by Krista | Feb 23, 2017 | Summer
We’re easing in to my favourite time of year in Southern Queensland: Autumn.
I feel it in the mornings as I wake and reach for a pashmina to pull close around my shoulders until the sun comes up, and at night when I climb into bed and actually want the covers snug around me. It’s glorious.
I love going for walks on these pre-Autumn mornings when our world is aglow and everything shimmers and sparkles.
The geese have their morning ablutions in the water trough, splashing about making a right royal mess and having a marvelous time before they amble off to nibble new grass under the trees.
The goats take their time getting up, soaking in the warming rays of sunshine before getting to their feet and looking for sunny patches to graze in.
I let the dogs out for a run and they gallop across the farmyard, saying hello to everyone they meet, piddling happily on fence posts, car tires, and gates until they feel their territory is securely theirs once again.
Chooks and turkeys are out already, looking for bugs in the tall grass of the orchard, trying to pinch Freja’s dog food when she’s not looking.
My gardens are happiest this time of day, perky and alert after hours of cool darkness and good drink of water the night before.
I like brushing past the overgrown lavender and rosemary bushes, for their scent lingers on my skin and I catch whiffs of it throughout the day.
Yesterday I planted red carrots, creamy white parsnips, purple-topped turnips, leeks, and heaps of borage. Borage was used to make a restorative drink in medieval times, and knights would drink it before battle believing it gave them extra courage. I want to make my own brew for medieval events this year. I’ve tried growing borage in summer, but the days are simply too hot and they die quickly. I’m hoping Autumn might work better.
It’s lovely to see my winter garden taking shape even as my plucky summer one continues give out a steady harvest of eggplants, chilies, capsicum, asparagus, and a few beans. I was excited to find a few apples on our small apple trees, and look forward to the day when the trees are big and strong and covered with crisp, ripe apples for eating, making hard cider, wine, and vinegar, and plenty of spiced applesauce and apple butter.
Mmm, now it’s time for breakfast. Bear has been cooking away while I write, making a scrumptious hash of leftover potatoes, roast beef, slow-roasted carrots, caramelized leeks, and a few eggs. There’s nothing like a hearty breakfast to start the day off right.
What is your favourite hearty breakfast? xo
by Krista | Feb 19, 2017 | Summer
It’s my favourite kind of Sunday morning. Quiet, dark, and cool with gentle rain falling. It rained all through the night and our parched farm is soaking up every drop. I was up late working when the first drops began to fall, and when I finally crawled into bed I couldn’t sleep for the sheer delight of listening to the rain splash against our tin roof. I’m so thankful.
February has been a month of good things, wonderful things, with big changes that are breathing new life into me. My contract with the law firm ended and I started a new job as a Virtual Assistant for an Australian company that I absolutely love. Each day is a surprise filled with interesting tasks that stretch and intrigue me. This week alone I’ve planned a client’s month long holiday to India, started managing another client’s rental property in Sydney, and developed a marketing strategy for yet another client’s stock brokeridge firm. Add that to my writing, photography, and art work, and my heart is full to bursting with happiness that I am doing work that I love and am excited about doing every day.
With Robbie getting steadily better, my health improving dramatically, our farm transitioning to a more manageable hobby farm, and our medieval family making plans for the new season, we have so much to celebrate.
So celebrate we did.
Friday I finished work early so we canceled the rest of our plans and took ourselves off to Toowoomba for a Day of Doing Happy Things.
We had brunch at our favourite deli and had a good visit discussing medieval projects and the next steps for developing our farm. We picked up a luscious triple crème brie and freshly baked sourdough kalamata olive bread to take home with us, then went treasure hunting at every thrift store we could find.
It was so much fun, especially since we’d purposed to only get things that made us feel happy inside.
It was splendid fun. We went to our old favourite shops and chatted with our lovely mates who always give us special deals and extra discounts just because.
Then we asked Google for suggestions and found so many thrift stores we didn’t even know existed! What a jolly time we had rifling through stacks of books and piles of linens, perusing racks of dishes and shelves of dvds and sorting through a hodgepodge of who knows what until we saw something that gave our heart a lurch and we knew it had to come home with us.
We found glass bottles I can use for my medieval potions and skincare products I make at home, gorgeous old plates and aged silver that will be perfect for food photo shoots, and wonderful books that will inspire and delight me for years to come.
Bear found just what he wanted for some a medieval projects and I spotted a lovely wooden board that will be perfect for displaying medieval herbs and spices. I found beautiful crisp linens as props for photo shoots, and, my favouritest treasure of all, an exquisite hand-crocheted, hand-embroidered tablecloth. The lady at the shop told me it was so precious they wouldn’t sell it for ages, just had it on display in their window. But the day we arrived they’d decided to sell and I brought it home where it will be dearly loved.
We ended our lovely day out with cake and a visit with Oma, then returned home with full and happy hearts, excited about this next phase of our life together.
Rain is falling again, so thankful, and bread is almost ready to take out of the oven. I think I’ll make a pot of soup then snuggle down on the couch on the back porch with one of my new books to read until I fall asleep on this Perfect for Napping day. xo
by Krista | Feb 15, 2017 | Summer
I’m writing by lamplight tonight, windows flung open to welcome rain-washed breezes.
Rain finally came today. Not a lot. Just enough to clean the air and release the scent of damp earth, but we treasure it all the same. Our poor sun-baked ground is covered in massive cracks, most of them big enough to slide a hand in, and the blistered grass crunches underfoot when we walk across it. Smelling the soggy leaves and moist dirt tonight brings tears to my eyes. It’s been so long.
