I know this world is far from perfect. I am not the type to mistake a streetlight for the moon. I know our wounds are deep as the Atlantic. But every ocean has a shoreline and every shoreline has a tide that is constantly returning to wake the songbirds in our hands, to wake the […]
Those Cinnamon Buttered Pretzel Donuts I Was Talking About
Whether you take the doughnut hole as a blank space or as an entity unto itself is a purely metaphysical question and does not affect the taste of the doughnut one bit. Haruki Murakami Seriously, you guys are hilarious! After yesterday’s post I had an inbox crammed with enquiries about the curious cinnamon buttered pretzel […]
Stopping For A Moment
If you go out for several hours into a place that is wild, your mind begins to slow down, down, down. What is happening is that the clay of your body is retrieving its own sense of sisterhood with the great clay of the landscape. John O’Donohue Hey, Lovelies! I was reflecting on this time […]
Room With A View
She could see all of Ferenwood from here: the rolling hills, the endless explosion of color cascading down and across the lush landscape. Reds and blues: maroon and ceruleans. Yellow and tangerine and violet and aquamarine. Every hue held a flavor, a heartbeat, a life. She took a deep breath and drew it all in. […]
How To Clear The Energy of Secondhand Clothes
Ethical fashion is the recognition that there are human beings behind the clothes that we wear. Elizabeth Joy Hey, Lovelies! Have you ever bought secondhand clothes, shoes or accessories? Did you wonder if these items might hold unwanted energies? One of our community sent me a question yesterday, and suggested I might answer it via […]
When The Universe Gives You Messages…
A real love letter is made of insight, understanding, and compassion. Otherwise it’s not a love letter. A true love letter can produce a transformation in the other person, and therefore in the world. Thich Nhat Hanh Hey, Lovelies! I’ve been so tired with all of this moving that I have been having lots of […]
The Power To Change – Monday Oracle 22 March 2021
I dwell in possibility… Emily Dickinson Hello, Lovelies! This Quarter I will be using the Wisdom of the Oracle cards by Colette Baron-Reid for my weekly oracle readings. This week our card is 46 – REGENERATION. It’s a week for taking small steps towards new goals, a time for believing that change is possible, and a week where change […]
Dinner With A View
Dinner? Anything will do, as long as I can eat it on toast, and make it in five minutes flat! I’m that kind of tired. Nicole Cody Hey, Lovelies! We’re STILL moving. I’m still exhausted. Ben’s back is still preventing him from doing anything but supervise. But I spent a night (on my own) in […]
About My Filthy Toes
The way I see it, the difference between farmers and suburbanites is the difference in the way we feel about dirt. To them, the earth is something to be respected and preserved, but dirt gets no respect. A farmer likes dirt. Suburbanites like to get rid of it. Dirt is the working layer of earth, […]
The First Thing I Did In My New Home
And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. Meister Eckhart Hey, Lovelies! I am still traipsing between properties, not properly settled in any of them. There is still much to be done, but I have had time to consider the way I will live in this next […]
Nicole’s Moving House Update
Floyd could imagine a dozen things that could go wrong; it was little consolation that it was always the thirteenth that actually happened. Arthur C. Clarke Hey, Lovelies! You know when I said I’d be offline for a FEW days? (Go on, roll around laughing!!!) I’m STILL deep in moving land but I thought I’d […]
I’ll be offline for a few days!
Of course it’s bloody raining… Ben Hey, Lovelies!We’re on the final week of packing, lugging, and transporting what the removalists won’t take, and selling the last of our farm equipment and building supplies, as we get ready to leave our farm and head north towards the treehouse by the beach. We still can’t get access […]
Boxes, Coffee and Possibilities
The beginning is always today. Mary Shelley Oh, Lovelies! This girl is soooooooo tired from all this moving business. Today we’re ferrying the first of our ‘packed but not needed yet’ boxes to a storage unit close to our new home. We’re also using the trips to scout out new coffee locations. Life’s about the […]
Not Being In A Rush
What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies. Jack Kerouac Hey, Lovelies. This packing up your life thing is […]
Imagining A New You – Monday Oracle 15 February 2021
I dwell in possibility… Emily Dickinson Hello, Lovelies! This Quarter I will be using the Wisdom of the Oracle cards by Colette Baron-Reid for my weekly oracle readings. This week our card is 20 – IMAGINE. It’s a week for opening yourself to new possibilities, to bigger dreams, to innovations and opportunities. IMAGINE encourages us to dream of better […]
Busy Baking and Making Lists
In Ireland, you go to someone’s house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you’re really just fine. She asks if you’re sure. You say of course you’re sure, really, you don’t need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don’t need a ting. Well, she says then, […]
Easy Melt and Mix Banana Cake
Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple. Natalie Babbitt Hey, Lovelies. I would have loved to do some glamour shots of this fabulous banana cake. Actually, who am I kidding? I was lucky to even get a photo of it before Ben and his hungry hordes of workers cut into it for Smoko. I’m in […]
The Spider In The Shower
Spiders so large they appear to be wearing the pelts of small mammals. Dave Barry Hey, Lovelies! Our little farmhouse is a spider haven. We have ‘house spiders’ in every room, and more come out each night. We’ve grown used to them. They don’t harm us (although they have occasionally given us a fright!) and […]
The Mother, The Daughter and The Fire Alarm
A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace […]
What Should I Pack In My Moving Day Survival Box?
