Friday, November 17, 2017

when it rains

Some weeks trickle along. Little moments propel us forward: packing lunch-boxes, weeding the garden, listening to podcasts, mowing the orchard, going to gym, driving the girls around...until all those little meetings and moments and musings gather together to form the week that was.

And then other weeks feel like a gush. If you're not careful they'll knock your legs out from under you and carry you down the flooded stream, feet first.

This past week feels like the latter. Each day felt full of change and development and motion and emotion. Some days I found myself grinning like a clown and on others hiding in an overgrown patch of the garden pulling up fistfuls of weeds trying to remember to breathe.

On Wednesday our Indigo turned 17. SEVENTEEN!!! That little baby who turned us into parents all those years ago. What a gift it is to be her mother. To watch her, to listen to her, to guide her and to be guided by her. We celebrated her with chocolate bullets, with cards and presents, with mangos and chocolate covered strawberries. What a gift you are to us Indigo Apple, our wishes for you are filled with music and passion, with love and learning and indoor plants. It's so exciting to watch the world open up to you and your sparkly eyes. xxxx

This week I was offered a great new writing job. Funny how these things happen. Ever since Slow Living magazine closed earlier this year, I've been wanting to write something more than just my blog. Not being quite ready to close myself off to the world and start work on a book, I thought that some articles and stories would be perfect. And then one day last week I got a message, had a meeting, and now I have a new job. Yay! I'll fill you in on the details when it's all official.

And then, not long after the first job was offered, I got a phone call about a one off speaking/teaching job. Again I'll fill you in on the details when I'm allowed to, but let's just say I'm very excited about this one.

I wrote a blog a few months ago about being okay with my simple life and not wanting to always be looking for and hunting something bigger and newer and more exciting. A few days ago I was driving home from school and had to pull over several times to talk to different people about the details of my new jobs when it occurred to me that I hadn't hunted it but here I was moving forward and although it is scary and new, I think I'm ready for this new stage. I think my self confidence needed it. I'm excited.

Also this week we had to pull out the first of our garlic, even though the cloves haven't separated yet. On Wednesday an earth mover came to do some work at the front of our house and the garden beds they were in were in the way. It's been wonderful to have the garlic flavour back in our meals this week. And it'll be amazing to landscape what's now a mud pit, with grass and garden and a deck.


The next thing was the rain. On Thursday morning on my drive out to school it rained so hard and there was so much water that I hurt my wrist gripping the steering wheel so tight. I had to drive so slowly but still it was scary. And it was LOUD! When I finally got home I was completely rattled and it took me ages to calm down enough to focus on the jobs I had to do. But ever since then I've noticed that the garden has exploded; colourful flowers have popped, plants have germinated, thickened up, grown tall, started climbing. And the roses!! Wow!! What a show they're giving us this year.





And then of course the green-house build continued. It took a while to convince my farmer boy that we should pull up the perfectly good (but oh so ugly) concrete that was there already and use old red bricks to pave it instead, but gosh it's going to be worth it. Even though we're not allowed to walk on them yet and have to play hop-scotch every time we leave the house, I'm head over heels in love already.

And I'm ever so grateful to Frobden, (Francis, Jobbo, Bren), for making my dreams come true and not whinging too much about your sore hands and backs. xxxx


After a long discussion recently about the fact that craft in our family and on our farm is a seasonal thing, I feel okay with the fact that I've only knitted a couple of inches this past week. When you're working outside from morning to last light, when your hands are so dirty you can't wash them clean anymore, and when your arms and legs ache from the weight of the day, knitting often gets left by the way-side. But when I do have a crazy week like the one that's just been, all action and full of decisions and brick dust, then a few rows of sock knitting feels just like home and is exactly what I need.

For those who have asked about sock knitting recently, please forgive my lack of personal response.

I swear by Wendy D Johnson's book - Socks From The Toe Up. I use her basic sock pattern for every single pair of socks I knit. I use everything in it from the cast on, to the slip stitch heel, to the cast off. I love it and highly recommend it to everyone from beginner to advanced.

Ravelry details here.




