by Krista | May 29, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
I love how when I’m down or discouraged, a few words can come out of nowhere to settle, calm and restore.
Such a thing happened today when I was so very, very tired.
The inspiring women over at the Brave Girls Club sent through their daily email and this is what it said:
“You have plenty of time to figure it out….don’t put so much pressure on yourself.
Remember that most of us are alive for nearly 100 years…
and in those 100 years, we will have lots and lots of opportunities to get things right.
It is never too late……
and you can start over again every single day, for the rest of your life if that’s what it takes.
So sweet friend, cut yourself some slack…do better tomorrow….
count the victories you HAVE had….look how far you have come…..
and especially, look deep into that pure and beautiful heart of yours and see that THAT is who you are.
You are not your mistakes or your wrong turns or the weaknesses that you are STILL working on overcoming……
that is your human part……
you are the BIG BEAUTIFUL spirit part….
the one who keeps trying, every day.
So…keep it up…kiss yourself in the mirror
and tell your cute self that you are doing just fine.”
from the Brave Girls Club
I felt my whole being give a sigh of relief, even as tears of gratefulness sprang up. Isn’t it a wonderful thing to not have to go through hard times alone? Even if in that moment you can’t BE with a person who understands your heart and cheers you up, you can be with them in spirit through their words. I love that.
Having been given much needed permission to rest a bit, I thought we’d head to the peace and tranquility of a tropical island for a hearty breakfast and a wander through the rain.
Sonaisali Island, Fiji.
The lush greenery of this place never fails to settle my anxious thoughts, and listening to the patter of raindrops on the lily pads made it perfect.
Although I wouldn’t normally choose to eat breakfast at 5:30 a.m., a cheap red-eye flight landed me in Fiji at 5 a.m., long before my room was ready, so an outrageously early breakfast it was.
The nice thing about being up so early is that you’re the ONLY one up that early, save for the cooks who are clattering away in the hidden kitchens, emerging in their immaculate uniforms wearing huge smiles and carrying platters filled with luscious tropical fruits and steaming sausages, bacon, and hashbrowned potatoes.
It made me smile that I got to have a full English breakfast on this tiny island in Fiji. Right down to the beans in tomato sauce and roasted tomatoes. Delicious.
The fruit was so ripe and juicy it was nearly falling apart: sweet paw-paw, tart passionfruit, and crisp watermelon drizzled with lime juice.
It was lovely to sit by myself on the veranda next to the pool and overlooking the sea. I sat just out of touch of the rain, but close enough to hear it dripping through the palm trees and spattering quietly on my table.
I lingered long over my coffee and returned for a second bowl of fruit. You just can’t get pawpaw that fresh and delicious in North America.
The stress of my achingly long red-eye flight eased away and I felt so peaceful and so very, very grateful.
When the rain eased up a bit I thanked my hosts and went for a stroll around the property of the Sonaisali Island Resort.
Somehow the rain enhanced the vivid colors of the numerous tropical flowers blooming profusely overhead and underfoot. I didn’t know what half of them were but that didn’t bother me in the least. Such beauty does not need a name to be appreciated.
Everywhere I looked were flowers, each species so stunningly intricate and beautifully exotic.
I heard the rumble of thunder and decided it was time to head to the deserted beach to watch the storm roll in.
Yes, I got drenched. Absolutely soaked to the skin. And it was worth it. 🙂
Have you read any soul-strengthening words this week? If so, please share them in the comments. I’d love to read them too. 🙂
XO
by Krista | May 15, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
It was an exquisitely beautiful spring morning in Italy when my friends and I boarded a ferry to the Isle of Capri.
We pulled out of the harbor at Sorrento and headed to the open sea.
Sunlight dazzled our eyes as it danced across the waves, illuminating the brilliant turquoise waters of the Mediterranean.
Whenever I travel, I try to find ways to get out on the water. Whether it’s a ferry, a fishing boat, or even a paddle boat, I love being in the sun and the wind, bobbing along watching the world go by.
Our ferry pulled into the Marina Grande and tied up at the Via Cristoforo Columbo.
We clambered onto the stone quay, delighting in the morning sun shining on the brightly colored buildings clinging to the terraced hillside.
It was still early morning but already the sun was blazing, so we gratefully took seats under the shady awning of a nearby cafe.
Our first adventure was to be a boat ride around the island, but we had just enough time for a leisurely coffee and a salad in the style of Capri, the ubiquitous (and delicious!) Insalata Caprese. Made of sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil, and seasoned with salt and olive oil, it was cool and refreshing. Just the fortification we needed before our 3-hour boat trip.
