by Krista | Feb 16, 2015 | Summer
It’s a beautiful morning, soft and still, and I’m all rested up after the launch of my book: “Freestone: a mostly true history” at Freestone Memorial Hall yesterday.
It was an amazing time with animated conversations going on wherever you looked. So many people came they lined the walls and organizers had to bring in more chairs. It was so fun to see dear, familiar faces who came out to show support, and meet some lovely new folks and people I’d only known by name through my research for the book.
The committee did a spectacular job organizing massive amounts of baked goods, tea, coffee, and lemon water to keep the masses fed and watered, and lining tables with old photos to elicit laughter and good memories.
The launch itself was short and sweet. I gave my speech and was understood in spite of my foreign accent, and was honored to present a copy of “Freestone: a mostly true history” to friends from the Warwick library.
Afterwards everyone milled around chatting up a storm as I signed stacks of books and met even more great people. It was such a warm, community feeling and I was thrilled to be a part of it.
Many thanks to Liz Hill and the Freestone Hall for these photos of the book launch.
As folks made their way home again, Bear and I got in our car and headed back to our farm, beaming but exhausted, thankful for the journey that accompanied this book, relief at being done, gratitude at being able to celebrate it with such a great group of people.
If you would like a copy of “Freestone: a mostly true history” there are two options. If you’re local (ie – in Southern Queensland, Australia) you can purchase a copy at “Art on King” in Warwick. If you’re a bit farther afield, you can purchase a copy online by clicking here. If you buy in Warwick, only soft covers are available. If you prefer a hard cover or PDF version, please order online. (All proceeds go to the Freestone community.)
If you’re local and would like me to sign your copy, I’d be delighted. Just drop me a note and we’ll make arrangements to meet up.
Now it’s time to get back to work. 🙂 I’ve started my next book, the biography of an amazing woman who survived the Holocaust and the Hungarian Revolution, and moved to Australia with only one set of clothes to her name to start a new life. I can’t wait to share her story with you.
What is one of your favorite biographies? xo
by Krista | Feb 13, 2015 | Summer
It’s a wildly blustery morning with a hint of Autumn in the air. I love waking up early and needing a blanket with my morning cuppa, then switching to sundresses and sandals for the rest of the day.
I’ve missed writing here over the last week, hampered first by computer issues, then by illness. But I’m back now and it feels good.
Our exciting news on the farm is the arrival of 12 Muscovy ducklings who are so darn cute they make us smile every day.
I can see their pen from the kitchen window and love hearing their little peeps while I do dishes and make meals. They’re especially sweet when they’re first born, still damp from their shells, laying in the sunshine to warm up and dry off.
They were so tiny at first, timid and easily spooked, but now they’re brave as can be, exploring their pen, splashing in the water, and devouring as much mash as they can handle.
Several times a day I open the lid to their pen just to watch them, grinning at their darling little faces as they crane their necks up to inspect the giant human looming above them.
They bring my focus back from the whirl of deadlines and responsibilities and help me linger in the moment enjoying sunshine on my shoulders, the softness of downy feathers, and the amazing gift of being alive.
There are other good things to be thankful for this week: time to wood-burn new items for my shoppe and a new market next month, being interviewed for my book launch which is being held on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Freestone Memorial Hall, and time to think through my life and goals and talents and figure out my next step.
Now it’s time to step out into the wind and start planting more seeds for my winter garden, check on Bear’s progress in building frames for our beehives, and say hello to the ducklings
What are you looking forward to doing today? xo
by Krista | Feb 3, 2015 | Summer
Rain is misting lightly outside, cooling things down after a gorgeous weekend spent with my friend Corrie. Neither of us were feeling good, so instead of jaunts here and there, we planned a thoroughly relaxing couple of days filled with eating good food, afternoon naps, and long talks while curled up in comfy chairs.
One of my favorite memories is from Saturday night. After trekking through the bush and spotting a couple of wallabies, we returned home and set up for an evening around the campfire. Bear helped me arrange the fire pit, haul chairs over, and collect firewood.
While Corrie had a good, long talk with her hubby back in Colorado, I sank into my chair with a cold drink and soaked up the stunning light shimmering through leaves and blades of grass.
I never tire of this time of day on our farm. We might be exhausted from wrangling goats or digging gardens, but once sunset begins, stress melts away and you can’t help but be happy to be alive.
As the sun sank lower we opened wine to breathe and brought out ice cold beers. Bear built and lit the fire and I brought out fixings for dinner: lamb sausages made with pepper and sun-dried tomatoes.
As the sausages popped and sizzled we settled back with our drinks, munching on potato chips and sharing stories. It felt so good to laugh hard and chat about our day, thoroughly relaxed and comfy with all the chores done and a free night ahead of us. 
While we chatted and the fire crackled, Bear collected more firewood, fallen branches and bits of gum tree bark to keep the fire going late into the night.
At last the sausages were ready, charred on the outside, cooked on the inside, ready to be dressed with Dijon mustard and homemade chili jam.
Soon the sun was gone and we sat under a star-filled sky wrapped in flannel shirts and blankets, talking about life and work and hopes and plans. Corrie is a writer too, so very, very talented, and it was great to talk shop with her, sharing plans and book ideas.
Following in that vein, I’m delighted to announce that PDF versions of my books are now available for only $14.99 AUS ($12.57 US). With no shipping or printing costs to worry about, they are a great option for anyone who’d like a copy to store on their computer and have inspiring images of Italy and old European doors only a mouse click away.
