Our solstice days

With Christmas coming closer and the Summer Solstice now past we have had a week of family, hot days (over 40 degrees Celsius at one point) and now some Summer rain to keep the garden growing wildly.
Rosie is happily home for the holidays after a full year of school (albeit with lots of homeschooling days, as is our bent). Its a lovely thought to know that she'll be around all day everyday for imaginative play, reading, adventures and whatever-takes-our-fancy.
Bethany is now talking more too, after a couple of months of that frustration that comes from not being understood. I'm sure she must have been telling us detailed stories and asking complex questions, and yet we were oblivious.
A new side of this little girl is now emerging, to the joy of everyone.
And so, with friends and family in tow, we journey to Melbourne tomorrow for Christmas festivities and begin to think about the new year.

Wishing you connection, creativity and joy over this holiday season.

Carolyn x x

Rosie painting Ian's nails ready for a 'play' she wrote.

Nana needed her nails done too!

Miss Rosie has actually become a lot better at applying nailpolish

Miss Bethany deep in play by herself - so lovely to see

Nana and Pop bought this 'paint by numbers' for Rosie for her birthday - but I think they like it more than she does...








Purple-podded peas growing well in the warm weather


Our substantial strawberry patch is still producing thanks to some selective watering over the hotter days

Miss Pippy, our largest hen, in the chook yard.

This week in the garden

In the garden this week

Lots growing, lots of picking and lots of planting...

a cleansing sort of rain

I feel that I have little to write today, but of course that's not true. My brain is in a bit of a fog, I'm tired and I've decided to quit sugar again - starting today.

This feels like a time for change - this Springtime with its opening flowers and lengthening days. Its a time for growth, which I see manifested all around me, but I have been reluctant to accept in myself.

Today its raining - a light, ongoing patter of Spring rain that is sprinkling the new beetroot seedlings I planted out yesterday and watering in the lemonade tree I moved last week.

And it seems to match my thoughts, this rain, and I let go of some of the things I've been holding onto so tightly these last few weeks. Its a cleansing sort of rain that helps to bring me down to earth.

It seems funny to me that my depression leaves me unanchored and up in the air with confusion. And that what works for me is getting down lower - getting down to earth and grounded. This is what the rain is doing for this Mama today.

You see lately I've been struggling with the idea of having depression in an ongoing way, rather than just post-natally. I don't want to accept that there's something wrong with me and that I might need to stay taking anti-depressants for a long time, possibly until the end of my life. Don't get me wrong here folks, the jury is still out on how long I may need them, but the possibility remains and that's enough to disturb this tired Mama.

Because, to be honest, I've always harboured judgements against those who take prescription medication long-term. Those sort of judgements that sneek into conscious thinking every now and again, only to be pushed silently aside and hopefully forgotten because they're not polite and don't fit my clean image of myself. I've taken the moral high-ground and assumed that I was a better person because I didn't need to take anything. As if I was somehow more natural - more organic and real than them.

I'm not sad about this, nor am I punishing myself. Its simply a fact I acknowledge - that my perspective has shifted - has had to shift in order to accept my situation and choices.

For its in accepting others, isn't it, that we can then accept ourselves?

The day that didn't happen

It was meant to be a day for me. To focus on a new direction for this blog. To pause and reflect. To dream and plan ahead...

A day for me. Just me.

But it became a day to look at a new car. And a day for me to be a Mama to our two girls. A day to work in the garden.

I felt frustration, yes. And I considered anger and self-pity for a while. But, really.

The sun was warm on our back as we played in the garden. The sourdough loaves filled our home with that delightful, yeasty smell. And Ian found the car we'd been looking for. For the right price. In the right location. And that means our trip around Australia next year is one step closer to being a reality.

And then Ian arrived home, flushed from his success in finding our dream car, and we eagerly worked together for the afternoon to complete the additions to our chicken's accommodation. Our two feathered girls, Henny Penny and Poppy, now joined by Pippy(2) and Sam (more on these beauties another time) can now roam in the sun all day long without disturbing any neighbours. They can scratch and dig and fossick as much as they like. And I can't tell you how happy this makes this Mama.

And then, after all this work in the garden the sun was still shining. So I asked myself and what of this day for me? Just me?

I'm thinking that maybe I got it. I got just what I wanted after all.

Today's inspiration: day 6

Spring is a-coming.

Today's inspiration: day 5

Today's inspiration: girls in white dresses.

Today's inspiration: day 4

Today's inspiration: our big fairy in the garden.

Friday book review: Living the Good Life

An oldy but a goody. First published in 1954, Living the Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing is the ultimate book about dropping out of the 'rat race' and living a down to earth life that is close to nature.
Of course there are many books about this sort of change, but I really like that this couple faced the same sort of challenges that exist today (and many that do not, it must be said). They aim to "live sanely and simply in a troubled world".
They left NY during the Great Depression and "decided we could live a saner, quieter, more worthwhile life in the country".
We had the first truly warm and sunny day here in the Mount Beauty since the onset of Winter and as I spent my day in our sunshiny garden I thought about this book and how it's simple yet powerful message underlines what we're working on here as a family.
I was living the good life today...is fact so much that this post almost didn't get written in favour of moving strawberry plants, planting seeds, thinning seedlings and playing with children.
*sigh*

Our late Winter garden

Our garden is still mostly in its Winter hibernation. There are just a couple of signs that Spring will soon be upon us. And with these signs comes a little panic from this Mama - all those Winter jobs I was going to do in the garden - so many done but so many not yet started. I'd better get a-working...

The rocket is doing well (it always is it seems...)

Bethany helping to pick some lemons for cordial

She was determined to carry the heavy basket by herself

Trays of seedlings ready to plant out - I think I'm a little late with the broccoli but I'll see what happens

The wood shed - with front recently removed to increase air flow and because we like to look at our stacked wood.

The first miniature daffodils just peeking out of their hoods

Spring is coming but its still cold in the garden (notice my cowl - just finished in time for my birthday a couple of weeks ago).