The art of our necessities is strange That can make vile things precious. William Shakespeare Hey, Lovelies. I need your advice. What should I pack in my moving day Survival Box? You know, the box you unpack in the middle of all the chaos that has the stuff you need to get yourself through the […]
The Power To Transform – Monday Oracle 8 Feb 2021
In order to make a lasting contribution to humanity, we cannot allow other people’s expectancies to limit our development or restrict our dreams. We must live our own lives unaffected by other people’s expectations. Kilroy J. Oldster Hello, Lovelies! This Quarter I will be using the Wisdom of the Oracle cards by Colette Baron-Reid for my weekly […]
Friends, Thank You
A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. Elbert Hubbard Friends, Your kind words, your messages of friendship and support, the sharing of your own shames and insecurities and fears and hard experiences, were a balm for my tired hurting heart yesterday. I’m grateful for you, and for our friendship. […]
Shame
Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’. Gretchen Rubin Can I tell you something? I struggle often, sometimes daily, with being who I am. Although I am accepting of who I am, I also carry a deep sense of shame about that, and I am working hard to parent myself out of this […]
Cristo Velato – My Strange Dream
I dream my painting and I paint my dream. Vincent Willem van Gogh I had the strangest dream last night. I was lying on a narrow bed, like a chaise lounge, my head propped on pillows. I was immobile, and my body was cold. Everything was cold. I wasn’t breathing, but I was alive. It […]
Ah, Romance!
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. Mignon McLaughlin Hey, Lovelies. It’s our 21st Wedding Anniversary today. I wouldn’t have remembered, except that Google reminded me. We almost never remember. Ben forgets, I forget, and usually when we remember, months have gone by. Sometimes, years have gone by. […]
What’s the Plan? – Monday Oracle 1 February 2021
Start today creating a vision for yourself, your life, and your career. Bounce back from adversity and create what you want, rebuild and rebrand. Tell yourself it’s possible along the way, have patience, and maintain peace with yourself during the process. Germany Kent Hello, Lovelies! This Quarter I will be using the Wisdom of the Oracle cards […]
When The Universe Gives You A Message And You Keep Ignoring It…
Listen to the trees as they sway in the wind. Their leaves are telling secrets. Their bark sings songs of olden days as it grows around the trunks. And their roots give names to all things. Their language has been lost. But not the gestures. Vera Nazarian Hey, Lovelies. I’ve pretty much been on call […]
Quiet Time As A Coping Tool
You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s […]
Feeling Brave? I Have A Question For You
Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life. Shannon L. Alder Hello, Lovelies! There is a powerful question I ask myself at least once a year. It’s a confronting question, if you are truly honest with yourself. […]
Why Australia Day Isn’t Okay With Me Any More #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Aldous Huxley Hey, Lovelies. Have you noticed? The world is changing. That change is messy, but it’s necessary. It’s time to stand and face the inequalities and injustices on which our current society has been built. The #MeToo movement, #BlackLivesMatter, LGBTQI+ and gender inclusiveness, recognition […]
Freeing Yourself Up For New Adventures – Monday Oracle 25 January 2021
Sometimes, we figure out our next move when we release what it won’t be.” Mary Vraa Hello, Lovelies! This Quarter I will be using the Wisdom of the Oracle cards by Colette Baron-Reid for my weekly oracle readings. This week our card is 10 – UNFINISHED SYMPHONY. It’s a week for being strategic, for working out what […]
So, this weird thing happened…
You are one positive change, one new choice, or one unexpected chance away from a different way of life. Hold on tight and don’t let go. Rediscover the original story that has been inside you all along. Christine E. Szymanski I know, I know. You’re going to say to me, ‘Nicole, weird things ALWAYS seem […]
The COVID Doctor, our Midnight Call, and a way you can help her
Even in times of trauma, we try to maintain a sense of normality until we no longer can. That, my friends, is called surviving. Not healing. We never become whole again … we are survivors. If you are here today… you are a survivor. But those of us who have made it thru hell and […]
Up Early, Cos America!
Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny. Steve Maraboli Dear America, Like many people in the world, I changed my day around to watch the inauguration. Just like I did for the COVID-19 Memorial Ceremony in Washington. You […]
The Blessings of My Neglected Garden
I wanted to rest my eyes on green meadows. I wanted to sit on green grass under the shade of a green tree. I wanted to eat cool green salads. I longed for arugula tossed with olive oil and parmesan, for asparagus tips dripping with melted butter, for a salad of sweet and bitter green […]
A Week To Get Stuff Done – Monday Oracle 18 January 2021
I guarantee that if you just buckle down, and focus, you can get twice as much done today as you got done in the last two days combined. Monroe Mann Hello, Lovelies! This Quarter I will be using the Wisdom of the Oracle cards by Colette Baron-Reid for my weekly oracle readings. This week our card is […]
That Moment Where I Suddenly Understood That Moving Means Packing ALL THE THINGS
I give you this to take with you: Nothing remains as it was. If you know this, you can begin again, with pure joy in the uprooting. Judith Minty Hey, Lovelies. Got any great moving house, downsizing or packing tips for me? It’s been a LONG TIME since I moved house. And not only are […]
Totally Distracted By Crystal Grids
The Wounded Inner Child is the primary gateway to healing and integration. When you invite your woundedness out of subversiveness and into your awareness you finally begin to honor the past pain. You also minimize its contractive influence on your life. And you begin to offer yourself the potential of something more. Markus William Kasunich […]
The Tree House In The Forest
Old Person: What are you going to do when you grow up?Nicole, Aged 5: Live in a treehouse and write stories. Nicole Cody Hey, Lovelies! Yesterday was a big day for us. In the strangest and most unexpected of ways we have found ourselves affected by a series of synchronicities which has led us to […]
Cycles of Life
Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else. I’ve felt that many times. My hope for all of us is that “the miles we go before we sleep” will be filled with all the feelings that come from deep caring – delight, sadness, joy, wisdom – […]
So, I Started My Own Book Club…
A book lying idle on a shelf is wasted ammunition. Like money, books must be kept in constant circulation… A book is not only a friend, it makes friends for you. When you have possessed a book with mind and spirit, you are enriched. But when you pass it on you are enriched threefold. Henry […]
A Week Of Synchronicity And Insights – Monday Oracle 11 January 2021
I do believe in an everyday sort of magic — the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we’re alone. Charles de Lint Hello, Lovelies! This Quarter I will be using the Wisdom […]
Back In Lockdown
Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I’m a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it ‘the eaten by wolves factor.’ If I do something, what’s the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? […]
The Comfort Of Ritual
This is what rituals are for. We do spiritual ceremonies as human beings in order to create a safe resting place for our most complicated feelings of joy or trauma, so that we don’t have to haul those feelings around with us forever, weighing us down. We all need such places of ritual safekeeping. And […]
I was going to blog, but America!
In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche Dear Everyone, Sometimes history unfolds before your eyes in the most important of ways. Oh, America! I can’t look away… Normal blogging will resume tomorrow. Thinking of all my American friends. Stay safe.All my love, Nicole xx
2021 – How To Navigate A Year of Spiritual Awakening
For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction. Cynthia Occelli Hey, Lovelies! 2021 brings a turbulent and unsettled year ahead, but one thing is certain – it’s a […]
When In The Day Is Your Time?
For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope […]
A Week For Nurture – Monday Oracle 4 January 2021
I am old, Gandalf. I don’t look it, but I am beginning to feel it in my heart of hearts. Well-preserved indeed! Why, I feel all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread. That can’t be right. I need a change, or […]
If You Could Choose Just ONE Thing To Change or Achieve or Create This Year What Would It Be?
It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform. Roy T. Bennett Hey, Lovelies.After the year that just was, this year is set to be also be unstable. Again. And yet… there is enormous opportunity for you to create stability within this instability through the power of […]
2021 – Guidance For The Year
Home wasn’t a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever […]