Saturday, October 10, 2015

from where i'm meant to be

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It's late Saturday morning, my farmer boy is off taking the smalls to their friends' houses and I'm in bed with my big girl. She's doing homework, analysing a song abut mental illness, and I'm looking at photos, doing rows of my knitting and now I'm writing this. I feel a bit guilty that I'm not hanging out the laundry, I'm not heading down the the orchard to do some more mowing and I'm not planting more seeds in the garden, but it's Saturday and it feels good to be taking it slowly and besides, I like keeping Miss Indi company while she does what she has to do.

We've been home for two weeks, life has clicked into its usual crazy spring gear and the days are spinning by while we madly try to fit as much into them as we possibly can.

This week we celebrated our apple blossom princess with pancakes, a picnic in the orchard, a family dinner and a hand knitted circlet (details here). Twelve!! I just can't believe it. And then again I totally can.

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This week we started filling every pot we could find with compost and seeds.

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This week we spring cleaned the hot house and the kitchen garden to house those precious pots of seeds and celebrated when they started popping their little green heads up to salute the sun.

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This week we made pretzels for the first time ever. I think we were more excited about the cute pretzel shape than anything else, but they were delicious.

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This week we remembered what it's like to suffer from freezing feet on concrete floors, so I whipped up a pair of simple house slippers for my farmer boy. Simple, easy, quick, warm. I think I need a pair too. (details here).

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This week the Daphne started fading, dropping her flowers and farewelling us with the last of her intoxicating fragrance. I feel ever so grateful that she was in full bloom to greet us on our homecoming two weeks ago, filling our noses with sweetness and reminding us of just how much there is to love about home and spring.

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This week we watched hungrily as other blossoms opened up and showed off their incredible beauty. Coming home from walks around the farm with arm loads of peonies and camellias and Waratahs and  plum blossom, and pear blossom, and apple blossom, oh my!!

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And this week we've spent hours and hours in the blossoming orchards slashing and mowing. Now all that's left is a spray of 500, a generous arm full of mulch around each trunk, and a couple of rugs and a picnic I think.

I feel like over the past week I really settled back home. My jet lag sorted itself out, I stopped coughing and I worked really hard on the farm and loved it.

People ask me all the time what I plan to do now that we are home. One day last week I ran out of petrol on the whipper-snipper in the orchard and looked up and felt this overwhelming sense of being exactly where I needed to be. I felt full to bursting. I love what we are doing here, I love that I work alongside farmer Bren and the girls, and I love that spring is leading our way, making our to-do lists and rewarding us with sunshine and bees and blossom. I love that we are growing food with love and integrity and girls with the same. I love that we are questioning, making decisions, enjoying and loving. And I love that I have grass stains on my knees, dirt under my fingernails and scratches on my arms.

This is what I am doing now that we are home. Exactly this.


I hope your weekend is filled with the sweet songs of birds out your windows.

So much love,

Kate

xoxox

28 comments:

  1. I have read your stories for many months now and have never left a comment..it could be that I am a bit shy, it could be that I am old enough to be your grandmother and wonder who would want to hear from me, it could be that we live thousands of miles apart, it could be that my two beloveds are all grown up and have beloveds of their own, it could be many things..but it could be that I can leave a message and tell you how much your family, your loved ones, your work and your life brings me joy.
    Thank you.

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    1. Oh Ellen, I can't begin to tell you how much your comment means to me. Thank you so much for reading and for writing. I often wonder why I need to write and publish this blog and your message reminded me. I have probably read it 100 times over the past week. Thank you, thank you, thank you xxx

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  2. 'Full to bursting' is a perfect way to describe that post Kate. I'm staying in this house in Adelaide where they are amazing gardeners - every corner holds a new surprise, and I feel so inspired for when I get home again to see if I can drag any green out of my black thumbs.... Your posts inspire me too. I love them. xx

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    1. That makes me so happy Rach, that you are having such a great time and that you are inspired to take a little bit of that home with you. I hope you do. xx

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  3. Ah, Ellen, what lovely words..... Those kind of words are always welcome! I totally echo them. I love the photo of the apple blossom, it looks like candy floss! Glad you are really enjoying being home xxx

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    1. Thank you Sonya, your kindness means the world to me. xx

