camping

It was with fond memories in mind that we camped out in the yard with the boys a few weekends ago. We pitched the tent early in the morning wishfully thinking the boys would use it as their cubby and play in their all day. They played in there for a short time, just long enough to collapse the tent and learn a good lesson –when somersaulting in a tent ensure to not hit the sides so hard you collapse the tent on yourself. Later in the day we gathered wood for the fire, ensured we had a good supply of marshmallows, rugged up and gathered all the blankets we had – it was a cold night.

That night as I watched the boys and their excited and fascinated little faces with red cheeks staring at the flames of the fire, daring to poke a stick in there and get it alight, burning their tongues on toasted marshmallows, and sending smoke signals I started thinking about all the times I used to camp out with my brother and our friends in the backyard.

I have the best memories of camping out when I was a kid in our backyard. Not in the bush or by the lake or sea but in a 750sqm yard, surrounded by the noises of the neighbours, distant music from the pub around the corner and barking dogs. When we were allowed to camp out on our own and as we got older and our confidence grew the further the tent got moved away from the house and the further our nighttime adventures would go. Dressed in black, commando style we would scale the fence, army crawl along the neighbours lawn to the next fence being sure to stick to the shadows, climb their fence into our neighbours vegetable garden and grab fresh supplies for camp.

Thinking now about this yard and the man that lived there I realize he was doing what people used to do in their yards and what my mum and dad’s generation weren’t doing when I was younger and what so many of us are trying to do now– trying to be self sufficient in some way, growing fruit and vegetables, raising chickens and composting. His yard was always producing and I remember you always knew when he had just fertilized as the smell of fresh compost would linger in the air for days. Writing this now I remember another neighbour on the other side also grew his own food and about 5 years before he died he told me about the local market gardens that used to be around the corner, where an oval now sits with its high maintenance lawn and occasional use.

Anyway, with a good supply of fresh potatoes and onions - perfect to cook on the camp fire, we would scamper back, ensuring to cover our tracks and cook up a feast of onion and potatoes. Whilst the billy was on the boil we would climb up on the garage roof, lay there and look at the stars smoking eucalyptus leaves.

So as I lay there in the tent with the boys and Dan attempting to warm up on a freezing night and thinking how it really wasn’t the best time of year to camp I stopped and listened and all I could hear was frogs, a distant owl and the sleepy breathing of my three favourite boys.

sensing

As a child, even though I lived on a typical suburban block with the hills hoist, concrete driveway, garage, picket fence, pool and maintained lawn I think I was always a natural observer of nature. From watching ants tediously build and then rebuild their houses after a storm and intimately knowing the snails and their secret hideouts in our front fence, the best tree to find caterpillars in and rescuing snails from storms, I always had an innate curiosity of the natural world.

I always loved digging up sections of the yard, pretending I was a landscaper and designing new garden beds for mum and dad; and my little brother and I always fancied ourselves as archaeologists and would climb through our bedroom window, set up our dig sites down the side of the house (where nobody ever ventured) and pretend we were explores on a great excavation dig. A couple of time we actually did find some rather unique things like old glass bottles, a beautiful blue and white bowl- all remnants from a past civilization, centuries old and from a time long before us - or so we colorfully imagined. We would hoist our finds in a basket tied to a rope back through the bedroom window and carefully clean them before we presented them to our museum’s audience - mum and dad.

Now as an adult and particularly as a parent I’m still a natural nature observer, constantly pointing little things out to the kids that fascinate me, and looking for the beauty in all things. Even as I work I find myself distracted on a site visit to a beautiful old house built in the 1800's by a tiny tea set sitting on a window sill in a bathroom and I can’t stop thinking how beautiful it looks, the contrasts between colour and texture.

But most of all these days the farm is my place of constant inspiration. With the onset of winter and the picking season about to begin I have been enjoying walking through the farm in the mornings, with the heavy fog of the evening just lifting, leaving behind its mark on the morning like a snail leaving a shining trail. As the sun slowly warms the icy air, abandoned spiders webs look like tiny strands of pearls intricately laced from leaf to leaf, small shinny jewels of morning dew gather on the tips of leaves and steam appears to come from the trunks of the iron barks as the sun hits them and thaws their skin.

As I walked through the Macadamia nut field last week with Myles and Fynn I was filled with a quiet delight after pointing out to them how beautiful the yellow flowers on the grass were that spread between the rows of the orchard when Myles agreed and told me it looked as if a carpet of flowers had been laid down just in this field. And I couldn't help but feel blessed as Fynn pointed out a "Kite Hawk" circling above how lucky we are to have such a beautiful place to raise our kids. I hoped that they end up having beautiful memories of this place as I had from mine when I was a child and that they also grow with a deeper knowledge, understanding and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world.