And lastly is the cat. She's not particularly great at snuggling on the couch but whenever I'm in the garden she's always with me. Creeping up and then jumping out on me making me scream, rubbing against my legs or back, making me laugh with her antics and then plopping herself down for a bath and a nap exactly where I need to be working. Love that funny kitten.

Love that first red strawberry of the season picked and eaten this morning before school, love the way the big seeds pop out of the soil with their seed hats on, love finishing great books (Bella and Chaim) that stay in my thoughts for days afterwards, love picking armfuls of flowers from the garden, love flexing my biceps and seeing actual muscles for the first time in my life, love binge listening a great podcast series, love thinking about the approaching summer school holidays, love getting a text message from a friend asking me for a beer, love hearing the sound of the tractor coming up the hill and knowing that my farmer boy is coming in for lunch, love you guys and the beautiful and insightful messages you send me, love that Australia voted YES for same sex marriage and that love is love is love is love.

Hope the view outside your window is a pretty one this afternoon.
Did you have a good week? Did anything exciting happen?
Are you reading a good book? Planning a feast? Stopping to smell the roses?
I hope something unexpected and quite wonderful is right around the corner.

Lots of love,

Kate xx


13 comments:

  1. What a week. I agree: it's blown right through me in so many ways. Here's to the weekend, I say.

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    1. That's such a great visual. And I'm right there with you. I hope your weekend is ace Kate x

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  2. Congratulations on having a 17 year old....the bokeh (blurry bits) in your first photo is stunning. Love the red brick flooring that is going to be amazing. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane

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  3. ps.. congrats on the writing and speaking job too.

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  4. What a week you’ve had Kate! Seventeen!! xx

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  5. Happy birthday, Indi!
    You have a cat supervisor. One of ours used to follow us around and was very pleased to make use of the holes my father dug to plant things in... LOL These days, a neighbour's cat follows me around the garden, though now I'm spending most of my time in the greenhouse, trying to stop air leaks and keep it warmer. Not been very successful so far!

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  6. Your week sounds like it has been full of all the big emotions. What an exciting time for you personally and your family. I'm looking forward to hearing about jobs when you can share. Sometimes I think it just takes one small change in our lives/habits/routines and then it's like an avalanche of things that have been waiting to come into out lives.
    Cheers Kate

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  7. Thanks Kate and Happy Laughing Dancing Birthday to Indi...........this week.....watching the colours change with the heavy Spring rain, delighting in the emergence of love in a mist, feeling the cold soft earth between my toes, harvesting garlic (Oh My!).......reading The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens....love xx

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  8. Oh my your green house is looking so good it will be fabulous when finished. Those socks are simply great have looked up Wendy’s toe up socks (quite fancy those as a change). Very exciting times ahead for you. Looking out of my window, it’s looking very dull and has dropped very cold, may be in for a rain shower or hail soon. Still knitting for Christmas here but a couple of shawls done and really pleased with the result. Take care, smell the roses for me as we are in Winter mode now in the UK no roses here. The snow drops are trying to decide if it’s time to poke through the ground though.

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  9. Hello Kate, a big belated Happy Birthday to your Indi! And a big congratulations cuddle for you for your writing jobs. How exciting! I hope they are everything you want them to be. I've had one of those weeks where it's gone by and I feel a little bit like I haven't achieved very much. I too hope that something unexpected and quite wonderful is right round the corner! Lots of love, Lucy xxxxxxx

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  10. I’ve been using Wendy’s book for years. Toe up socks are the way to go. Your home is so beautiful!

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  11. Ha snap! We spent a good few hours today collecting, stacking, transporting and re-stacking a load of old red bricks to pave our round fire pit. My partner wanted to do an 'easy' chevron pattern, but with the help of pinterest and my feminine wiles I've talked him into a circular design. Can't wait to begin!

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  12. I stopped to cook dinner, which is something I have been neglecting all week. So tonight we ate a good balanced meal with home-grown microgreens :) It was nice. Other than that I am waiting to hear about an allotment! I was told a month ago that they will be giving out new plots and last week they got in touch again, but so far nothing definite. But hopefully in spring I might have a plot of land to grow my own food on, which I am SO excited about!

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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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