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. […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
Watching It All Burn
Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people, to give them hope, but I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. I want you to act. I want you to act as you […]
Manifesting Magic And Baked Goods
Dare to dream! If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place. There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination. What […]
I’m Going On A Pilgrimage
The purpose of a pilgrimage is about setting aside a long period of time in which the only focus is to be the matters of the soul. Many believe a pilgrimage is about going away but it isn’t; it is about coming home. Those who choose to go on pilgrimage have already ventured away from […]
The Tawny Frogmouth Family
“I may not always be with you But when we’re far apart Remember you will be with me Right inside my heart” Marc Wambolt Hey, Lovelies! Ben sent me this grainy photo yesterday, taken with his phone on maximum zoom. It’s our Tawny Frogmouth Mumma and her two chicks. Dad is just out of shot, […]
Counting Birds
Some people are very competitive in their birding. Maybe they’ll die happy, having seen a thousand species before they die, but I’ll die happy knowing I’ve spent all that quiet time being present. Lynn Thomson Hey, Lovelies! It’s Birds in Backyards week, here in Australia, and I have elected to take part by spending twenty […]
My Happy Little Lockdown Herb Garden
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. May Sarton Hello, Lovelies! A few months ago, when I realised I would be stuck in the city, and Ben would be stuck at our farm, because […]
The Quiet Of Morning
Outside the open window The morning air is all awash with angels. Richard Wilbur Hello, Lovelies. Mornings here at the farm are a quiet affair. The sunlight slants golden fingers that edge out the darkness and soften the gloom of dawn until you can make out the shapes of trees and cows. Birds call to […]
Counting Down The Sleeps!
“After all,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” L.M. Montgomery Hey, Lovelies. Overall I’ve been doing okay, […]
Daisy Mae, Ninja Stealth Cow!
The trick to not being discovered until it is too late is to become part of the expected surroundings. Stealth is more the art of blending in with the background than sneaking through dark shadows. Raymond E. Feist Hey, Lovelies! I know that you’re not supposed to have favourites But I do. This girl. Daisy […]
Intruder Alert!
“Now we had two invisible intruders. Because one wasn’t hard enough.” Ilona Andrews Hey, Lovelies! I’d like to be able to tell you that this morning was peaceful, and that my meditation ended with feelings of calm and deep comfort. I’d like to tell you that. Instead I will tell you what really happened! I […]
Strange Visitors
“Visits always give pleasure–if not the arrival, the departure.” Portuguese Proverb Hey, Lovelies. Sometimes it seems as if the drought, and Australia’s horrendous bushfire season happened years ago. A lifetime ago. So much has happened since then. So much continues to unfold. But those years of drought and catastrophic fires have left their mark. As […]
Tomato Soup And Fresh Bread Equals Tired Happiness
“In pretty much every country in the world, something hot and brothy cooked in a pot and served in a bowl is viewed as uniquely nourishing. Soup places low demands on the eater. It treats you as a child, who may or may not know how to use a knife and fork. You do not […]
A little bit social…
“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” Linda Grayson Hey, Lovelies! How are you coping, where-ever you are in the world? We’ve been in self-isolation here at the farm, Ben, me and the pups, since late February. It hasn’t been too bad overall. We’ve loved the slower pace, […]
Ordinary Luxuries
“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people […]
Harry Dog Update
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” Will Rogers Hey, Lovelies!We got our latest vet report yesterday for our Blue Cattle Dog Harry, who has recently undergone cruciate ligament surgery – a pretty major deal. Things are healing well, but not as fast as […]
The Chestnut Tree
“How simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. . . . All that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple, frugal heart.” Nikos Kazantzakis Chestnuts. They’re not really a popular Australian thing. The closest […]
The Survivor
“The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” Roy T. Bennett Hello, Lovelies. It’s funny (or not) how nature has lessons for us, if only we pay attention. Last year, here in Australia, we experienced terrible drought here at […]
Another Weird Day In Byron Bay
“I think everybody’s weird. We should all celebrate our individuality and not be embarrassed or ashamed of it.” Johnny Depp So, this happened to me yesterday. I live in an old farmhouse on an organic farm in the hinterland of Byron Bay. Our farm is at the end of a quiet and trafficless road only […]
How Coronavirus Threw Me Back Into My Forgotten Past
“I’ll just tell you what I remember because memory is as close as I’ve gotten to building my own time machine.” Samantha Hunt Hello, Lovelies. A strange thing happened to me yesterday. I’m in lockdown here at the farm right now, just me and my husband, and our two dogs. I have internet connection. I […]
Ten Easy Vegetables To Grow At Home with Limited Space
“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ” […]
A Sense of Community
“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.” Goethe All through the drought we have left out food for the […]
I’m in self-isolation, and here’s why
“Boundaries are, in simple terms, the recognition of personal space.” Asa Don Brown Lovelies, I’ve just closed down the perimeters of my life. I’m in lock-down. Self-isolated, here at my farm. I intend to stay here, isolated, except for essential outings, for some months. Perhaps even all year. And that’s okay. I have internet and […]
Everything Green At Last
“And the needles of the pine trees, freshly washed to a deep, rich green, shimmered with droplets that blinked like clear crystals.” Billie Letts Lovelies, I can’t begin to tell you… Our farm has been in drought most of the past two years. Drought in a rainforest. Unheard of. And then there were the fires. […]
Being okay with what is
“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Robert Burns Hey. Lovelies! I had expected to wake up at the farm this morning, in my own bed, with the sound of rain on the roof, and with my husband and dogs beside me. Instead Ben woke up at the farm, to rain, happy […]
Hugs, Cuddles & Cups Of Tea
“For the two of us, home isn’t a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.” Stephanie Perkins As you are reading this my plane is landing. As you are reading this I am pulling myself out of my seat and gathering my bags and trying to walk SLOWLY through immigration and customs, […]
Listening to the sound of rain
“On the fifth day, which was a Sunday, it rained very hard. I like it when it rains hard. It sounds like white noise everywhere, which is like silence but not empty.”~ Mark Haddon Hey, Lovelies. I did something delicious last night. I lay in bed and listened to the sound of rain on the roof. […]
What To Do When Your Beds Are Burning
“How do we sleep while our beds are burning?” ~ Midnight Oil Hey, Lovelies. I’m back in civilization, after some much-needed time away. I’m not back in Australia yet, but I do have reliable internet again. I’d love to say that I’m better rested, refreshed and feeling brand new. But, to paraphrase Midnight Oil, how […]
The Strange Goodbye
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” ~ Benjamin Franklin Not long now, lovelies, and I’ll be on a plane. Usually, post-Retreat is a blur for me. I’m always the kind of exhausted that makes moving impossible, let alone thinking or talking. My normal post-Retreat plan is three days of solid sleep. But […]
Ashes, Dust and Devastation. Thoughts on an Australian Summer (in Spring!)
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt Hello, Lovelies. I’m sitting in my Brisbane office this morning, far from my farm. I’m in a city with city comforts. Air conditioning, wi-fi, television. When I turn on a tap there is no thought for where the […]
Stir-Fried Mushroom, Asparagus, Zucchini and Tomato Recipe
“We should all be eating fruits and vegetables as if our lives depend on it – because they do.” ~ Michael Greger Hello, Lovelies!Last week my husband Ben and I sat at out kitchen table with Trish Lyons, my wonderful PA, and our neighbours, Richard Jones and Jo Immig. We spent the night talking about […]
The Decision Not To Plant
We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do something about it. Jay Inslee Hello, Lovelies. When we first moved to Byron Bay, fleeing eleven years of drought on our organic farm in Queensland, the locals laughed that they called it a drought […]
Easy Fried Plantains Recipe
‘Plantains? Cook ’em up and you can’t go wrong. We’ll tell you how. They go with everything, love.’ Neville Singh Hello, Lovelies, You’ll probably know that one of my favourite places on a Friday is the Mullumbimby Farmers Markets, and it was here that I was first convinced to give Plantains a go, thanks to […]
The Sound of Rain
Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book. Bill Watterson We’ve been in and out of drought here at the farm for the past two years. Byron Bay is rainforest country – it’s usually a place of frequent rainfall. When the rain dried up, huge cracks in […]
Frosty The Calf Teaches Us About Life
And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. Meister Eckhart There’s a new little calf at our farm. She came into the world so quietly. She just slipped in without a sound. Ben named her Frosty, because once her coat dried and fluffed out it was bleached […]
The Magical Healing Qualities of Being Home At The Farm
A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor — such […]
Echidna Rescue!
You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there. Edwin Louis Cole Hello, Lovelies. We undertook a dramatic rescue operation yesterday afternoon. As I was walking up the hill to water our fruit trees my fairy friend Sokli yelled out, ‘Hey, that poor friend needs some help. Hurry! Help him! He’s […]
20 Ways To Strengthen Your Connection To Mother Earth
‘Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things […]
Staff Meeting, Part Two
“People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.” ~ Thomas Sowell Once upon a time, I was a member of the corporate world. My meetings lasted hours and sometimes days. I wore a suit. I was often bored, or frustrated. Every hour a meeting dragged on made me feel a little more dead inside. […]
The Staff Meeting
“I think there needs to be a meeting to set an agenda for more meetings about meetings.” ~ Jonah Goldberg My PA, Trish Lyons, turned up at the farm yesterday afternoon so we could have a staff meeting. Staff meetings are important. We feel we approached it the right way. The first thing we did was have […]
Easy Oven Baked Whole Potatoes
“Not everyone can be a truffle. Most of us are potatoes. And a potato is a very good thing to be.” ~ Massimo Bottura I love baked potatoes. They go well as a side dish for barbeques and salads, but you can also load them up with toppings and have them as a meal on their own. […]
Easy Stuffed Capsicum Bell Pepper Recipe
I’m crazy for leftovers. There is something completely satisfying about cooking a large batch of something and then being able to make easy meals for days. One of our favourite easy meals is leftovers stuffed into capsicum (bell peppers) and baked, with cheese added near the end for some satisfying melty goodness. When you bake red capsicums they end up so sweet and tender. Yum!
Easy Breakfast Frittata Recipe
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.”
~ A.A. Milne
Home is… Doggy and Heavenly and So Very Good
“Coming home to friends with wagging tails and loving hearts makes everyday a good day!” ~ Anon I’d love to be writing profound things. But the truth is what I want to write is very ordinary. We came home to the farm late yesterday. We came home to our dogs. They were SO EXCITED to […]
A Very Hygge Holiday
Be kind to yourself this week while these energies make all of us empaths more sensitive than usual.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Salad with Lime and Garlic Dressing #Vegan
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” ~ A. A. Milne It’s a known fact that historically Ben won’t eat two things – Brussels Sprouts and Cottage Pie (which he calls Poo Pie!) after bad experiences at boarding school back in […]
Stubborn Determination
“He that can have patience can have what he will.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
Gumboot Adventure and a Lyme Update
“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you […]
Good Boy Rufous
“Rules of Food Sneaking #73: If you do it real fast most people will never know.” ~ Rufous the Dog Hello, Peoples, I am Rufous. And it is true – I am a bit of a nibbler. Most things can be edible if you chew on them enough. Like Mum’s slippers. I have eaten three […]
Tiny Treasures!
“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” ~ Henry David Thoreau My morning meditation […]
The Naughty Cow – A Lesson In Patience and Persistence
“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” ~ Abraham Lincoln It’s no secret that Daisy Mae is one of my favourite animals on the planet. That’s her, on the far right in the photo above. She’s hiding (or so she thinks!) as she peeks through the fence at me. As soon as I […]
The Fairy and the Bandicoot
“Sensitive people care when the world doesn’t because we understand waiting to be rescued and no one shows up. We have rescued ourselves, so many times that we have become self taught in the art of compassion for those forgotten.” ~ Shannon L. Alder I planned to sleep in a little this morning. After my four […]
Rufous – Rescue Dog, At Your Service
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ~ Maya Angelou Our beautiful young red cattle dog, Rufous, has found a new calling. He’s certainly at home on our farm doing his chores and rounding up the cows. But he’s also discovered a wonderful hidden talent – he’s become a hit at the aged […]
The Joy Of Rain
“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” ~ Bill Watterson Down in our part of the world we’ve been in drought all Summer. The land has been so dry that the pasture has become crunchy and brown beneath our feet. Great cracks have opened up in the land. […]
The Sweet Smell of Night
“Pleasure is wild and sweet. She likes purple flowers. She loves the sun and the wind and the night sky. She carries a silver bowl full of liquid moonlight. She has a cat named Midnight with stars on his paws. Many people mistrust Pleasure, and even more misunderstand her. For a long time I could […]
On Hot Days Add Water!
“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.” ~ Laura Gilpin There’s a heatwave moving slowly across Australia this week. That means you’ll find us near the water. River, ocean, swimming pool. Any and all of them. All our birdbaths are full, and we’ve added extra saucers and […]
I was going to write something else…
“Good stories are like those noble wild animals that make their home in hidden spots, and you must often settle down at the entrance of the caves and woods and lie in wait for them a long time.” ~ Hermann Hesse This morning started as it always did. I meditated at 4am, and then rose with the […]
Holiday At the Farm!
“There is more to life than making a living. Do not work more than you live.” ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana Hello, Lovelies! Right now we have a friend and her little girls vacationing with us here at the farm. Each day the girls have farm chores to do – watering the gardens and fruit trees (it is very […]
Help Can Come From Anywhere
“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 The other morning, as the house slumbered on, I quietly […]
Short and Sweet Update!
“After all,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” ~ L.M. Montgomery After far too long in the city […]
Night Time At My Farm
“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.” ~ Haruki Murakami After a short holiday we arrived back at our little farm in the Byron Hills yesterday. It was so good to be home, so good to be in our own space, to find […]
The Compromise My Husband Makes To Honour Fairy Wishes
“Even though the bee is small, there she is on the flower, doing something of value. And the value she creates there contributes to a larger ecosystem of value, in that mountain meadow, in that range of mountains, in the world and even the universe. And can’t you just feel how happy she is?” ~ Jay […]
That first taste of Spring!
“And the Spring arose on the garden fair, Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere; And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.” ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley I wandered into the garden yesterday afternoon after sitting at my desk too long. The sky was heavy with bruise-coloured […]
Tea Parties and Crystal Grids
“Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.” ~ Sydney Smith A few days ago my team and I undertook a massive photo shoot for our new website. This involved multiple locations over a number of days – our favourite […]
The Un-fancy Photo Shoot
“There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes.” ~ Abraham Lincoln For the next few days I’m on a photoshoot. It sounds much more glamorous than it actually is. We need images for our new website so we are working with a talented friend, Kerry Warnholtz, to capture some shots. This involves […]
Frost On The Flats!
“All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again […]
I Thought I’d Recorded A Relaxing Meditation For You, But Then This Happened
“The world is too quiet without you nearby.” ~ Lemony Snicket I decided to record you a guided meditation yesterday. I sat in the sun, with birdsong all around me, moved into deep relaxation, closed my eyes, and spoke into my little recorder. Then I came back to the house and listened to the recording. It […]
Hay, Hay, Hay – it’s a drought!
“Without water, life would just be rock.” ~ Anthony T. Hincks It’s been a strange winter. I can count the number of really cold days on my fingers. Mostly it has been as warm as spring, and sometimes warm as summer. No-one jokes about global warming anymore. It’s here, and the evidence is all around […]
A Posy Of Weeds For My Friend
“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” ~ Muhammad Ali I have a friend who waits for me every day. Our big tough bull – or Red Bull, as we […]
Oh Rufous! Poor sore paw!
“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” ~ Will Rogers Poor Rufous had an accident on Saturday. While out mustering the cattle in cold, wet and muddy conditions he ripped a toenail almost off his front foot and cut it badly. We only noticed when […]
Trapped by Dog!
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ~ Edith Sitwell Winter arrived overnight at our farm. Brrrr! So cold this morning. And this morning after my meditation I popped back into bed […]
No Blog Because…
“Daily dawns another day; I must up, to make my way. Though I dress and drink and eat, Move my fingers and my feet, Learn a little, here and there, Weep and laugh and sweat and swear, Hear a song, or watch a stage, Leave some words upon a page, Claim a foe, or hail […]
It’s a Fairy Forest here at the farm!