I was outside calling in the goats when it began to fall, raining through sunshine, glittering and dancing. Is there anything so glorious as cold raindrops on hot skin? I stood on the veranda as it pelted down, loving the splatter of water on my bare feet, then went for a walk as it slowed to a misty drizzle, in awe of the play of light and shadow where the water droplets clung to the grasses of the dam yard.
I crouched down in the midst of it, letting the wet strands of grass wrap around my legs and dapple the hem of my sundress with water. I felt transported to a fairyland of sparkles and shimmers that swayed in the wind.
It did me good to see such beauty, to be surrounded by glimmers and twinklings of light.
The glowy feeling stayed with me as I put the goats away for the night and let Luna and Solar out for a romp, as I took Kebab, Anni, and Emma out to the paddock for their late afternoon nibble. It stays with me now as I snuggle into our doona and cozy in for a good read before bed.
Gnite. xo
by Krista | Feb 2, 2017 | Summer
Early morning is my favorite when the last month of Summer tries to knock us flat with one searing heat wave after another. For those few short hours our little world is cool and fresh and I can’t wait to go outside.
On such days I need my gardens. I need to see growth and life and thriving when the world seems lethargic and thirsty. I love to go out in the dark, or just as the sun is rising, and lavish water on everything in sight.
The garden is one of my healing places, places that calm, soothe, restore, and inspire, and always send me on my way feeling strong, brave, and whole. The woods, the ocean or a lake, a river or stream tumbling over rocks, the mountains, homes of dear friends, our back veranda, holding hands with Bear, and the offices of the healers who have done so much to restore me in body and soul – Bernadette and Emma, I’m looking at you. xo
This morning it was wonderful to make my own rain with the hose and create water droplets everywhere that glistened and sparkled as the sun rose.
I harvested tomatoes and green capsicum and shared our first four marionberries with Bear. Then I fed the dogs, filled the goose pond, and made sure everybody had plenty of water. I rescued a sheep who somehow got himself stuck on his side between two logs (??) then headed inside and made pickled carrots with cumin seeds and black peppercorns.
I returned to my work with a full heart, thankful for a fridge filled with cold watermelon, berries and yogurt for smoothies, and cold roast beef for sandwiches to keep us going as the heat rises.
Now my work is done and I get to park in front of a fan with a cold glass of apricot water and read the latest Enid Blyton story I found at a thrift store: “Tuppeny, Feefo and Jinks.” With a title like that I just know I’ll love it.
Where are your healing places? xo
by Krista | Jan 28, 2017 | Summer
I can do hard things.
It’s what I tell myself on a daily basis. It’s my sometimes hourly shot of courage that keeps me taking one more step, tackling one more task, pushing through until “it” is done.
I’ve done things I never thought I could just by repeating that soul-stirring phrase to my weary self. And afterwards I look back and smile and think, “Girl, you’re way stronger than you thought.”
We all are.
There are a lot of hard things in the world right now, and it gives me courage to press on doing good and standing up for what’s just and right when I can look back and know: “I’ve done hard things before. I can do hard things now.”
So we press on.
Last weekend I had interviews and photoshoots for Highlife magazine, and instead of dashing from one appointment to another, I scheduled a whole day on the road with plenty of time for stops and detours and a picnic.
It was gorgeous and cloudy, deliciously cool after day upon day of sweltering heat, and I opened my windows and luxuriated in it.
I visited a sheep station on the flats and a cattle station in alpine country near the Bunya Mountains. How I loved visiting such inspiring people who opened their homes and shared their stories. With such good people in this world, there is always hope.
On the way home I took my time, meandering down side roads and stopping wherever my fancy took me. As I drove past a little whistle stop of a town, I followed signs to a place called Coomba Water Hole.
I parked in a clearing in the boulder strewn bush and followed a trail that led past granite outcroppings and hundreds of grass trees. A wide, sturdy staircase led down, down, down until I glimpsed the shimmer of water through the trees.
I climbed down past multi-coloured cliffs, in awe of the wild, rugged beauty of this place I’d never even heard of.
Emerging on the shores of this gorgeous little pool made the entire trip worth it. The stress of long work days, the ache of heavy lifting on the farm, it all melted away as I stood in this place that to me, at least, was magical.
Nearby a rope swing hung from a towering tree, and kids were having a marvellous time swinging out over the water before dropping in with whoops and splashes. Back by the cliffs their parents took advantage of the distraction to indulge in a bit of canoodling. Behind me an Indian family arrived, laughing and talking and posing on the rocks. One man kept turning this way and that, saying, “Does this make me look fat?” The women of the family instructed him just how to stand to get the best angle. Moments later his brother leapt up on the rock, hands on hips, “You can take a picture of me from any angle. I KNOW I look good!” I love people. 🙂
It was a wonderful spot and I’m so glad I stopped. I look forward to another cool day when Bear’s injuries have healed so I can whisk him off here for a picnic.
Now luvs, it’s time for bed. I’ve been working so hard this week, trying to get everything done by Saturday night so I could have a real day off with Bear on Sunday. I worked 13 hours straight today to pull it off, and I did it!! So excited to sleep in tomorrow, have hot buttered muffins and coffee for breakfast, then do whatever we feel like for a whole day. What are you looking forward to this weekend? xo
