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
by Krista | Jan 19, 2017 | Summer
Several months ago Bear quadruple tore his gluteous maximus. To say he was in pain is putting it mildly, but thankfully, with a couple of months of chiropractic, physical therapy, and lots of rest, he was doing heaps better.
Until this week, that is. Then, thanks to the boisterous affections of a ram who still thinks he’s a baby, Bear thoroughly messed up his upper sacral lumbar. It puts the pain of the previous injury into the realms of a paper cut. Poor, poor guy. Again, thankfully, we have excellent health care folks who are taking good care of him and he will mend, but in the meantime, life as we knew it, with two people to manage the farm and work, has necessarily been pared back to what I can manage on my own.
It’s been hard for both of us. Him because he can’t stand not being in the thick of things with me. He wants to be out there feeding animals and building fences and getting the orchards done, but he simply can’t. And it’s been hard for me because I hate seeing him in pain and I’m only one person trying to juggle too many things in the hottest summer I’ve ever experienced.
So I brought out my dusty Set Healthy Boundaries tool set and went to work. I said no to good things so I could say yes to the vital things: keeping me and Bear healthy, meeting my work commitments, and managing the farm.
We’re figuring it out and our days are easing into a new rhythm that is manageable and good. We’ve found things that Bear can do to ease my load – fold laundry, cook, drive me places so I can rest in the car – and that frees me up to do the physical stuff around the farm that he’s forbidden from even thinking about. I made elderberry syrup for me to keep colds and flus at bay, and comfrey poultices for Bear to help his back heal quicker. We turn our 3-times-a-week jaunts to the city for chiro/therapy visits into half days of fun by visiting our favourite thrift stores and having coffees and toasted sandwiches at our favourite café where they’re always happy to see us and make time from their work to have a good ol’ chat.
And when we’re at home we make sure to do something fun every day, whether it’s watching a movie, progressing on a medieval project, or making interesting things like Pickled Cherries. It may be a rough spot in our lives, but we’re determined to make the most of it.
I waited eagerly for cherry season this year, looking forward to finally making the pickled cherries I’d been reading about. When my friend Rowan from Harrow and Finch Fine Hampers said she’d bring me some from Stanthorpe, I was thrilled to bits. Especially when I tasted them. Oh my word. So fat and firm and flavourful.
I’d never made pickled cherries before, so it was all a bit of an experiment. I read all sorts of recipes and the basic gist is this: fresh cherries covered with a hot sweet vinegar mixture seasoned with spices or herbs, then sealed. Easy-peasy.
I made three large jars of pickled cherries and saved the rest for snacking. Two of the jars I seasoned with coriander seeds, bay leaves, and a few peppercorns. The third I add fresh rosemary from my garden and more peppercorns.
They look and smell absolutely divine, but they won’t be ready for eating for another week or so. I cannot wait to try them.
In the meantime I let them sit on my dining room table like a centrepiece, looking especially gorgeous when the first rays of morning sun glisten through them.
Now it’s time to head to bed and read awhile. The kookaburras are cackling madly and dark clouds have rolled in bringing deliciously cool breezes to ease the sweltering heat. A cooler windy night is the right one for a good book. xo
Pickled Cherries with Coriander and Bay
Ingredients:
4-6 cups fresh cherries
2 cups vinegar (apple cider is best)
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 fresh bay leaves
1/2 tsp peppercorns
Directions:
- Sterilize canning jars, lids, and rings. Fill jars with cherries and set aside.
- In medium saucepan combine remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and pour directly over cherries, dividing seasonings equally between the jars. Seal immediately and set aside to cool. The heat should seal the jars, but if not, put through a hot water bath to ensure they seal properly.
- Set aside for 2-4 weeks to mature, then serve with cold meats and cheeses.
by Krista | Jan 16, 2017 | Summer
It’s beautifully cloudy and cool this morning, such a gift after a horrendous heatwave that sapped us of every ounce of energy and left us feeling sick and lethargic.
I’ve experienced plenty of hot summer days in Queensland, but never this hot and this humid so often and so long. Usually, no matter how sweltering the days, cool winds come in the evening and the weather is beautifully temperate until mid-morning. But lately we’ve been hot 24/7, fans running constantly, guzzling water and cold drinks all day. Needless to say, my Canadian heart was overjoyed to need a blanket in the night and wake up this morning needing a blanket out on the veranda.
Thankfully the heat was measured a bit this weekend with wondrous storms that drenched us with 6-8 inches of rain. Our dam is full and the ground is spongy underneath lush green growth.