“Few humans see fairies or hear their music, but many find fairy rings of dark grass, scattered with toadstools, left by their dancing feet.” ~ Judy Allen We’ve had a furious amount of rain here at the farm these past few weeks. Everything is damp and waterlogged, but green green green! On my morning walk I […]
The Taste of Freedom
“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw.” ~ Nelson Mandela We always clip our dogs onto short leads on the back seat of the car when we travel. It keeps the dogs confined to their positions (otherwise they’d both be […]
My Magical Magnolia Owl Tree
“Have you ever looked at the bud of a magnolia flower? It’s a tight little pod that stays closed up for a long time on the end of its branch until one day, out of nowhere, it finally bursts open into this gigantic, gorgeous, fragrant flower that’s ten times bigger than the bud itself. It’s […]
Ah, the Romance… (sob)
“Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze. ” ~ Elinor Glyn Thank you so much for all of your anniversary wishes. Ben and I are very grateful for your love and support. I’d like to tell you that yesterday was truly romantic – the stuff of dreams and […]
Waking Up In My Own Bed
“I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. Likewise, I never imagined that home might be something I would miss.” ~ Ransom Riggs This morning I woke in my own bed. Outside my window the birds sang. Dawn […]
A Small But Positive Sign In The Shape Of A Snail
“Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.” ~ Oprah Winfrey When we holidayed with a friend and her family early this year, her small children asked me what I had done to earn pocket money when I was little. We didn’t get pocket money when we were growing up, […]
My Favourite Morning Job
“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?” That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only […]
The Crystal Farmer of Byron Bay
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson We live on an organic farm, tucked in the hills behind Byron Bay. Our main focus is organic heritage citrus, beef cattle and bush tucker (Bunya nuts and herbs). But we have come to do […]
Eagles and Cups of Tea
“Farewell,” they cried, “Wherever you fare till your eyries receive you at the journey’s end!” That is the polite thing to say among eagles. “May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks,” answered Gandalf, who knew the correct reply.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien We are always up early, […]
Fanny’s Whist Cake – A simple and delicious treat!
“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people […]
Why We Vaccinate
“In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition […]
The Stop Go Man
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett Byron Bay has sunshine and farmers markets and great beaches and heaps of tourists and endless potholes. Our roads are in a constant state of disrepair, and there are always road crews out […]
The Best Blog Was The One I Didn’t Write!
“Have you ever seen the dawn? Not a dawn groggy with lack of sleep or hectic with mindless obligations and you about to rush off on an early adventure or business, but full of deep silence and absolute clarity of perception? A dawning which you truly observe, degree by degree. It is the most amazing […]
Magical And Surprising – Spring At The Farm!
“It was such a spring day as breathes into a man an ineffable yearning, a painful sweetness, a longing that makes him stand motionless, looking at the leaves or grass, and fling out his arms to embrace he knows not what.” ~ John Galsworthy It was a beautiful day at the farm here yesterday – all […]
I’d Rather Be Here Than Blogging Today
“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.” ― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek Our Temple of Light Retreat is over, and I’m having a few quiet days for rest and reflection. This morning […]
Coping Strategy #73
“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.” ~ […]
After Rest Comes Rejuvenation
“In a cool solitude of trees Where leaves and birds a music spin, Mind that was weary is at ease, New rhythms in the soul begin.” ~ William Kean Seymour Are you taking some time for yourself this week? As part of my be-gentle-with-myself healing process I spent the late afternoon in the garden […]
The Turn In The Road Where My Worries Fall Away
“Though a lifetime of listening to the music of the world has passed, even now the tone of the rain on the roof of my home is the sweetest sound I have ever heard.” ~ Kensi Brianne Smith We’ve been up in Brisbane this past week, and it’s been full on. I’ve had doctors’ […]
Easy Orange Butter Cake Recipe
“Mma Ramotswe sighed. ‘We are all tempted, Mma. We are all tempted when it comes to cake.’ ‘That is true,’ said Mma Potokwane sadly. ‘There are many temptations in this life, but cake is probably one of the biggest of them.” ~ Alexander McCall Smith When you live on a farm it’s a different […]