by Krista | Dec 4, 2014 | Summer
Last weekend Bear and I went to pick up a load of hay for our goats from people we’d never met before. Our friends, Joe and Shirley, who also raise goats, had told us we simply must visit a property they’d recently discovered, not just for the hay, but also for the stunning gardens and kind owners.
So on Saturday morning we hitched up the trailer and drove to Banyala Downs, a beautiful property that sits at the base of a hill and ambles its way up to the top.
Banyala Downs is owned by Doug and Avis Stehn who began building a home there 18 years ago. When they arrived there were two palms and a fig tree. That’s it. Nary a flower, hedge, or garden to be seen.
Since then, Doug and Avis have transformed this barren landscape into a lush oasis of shady nooks and exquisite vistas, making the most of the views around them.
Everywhere you look is something interesting, such as these incredible artichoke blossoms. I’ve eaten artichokes for years but have never seen artichoke flowers until I moved to Australia. They are marvelous! Huge, vivid, blooms that look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
The fruit trees and vineyards are outrageously good this year, each branch and vine dripping with delectable fruit.
Aren’t these grapes amazing?! It was so inspiring to see an established garden and catch a glimpse of what our place could look like in a few years. It renewed my vision for our property and set my imagination whirring about what we could do, plant, and build.
As Avis and I walked among the fruit trees, we stopped to pick sun-warmed peaches and apricots to eat along the way. Juicy, fragrant, and luscious, the perfect treat for a sultry Summer afternoon.
Once or twice a year Doug and Avis host an Open Garden Tour and invite the community in. All proceeds go directly to sponsoring the education of young people in Cambodia. In Avis’ words:
“Cambodia is a country that suffered incredibly after the Pol Pot era from 1975, when Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge tortured and murdered one quarter of the Cambodian population. They singled out the educated people and their families particularly to kill, so that is why it is so important to educate young Cambodians now so they can help their country to grow and get back on its feet.”
The day Pol Pot took over Cambodia was the day Doug and Avis’s eldest daughter was born. Avis was struck by how the same day could bring so much misery to one part of the world and so much happiness to theirs.
When their daughter grew up, she was a passionate humanitarian, and when she died in her mid-twenties, Doug and Avis decided to carry on her work by raising money each year to sponsor students in Cambodia.
It was such a pleasure to walk through the gardens at Banyala Downs, to see how Doug and Avis have created an outlet for their grief by making a place of beauty and respite that in turn transforms lives. I loved listening to stories of the young men and women who’ve been rescued from abject poverty, given an education, and prepared to change and rebuild their country after it was crushed and devastated by such a cruel regime.
I especially liked talking with Avis and seeing how content and happy she is to simply do what she can to make a difference. She doesn’t try to do everything, she just focuses on providing an education for 1, 2, 3+ people who can then change the lives of the people in their small circle, and on and on it goes. One kindness leading to another.
It was also good to know that it didn’t happen all at once. This beautiful place has taken nearly two decades to build and they’re still adding to it, changing this, enhancing that, knowing that every addition is building towards something bigger than pretty flowers and charming vegetables.
The day we went to meet Doug and Avis I was so very tired and run down. Recent situations had knocked me flat and I was discouraged, plain and simple.
But by the time we left, I felt so much better. We had such a fun time admiring two-day-old piglets, swapping recipes, pooling our knowledge to figure out the best way to build and use a smoker. They gave me great advice for how to help my garden survive the heat and drought, and filled my hands with fresh garlic and onions just picked from their veggie patch.
As we drove home, Bear and I chatted a mile a minute about everything we’d seen. The creativity of Doug and Avis had given our own a boost and we were full of ideas and plans.
Sometimes all a weary soul needs is time with kindred spirits.
This is Avis. 🙂 See that apron of hers? I’m going to be sporting a similar one soon. It’s her very clever way of protecting herself in case of snake bite while out gardening. In one pocket she has her mobile phone to ring for help and in the other a pressure bandage. Such a simple but smart idea for those of us whose gardens tend to be a haven for critters of all sorts.