The holidays in summary

I know I'm late but whilst the rain came down and the wind blew ferociously in the last week of the school holidays and we were stuck indoors, the craft books emerges along with the art supplies and I let go of any cares for getting anything done or anything staying clean. Here are some of the more successful crafts we did these holidays:

We melted all the bits of old crayons and made new rainbow ones,

We made puppets after reading "The Wild Thing" (that's Myles Max above)

and made bird feeders from cheerios and salt dough beads.

A Moment

Tonight I overheard a little conversation between the boys that made my heart sing.

Myles: "Come hear my little mate (Fynn)"

Fynn: "Nooooo"

Myles: Yeah come on, I love you! Do you Love me?"

Fynn: Yeah

Simple sweet words that made me smile and feel warm and fuzzy inside. I so needed to hear them after the escalating fighting between them lately, and when I peeked over the kitchen bench there they were - Myles with his around a Fynn.

Home

The boys and I have been enjoying wandering, exploring, and enjoying time at home over the last few days - getting out into the sunshine before it disappears behind a cloud and it begins to rain again.

The fungi's are in bloom on the farm and have provided an opportunity for us to go out exploring, observing and letting our imaginations take flight. They are appearing in so many different colours, shapes and sizes. So naturally beautiful in their form and colour some look like seashells hanging from a rock, or perhaps they are imitating a penny wart leaf, and yes you wouldn't believe it - a fairies staircase climbing to the top of the timber fence pole. The last image didn't come out very well but it shows the colours of these three I found together, all in the brightest of autumn colours.

happy easter

Recently I put up my prayer flags and have been consciously SENDING LOVE.....SENDING LOVE TO THOSE THAT NEEDED IT.........and found myself this week immersed in love with the surprise visit of my beautiful nieces from Dubai. We had the most crafty two days with them ever..... full of colour and imagination, concerts with bongos, drums and tambourines, dancing and a hilarious version of Little Red Riding Hood. When we said goodbye to them tonight and got in the car, Myles was reading my mind and said.."I'm going to miss Mia and Chloe so much".....and so will I - they have such a connection these kids and I'm certain they will for the rest of their lives - no matter what the distance between them. Love is strong and will keep them bonded.

INTRODUCING BOB

BOB

This is the newest member to our clan - BOB -a cross cattle dog saved from the RSPCA.

I decided about a month ago to attempt a year of not buying clothes, and wear only the clothes I have or purchases from op shops, or made myself. Someone suggested to me that every time I saw something i wanted to buy that I place this money into an account. So I did and instead of spending it on a much needed holiday we decided to rescue a puppy from the pound this weekend. Bob has had a really rough time, after being dumped at the pound with his brothers and sisters all of them contracted a near fatal disease that killed a couple of his siblings and then he broke his pelvis - all in the first 12 weeks of his life. After all he has been through he is the sweetest little guy and just so cute - and currently growling at Dan's snoring - clearly he is terrified.

I wish more lovely people would adopt a pet from the RSPCA - I don't really know why more people don't, all these little guys need is a nice home and lots of love. Sure there are lots of things to consider but really.......I could get on my soap box about this issue but will leave it.

Sure, we have had our dramas with having a dog and I'm sure we will have many more with two - but really I think that no mater what furniture/shoes they may eat, no matter how much hair they drop, how many poos I have to pick up, the holes dug, having another mouth to feed in the morning, keeping them in etc...etc.....the benefits of having a pet that you potentially saved from being put down and giving it a warm and loving place to live and having a beautiful relationship develop between your pet, you and your family - outweighs it all.

Kooly, Bob and Myles

My boys benefit so much from having a dog, teaching them the responsibility of caring for a living creature, gentle handling, animal behaviour and death by living with a pet. Kooly is a loyal friend to the boys, following them where-ever they go on the farm, running with them, and playing ball games with them. The other day I caught Fynn laying face to face with Kooly on the verandah - talking softly to her, gently tracing his finger around her eyes and nose and Kooly responding with a kiss (lick). It was such a special moment between a boy and his dog. Kooly the unquestioning confidant and valuable companion for a little boy when his big brothers at school and his mums cooking dinner.

Goosing around

The geese have proved to be excellent weed mulching machines and in their movable house (made from a trailer), they were initially doing their intended job very well. However, now we have loose geese on our hands as they have found a way out of their run. We were penning them in an area with chicken wire during the day, their house at one end where they are locked up at night to stop them being the foxes dinner and moving them around the orchard every two weeks. This was quite labour intensive, but in my eyes well worth the extra work to not have to spray weed killer all over the place. So we have decided it's time to invest in a solar powered electric fence to keep them in a concentrated area.

