In these days of emails, tweets and text messages we can spend our days constantly communicating, but not really sharing at that deeper level of connection. One of my favourite forms of communication is a fairly old-fashioned one. It involves conversation and cups of tea. Yesterday, my dear friend Carly-Jay Metcalfe, a poet and writer, […]
Heavenly Chocolate Brownie Recipe
This brownie recipe is so good that my neighbour’s son prefers to be paid by the tin full rather than take cash when he works in my garden! As the picture suggests it is moist, dense and fudgey. It’s a pleasure to make, using only a large saucepan and a cup. You can have it […]
Coconut and Jam Slice Recipe & Country Funerals
Our town had a funeral this week. This is the sort of funeral I don’t mind – an old lady, well-loved, dying of old age after a full life. Country funerals are always well attended, and country people are big eaters, so there needs to be plenty of food at the wake, especially for the […]
Cow wisdom and farm life
Late yesterday afternoon, just as the cicadas started singing, just as the light began to soften, my favourite old cow, 767, came up to the fence and called me. We have a special connection, her and me. She is eighteen now, old for a cow, and an illogical keep, but I cannot get rid of […]
Celebration Chocolate Mudcake Recipe
It’s my friend’s 40th birthday today, and we’re having a ladies lunch in her honour. Of course we need good cake. There will be grandmas and new babies and friends coming from afar. Twenty cake-loving women, and we need enough cake leftovers to make the men happy when they join us later. Somehow it always […]
Wednesday morning, 5am.
It’s raining here. That’s not unusual for where I live. The Northern Rivers wouldn’t flow if they didn’t have replenishment. Each morning I wake up early, around 4am, and then I meditate for an hour or so, lighting some candles and incense to keep me company in the dark. My meditation can take one of […]
Baba Ganoush Dip Recipe – Easy!
One of the things I love about living on a farm is being able to walk out into the garden, take a few ingredients, and turn them into fresh fast food. Today I’m making Baba Ganoush – a garlicky middle eastern eggplant dip, from today’s harvest. There is an eggplant bush hidden at the back of […]
Thai Sticky Black Rice Recipe – a breakfast favourite
I’m all for nourishing the soul with food, and this is one of my all-time favourite recipes. This rice dish can be eaten for breakfast, or as a dessert. In fact, it’s good anytime. You’ll need: 1 cup of black glutinous rice, 2.5 cups of water, some palm sugar or soft brown sugar, salt, a can […]
My first Blog Award – ‘The Versatile Blogger’
I received a nomination for my first ever blog award. A bit of a shock considering I’ve only been blogging for a fortnight, but what a wonderful way to start 2012. I was nominated by the writer of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars, a blog that celebrates two things dear to my heart; the […]
January 1, 2012 – Contemplation, dreaming and divination
Happy New Year, and welcome to the energies of 2012! New Year’s Day is always a special time for me. I like to welcome the day with meditation, and then spend some time over the course of the day contemplating my year ahead, asking for spiritual guidance, and writing in my journal. For me it […]
Simple 2012 Guided Meditation for you
I’ve recorded a very homespun meditation for you, to help you connect with the energies of this new year. All you need to do is sit comfortably, close your eyes, and listen to my voice guiding you through the process. You’ll find it easy, even if you’ve never really meditated before. It also uses the […]
Capsicum Jam Recipe, and musings on left-overs and over-supply
Christmas feasts and left-overs are pretty much synonymous, don’t you agree? Gluts are also a regular part of growing your own produce. I was given a big bag of juicy organic yellow and green capsicums (bell peppers for you non-Aussies) by a neighbour this morning. That’s the way it is here. When you have an […]
Garden offerings – pasta and sauce in 12 minutes
I came home to my farm tonight after working in the city all week. We pushed open the gate at the bottom of the drive, meandered up the gravel road as a sunshower fell on the rich green paddocks, and I felt the weight of the world slide from my shoulders. We hadn’t been home […]
Homemade Rocky Road for life’s bumpy bits
I was torn between writing a post with a delicious Christmas recipe and writing a post about self-love and nurture. In the end I’ve decided to do both. Fingers crossed this combo will work out. I’m dedicating this post to my Nana, Joyce, who is in her nineties, and who continues to be a wonderful […]
Recognising burnout – 10 tips for a better 2012
Are you one of the walking dead? I’m not talking zombies here and some strange mutant virus. I’m referring to burnout – that life sapping condition that affects us mentally, physically and emotionally. How do you know if you’re burning out, or already there? Take some time today, and ask yourself honestly – how […]
A cup of comfort – Chai tea from scratch
I’m a big believer in self-nurture. And you already know that I am also an embracer of the small things in life. For me, one of those small pleasures is to sip tea, and a good chai is in a class of its own – spicy, sweet and soul nourishing. Chai goes well with journalling, […]
Embracing the Small Things – an Antidote to Despair
Like you, I’ve known hard days. For a while I even had a run of days that piled up into years. Poor health, awful health, nearly deadness, and then the fallout of the mess that is created from a person incapable of functioning. It doesn’t matter what the reason for the non-functioning is – what matters […]
Ice-Cream Plum Pudding: Seriously easy, seriously yum!
I can’t quite believe that the first post of my blogging career is to divulge my ‘secret’ ice-cream plum pudding recipe. It’s a variation on shearers’ ice-cream – a recipe used to make icy treats in the Outback where frozen goods are rendered liquid long before they make it home from the store. Here goes: Soak 1 […]