braided baskets from fabric scraps

Sitting by the fire. 

Cup of tea {or a red wine} by my side. 

Braiding strips of fabric,

to be stitched into baskets. 

This has been my happy place this winter. 

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You can find the tutorial for how to turn fabric scraps into baskets here. 

midwinter musings

Our dams are full. The creeks are flowing. The ground is sodden. I've been trying to get out into the garden whenever the sun shines. Right now growing food feels like the most meaningful use of my time. Brussel sprouts. Celery. Kale. Broccoli. Leek. Fresh. Local. Organic. Free of packaging. There's a simple but deep satisfaction in preparing a meal exclusively with ingredients picked from the  garden. 

We're branching out from the house 'to-do' list and beginning to get stuck into the farm jobs. Sam has been busy fencing and our thoughts are turning to what livestock we will keep once they can be contained. Goats seem like the first choice, mostly for their love of blackberries and thistles (we have plenty of both.) Maybe a couple of pigs and some sheep for their meat. I often dream of having a house cow, but somehow that seems at odds with my disdain for early mornings.  

I've just finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy and now I'm into the Divergent series. Young Adult fiction seems to be where it's at for me right now. No TV and no wifi means that I'm devouring books at a rapid rate. The kids are too. We didn't realise our farm sat in a digital black hole when we moved here a year ago, but as it turns out, it's been just what we all needed. 

I have also been captivated by The Teacher's Pet, the Australian podcast about the unsolved murder of Lyn Dawson. Now that I'm all caught up, Thursdays and the next instalment can't come quick enough. 

In September we are heading to New Zealand for three weeks. Travelling around the North Island. Aotearoa has been on my wish list of places to visit for many years. We are travelling light with only carry on luggage, which really was a game changer when we travelled to Sri Lanka a couple of years back. Packing for the cooler climate will make it more of a challenge this time though. The kids will get to see snow for the first time and we will be visiting friends who live in the Taranaki area. We've locked in Piha, Raglan and Ruapehu. Beyond that we are going to leave open and see where the road takes us. So many amazing places to get to, I'm starting to think three weeks won't be long enough. 

The sun is out and I'm off for a swim. I'm loving being in the ocean in the winter, purely for how invigorated and alive it makes me feel! My intention is to be back here with some more musings next week. 

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It's so hard to know where to begin, after spending so much time away from here. The noise of advertising and the frustration of the Instagram algorithm makes me keen for a bit of an old fashioned blog revival. Leaping in with some trivial details of my days seems as good a place to start as any.   

testing...

one. two. three. 

time away | nature + art

birdsong meditation to start the day

qi gong circle on the salt lake

bush walks and long talks

eco dying with leaves and bark

colourful parcels of wool and silk 

bush creatures and solar prints

leaf rubbing and lino printing

slowing down and tuning in

focusing on the process over the product

dinner and drinks outside

evenings in the old farm house

cosied up in the tent at night

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i spent last weekend away at the balijup eco art camp ~

three days and three nights fully immersed in nature and creating

these days | february

there's a playful puppy entertaining us all. slow and gentle starts to the day {we're loving the homeschool pace}. no more lunch boxes to make. sneaky puppy poos in the corner. french classes to look forward to. cucumbers in the garden. creative chaos covering every surface. a sketch in pen and watercolour each day. golden sunrises to tempt me out of bed. early morning walks. meetings with the architect down at the farm. a new house to dream about. juicy nectarines fresh from the tree. endless hours by the water. honey ice-cream after beach visits. mountains to climb {and carry small people down}. a guitar to get acquainted with. a giant jigsaw puzzle to tinker with. a new rhythm to find our way with. a head spinning with it all. a feeling of things being just as they should be.

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i truly appreciated your comments and visits to my last post. 
it warms my heart to know you are still reading, after all that time away. 

2015 | the year that was

Sold our little house in the city. Bought a farm. Bought a tractor. Took some art classes. Took some woodwork classes. Got some much needed sleep. Rediscovered my love of dance after more than two decades. Went to an audition. Performed in a local production. Listened to my kids read. Neglected my camera. Neglected my blog. Found our first Geocache. Danced some more. Celebrated 10 years of marriage. Talked about hopes and dreams for the farm and the future. Swam in the ocean. Swam in the dam. Thought a lot about kids and education. Took our caravan on adventures near and far. Found myself again. 

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Hello! I've missed being here. I'm not sure if anyone is still out there? 

I hope to find the space to be here more frequently this year. 

on the eve of 37 . . .

life is full and it's rich. i feel a true contentedness. even with the daily struggles. there's a deep to the core gratitude for all that i have. these beautiful, crazy, demanding people i share my life with. who give me so much. fill me with pride. the buzz of family life is constant and loud. i crave quiet and calm. time in my own head. but i feel the intensity of the early years starting to fade. these small people are growing bigger. slowly stepping out from under my wings and into the world. life feels good.