Sunday, February 26, 2012

Love where you live.








Love where you live. 

It's part of my happiness recipe and therefore my year of happy.

Our family lives on an organic farm on the edge of a forest. We are surrounded by sky scraping eucalypts, by wide open paddocks, by fruit tree orchards and dams. But sometimes I have to admit I am guilty of looking around and seeing our to-do list rather than the gorgeousness. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and I can't see the forest for the weeds. Sometimes I dream of a tiny, easy to manage block in town. I know I was particularly guilty of this before we went on our trip. I would never think to take my camera on the chores run. My secateurs maybe, but never my camera.

Love where you live. It should be so easy right? I live where I live. The people I love most in the world live where I live and therefore I live where I love. And all the stuff I have collected is here too where I live (possibly too much of it but anyway...). So it should be so simple, but sometimes I think I need reminding to appreciate it, to see it, to love it.

I used to love it when visitors came over and told me how much they loved our farm. When they oohed and ahhed over the house dam, when they marveled that we live in a forest. When they took photos of the farm junk, of the animals, of the crates of fruit, of the places and things we walk past without seeing and take for granted. It was like when other people came I could see things through their eyes. I could love it too.

But lately, in the months since we've been home, I've been seeing it all for myself. By myself. With fresh and appreciative eyes. Like when we first moved here and we couldn't believe our luck. The beauty of the forest, the orchards, the gardens, the dams, the flocks of chooks, the paddocks and the wildlife.

We've even been making an effort to love the inside of our house too. Decorating little spots around the place, starting the painting everything white project. We're not there yet but we are on our way.

I'm really glad I have that happiness recipe to check in with when I need it, and I'm super glad I included love where you live in my happiness recipe too. It does make me happy. Even a family walk down to turn the chook fences on makes me happy. Happy enough to photograph it.

And we have been loving our safe and boring weekend too. Thanks for all your wishes on my last post. We've been playing games, making pesto, watching a movie in the park last night with friends and another at home this afternoon, crocheting in bed, doing the farm chores, hanging out and enjoying the slow.

I hope you've been having a lovely weekend too.
Have you? Have you done anything special? Made anything great?
Do you remember to love where you live or do you need a little reminding sometimes too?
Is it one of your happiness ingredients?
Do you feel happy at the moment?

I really do hope you have a happy and creative week.

See ya later hot potato. xx





(Note to self, today Miss Pepper started saying sh instead of s. Shed. Sushi. Sharp. Shop. Sunshine.
My baby is growing up.)



29 comments:

  1. I love the way you remind me of what should be important. I do love where I live,( and often include it in my blog), but I love where you live just a little bit more!

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  2. I love where I live - which is the same place my parents and grandparents and great grandparents and great great grandparents and... (wellllll I think you get the picture) lived and loved.

    generations of my family living on and with the land in a tiny radius around a tiny town..... such is the connection to life and land that we hope to show our children, so they can show their children and grand children and great grand children and.... (welllll I think you get the picture).....

    life and love - http://www.rhondaayliffe.blogspot.com.au/p/farm.html

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  3. You are so fortunate to live where you do. Nothing better than being surrounded by nature. I live in a desert country where there is mostly sand and dust and dirt so I crave trees and grass and rolling hills. So glad to hear the fire near you was contained. Have a beautiful new week. Tammy

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  4. I LOVE where I live. Never need reminding. Only today I posted snippets of the week which included a view from our pool with the cows looking on.

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  5. I love how your trip away has really opened your eyes to what you have at home.
    We all probably need that at some point - you guys actually did it though. Went away for a bit of perspective and came back with so much vigour and enthusiasm!xx

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  6. That's lovely. I'm sure if I were to visit, I'd be oohing and aahing and taking photos just like your other guests!

    I am happy with where we live - there are other places (grass is always greener) that I think I would LOVE to live. For us, there are the green spaces, but also the convenience of being close (walking distance) to transport/shops. I appreciate that. But where we live is also a bit stifling - in the suburbs surrounded by development, brick and noise. I long for a big back yard. Our own place. Maybe one day.

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  7. I'm going to try to focus on the dones rather than the to dos. x

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  8. "bloom where you're planted" - it's my love where you live x

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  9. I like Maxabella's "dones rather than the to dos"... I need to practice that idea. It's great that the time away has helped you see your place through fresh eyes.

    I do love where I live - but I'm guilty of always thinking of where I might love more! (someone else's cleaner house generally!)

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  10. Yes, I am unable to exactly 'love where I live' as I really didn't choose it and in some ways it is rather unpleasant (and even makes me ill). However, 'Bloom where you are planted' allows me to by-pass that in many ways. I won't always live here, but while I do I try to recognise that I am being afforded shelter and a place of my own to breathe and be in safety. Sometimes it is difficult and I feel rather negative but I do know that I am lucky to have a home at all.

    I can escape to green parks and nicer places from time to time. The plus side is that where I live is convenient for many things. I try and access those things and 'bloom' rather than wither.

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  11. Kate, I needed a good slapping. I look out my living room window to a gorgeous scene of Australian bush - but I have not been happy here. My list of complaints has been huge in the last 6 months, but those first 6 months were so fresh and happy. This is not where we will stay, but while I am here - you have reminded me (or given me a good slap) to wake up and enjoy the gums! xx

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  12. What a great reminder Kate! I struggle with this sometimes so it's always great to be brought back to earth. Am glad you had a special, stay close to home weekend! They are the best aren't they?