They are such a beautiful bird and apart from being difficult to herd into their house each night (every now and then), and escaping their run, they have been a worthy investment to the farm particularly in our pursuit to have this place producing organic avocados one day.

This weeks agenda also includes planting out a newly tilled plot with winter vegetables and loads of garlic. This area has been really interesting as the soil requirements for growing avocados is quite different to growing vegetables. The condition of the soil has to be changed and improved by adding compost, chicken manure, potash and a layer of lucerene on top - so it can hold water better than the sandy soil we have (avocados hate having wet feet). I have built the chook house in this area so once one plot is harvested I can place the chooks in their to do what they do best and fertilise the area - and eventually rotate them throughout each subsequent plot.

However, before we get to this - it boules and BBQ at the farm this weekend for friends. Its going to be a busy but fun weekend on the farm.

finding a rythm

I cant believe how busy I have been since Myles began school. I'm finding it difficult to find a rhythm to the days, weeks, weekends and the pages of our monthly calendar seem to be turning quicker than ever. I'm totally disorganised and out of balance. There just aren't enough hours in the day and I think I would like a couple of more days added to the week just to give me time to do all the things I don't necessarily need to do but want to do. I have begun making a list of all the things I'm going to do in retirement that I cant see myself getting a chance to do within the near future, they include learning to ride a motorbike, parachute out of a plane, learn pottery, be a famous artist...etc...etc.... Wanting to contribute to Myles' school in some way, and not knowing how to other than canteen duty, I decided to put an idea to his teacher about nature journaling with the kids during their weekly gardening time. I had started a journal with Myles before we moved and it still gets pulled out to be added to constantly. His teacher loved the idea and has taken it on as part of their weekly routine - they each have their own folder to record the things we do and we added a weather tree for them to update each week. It has created so much discussion and I'm a little scared now to go in without preparing something before hand. This little part of the week is becoming part of our rhythm and as I talk about the changing seasons and observe with the kids the natural surroundings it sounds, smells, and songs of the birds, it has made me more aware and have a better understanding of my new surroundings, its rhythms and the things that keep it in balance.

The egg house

Ok here it is..... my first house designed and constructed by me - it may be a chook house, but it is a house providing shelter from the elements and most importantly from the cunning fox for my lovely hens and most handsome rooster.

The inner scavenger came out in me on this project as I went through the sheds on the farm that had been left full of building materials and tools. Oh the treasures I found...it was a recyclers dream.

From a very sketchy design that evolved as we went, the little hen house was completely constructed from recycled and scavenged materials from the farm, with my own hands. urghmmm..cough...urghmmm... I would love to say that I built it entirely myself, but I did need some instruction, technical advice and assistance from Dan's dad, who taught me how to use a nail gun and power saw, put on a roof, cut joints, skew a nail, and succeeded in not taking over to much (as dads can and usually cant help themselves from doing), but kept it rudimentary in construction, just as I wanted it. It even has a skillion roof so rain water can be collected, since water can be scarce round here.

I enjoyed building it so much and it was really rewarding - physically being able to do the work and more so seeing the process of something that began as a rough sketch in my mind form into something tangible. It has inspired me to learn more about building and particularly carpentry so I can get some of these ideas/dreams for furniture, garden sculptures, and cubby houses out of my head and into reality.

The kids had a lovely time helping me select a colour and eventually paint it a lovely shade of blue. The Chickie's seem to be enjoying their new house, providing us with a lovely supply of eggs and many chases around the farm catching escapee chicks. Yep, the next building project is to construct a more adequate fence to keep them in the yard during the day.

appreciating

We have been appreciating this beautiful watercolour painting a friend did for us taken from a photo I took of our Geese. Its perfect and captures the light of the area they reside perfectly. It will be something that our family will treasure forever.

What does one do with an entire afternoon when the other half takes the kids to the circus. I had so many things I wanted to do and there were so many things I needed to do. So with the washing pile spewing out the laundry door and looking like a monster that had climbed from the depths of our septic tank, I decided on the want list and began on the sewing projects that had been sitting waiting to be to be finished and those that hadn't began such as the pencil scrolls for the boys. I ended up finishing Fynn's and got a start on Myles'. Being a total inexperienced sewer I used corduroy and it was fraying so badly, that I ended up fraying all the edges and it ended up looking great. and then ended the evening as follows: Magazine, a glass of wine and swinging in the hammock in the quietness of the early evening.