thirty first

So that was January hey.

We picked and ate cucumbers, lettuce, beans, peas, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, rhubarb, apricots, plums, apples and zucchini from the garden.

I read Relativity by Antonia Hayes, Hope Farm by Peggy Frew, The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood, The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman and part of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I really liked them all but I loved Charlotte's and ML's the most.

Thanks for all of your awesome suggestions back on the 18th, I'm going to be working my way through them for ages.

I listened to A LOT of podcasts while I ran, weeded, picked and pickled cucumbers and watered the garden. My farmer boy had many conversations with himself before he realised I wasn't listening and in return he gave me many frights when I was deeply immersed in a story and turned around to find him standing right there.

My favourites at the moment are - Modern Love (thanks Mum), Serial, Better Off Dead, Israel Story, Women Of The Hour, Dear Sugar Radio, StoryCorps, TED Radio Hour, Chat 10 Looks 3 and All in The Mind.

I think we only went to the movies once to see The Nowhere Boys.

I listened to this podcast and became obsessed with fermenting.

We watched and LOVED Transparent and felt awful about Making A Murderer and now have no idea what we should watch next.

We did so much farm work, we hung out with the girls, we got new sheep, we pickled a million cucumbers, we did some jigsaw puzzles, we had friends over, we had our organic inspection, we hung out in Melbourne, we ran on the cross trainer, we celebrated some birthdays and we hung out with family.

We didn't really slow down as much as I'd hoped to but I guess that's just summer on a farm.

I knitted Indi a Peter Pan collar, a shawl, bits of my memory blanket, a beanie and a doll's cardigan that I haven't taken photos of yet.

And of course I blogged on 28 of the 31 days. Mostly very late at night, mostly just snippets of things going on that day, and mostly I loved it and remembered how fabulous blogging is for me.

I ended last year feeling a bit uncomfortable and negative about myself. I can't pinpoint the time when it began but I wasn't feeling very confident and I didn't really like the conversations that were going on inside my head a lot of the time. I feel like the blogging changed that. Something about the writing and photographing and expressing myself and getting your feedback shifted my mental state and I noticed after only a few days that I was feeling so much more positive and sure and kinder to myself.

It is possible of course that it was something else that caused the shift but I am a long time believer in the creativity cure so I'll stick to that.

And this is where I thank you guys. I always like to think that I'd write this blog no matter what, but I'm not so certain that that's true. You read my words and that's brilliant but you also inspire me, and teach me, and help me, and challenge me, and guide me, and that means the world to me. We really are a community. You guys really are the best and my life is so much richer with you in it.

And lastly, I read every single comment on my last post and as much as I'd love to give each of you the prize, and as much as I was looking forward to writing all of your names on little bits of paper and then randomly selecting one - I just realised that I have to send it to Sarah of Say Little Hen who has left me an insightful comment on every single post I have written this month. Thank you so much Sarah please email me your postal details and I'll get your package in the mail this week.

So here we go into February, the month I've been excited for and dreading for ages. Pepper starts school tomorrow and the big girls start their new school on Tuesday. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition.

And as far as blogging goes, I hope to post once but hopefully twice a week from here on in.


Wishing you guys a fabulous and creative and love filled Feb.

With love,

Kate
xoxo


PS the photos were randomly snapped this afternoon.