Have you ever met strangers who made a rough day better? xo
(If you are interested in joining Doug and Avis in sponsoring Cambodian students, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch with them.)
by Krista | Dec 2, 2014 | Summer
Sometimes life gets a bit topsy-turvy. In those moments it’s lovely to slip away for awhile and hang out with good friends in the fresh air, laughing, talking, and working together.
That’s what Bear and I did on this sultry Summer day, meeting up with Oma and Opa at their place for cold drinks and a visit before heading to the plum orchard for some serious picking.
Their trees are covered with gorgeously fat plums in dusky shades of purple and magenta. While flying foxes and birds have feasted royally on the upper branches, the netted ones below hung heavy with juicy jewels for us to gather.
We visited as we worked, swapping ideas for what to do with our bounty: Hungarian plum soup, jam, cobbler, juice, cordial, slivovitz (plum brand), and plum wine. Mmm, just thinking about such things kept us in fine picking fettle.
Before too long we had four buckets filled to the brim and it was high time for another drink and a sit down in the cool basement. We made plans to glean in the Stanthorpe vineyards this Autumn so we can make and bottle our own wine. Bear has been tasked with making a press while Oma and I will collect bottles and Opa will taste test to make sure we do things properly. Methinks Opa has scored the best job of all.
Such good memories with good friends.
My other happy thing today is the publication of my second book: “portals.” It’s a collection of door photographs from around Europe, and is very dear to my heart. It was my dream this year to publish this book, and I’m overjoyed to see it come to pass. Click here for a preview at my bookstore, and let me know what you think.
Now it’s time to cozy in for the evening. I’ve made two batches of plum juice, a stack of banana oat muffins, an apricot raisin pie, and now I’m ready for a big glass of red wine and some lasagna.
Gnite xo
by Krista | Mar 13, 2014 | Summer
The weather right now boasts cool mornings and gloriously hot, sunny afternoons, just like Tuscany in late Summer. So today I want to don a favorite sundress and strappy sandals and join you in an amble through the shady streets of Montepulciano, Italy.
Our first stop will be for coffee, of course, thick, dark and strong with luscious crema swirled on top just so. Or perhaps decadent Italian hot chocolate, so thick and lustrous you can spoon it up. We need such fortifying beverages to strengthen us as we climb the steep, cobbled streets.
We will go anywhere we like, turning off down side alleys, some dark and cool, others brilliant with sunshine warming hanging baskets of red geraniums.
I will have to stop at the scarf shop for I cannot leave Tuscany without a soft, beautifully patterned scarf to take with me. Scarves are my memory carriers, the items I turn to on hard days when I need reminders of wonderful moments.
With many stops to catch our breath, we will finally emerge at the summit of Montepulciano and find a cool spot under the trees to take in the stunning vistas of shimmering green hills, cypress spires, and tidy vineyards.
After all that happy wandering, it is high time to rest our bones and do a wine tasting of Montepulcianos finest bottles.
What would you like to do on a day of meandering through a Tuscan town?
by Krista | Feb 27, 2014 | Summer
Since I started studying and teaching medieval medicine a couple of years ago, I’ve been determined to grow my own calendula. It is a wondrous little plant, full of so many good things that are healing inside and outside the body.
It is particularly high in flavinoids which work as anti-oxidants in the body, and is highly effective in treating skin and eye conditions. If you’re making homemade lotions, be sure to fold in dried calendula petals to make the cream especially nourishing. It is anti-septic and anti-inflammatory making it wonderful as a mouthwash and gargle for soothing painful gums and throats.
My favorite way to use it is as a tea since it is such a boon to digestion and soothing to any internal issues. I add the dried calendula petals to a mixture of green tea leaves, dried hibiscus flowers, and dried lavender buds to make a calming, fragrant, and delicious Flower Tea.
I’ve got ripper of a calendula patch growing now, with so many blossoms I’m gathering bowls full every couple of days. Thankfully calendula is very easy to grow and doesn’t seem susceptible to any of the insects that often devour my other flowers.
