin, you can run on a staple diet of double-shot flat whites and no sleep [btw: you've got no choice here anyway!]. 

Of course it wasn't sustainable. During a few weeks off over the summer holidays I realised I was burnt out. I felt tired and old beyond my years, unfulfilled in spite of all the great things in my life, and unsure of how to properly relax in the limited windows of time I'd get to do so. 

As I was processing this burnout, I experienced a moment that crystalised how much I was caught in the pace of modern living. It was down at our local beach one day: my dad, daughter and I had been kayaking as part of my effort to start to slow down and get active outdoors again. 

As we prepared to make our way home, I was given responsibility for looking after the kayaks and our belongings while Dad went to collect the car.

like a kid in a treehouse

I'm super excited to be able to hear nature-play legend Richard Louv talk at his sold-out Adelaide event tonight! 

His best-selling book Last Child in the Woods is an inspiring and thought-provoking read which "shows how we can improve our children's lives, and the lives of future generations, by opening the door to nature". 

There is a definite groundswell happening with the nature play movement and its coming from many different sectors of the community. Tonight promises to be an inspiring (and large!) meeting of people looking for change and I can't wait to see where it goes from here!

source: unknown (via Pinterest)

                      

Stay tuned for a post-event blog post in the next few days! 

Take care, 

Claire