We slurped down the last of our coffees then boarded the little craft. Soon we were out of the harbour and motoring along the coast of Capri, staring up in awe at towering cliffs and rocky fortifications.
We weren’t the only ones out on the water. I loved the look of this beautiful wooden boat rocking gently just off shore. I would love to fall asleep on the deck under a sky full of stars.
Next time we’ll head to a few of the gorgeous grottoes tucked along the rocky coastline of Capri.
Do you like being out on the water, or would you rather stick close to dry ground?
by Krista | May 8, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
Dreaming about possible travels is one of my favorite things to do. The trip may not happen, I may never see in person the places I dream about, but I sure have fun researching and planning.
This month at Across the Cafe Table at the Travel Belles, we are discussing, “Planning A Dream Birthday Trip.”
The mind boggles at such a thing. Casting off the fetters of budgets and limited vacation days and letting the imagination run wild is marvelous fun indeed. But in addition to being a dreamer, I am a practical woman. So today I’m going to write about three dream birthday trips to suit an assortment of budgets: Mostly Broke, Getting By and Sitting Pretty.
My Mostly Broke Dream Birthday Trip will be a day trip since I can’t afford hotels, plane fare or fancy restaurants.
Place: I will head straight for the ocean, somewhere like Bribie Island where I can spend the day with my nearest and dearest napping in the sunshine, walking the beach and looking for treasures, and finding a shady spot to read an escapist novel set in France or Italy.
Food: I’ll pack enough victuals for two meals since we have to stay to watch the sunset. For lunch we’ll have chicken salad croissants, sugar snap peas, minty lemonade, and generous slices of dark chocolate tart. And for dinner, hmm, I think a savory tart studded with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and feta, followed by ripe strawberries, dark chocolate with sea salt, and champagne will be just the ticket.
Cost: About $100, the price of a full tank of petrol and groceries.
How: Set aside $10 from my grocery budget each month and put it in a birthday fund.
My Getting By Dream Birthday Trip will be an overnight somewhere with lots and lots of good food.
Place: I admit I’ll head straight for the beach again. It truly is a happy place for me. This time I think I’ll go to the Gold Coast and find a cozy but simple bed and breakfast with a big soft bed, down-filled doonah, and a bathtub for me to luxuriate in. I will sleep in until the sun wakes me up, swim in the warm water, lounge on the beach, and eat heartily.
Food: There will be no cooking for me on this trip. In addition to a delicious breakfast at the B&B, I’ll track down mid-range but delicious restaurants such as Milan on Main where I’ll happily tuck into things like trout-filled crepes drizzled with heady balsamic reduction or creamy seafood pasta with fresh dill and lime.
Cost: About $350 for B&B, petrol, and restaurants.
How: Set aside $30/month. Do this by not going to the movies 3 times or not going out for coffee 6 times or eating vegetarian twice instead of buying a beef or pork roast.
My Sitting Pretty Dream Birthday Trip will be a month at a villa in Italy.
Place: Ever since I watched “A Month by the Lake” I have dreamed of renting a villa for 30 days in early summer on Lake Como, Italy. Doesn’t that sound glorious? I will swim every day, take boat rides on the lake, and spend hours in the sun reading, napping, and visiting with the dear souls who are with me. I’ll take long walks anywhere I like and frequent local bakeries, pastry shops, wine bars, and restaurants. I’ll take day trips to nearby Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta and board the train for journeys up through the Alps into Switzerland. I will dance in the moonlight and sip wine on the terrace and watch the sun rise and set. I will live a beautiful, idyllic life for one whole month with people I love and treasure every second of it.
Food: Oh my, where do I start? I will have multiple cups of strong Italian coffee and sweet pastries every morning, eaten on the terrace as the sun rises over the lake. I will have my own chef on hand to prepare glorious lunches and desserts and pastries right there in the villa, a jolly fellow who laughs loudly and tells outrageous stories. At night I will dress up in gorgeous, twirly dresses and go to town, to explore and try out restaurants until I find my favorite, then eat there every night so that for one month I will feel like a regular as I’m greeted by name and with smiles. I will wear sundresses every day and visit the markets for fresh fruits, artisan cheeses and homemade sausages to take on picnics in the hills and train journeys to nearby places of beauty. I will sample local wines and collect bottles to bring home. And, best of all, I shall not gain ANY weight because of all the walking and exploring I shall do. 😉
Cost: Total: $13,000-$20,000
- Villa rental – $5000-$10,000
- Travel (train tickets, car rental, petrol, boat hire) – $3000
- Plane fare – $2000 (from Australia) $1200 (from US/Canada)
- Food/wine – $3000-$4500
How:
- Option One: Be very, very rich. 😉
- Option Two: Set aside $361/mo for three years (low end) $555/mo for three years (high end).