If you would like to make your own Flower Tea, follow these simple steps:
One: Gather.
Wait until the blossoms are fully open, then gather them into a clean bowl before they start to wilt. (If you wait until the day after a good rain or watering to gather them, you won’t need to wash them.)
Two: Dry.
My part of the world is very dry and warm so I just scatter the calendula heads in a flat bottomed bowl and let them dry naturally for 3-4 days. If you have flies or a lot of dust, just cover the bowl loosely with cheesecloth to keep the blossoms clean.
Three: Separate.
You’ll know the petals are ready to separate when they feel crinkly to the touch, like tissue paper. Simply pull the petals off the flower head – the drier they are, the more easily they come off.
Four: Sift.
Fluff up the petals in a shallow bowl, allowing any lingering bits of fluff, leaf or dust to fall to the bottom.
Five: Store
Store dried calendula petals in a clean glass or pottery jar with a tight-fitting lid. If you use glass (I like to because the petals are such a gorgeous color), be sure to store the jar in a dark place to prevent fading.
Six: Mix
Select the ingredients you like best for your Flower Tea. I use equal parts calendula petals and hibiscus petals, and two parts green or black tea leaves with just a pinch of lavender buds because they’re so strong. If you add too much lavender you feel like you’re drinking perfume instead of tea. Shudder.
Seven: Brew
Place your mix into a teapot or pottery jug and cover with just boiled water (bring to boil then let sit a minute until it stops bubbling). I like my tea strong so I let it brew for about ten minutes, then strain. Add real maple syrup or honey if you like it sweet, or drink it straight since the hibiscus adds some natural sweetness.
Do you have a favorite tea blend?
Flower Tea Recipe
Makes one pot
Ingredients:
1 tsp dried calendula petals
1 tsp dried hibiscus petals
1 Tbsp organic black, white, red or green tea leaves
1/4 tsp dried lavender buds
Boiling water
real maple syrup to taste
Directions:
- Combine ingredients in teapot and cover with hot water.
- Let steep 5-10 minutes according to your preferred strength.
- Strain, sweeten to taste, and serve.
by Krista | Feb 25, 2014 | Summer
Do Small Things with Great Love.
I found a magnet with this saying last week and have it on my fridge now to give me courage and purpose every day.
When I was little I had dreams of running an orphanage in Romania. A big, beautiful orphanage with lots of grass and trees for children to play in, and the dearest, kindest, lovingest people running it so that every child would feel treasured.
When I got older I still wanted to run the orphanage, but I also wanted to build a safe and wonderful hideaway where anyone who has been abused can go to restore their bodies and spirits and learn to thrive again.
They are good dreams, marvelous dreams, but they aren’t possible for me right now. I’m too sick and too poor and sometimes that has made me sad, wishing I could do something big and meaningful.
So reading that fridge magnet was such a gift, because I can do small things with great love.
I started hiking in our bush again and it has been wonderful. The woods are such a special place to me. The light, the trees, the wind, the air, the kangaroos hopping by, my dog Luna trotting happily beside me, and this week, the small things that are growing on the forest floor.
I am amazed by the number of small things underfoot. The tiniest of orchids – no bigger than a baby’s thumbnail – miniature ferns, and other exquisitely formed blossoms in pure white, vivid yellow, pale blue.
They aren’t huge and majestic like the trees, but they are beautiful and delightful in their minuteness.
And that makes me smile and take heart.
I may not be able to live out my big dreams right now, and that’s OK. No matter how bad I’m feeling or how poor I am, I can still do small things with great love.
And as I pondered that, delighting in it, my mind was filled with all the small things others have greatly loved me with recently:
- Bear making me a cup of tea every single morning no matter how stressed or busy or overwhelmed he is.
- friends coming over to visit with cookies and juice even when they were exhausted from a really difficult week.
- a friend giving me a jar of her homemade plum jam just because she knows I love it.
- a cousin taking time to write me real letters in Canada and send them all the way to Australia.
- a friend meeting me on Skype even though she was sick and I was sick just so we wouldn’t have to be sick all by ourselves.
