Saturday, December 30, 2017

almost hourly


Hello sweet peas!

Well here we are on the second last day of the year, on my 56th blog post of the year, which also happens to be my very last of the year. 

Truth be told I'm a bit astounded that I made it. I posted on every single Friday of 2017 plus a few extra. There were a couple of times when Friday wasn't possible so I wrote it on Thursday and published on Friday, there were more than a couple of times when I questioned the validity of the exercise, and there were plenty of times when I sat down with not much to say and ended up saying plenty, but sitting here almost 56 posts later, I'm so very glad I persevered.

My 2018 blog posts are a wonderful record of the year that was, they're filled with stories and insights from you guys, they've been great therapy, they've been good photography and writing practise, they've gotten me two jobs, and they'll be such a great gift for my girls in the years to come.

And each Friday as I've sat down to write my blog I've had a few tricks up my sleeves to fall back on in case the words didn't come; I could list 10 things happening in my life right now, I could do Pip's Taking Stock, I could talk about books and podcasts and TV series, or I could take photos and write descriptions...I did all of those over and over. 

But the one that I never used and always thought about was taking a photo each hour for a whole day. And it's funny that I've never used that one because people often ask me about a normal day in my life and this would show just how varied and abnormal my days can be. It would also be such a great snap shot of a season.

So yesterday I woke up and decided that the last Friday of the year was the day.

One photo every hour on the hour...

I took the top photo of the market garden filled with zinnias at 8am. 



I took the next three photos of the cat's new sleeping place at 9am, after I'd drunk coffee, eaten muesli with berries and yogurt and hung some washing out.

Bren's made me a washing line in that new bit in-between the sun room and the new deck. I have to stand on my tippie-toes to reach it but it's right outside the laundry, it's under cover and everything dries so quickly on it rain or shine. Imagine how much of a game changer it'll be come winter when I don't have any laundry hanging inside. So good.

At 10am I took the flowering bean tee-pee while waiting for the girls to get ready to go down to the orchard.




At 11am we were all ready for apple tree netting day to begin!

We had Indi in the tractor, Bren and Francis pulling out the nets, my parents, Jazzy and I were on cable tie duty, and Pepper and Neve were on crafts.



By 12 we were a well oiled netting machine. Everyone knew their job and was doing it well. My phone alarm was going off on the hour and I'd snap a few pics and continue tying.


But by 1pm we were feeling the heat and the damp and were losing steam. Time for lunch.

Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to get a photo of my Mum's freshly baked sour dough but trust me when I say it was beautiful. We gobbled it up with scrambled eggs, sautéed silver beet and chats about pregnant Kardashians (!).




I forgot to bring my phone down to the orchard with me after lunch so I had to guess at the times. Later when I saw the time-stamps on each photo I laughed at how wrong I gotten it.

At 2.44pm I took these photos of the girls crafting up a storm in the orchard next to where we were working. They made bracelets, rafts and apple dolls, they played with worms and grass-hoppers, and for some reason they called each other Margaret.



At 4.28pm we were heading towards the finish line. The conversation had slowed down and it was getting harder and harder to stand up in between trees.


At 4.55pm farmer Bren sliced a granny in half!




And at 5pm, on the very last row, I thought I'd better take a photo of everyone doing their job before we finished and it was too late. Francis pulling the nets out and my parents tying each bit of net to a tree to stop the birds getting in.

For some reason I didn't take any of pictures of the orchard all finished. I will soon.




At 6.18pm Jazzy and I walked down to pick some currants and gooseberries even though the birds had eaten most of them.


At 7.12pm I put the finishing touches on yesterday's blog post while Bren put together a survival kit for Jazzy's camping trip.


And just after that we picked and podded broad beans for dinner.

I love those days that are filled with family and friends and farm jobs and food. I certainly found myself laying in bed last night exhausted but with a big smile on my face.

Hopefully I'll get a chance in the next few days to do a bit of a run down on the year that was and my hopes and dreams for the year that will be, but in the meantime this feels like a wonderful place to finish. Full of love for where we've come from and optimism for the upcoming season.

Thank you dear readers for coming along with me this year for the ride. For sharing my ups and downs. For your suggestions and encouragement and wisdom. And really, just for being there. In a world filled with so many opportunities, it means the world to me that you spend some of your precious time each week visiting me.

Until we meet again next year, I hope you and yours have the most fabulous 2018! I hope it's filled with love and passion and fun opportunities and flowers. I hope you find something you love to do and get to do it often. I hope you have lots of fun!