- Option Three: Find friends to go with you and split the cost.
- 4 friends (low end)
- Total: $6200
- How: Save $259/mo for two years or $172/mo for three years
- 6 friends (low end)
- Total: $5533
- How: Save $231/mo for two years or $154/mo for three years
- 4 friends (high end)
- Total: $9750
- How: Save $407/mo for two years or $271/mo for three years
- 6 friends (high end)
- Total: $8666
- How: Save $361/mo for two years or $241/mo for three years
- Option Four: Cut costs in half by taking the train instead of renting a car, cooking your own food in the villa kitchen, and renting a smaller villa.
Sigh…what a lovely dream that is. 🙂 Perhaps one day we shall all see such a dream come true.
How about you? What would be YOUR dream birthday trip?
by Krista | May 1, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
One of the men who molested me died last month.
I don’t know what one is supposed to feel in these circumstances, but I feel tired. And relieved. And very quiet. Like I’ve been holding my breath for a long time and can finally let it out.
Just before I received the news, a friend wrote about “sitting quietly with pain.” At the time I didn’t have any situation to apply it to, but when this man died, I had a big one.
So I’ve been sitting quietly with this pain. Letting my mind and heart and spirit sort through whatever they need to. I cry when I need to cry. I get angry when I need to get angry. I go for long walks through the bush with my dogs, letting nature and fresh air and exertion have their healing way.
I’ve been reading a lot. Good books that help me grieve. Ones that give me hope. Others that make me laugh. It’s amazing how powerful words are.
I’ve also been looking at pictures. Beautiful pictures of sunny spring days in Albania (here and here) and Slovenia, transporting myself to places that have known deep pain and upheaval but have grown into places of incredible beauty and serenity.
For the first few weeks I lost my joy, my passion for the things that normally bring me such happiness. I didn’t want to cook or travel or spend time with people. I just wanted to sleep, to stay at home and be safe.
I’m doing better now. Much, much better. Anger, grief and fear have run their course and my heart is at rest. I can think of him and what he did without needing to throw-up or hide away. He has no power over me. I am no longer a victim. I am strong and brave and I am choosing Life.
I’m back to cooking again. 🙂 Lovely, sunny things like this Orange Yogurt Tart with a coconut-flavored crust. It goes awfully nice with a creamy cup of hot coffee.
Thank you for being wonderful, bright spots in my life, dear ones. I’m so grateful for you. xo
Orange Yogurt Tart with Coconut Crust
Ingredients for Crust:
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
2 tsp coconut flavoring
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
Ingredients for filling:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
juice and zest from four large oranges
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Combine all ingredients for crust and press into 10-inch fluted tart or quiche pan.
- Par-bake for twenty minutes.
- While it is baking, place butter and yogurt in small saucepan over pan of boiling water. Stir until thoroughly combined then set aside.
- In another small saucepan add eggs, egg yolks, sugar and orange juice. Place over pan of boiling water and stir constantly for three minutes. (If you don’t stir, you’ll get scrambled eggs instead of a smooth filling.) Add orange zest and yogurt mixture and stir constantly for another three minutes.
- Remove from heat and pour into par-baked crust.
- Place in oven
- Pour the orange filling into the prepared pastry and bake 30-35 minutes, until top browns beautifully.
- Cool before serving.
by Krista | Apr 24, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
Figures moved like wraiths through the thick morning fog. Wraiths clad in hoodies and fleece jackets, streaming towards the Dawn Service commemorating ANZAC Day in Warwick, Queensland.
I held tightly to Bear’s warm hand as we joined stragglers gathered at the gates to the War Memorial, the sound of singing mingling with some particularly rowdy birds in the chilly pre-dawn.
The billowing fog, eerie light from nearby lampposts and the brooding darkness that comes just before daybreak was a moving setting for the songs and tributes that echoed out into the park. I haven’t heard “In Flander’s Fields” since I was a girl in Canada – another Commonwealth country – drawing pictures of poppies for the annual nationwide competition.
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Before I came to Australia I’d never heard of the ANZACS and didn’t know what ANZAC Day was. I’ve since learned a few things.
ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
April 25th is ANZAC Day and marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by the ANZACS during the First World War at a place called Gallipoli.