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  13. I love where I live but I love where I'm ABOUT to live even more. Last night on the other side of town tonight, tomorrow we move to the farm. (Like, forever.) Our neighbours down the lane hosted a whole street street party to say goodbye tonight, even though we are moving exactly five minutes away. I love this town more than I can describe. I feel lucky.

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  14. We're in a similar boat to 'inner pickle' ... I love where I live... but we too are moving in 3 weeks time! And so it would appear that I will have a whole new place to love with the ones I love... definitely a well timed post though as we do forget to relish in the small things. The beautiful treasures of home.

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  15. Hi from Germany, I don't know how...but I found your blog and I am really impressed by all your postings and photos (living on a farm and so on ;o))... by the way, where do you live (I cannot find it) - is it Australia, is it America?

    Best wishes, Andrea (sometimes dreaming of living such a life)

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  16. Ha, that's funny. We were just remembering yesterday that Beth could never say "fish" and for some reason, instead of fish, would say shit. Which made fish and chips ever so funny. I remember when she started saying fish, I felt a little pang ...

    Always great to love where you live. I love where we live for many reasons. I could well love where you live too.

    Have a great week x

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  17. I think its essential in my happy recipe
    And I am happy with where I am, who I'm with and what we're doing
    xx

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  18. I love this post Kate- this is something I've been thinking about a lot lately, realising how much we have to be happy about, and realising that loving where I live is an active thing (actively noticing the good things and also showing our home some love and doing the jobs and projects I've put off) and not just a passive, one-off kind of thing. Thank you Kate, for making me think ( so many times!) xo

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  19. It's so funny Kate, I was speaking about this same issue to a mate today. About loving where I live. I am lucky to have it too but in a different way to you.
    WHile my house is rented and I don't love love it, I like it enough and it is home and fine until i get my own house. And while I don't have a family of my own to be my home ( yet ) ,( i do have family but I think you know what i'm saying ). But I love my home. My home town , Melbourne. it for me is home. I can and can't tell you all the things I love about it, because some of thing just are rather than being able to express it.that whenever i'm away from it , i'm never quite as happy, and nothing is as exciting to me as coming home to it when I've been away. how my heart sings to see it appear on the horizon. Grotty, smoggy, raining unpredictable Melbourne.
    xoxo
    PS YAY for boring safe weekends!! I was on CFA watch for you yesterday ( which I'm sure you didn't need)

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  20. A very beautiful post Kate. Your family is beautiful and your littlest is so adorable in her little dress. I just want to take a spoon and eat her up, precious. I too love where i live. I only wish I did not have to work outside of my home so I could spend every moment here. A few more years at the most, and I will be able to be home everyday and truely begin and love where I live even more. We are in the country, as country as you can get for the area I live in. The only time I head to the "city" is to go to work 5 days a week, and then I get back home as fast as possible. My future here will include chickens, cattle, hopefully some sheep, a few goats for good measure and a llama or two to help protect all my lovelies from the wildlife that I love also. A simpler life that is possibly filled with more work than my nursing career, but a simpler life none the less. I am so happy that you all escaped any damage from the fires, I can only imagine how scary that must have been.
    Well, I am off to plan our organic veggie garden for this year. Have a beautiful day and blessings to you and your lovely family.
    Debbie in Edinburg, Virginia

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  21. What a privilege, Kate, to live there. I had 3 yrs on a fruit farm growing up, and it really formed part of me.
    Now, in the city, my suburb is more like an old town. I don't like my street but I really like my house. Thanks for reminding us to love it as well.

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  22. I certainly did love where I live, and I think I still do, but there's a lot I'm not loving about right here right now ... I feel ready for a move, but will it happen, no idea. I think sometimes it's not that we need reminding, but just that stuff changes and we need to accommodate the change ... stay where we are and fall in love all over again, or move on and fall in love somewhere else, both can be good!

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  23. I agree completely insofaras I think it is so important to love your house. When people come here they always same the same thing it is so close to town but feels like a million miles away- you guys are so lucky . We back onto state forest and we have a lot of space around us. We also sometimes fantasy about a little quarter acre block in town but we would hate it, i don't want to see or hear my neighbours at all. I like the space we have but we don't enjoy it enough.

    I love a bit of home renovation and I don't think our house will ever really be finished...but I like its work in progress feel. xx

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  24. I love your happiness recipe, and I DO love where I live! Even if it means my family are miles away, that's the hardest, but I'm sure I can never move form here. I feel like it's the best place I know to raise our boys. Clever Pepper! It's such a buzz when you hear them pronounce words correctly, though so sad when the baby talk stops. I remember when our little guy worked out 'th' he was so adorable over-emphasising every word with 'th'. I admit, I still can't bring myself to correct him when he says 'renember'..x

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  25. thankyou for this reminder, I'm so lucky to live where I do, yet all too often I'm consumed with all that is negative, when really there is so much positive. It's all about perspective for me. Such first world problems!

    cheers Kate

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  26. A lovely post Kate. I love where I live, even in the middle of renovating our house!!

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  27. Thanks, I really needed a post like this tonight as I've been really grumpy all day and so unthankful of all the good things that surround me. I copied your Happiness recipe into my little notebook of to do lists a nd quotes to keep me inspired to live a happy life. Pity I didn't read it this morning !! Penny L in Dorset U.K xx

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Thanks so much for stopping by...

I do read every single comment you leave and appreciate it very much, but I should let you know that I can be a wee bit on the useless side when replying to comments, that's just me, everyday life sometimes gets in the way....so I'll apologise now, just in case.

Kate XX

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