Such rains have been a boon for my gardens. Newly planted after the hail storms destroyed them, the rains gave them a burst of strength and nourishment and I’m now collecting cucumbers, beans, chilies, and tomatoes when, just a few weeks ago, I thought I wouldn’t get any. It’s so wonderful to walk out there now and see so much growth.
Before my cucumbers arrived, my friend Alison gave me a pile of lovely, fat cucumbers from her vibrant garden. They were perfect for pickling, in the Scandinavian fashion I’m so fond of.
I made up a few versions of pickling solution, one with caraway seeds and peppercorns, another with garlic and dill, and the last with celery seed and mustard seeds. In just a couple of hours I had five jars of pickled cucumbers in my fridge and by the next day we were eating them – crisp and fresh and flavourful.
They’ve been a boon on these scorching days. When we’re too hot to move, let alone cook, it’s lovely to pull a jar of cold pickled cucumbers (or beans, beetroot, or carrot) out of the fridge, add a slice of salami and wedge of cheese and call it good.
Today we’re taking advantage of cooler temps to work on the farm. Moving geese to new pens and feeding areas, dispatching ducks, collecting eggs, and making a start on weeding the gardens. The gorgeous rains have made the ground soft and easy for weeding, so much easier than sun-baked earth. It will be good to see pathways clear again.
by Krista | Jan 8, 2017 | Summer
It’s a gorgeous morning, quiet and still, the rising sun setting the grass heads aglow. The sky is clear after a week of heavy clouds, wild winds, and the occasional drop or two of rain. Our world is vibrant green again and I love it.
Earlier this week our dear friend Sue, member of our medieval group, brought her granddaughter Charlotte out for a couple of days. They’re both city girls so we had a marvellous time wandering around the farm checking out the little goats, spotting a few apples, lemons, and grapes in the orchards that survived the hail storms, and, our most favourite thing, exploring our woods.
The front of our property is mostly cleared for paddocks and animal pens, but the back is a wild stretch of bush filled with gorgeous old gum trees, fallen logs covered in lichen, and all sorts of treasures if you know where to look.
Although it’s a nice walk from our house, little girl legs get rather tired so I took them for tractor rides on our lovely old red beauty. Sometimes Charlotte helped me drive and others she clambered on back with Sue as we motored along past startled wallabies snoozing in the grass and The World’s Largest Prickly Pear which will provide delicious fruit for liqueurs and preserves later this month.
Whenever we felt like exploring, we’d park the tractor under a shady tree and go for a ramble. We found tiny wildflowers underfoot in vivid shades of blue, pink, yellow, and coral, and a wild tangle of woody vines that looked like the makings of a woven basket.
We tested our balance by walking along the spine of fallen trees, being very careful not to fall into the hot lava and ferocious animals that awaited us on either side.
We saw glimpses of Ireland in lichen-covered rocks and of Scotland in gorgeous purple thistles, but mostly Australia in twisted gums and gumbi gumbi trees dripping with berries that will turn bright orange in Autumn.
It was wonderful out there, as it always is. Kangaroos skedaddling through the trees, neighbours black cattle coming up to the fence to say hello, and innumerable birds flitting about the tree tops. We even spotted this tiny fellow and marvelled at his markings.
Mostly we ambled and looked and basked in sunshine and cool breezes and the deep peace that always accompanies time in the bush.
After we bid them farewell, I headed for the kitchen to take care of the green beans I picked up at the market. My beans were destroyed by the hail, and my new seedlings are flowering but not producing yet, so I was excited to find bags of green beans on sale at our village farmer’s market.
When I was a little girl in Canada, my mother, a master gardener, would pickle innumerable jars of vegetables to get us through the long winter months. There were carrots and cucumbers and beets and green beans and they were all delicious.
I hadn’t made pickled green beans in ages, so when I spotted these beauties I had to nab them. I decided to make a quick Scandinavian pickle, like I did with carrots and beetroot in December. I wasn’t sure how it would work since beans are a lot thicker than thinly sliced root vegetables, but I gave it a go, spicing them with juniper berries, caraway seeds, and peppercorns.
They are beautiful!! Crunchy and fresh with an intense bean flavour. As Bear said, after gobbling down part of a jar, “They’re so bean-y!” Yep, we’re smitten.
Now the sun is up and so are the goats, heading towards the dam yard for a nibble. It’s time to finish my tea and head inside for Phase Two of Transform the Kitchen and Dining Room.