Such little things that mean so much and make me feel loved right down to my toes.
So this morning after my walk, I eased my achy self into Bear’s oh-so-comfy green chair and happily plotted small things I can do with great love this week.
What small things have made you feel loved recently?
by Krista | Feb 22, 2014 | Summer
It has been storming gloriously through the night and my formerly parched world is now soggy and muddy and marvelous. 🙂
This week I’ve been drawn over and over again to photos from past trips, my recent bout of pain diminishing as I linger over beautiful images of amazing places. It has been deeply satisfying and inspiring, so I thought I’d take you with me today on a hopscotch tour of lovely places with the hope that it cheers your heart as much as it has mine.
Let’s start with an early Spring morning breakfast in Capri, Italy. We’ll sit in a sunny courtyard overlooking the sea as we dine on freshly baked croissants and sip the creamiest of lattes as we let the sunshine warm us to our bones.
Duly fortified we’ll spend a beautiful morning meandering through the steep and narrow streets of this amazing place, admiring courtyard gardens and vine-covered terraces.
For lunch let’s pack a picnic basket full of plump grapes, artisan cheeses, home-cured meats, and the nicest bread we can find and head to Albania.
We’ll choose a sunny spot on the wildflower-covered banks of a turquoise river, noticing an overgrown gun turret on a nearby hill and give thanks that it’s no longer needed.
After a snooze in the sunshine we’ll mosey over to Amsterdam for a stroll through the verdant lusciousness of Vondel Park.
We will feed ducks and sit on shady benches and find an open-air cafe where we can rest awhile and watch the world go by.
Then we’ll amble home and tuck into plates piled high with homemade pasta and settle in for a good visit over a great bottle of wine. 
If you could spend a day out anywhere, what would you like to do?
Banyala Downs is owned by Doug and Avis Stehn who began building a home there 18 years ago. When they arrived there were two palms and a fig tree. That’s it. Nary a flower, hedge, or garden to be seen.
The fruit trees and vineyards are outrageously good this year, each branch and vine dripping with delectable fruit.
Aren’t these grapes amazing?! It was so inspiring to see an established garden and catch a glimpse of what our place could look like in a few years. It renewed my vision for our property and set my imagination whirring about what we could do, plant, and build.
As Avis and I walked among the fruit trees, we stopped to pick sun-warmed peaches and apricots to eat along the way. Juicy, fragrant, and luscious, the perfect treat for a sultry Summer afternoon.
Once or twice a year Doug and Avis host an Open Garden Tour and invite the community in. All proceeds go directly to sponsoring the education of young people in Cambodia. In Avis’ words:
The day Pol Pot took over Cambodia was the day Doug and Avis’s eldest daughter was born. Avis was struck by how the same day could bring so much misery to one part of the world and so much happiness to theirs.
It was such a pleasure to walk through the gardens at Banyala Downs, to see how Doug and Avis have created an outlet for their grief by making a place of beauty and respite that in turn transforms lives. I loved listening to stories of the young men and women who’ve been rescued from abject poverty, given an education, and prepared to change and rebuild their country after it was crushed and devastated by such a cruel regime.
I especially liked talking with Avis and seeing how content and happy she is to simply do what she can to make a difference. She doesn’t try to do everything, she just focuses on providing an education for 1, 2, 3+ people who can then change the lives of the people in their small circle, and on and on it goes. One kindness leading to another.
It was also good to know that it didn’t happen all at once. This beautiful place has taken nearly two decades to build and they’re still adding to it, changing this, enhancing that, knowing that every addition is building towards something bigger than pretty flowers and charming vegetables.
The day we went to meet Doug and Avis I was so very tired and run down. Recent situations had knocked me flat and I was discouraged, plain and simple.
This is Avis. 🙂 See that apron of hers? I’m going to be sporting a similar one soon. It’s her very clever way of protecting herself in case of snake bite while out gardening. In one pocket she has her mobile phone to ring for help and in the other a pressure bandage. Such a simple but smart idea for those of us whose gardens tend to be a haven for critters of all sorts.