To purchase a copy or for more information, visit my book shoppe by clicking here.
The rain has stopped, but the clouds and wind are keeping us cool as we reflect on happy memories with a dear friend.
What is your favorite memory from this weekend? xo
by Krista | Jan 29, 2015 | Bits 'n' Bobs
This weekend I get to host my very first guest from America when my dear friend Corrie arrives from Colorado. To say I am excited cannot encapsulate the utter delight I feel knowing that soon I will get to hug tight someone who inspires me every day, a true kindred spirit and free-souled woman.
The last time we were together was a few years ago when we met up in Prague. Looking through the pictures today put the biggest smile on my face as I remembered wandering all over that gorgeous city, eating far too much food, and sitting for hours in smoke-filled pubs talking, sipping cold beer, and nibbling all sorts of unknown local specialties.
In true hostess fashion I wanted to have everything perfect for her arrival, but then my body decided to get sick for four of the last six days, so instead of unusual perfection she gets to see us in all our normal glory. The lovely thing about Corrie is that she won’t mind one bit.
In the spirit of celebrating normal, I gave up on the dusting and window-washing, and instead made a Tomato Caramelized Onion Tart to nosh on while I make up a bed for Corrie in the Granny Flat, collect flowers from my garden for her bedside table, and grin happily at the prospect of having such a treasured person at our farm for the weekend.
Only one more day until we get to talk for hours, go for treks in the bush, and make the most of every minute.
What do you look forward to most when a dear friend comes to visit? xo
Tomato Caramelized Onion Tart
Ingredients:
1 par-baked tart crust
oil for cooking
1 large onion, sliced thinly
2-3 Tbsp pesto or Dijon mustard
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4-5 ripe tomatoes, cored and sliced
2 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp dried coriander leaves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F (200 C).
Place sliced tomatoes in a colander to drain until ready to use.
Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat and cook onions until caramelized, stirring regularly so they don’t burn.
Spread tart crust with pesto or mustard.
Scatter caramelized onions evenly over mustard.
Scatter Parmesan cheese evenly over onions.
Layer tomatoes in an overlapping fashion over top of cheese.
Whisk together eggs, cream, and salt. Pour carefully over tomatoes.
Scatter coriander leaves over tart and place in oven. Bake for one hour until crust is browned, tomatoes are cooked, and custard is set.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
by Krista | Jan 27, 2015 | Summer
“Life is just a lot of everyday adventures.” Carol Ryrie Brink
Yesterday Bear and I saw storm clouds building and went outside to get the goats into their pen before the rain came. Unfortunately, the goats also sensed the storm coming and decided the best thing to do would be to hide under our house. All thirty of them. So under I went, hobbling along ridiculously like a crab wearing rubber boots, trying neither to fall over laughing or klonk my head on the floor beams. I shooed and waved my whip most awkwardly while Bear stood outside and hollered encouragement and finally, finally the goats moved on out. We got them to their pen in time for them to beat the storm, but not us. Within seconds we were thoroughly, utterly drenched. We laughed and shook our heads and sloshed our way back to the house where we dried off and Bear made us cuppas.
Such was one of our everyday adventures on the farm.
We never know what’s going to happen each day. Our goals are loosey-goosey at best, for just as soon as we make plans, animals or weather toss a monkey wrench into them while cackling gleefully.
I grin as I look back at my rose-colored views of farm life when I arrived here three years ago. I envisioned a cute, tidy house set in a pristine farm yard where darling animals fed happily and gardens and orchards grew lavishly.
Sometimes those things actually happen. And when they do we look at each other in wonder and amazement.
Because most of the time it’s a mix of beauty and mayhem.
Amidst the flower-filled meadow are old cars we keep meaning to haul to the dump, but never seem to get around to. Our cute little house is cute and little, but it’s also a bit of a disaster during those times when you have to dash into the house with muddy boots on, or stack projects up in tottering piles because your “free afternoon” has suddenly turned into “get the goats out of the neighbors yard before they eat anything!” or “quick, make a newborn duck pen because two mums’ eggs just hatched and we have eighteen babies to look after!” While the animals are adorable, they’re also a pain in the neck! It’s rather like having a farm full of furry toddlers who get into absolutely everything and have no concept of why you’re perturbed with them. And the gardens and orchards are wonderful when they aren’t withered by drought, drowned by floods, or eaten by goats, mice, possums, kangaroos, or all of the above.
I wouldn’t trade this madcap life for anything, but it isn’t easy, and anyone who says it is, is clearly trying to sell you a farm.
I do love it, though. Yep, even when I have to replant my garden for the fifth time in 12 months, when we grieve the loss of animals who die for no apparent reason, and when my dreams of a tidy home aren’t anywhere near coming to fruition.
I love it because it’s ours. Because everywhere we look is something we’ve done, something we dreamed about, worked towards, and made happen through our own toil, ingenuity, and careful saving. I’ve learned a lot about patience living here, about celebrating every little thing because the big things take so long to come to pass. I’ve made peace with the unfinishedness, the undoneness, the may-never-be-completedness, and I can even look at the old cars with love.
So today I celebrate our everyday adventures: laughing in the rain with my sodden hubby, a mama goat about to give birth any minute, a tidy (for at least the next five minutes) house.
What everyday adventure are you celebrating today? xo
_logo.svg){kind=logo}