Over the past few years Bear and I have been collecting shelves, cabinets, and cupboards from our favourite thrift stores to make our little kitchen/dining area work well for us and our friends. We love our tiny house, but storage is a humbug and trying to keep things orderly without it has been a trial, to say the least. This week we finally found the last piece we needed. Yay!!! Yesterday he helped me shift the furniture in and I spend the day reorganizing and cleaning and it is looking a gazillion times better. I keep wandering out there to look at it, a huge smile on my face. It’s a lovely thing when you figure out how to make things work.
So today I will press on, finding places for what we need and getting rid of what we don’t, making our home a little haven. xo
Scandinavian-style Pickled Green Beans
Ingredients:
2 cups green beans, washed and trimmed
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
6 peppercorns
4 juniper berries
½ tsp caraway seeds
Directions:
- Pack green beans loosely into clean, sterilized jars. Set aside.
- In medium saucepan combine remaining ingredients and bring to boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat and let cool. When cool, pour over green beans to cover by 1/2 inch, gently tapping jar on counter to release air bubbles.
- Cover and refrigerate 1-3 days until ready to eat.
by Krista | Jan 4, 2017 | Summer
The sun has just sunk down behind the trees after a glow-y, dazzling display of light shimmering through trees and illuminating the newly sprouted grass that arrived yesterday after bounteous rain.
Our lambs are particularly frisky tonight, leaping and bouncing madly into trailers, over logs, and down the grassy hill. They make me laugh.
I’m wrapped up in flannels and a blanket on the veranda, luxuriating in deliciously cool night air and the cackle of kookaburras, so glad to be home again.
Bear and I are back after a rather wonderful little getaway. We decided that this holiday season, instead of presents and festive hoopla, we wanted rest more than anything. Rest and air-conditioning. And someone else cooking. And no chores or projects. Just pure relaxation to restore ourselves in body and spirit.
So we did just that. We booked into a little country motel, cranked up the AC, ordered in food, and spent three days reading books, taking naps, and watching movies. It was exquisitely good and we loved it. We kept looking at each other with the biggest smiles saying, “We have got to do this more often.” We returned home rested, truly rested, and excited to dive back into life again.
Today we welcomed dear friends from the city, Sue and her granddaughter Charlotte. We went hiking in our woods and collected wildflowers for our hair, piled onto the tractor for rides, made bread and potato soup, visited on the veranda, fed animals, and generally had a jolly old time. It’s so good to have them here, starting this new year with love and companionship and the hope of many more such days to come.
What are you looking forward to most this year? xo
by Krista | Dec 28, 2016 | Summer
Bear and I started the holidays with a simple plan: rest, eat well, only do happy things. We didn’t go anywhere, we didn’t do anything, and we loved it. It was definitely the most relaxing holiday I’ve ever had with long sleeps, movie marathons, and many hours of veranda-sitting with time to read, write, or just sit.
On Boxing Day we emerged from our cocoon of delectable laziness to visit our Viking friends, Paula and Nikolaj. They lured us out with promises of risalamande med kirsebærsauce – almond rice with cherry sauce – a Danish Christmas tradition I simply cannot resist.
I packed up goodies too – our very own prosciutto and pickled carrots, and an array of homemade liqueurs for a festive taste-testing. If there’s one thing Vikings are good at, it’s helping their friends imbibe whatever bottles of boozy goodness might be laying about.
Being the sensible people we are, we decided to begin the occasion with wine and dessert. With a chink of glasses our Boxing Day celebration was underway.
Risalamande has been part of my family’s Christmas for as long as I can remember. It is nothing like the rice pudding many are familiar with. There’s nothing porridge-y about it. Rather it is rice cooked in milk and vanilla before being cooled and mixed with ground or chopped almonds and lavish mounds of whipped cream. On Christmas Eve the risalamande is served with one whole almond hidden somewhere. Whoever finds it receives the Almond Present, usually a marzipan pig, but sometimes a puzzle or game or big bar of chocolate.
In my family risalamande was served with a lusciously creamy caramel sauce, but many of my Danish relatives swear that cherry sauce is the only way to go. When I heard that Nikolaj and Paula served theirs with cherry sauce, I was really excited to try it.
It was delicious! Totally different from the dessert of my childhood, but every bit as scrumptious.
After polishing off our dessert, we tucked into the proper food, piling our plates with cheeses and crackers, fresh bread spread with pesto and hummus, wafer-thin slices of prosciutto, grapes, veggies, and pickled red cabbage (with juniper, bay, and cloves) and carrots (with cumin seeds and black peppercorns).
We lingered long, turning a visit and snack into hours of grazing and good talks as we shared stories and swapped medieval tales and discussed our plans for the coming year.
All too soon the sun began to set and it was time to head home. We parted with hugs and promises to get together at our farm in the new year for some fun projects. It’s going to be a great year. xo
