I’m listening to the sound of clanging steel and shields being thumped as Bear and Brett, our newest medieval member, practice medieval combat out back while cold wind whistles through the trees.

I’m cozy and warm on the veranda under a fluffy red blanket while I watch them swing and block, surrounded by books and journal, camera and pillow, thoroughly enjoying this beautifully dark and chilly Sunday.

It’s been a wonderful weekend. Truly. My heart is full after visits with dear friends, bike rides with Bear down the bumpy back roads near our farm, and time in my gardens planting purple beans, rosellas, cucumbers, and scarlet runner beans.

We had the loveliest smattering of rain this morning, not enough to even dampen the ground, but enough to clean the air and brighten our spirits. Hopefully one day soon we’ll get the drenching rains we so desperately need.

There wasn’t even a hint of rain yesterday, when our good friends Gary, Lorraine, and Leah arrived to spend the day. Instead, clear blue skies and hot sunshine sent us out to our bush for an afternoon hike.

I love it out here. So much. Just us, massive gum trees, and the occasional wallaby and kangaroo hopping away through the long grass.

It’s incredibly peaceful standing under those massive trees, listening to the wind sigh and rustle through the leaves like waves on the shore.

There are tiny beauties as well, bright orange fruit from the gumbi gumbi trees that look like vivid red raspberries when you crack them open, feather fronds of moss on fallen logs, and this seashell that Lorraine spotted sitting on an old tree trunk. We have no idea how it got there, but it made us smile to imagine its journey from the sea to our bush.

It’s incredibly dry here right now. The brittle grass snaps underfoot, and the usual carpet of wildflowers is nowhere to be found. But there are still lovely things, like the huge rabbit we startled and this gorgeous ruffled lichen looking like a bit of lace against the roughness of the wood.

It was a lovely hike, leisurely and slow, with lots of time to bask in the wildness and solitude of the bush.

Soon our neighbors’ horses will take up residence here, and we’ll have new beauties to look for as we amble through the trees.

The blokes are done combat now, so it’s time for a cup of curried carrot soup and toasted sandwiches with caramelized onions and sharp cheddar cheese. The animals have been fed, gardens watered, and we have a whole afternoon stretching before us. On such a cold, blustery day like this, I can’t imagine anything better than reading, cuppas, and perhaps even a nap.

What do you like to do on a quiet Sunday afternoon? xo