Afternoon Drinks in the Garden

My sister is on holiday at the moment with my mum, bro-in-law and nephew. It wasn’t until the first day that she was touching down her toes on American soil that I realised just how much I need her in my life. I was walking out of work and I went through my usual habit of pulling out my phone to dial her and I realised I couldn’t.

My sister and mum are my main blog photographers, so we prepared a few posts for while they were away. There’s a great amount of trust and fun that goes with that role. Not only that, they’re my best friends. I call my sister the most. It was at the point of not being able to call her that I realised how much we actually speak to each other. We speak usually at least once during the day and everyday after work. Then I usually end up at her house, chatting, taking photos, running lines, playing with my nephew, rehearsing for gig with my bro-in-law. She’s a key part of my mental health plan.

That day when I left work and realised I didn’t have her, I had this big swoop of loneliness descend on me. It hit a lot more than usual, because I was about to apply for a University in Sydney for study in 2017. If I had gotten in it would have meant moving away from my family to a big city where I don’t know many people. I’d go from seeing my sister daily to seeing her once every 6 – 12 months. Not only did I suddenly feel like ‘oh my gosh, this is what it will feel like’, I also remembered leaving work when I had lived in Perth and not being able to make that call to her. Back then there was also a time difference problem because Perth is 2 – 3 hours behind Melbourne.

As I write this, she’s heading back towards Australia and I’m practically bursting at the seams to tell her things. I’ve only spoken to her a couple of times while she has been away. I’m so excited to have her home. So many big things have happened. I know she’ll be dying to watch The Crown on Netflix, which I’ve already watched. I decided to share how much I miss her with these pics from one of our regular after work hangouts. The days are getting longer which means we can enjoy sunshine and c old drink on her back deck.

Of course, if we were having a drink it had to be with Pomegranate Tree cordial from Local Pantry Co.. My best friend Mel recently set up a small business where she finds amazing products from markets, and then hosts them in an online store. Pomegranate Tree cordial is a great example of her product range, because you can only get this one at a select few markets. The flavours are small batch, absolutely delicious and hand made in Ballarat. I started our afternoon just taking photos of our drink set up, for Mel to use for Local Pantry Co., and my sister ended up taking a bunch of photos of me as well. It was a fun afternoon.

One of the cool things about Local Pantry Co. is that in the process of selecting tasty product, Mel has inadvertently ended up catering for particular dietery needs. It seems that a lot of small businesses that specialise in a specific product, like granola or spices, have gone into business because they were having trouble getting the food they wanted that suited their dietery needs. One my favourite things she stocks is Farmer Jo’s Paleo Granola, and I’m not paleo. Anyway, if you’re in Australia you are able to buy from their range. Because I’m doing so many of her photos, Mel has also given me a discounted shipping code for my readers! Use code Finding Femme to get a discount on shipping!