One’s home is like a delicious piece of pie you order in a restaurant on a country road one cozy evening – the best piece of pie you have ever eaten in your life – and can never find again. After you leave home, you may find yourself feeling homesick, even if you have a new home that has nicer wallpaper and a more efficient dishwasher than the home in which you grew up. ~Lemony Snicket I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world. ~George Washington
Everyone needs somewhere to call home – a safe place that makes their heart sing, and their soul fill with peace and joy. I searched for this place for a long time, and finally, it found me.
My farm, in the Byron Hinterland, is no mansion. It’s the original timber getter’s cottage, built around 1860, when the area was still all magnifient cedar, teak, beech and rainforest scrub.
It’s tiny, and humble, and although it has been modified by the few people who’ve owned it between the timber getter and me, it still has that pioneer energy.
The house is nestled against a hill, with an old organic citrus orchard and my vegetable gardens up behind us.
All around are lush green pastures and patches of remnant rainforest.
To one side is the river, and to the other is a creek, filled with platypus, eels and turtles. We have a rain-filled dam that is home to many water birds and a spring-fed dam that gives us year round clean water.
There is an incredible energy here. There are huge old trees surrounding the front and sides of the house like a protective arc, and the property sits on a songline. Here I feel safe, connected and deeply peaceful.
There’s no TV, no radio. I have computer access when I need to connect with the world, but much of my time is spent writing, listening to music or the sounds of nature, reading books and meditating, or working on the farm and gardens.
There’s a big kitchen table so I can share meals with friends and neighbours, and a double-doored oven for cooking up tasty treats. A spare bed and a comfy couch for guests.
I have a wonderful herd of cows – Droughtmasters and Murray Greys. I spend a lot of time in their company – they are such gentle and inoffensive animals, and they infuse me with calm. Wallabies graze the paddocks, wedgetail eagles soar above me, and at night we have a host of owls keeping watch.
From every window I see greenery. And up every road is a caring neighbour.
My little home is my sanctuary – the place that fills me up and lets me keep doing what I do. A refuge in stormy seas, and a wonderful place for spiritual connection any time.
I’m glad to be able to share a little of its energy with you. Welcome, friends! ♥