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  4. There's so much wisdom in arriving home at this time of year, Kate. Isn't it beautiful?! We're feeling it too. So much love for this season and soil right now. Happy birthday to your apple blossom princess - we're loving having a 12yo around so far :) xx

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  5. beautiful Kate, this is so lovely to read. You sound so perfectly content, and your blossom is something else! Also, I might need to teach myself to knit, just so I can make those slippers x

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  6. So much love right back to you Kate x

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  7. What a beautiful post, it's good to feel like you're exactly in the right place. Welcome home. :) xxx

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  8. I am glad to read that you settled in back home so well! It certainly sounds like your home is the perfect place for you!

    Take care
    Anne
    Crochet Between Worlds

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  9. I just walked in the door after a day visiting family in the big smoke. Home. It's a place I know that I am supposed to be, and that's a very humble, enriching feeling.

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  10. I especially love reading your blog at this time of year. We are about to start closing down on our growing and you are about to begin and that is really interesting to me. It reminds me that Spring will arrive with us again. Happy at home today too. Jo x

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  11. I'm so glad you guys are back, I love seeing pics of your farm xx

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  12. Just love the images of the apple blossom. Wonderful post exploring the simple joys of being at home. Thank you. Im in Cambodia, far from my spring time garden. Thank you for sharing yours.

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  13. Sounded like a perfect week to me! Cherish these moments because you are living my dream that I am unable to achieve. I want nothing but the "simple" life of a farm and hard work on a farm but we are living just the opposite.........owning a business in the rat race of life....sigh.....I keep telling myself God's timing and will is always perfect so I wait. Thank you for sharing!!!

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  14. How lovely. Your blog is so heart felt and it is such a pleasure to read. I understand Ellen's comments perfectly. Your picture of apple blossom made my heart sing. What a great image for the family archive. Here in the UK we are going into autumn. This afternoon we are going to take the tomato plants out of the greenhouse and get it ready for winter just as you are getting into spring. Isn't nature amazing? Who would have thought the simple things in life could bring such complete pleasure. Happy Weekend! Elaine x

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  15. Such a lovely post Kate. I love the idea of family working alongside each other. It is beautiful to see the spring blossoms as we head into autumn. x

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  16. So good to have that feeling. It looks like an orchand flowery spring wonderland there! It's good to have you back and I look forward to some holiday posts on your wonderful trip.

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  17. Ive just caught up on your blog, Kate! What an adventure you guys have had over the last few months. Its inspired me to get my girls out to the 'school of the world' as soon as I can. I think I over-think it though. im always like "Oh the money" and "oh but hubby's work" and "oh but the animals..." I think you just gotta do it sometimes, and think about it later, huh? We've just been putting in our seedlings and admiring our apple blossoms too! And you've also inspired me to try knitting a pair of socks toe-up and on circulars (I've only ever gone cuff-down and on DPNs). Anyways, better go put the rest of those basil and capsicum seedlings in! Big hugs - glad youre all home safe and happy x

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  18. So, in Down Under spring is at it's start - here in Europe fall has already swept in :-)) I just try to accept that short, dark and foggy days will be the most common for the next months ;-)

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  19. Love that Spring has arrived for you as Autumn sets in here in Northern California; our leaves are falling as the days shorten and the annuals go to seed. Thanks for sharing the lovely photos of your farm and family.

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  20. so much love... so much happiness....
    this i love xxx

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  21. Everything in your life is so beautiful and simple. What did you seeded in your pot tray. i have those seed pot tray and no idea how to use it.

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  22. Welcome back. As much as I have enjoyed traveling with you on vacation; I missed the rhythm of your ordinary days with yours seasons the reverse of mine.

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  23. Oh my god, I want to LIVE under those apple trees! Can I put my tent up there and never again leave? I promise I'll help with farm work. And I'm good at baking! ;)
    I'm so jealous of your spring. It's getting cold and wintery (is that a word?) here in Austria and I don't like it at all! Really need to find a way to cope with all this dark skies and bad weather!
    Glad to hear, that you slipped back in your old life easily. It's always a little hard to arrive back home after a long vacation!

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  24. You have a colorful and wonderful week. I'm busy with projects and household chores in this week.

    English learning at http://teflstore.com/

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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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