To say the action was a mess would be putting it mildly. That it was not an all out catastrophe is due only to the incredible heroism and bravery of the ANZACS. It is best not to mention the British at this point. Their willingness to use the Aussies and Kiwis as cannon fodder was a habit that took decades to break, and is still deeply resented by many.
In spite of devastating losses and eventual retreat, the Gallipoli Campaign is often considered to have marked the birth of national consciousness in both Australia and New Zealand. England may have birthed them, but they would quickly stand on their own feet and develop their own unique culture, history, and accents.
The 25th of April was officially named ANZAC Day in 1916, and developed from a commemoration of the 60,000 Australians who lost their lives in WWI to include those lost in WWII and subsequent military operations.
ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance. The Dawn Service reflects the feelings of comradeship soldiers felt in the quiet, peaceful moments before dawn, before the battle began anew. Over time it has grown to commemorate the dawn landings at Gallipoli as well. Original Dawn Services were limited to veterans, but nowadays families and other supporters are welcomed.
The Dawn Service in Warwick included moments reflected in services throughout Australia: bugler playing Reveille, moments of silence, hymns, prayers, tributes and readings.
I am not Australian, but I still choked back tears as I stood in the darkness with hundreds of others. I saw women standing alone, teenage couples huddling for warmth, soldiers, scouts, and police officers, elderly women in hats and long coats, veteran soldiers in uniform. I wondered why so many would wake at 4 a.m. as we did, creeping through fog so thick you could hardly see ten feet in front of the car, shivering in the cold and darkness. I thought of my brothers fighting in Afghanistan, my grandfather guarding a POW camp in Denmark after WWII, my Danish and Norwegian relatives fighting in the Resistance, and I knew why I was there.
To remember.
To say thank you.
To renew my commitment to live peacefully and kindly and honorably.
I hate war. I hate that soldiers die, no matter what side they’re on. I hate the separation of families, lovers and friends, the devastation of cities and homes, the gutting loss of life. I hate that powerful people use the lives of soldiers and civilians as pawns in their quest for more power. I wish it would never, ever happen again.
But I am deeply grateful to those who fight and have fought on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves. To those who suffer deprivation and loneliness and untold horrors just so I can be safe and do all those little things that seem so insignificant when compared to their sacrifice.
I am grateful that in remembering those who have fought, we renew our desire for peace.
“There can be no peace if there is social injustice and suppression of human rights, because external and internal peace are inseparable. Peace is not just the absence of mass destruction, but a positive internal and external condition in which people are free so that they can grow to their full potential.” – Petra Karin Kelly (1947-1992)
by Krista | Apr 11, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
Hi lovelies! It’s a gorgeously sunny but blustery day and I’m tucked up on my favorite cushy green chair with my new puppy Luna curled cozily in my lap. Bear and I have been looking for the perfect pup to keep me company on the farm, but until yesterday hadn’t found one who suited us just right. Now we’ve found her and couldn’t be happier.
Luna (named after the marvelous Luna Lovegood) is a tiny bit of a thing, brindled with gorgeous gold and chocolate markings. The vet thinks she is a Staffordshire/cow dog mix about six weeks old. She has a very sweet nature and is cuddly and smart as a whip. She’s already learned to obey “no”, “come” and “down”. Yep, I’m smitten.
It’s been a crazy week around here with all sorts of beloved friends visiting, goats disappearing and having to be tracked down, and other such adventures. Today I’m very happy to be home with all the animals exactly where they should be and Bear and Luna on the couch watching old movies with me.
Today is also Across the Cafe Table over at the Travel Belles!
Our topic of discussion this time around is: Foods We’ve Tried While Traveling: The Good, Bad and “Interesting”
When I first started traveling (age 17, Russia) I was a very picky eater, nervous about anything unfamiliar and living on potatoes.
Thankfully that changed. Now I embrace foreign foods whole-heartedly and love to sample new and strange dishes.
Such as the horse I tried in Slovenia at a splendid Old World pub with my brother Ryan and dear friends Natalie, Stacey, and Ben. It was actually really good, slow-cooked until it was fork-tender and served with dumplings and a rolled pasta stuffed with cheese. We washed it down with a stout local beer called Sokol.
I was pleasantly surprised by ribbons of thinly sliced lard drizzled with local honey at the Ristorante Corte Visconti way out in the swamps of Lombardy, Italy. It may sound vile but somehow the salty, wafer-thin fat dissolved on the tongue and mingled with the sweet honey until it melded into pure deliciousness.
How about you? What are some strangely delicious things you’ve tasted?
For more inspiring (or scary!) ideas, pop over to the Travel Belles and see what other adventurers have eaten on their travels.