I can't wait to get started!

Happy 2018.

Lots of love,

Kate x

22 comments:

  1. Beautiful post to end the year. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your weekly posts! Love the idea of the survival kit. It got me thinking, have you ever considered using essential oils to replace some other products for treating ailments. My 3 girls and i now have a 'new' survival kit with homemade products just using essential oils and coconut oil. No more aeroguard or stingoes! I'd love to chat if you're interested. Xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I’ve loved reading your weekly posts Kate and I really hope you continue with it in 2018 and I love the fact that you are still using blogger too! Wishing you and your lovely family all the best for next year and I hope your wishes and dreams come true xxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wishing you and your family a fabulous 2018..
    Lenore x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely photos Kate. Thanks for sharing your year, yourself, your family and your home. xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Kate, thank you so much for this year of stories and thoughts, an opportunity to get a glimpse of your world, thank you for the beautiful photos and book recommendations. I may be a mostly silent lurker here on your blog, but I'm always looking forward to your blog posts.
    Wishing you and your family a wonderful New Year! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gracias por compartir. Me encanta tu mundo ¡ Feliz 2018!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderfully busy and no doubt fulfilling fay. Thank you so much for sharing your life with us this year Kate. I look forward to seeing your blog pop up in Facebook each Friday, so hope you will persevere with this next year too. Your photos are always a delight, and I am sure that many times you voice how we all feel at times. Happy New Year to you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have looked forward to and enjoyed every blog post you have written this year. Thank you for sharing it all with us. Happy new year.
    Cheers Kate

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kate, have a wonderful year filled with doing things that you love with people that you love. I look forward to reading more about your life in the year to come.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Kate - a happy, healthy and fun filled year to you and your family. A great blog post once again. Thank you for letting us into your world every week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A lovely blog post enjoyed it very much. Wishing you all every success for the up coming year, you all deserve it as you all work so hard.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a lovely way to document the day :-) Wishing you a wonderful 2018 filled with every moment your heart desires!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have loved reading your Friday posts and seeing your photos throughout the year. I love the hour by hour photos and it was great seeing what you were all up to this week. Happy New Year to your family.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy New Year Kate. Thank you for your sharing so much of your little part of the world. It has been a pleasure to get to know you and your photos are a delight.
    As you say, this blog will be a great gift for you and your family in the future. I love this hourly wrap. It can be easy to wonder where our hours go. Sometimes the little moments have the biggest impact in our lives.

    As a young mum, I never bothered to keep details of daily activities. They were perceived as non-important, too mundane and disposable. It wasn't until I came across an old calendar, littered with scribbled notes, names, phone numbers, appointments, etc. that I recognised the worth of these daily jots. They reminded me of so many forgotten things, some fun and some not so fun (like the weeks of quarantine with chickenpox); how busy we were - how did we ever manage all of that? Sweet memories of social gatherings and events we attended.

    But the true worth of these seemingly trivial things is that they provide perspective in hindsight. Things that were major dramas at the time weren't that bad in the long run while other things that were dismissed as inconsequential turned out to be key markers to future events. There is value in every hour and that's why I love this blog post of yours today.

    Your blog is a beautiful treasury. Wishing you all the best in 2018.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Have a Happy New Year and I hope you all have a wonderful 2018.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you for a fabulous year, Kate. I so look forward to your Friday posts and reading about your "doings" . It feels like a privilege to share in your life - thank you. Wishing you and your beautiful family a wonderful 2018 x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi, I have been following you all year. I've never posted but often thought of doing so. I'm usually stuck in bed with fibromyalgia and you so generously sharing your life which is so full of life, wonder and beauty means a great deal to me. I've also really enjoyed sharing your stories with my daughters. Many many thanks and long may you continue. Louise

    ReplyDelete
  18. Happy new year! Can't tell you how much I love reading your blog when its grey and gloomy here in England! Its a lovely reminder of how the seasons spin around and how, eventually our summer will be back! Have a good one! xx Kate

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy new year to you and your family Kate xx

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy New Year Kate, thank you so much for sharing such beautiful images and stories of your life. I look forward to reading your blog every week! I hope 2018 is everything you want it to be for you and your family. Lots and lots of love, Lucy xxxxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy New Year 2018, luck and happiness to you and your family.
    Wheely

    ReplyDelete
  22. It’s really a great and helpful piece of information. I am happy that you simply shared this helpful information with us.

    ดูหนัง

    ReplyDelete

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

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Visit my other blog.