The home should be the treasure chest of living. ~ Le Corbusier Hey, Lovelies. Something shifted for me in the past two weeks. Finally, the treehouse feels like home. It’s hard to define, but the shift is so strong. I am settled here. Peaceful in a way I haven’t been since early childhood. Perhaps […]
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. […]
Almost Home
“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 […]
Monday Oracle – 18 February 2019
“ It is in the shelter of each other that the people live. -Irish proverb ” ~ Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well Hello, Lovelies! February is a month for action and self-empowerment – for taking your plans and turning them into goals, action steps and habits. It’s a month […]
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 […]
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 […]
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’ […]
The Tawny Family Shows Off Baby!
“She had blue skin, And so did he. He kept it hid And so did she. They searched for blue Their whole life through, Then passed right by- And never knew.” ~ Shel Silverstein We have a family of Tawny Frogmouths that nest in the teak tree outside our kitchen window every year. They […]
Quiet, Tea and Dogs
“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 neighbour — such […]
Watching The Afternoon Fade to Grey
“On this road where nobody else travels autumn nightfall.” ~ Matsuo Bashō Late yesterday afternoon I wandered through the back garden, and then up the hill toward the old orchard behind our house. My word for the year is ‘home’ and I truly allowed myself to feel into that space yesterday. Close to […]
Misty Morning Wonderland
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” ~ Henry David Thoreau It’s so good to be home. The dogs and I went for a very early walk. We have six new calves and the unseasonably warm weather means that our paddocks are lush with dewy grass, and the dam is still […]
My First Morning at Home Again!
“There is a kind of magic-ness about going far away and then coming back all changed.” ~ Kate Douglas Wiggin Hello, beautiful friends! So, here I am, back in Australia once more. Can I admit to being a little misty-eyed when my husband Ben pulled up outside Brisbane International Airport to pick me up last […]
Green Grass, New Mums and Other Exciting News
“When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound… I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their […]
Ready For Going Home!
“Mr. Fred shook hands with her, said he was glad to see her, drew out a wet Coke from the machine, wiped it on his apron, and gave it to her. This is one good thing about life that never changes, she thought. As long as he lived, as long as she returned, Mr. Fred […]
Home In My Own Bed!
“I live in my own little world. But it’s ok, they know me here.” ~ Lauren Myracle There is something so sweet and good about sleeping in your own bed after a long time away. It’s a little crowded just now though. Harry and Bert refuse to leave my side. Not that I’m complaining. […]
How to Be At Home Wherever You Are
“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 […]
Air In My Lungs
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” ~ Thích Nhất Hạnh I woke up in my own bed here at our farm, following a long trip home last night in our ute packed high with the things we will need for our coming retreat. After our city stay, this country morning […]
My Kind Of Nightlife
“I love the silent hour of night, For blissful dreams may then arise, Revealing to my charmed sight What may not bless my waking eyes.” ~ Anne Brontë, Best Poems of the Brontë Sisters We’re home again at our little farm, for a while at least. It rained on and off from late in […]
Coming Home
“Now, on this road trip, my mind seemed to uncrinkle, to breathe, to present to itself a cure for a disease it had not, until now, known it had.” ― Elizabeth Berg, The Year of Pleasures I’ve been in the city so long this last stay. It was necessary. Bert needed surgery. Then Harry. […]
It’s The Little Things…
“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, Anne of Avonlea Yesterday was […]
A Refreshing Pause
“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” ~ Bill Watterson, The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book “…I don’t just wish you rain, Beloved – I wish you the beauty of storms…” ~ John Geddes, A Familiar Rain I’m so glad that we went and […]
Afternoon Magic at the Farm
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by […]
Home, away from Home
“I don’t care if we have our house, or a cliff ledge, or a cardboard box. Home is wherever we all are, together,” ~ James Patterson It hasn’t been the same, without Ben at home – while we’ve here, in the city, waiting for him to be well enough to leave hospital. We’re not used to city life […]
A Newsy Update and Writing Reminder
“Are you ready?” Klaus asked finally. “No,” Sunny answered. “Me neither,” Violet said, “but if we wait until we’re ready we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives, Let’s go.” ~ Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator This will be quite a newsy post, hence the title. Breaking News and Announcements: Husband Update: Ben […]
A Little Bit of Normal
“Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace.” ~ Steve Goodier I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours offline and disconnected from the outside world, so that I could reconnect with my husband, our dogs, and the beautiful place we call home. I needed that, after five days holding the space […]
Afternoon Walk on the Farm
“For [Jane Austen and the readers of Pride and Prejudice], as for Mr. Darcy, [Elizabeth Bennett’s] solitary walks express the independence that literally takes the heroine out of the social sphere of the houses and their inhabitants, into a larger, lonelier world where she is free to think: walking articulates both physical and mental freedom.” […]
Was it all a dream?
“Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream.”~ Khalil Gibran It’s 5am. I woke this morning in my own bed. The cool dawn air from the windows flung wide is fragranced with lemon blossom, jasmine, green grass and rich earth. It’s a lush smell. A rich smell. So dense I can almost hold it […]
Outback Australia – A Snapshot
“We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies.” ~ Shirley Abbott I picked up a stone yesterday and put it in my pocket. I walked on a […]
Sneaking out the Door
“Home is the place that goes where you go, yet it welcomes you upon your return. Like a dog overjoyed at the door. We’ve missed you is what you hear, no matter how long you’ve been gone.” ~ Michael J. Rosen By the time you read this I’ll be going home. Front door pulled shut behind […]
Homeward bound!
“And when the day arrives I’ll become the sky and I’ll become the sea and the sea will come to kiss me for I am going home. Nothing can stop me now.” ~ Trent Reznor The ute’s all packed, it’s not quite dawn and we’re heading home to the farm. I’m filled with a quiet thrill. […]
My Winter Solstice
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice – the shortest day; grey, cold and wintry. A perfect day for bonfires, for eating the luscious golden fruits from the orchard, and for curling up in front of the hearth to sleep away the longest night… ‘The Shortest Day’ by Susan Cooper So the shortest day came, and the […]
Wednesday Blessings
“When people refer to ‘Back in the Day,’ it was a Wednesday. Just a little fun fact for you.” ~ Dane Cook It’s been a rough ride this past week or so. That’s why I’ve decided to gift myself an ordinary Wednesday! There’s a gentle rain falling, and I started my day by staying in bed, […]
Treasure Hunting in Bangalow!
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Holy Bible: King James Version, Matthew 6:21 What’s your idea of treasure? Mine is finding old and still-useful objects to give life to by bringing them into my home. They have an eclectic personality and quality of workmanship that is often missing in newer, mass-produced goods. […]
Getting My Hands on My Inheritance!
“Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.” ~ Henry David Thoreau In a quiet corner of an organic cafe somewhere in Brisbane yesterday, history was made. My mother (that’s her hands in the top of the picture above – like me she’s quite camera shy!) finally lent me […]
Home, after Rain
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”~ Jane Austen I’m home. I slept last night in my own bed. After so long in the city it was good beyond measure to be here at my little farm, surrounded by a thick blanket of peace and the sounds of night; cattle lowing, croaking frogs, […]
Misty Morning Pre-Christmas Happiness
“Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” ~ Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book Saturday morning, 22 December, 2012. The world hasn’t ended. Instead Harry the pup woke me up, and after a cuddle the dogs and I went […]
The Excitement of Going Home
“Home is where the heart is.” ~ JOSEPH C. NEAL I’m going home today – home to my own little farm. After too much time in the big city, with bags barely unpacked from my Thailand adventure, I am finally going home. Somehow, when I wasn’t paying attention, Summer arrived. Somehow Christmas snuck up. I’ve been […]
Remembering Nana…
My beloved Nana passed away, quietly, gently, while I was far away from home. She took her last breath peacefully on the morning of November 16. 2012. Slipping gracefully from her body, she flew off on her fairy wings (everyone who knew Joycie knew she had fairy wings!) to join all of our loved ones […]
A Psychic Kind of Day
“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.” ~ Leo Buscaglia Just over a week ago, on my last day in Brisbane as I was running […]
Grounding Myself in Life Again…
“Go to foreign countries and you will get to know the good things one possesses at home.” ~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe I’ve spent the past five days running a meditation retreat. It was a fabulous course, and I was totally absorbed in a world of ritual, magic and spiritual connection. But today I […]
Everybody needs a place to call home, or, my little farm and what it means to me
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 […]