Martin's beautiful hand crafted top bar bee hives.


A visit to the old ranch.



Seed sowing for the vege patch.


(Almost)Blue sky and blossoms at last.

Listening to: Bawdy Irish songs

things about the house

An afternoon to ponder, potter, peruse and paint a wee bit. Contemplating what I might do next year while Beau is at school - my own business and/or some study. right now I work two days a week at the store and I love it. We have a lovely warm, light work room here. I like being in it, having all the necessary 'tools' at hand.
Martin has been working on the garden of some friends, a lovely job for lovely people, building an enclosure for chickens and espaliering fruit trees...
Our life is busy in the way that a family is naturally busy, but simple and in a good rhythm more and more. We are a resourceful pair and our aesthetic and work ethic reflects all these things.


Listening to The Highland Sessions on Youtube

This is what the sky gave us last week. According to my friend in Byron Bay, this kind of cloud 'conceals motherships observing life on earth'....


Misa's belly being blessed/anointed/gazed upon and filled with treats..







Mostly it's all about the garden,planting fruit trees - apple, apricot and plum and herbs and relishing the sunshine.
On Sunday night at 11.30pm I witnessed the beautiful birth of our friends' (Misa and Maurice) daughter Evalina, at their home outside the city. Such a precious thing to be present to, so powerful and fragile and miraculously ordinary...

Listening to Led Zeppelin "Going to California" live from 1977, on youtube

digging in

We've been here for two weeks and already we have made our mark on the plot. Like good peasants we are making sure the animals are happy and productive and that there will be ample food in the ground. This bed is for perennials, herbs, flowers and a fruit tree on either end - apricot and apple. Down in the chook run there are chestnut, pear and olive trees and a fig hanging over from the neighbour's side. We will put in a big vege patch in front of the chooks and grow along the fence line too. There's lots of space. Martin co established the bio dynamic farm and tended the animals at Ceres some years ago so our garden is in very good hands.

We are finding our rhythm together as a blended family. It's challenging but worth it to have our relationships develop and to feel the strength of commitment and the pleasure to be had for us all. Life seems to be a constant practice in letting go - in even just understanding what needs to be let go of!

Contemplating the need for some more work and possibly some study next year. Can't garden and paint the days away just yet.....

nesting, rustica and a whole lotta joy

The merger of two families is now complete.

The splendid Nonna kitchen is fully productive...

The animals are settling in..

Senor Martino is transforming the plot with his ingenuity...

The garden is humming. All is well.

what the sky gave us

A whole lot of beauty on the way up the Black Spur to Alexandra to fetch the folks. It's purdy out there....

Listening to mountain music - Songcatcher 2 - Appalachian style.

treasure

Rain on the windscreen whilst awaiting my parents at the airport.

My favourite people converging one by one over endless tea, fruit cake and shortbread.

Beau adoring his Grandpa like he's always been here.

Finally reading the jewel that is The English Patient.

And Hafiz -

The earth has disappeared beneath my feet,
Illusion fled from all my ecstasy.

...Now like a radiant sky creature
God keeps opening.
God keeps opening
Inside of Me.