June Twenty Sixteen has now been.

June is my very favourite month of the year.

Even though it is winter and cold and my least favourite weather, in June we get fires and red wine and mid winters eve, which means the days are now getting longer.

Plus, my birthday.

Which is where I will start the June round up.

Getting: Presents that my girls pick for me all by themselves. This year, Lush products are on their favourite things list and Peter Alexander Pjs, so I scored myself some lovely things.

Making: Campfire Food. I went straight to Pinterest for some ideas and found this super basic thing: Ice cream cones -  fill with marshmallow, berries, choc chips, banana - however you like it best, wrap in foil and cook in the fire. YUMMMMMM. It all becomes a gooey melty mess in the cone and you can eat it all perfectly. Just don't put them right on the hot coals - charcoal cones were not a big hit.

Cooking: hot potaotes (it's the fire thing)

Drinking: Hot Apple Cider while at the ice skating at Fed Square

Reading:  First I read Girl Underground, a YA book then I read Britt-Marie was here by Fredrik Backman, he is my current favourite author. Hopefully he is busy writing his next book. 

Looking: at all the snow in the mountains from other people's holidays. I love pictures of the snow, but I have very little desire to go there and throw myself down a mountain or fall off a sky lift (again).

Playing:  Connect 4 - I am the house champion.

Wishing: I didn't feel guilty about working and having to miss my girls perform in a school concert, one they had been practicing for weeks and really wanted to win against the other houses. They did great, including using sign language for the chorus of the song. And they won. Lucky some of the other Mums sent me the video. Mums are good sorts. 

Loving:  The very last bit of this video - Oh, don't be such a wowser! 

Pondering: How we will spend the summer, how we will squeeze in as many family getaways and days as we can.

Considering: Who to vote for. I consider my vote very important, I always think that my vote could be the deciding factor in our whole countries future, so I really need to get it right. And it turns out that's pretty true, because many seats are very very close.

Buying: New boots - such a bargain. I was checking out the shoes in an online kids shoe sale when I saw a pair of all leather boots - lined in leather (my favourite) and they were $295.....but clearly no kids had big feet in adult size so the boots were down to $50. I didn't waste a moment and purchased those babies.

Watching: LOVE CHILD. I am a sucker for any show that is set in the past. Particularly around the 50s and 60s. Particularly if there are great female stories being told. So it's no surprise that LOVE CHILD is my current must watch.

Hoping:  For cures

Cringing: June was election campaign month, there were very few moments I was not cringing. 

Questioning: how when you live in one of the safest political seats in the country your community receives VERY little. If I could tell my local community something, it would be to think about how our area might improve if we were not so predictable. Our local high school has not been updated in 50 years. 50 Years. It's not likely to see much change anytime soon.

Smelling: Lush, so much Lush.

Wearing: Puffy jackets, leggings, boots. 

Knowing: That the last three phone chargers I have bought have been a good price, but none of them actually charge an apple device. Three bargains that do nothing. Should have paid for the pricey one in the first place.

Thinking: We went off to see a financial adviser so for a day or two I was thinking about how we really should be budgeting better. It was a bit embarrassing to realise how much we spend on food each week.  

Disliking: Fear mongering racists. 

Feeling:  In love with the holidays, even though I am working most of them.

Hearing: Rain on my roof.

Needing: Nothing more than I already have

That's all June. It's fantastic to be another year older, to have met more people, done more things, laughed, cried and shared so much with the best of people.