❤ Thirteen ❤

My dearest, sweetest farmer boy,
Happy, happy anniversary.
Long let this adventure continue.
Love!

Miss Indi took the pics.
Pretty clever huh!?


I hope your day is filled with love too, sweet peeps. xx

Five.

And on the fifth anniversary of her birth, she squeeeeeeeeezed her eyes shut tight and she made a wish. I'm certain it was an extremely important wish but none of us asked her about it in case it stopped it from coming true.

And as she made her wish I took a deep breath, shut my eyes and made a couple of my own. I think mamas are allowed to make birthday wishes too. It makes sense I think.

I wished her a life filled with as much love as she was smothered in today. I wished her so many, many, many, many more birthdays and excuses for celebrations and parties. I wished her a life time of laughter and dancing and magic and yummy food and family and friends.  I wished her confidence and creativity and wisdom and strength. And compassion and courage and respect and resilience. I wished that one day she be comfortable with her time tables. And inspiration, I wished her lots of that.

And I wished that every year when our Daylesford Organics orchards are bursting with blossom, when the smell is intoxicating and the bees are buzzing about doing their thing, that she remembers and knows in her heart how adored she is.

Happiest five our beautiful Pepper Berry, you certainly are adored. xxxxx

My loving list.

Just for fun, because today is the first day of the school holidays and I feel happy and lucky and filled with love, I thought I'd make a list of some of the things that I'm loving right now. The things that are making me smile. The things that make me want to get out of bed in the morning. 

Ten things.

My loving list.

Top of the list are my gang. I heart them the most. They are my everything.

I'm loving crochet. And baskets of wool. And a blanket that is growing. And that meditative feeling that comes from having busy hands and a project you don't have to think to make.

I'm loving the autumn produce: apples and tomatoes and quinces and pears and carrots and grapes...

And I'm loving turning this into that, and that into this. It's like kitchen alchemy. It's quite magical don't you think?

I'm loving posies from my princesses and a kitchen table FULL of the gorgeous Gourmet Girlfriend's family. Great friends, beautiful food and lots of laughter is so much of what it's all about, I think.

I'm loving spotting little caravans around our town and imagining their road trips and what they've been up to.

And I'm loving the thought of Ms Frankie Blue taking us on many more adventures soon, after her time at the fixer uperer this week and next.

I'm loving knitting again. It's been quite some time between knitting projects, but it's lovely to be back. I'm using Kate's beautiful wool and knitting my first ever shawl. It's a very basic pattern but will be gorgeous to wear.

I am loving autumn's light and colours. Wow! She certainly is putting on quite a show this year.

I haven't had much time for treasure hunting lately but the little has been fun. A new to me dress and cardi, a bunch of Fowler's jars (soon to be filled with apples), some of my favourite pie crust edged Johnson Brothers crockery and a couple of pink floral cuties too.

I am loving farm life and it's variety of colours and flavours and jobs. I feel happy and proud to live here at the moment. 

And I love that my farmer boy has discovered a passion for turning a humble handful of flour into the most gorgeous loaves of bread, pies and pasta. It used to be my job but somewhere along the line he took over and I am in awe of his creativity and passion.

There's mine.
How about you?
What are you loving at the moment?
Have you got a loving list?
I'd love to know.
Let me know in the comments.
Or write a list on your blog and let us know and we can come and visit.

Happy week you guys.
I hope it's inspired and a bit silly.
xxhttp://gourmetgirl-friend.blogspot.com.au

My happiness recipe.

The other day we were driving from Carnarvon to Coral Bay. The girls were watching Peter Pan in the back and my farmer boy and I were just sitting and driving in silence. Watching the world go by. Enjoying the scenery. Each in our own little world. All of a sudden I was overcome by an enormous wave of happiness. It came from nowhere and left me smiling and full of love and life in its wake.

I wanted to acknowledge that feeling. Grab hold of it. Turn it over and look at it from every angle. I wanted to keep it.

I got my farmer boy to get out his phone and I dictated my recipe for happiness.

This recipe is a work in progress. Its ingredients can be substituted and switched around. It is a thought that I really want to hold on to and make a reality when we get home and day to day life takes over.

Love where you live.

Before we left home we spent six months designing and decorating our caravan. We painted the walls, changed the cupboard latches and floor, got the couches covered and I sewed the curtains and the bed covers. The result is that we created our perfect little cozy home. I love it. It makes me happy every time we pull our bed down from the wall and I see the covers I made, it makes me proud every time someone comes in for the grand tour, it makes me comfortable and happy.

Our house in Daylesford does not make me happy. We bought our house because of the farm it sits on. A couple in their 70's built it and I call our house the Copper-art house. Do you remember those ads?? I feel embarrassed when people come over and I never feel comfortable with the layout or style.

When we get home I want to make big changes to our house so I can be happy in it. I want to start with pulling up the white carpet (in a farm house!!) and move on from there. I want to feel happy at home.

Shake up the routine.

It's so easy in life to get stuck in a routine in order to keep things moving to schedule and get the most done. But routines are hardly inspiring or fun.

While we are traveling it is easy to keep things interesting and fun but when we get home I want to remember to mix things up a bit too. Eat pancakes for dinner, pick the girls up from school and go for a visit to the lavender farm, leave the caravan packed and go for overnight trips to the coast and to Melbourne and to be a tourist where we live.
.

Love the ones you are with.

Whether it's my farmer boy, my parents, my best mates, my siblings or my kids...love them. Feeling and expressing that love is a pretty great way to bring on the happiness.

Hug and kiss, write love letters, give prezzies, whisper sweet nothings, practise random acts of kindness, realise how lucky I am to have that person/people in my life.

Love is lovely!!

Remember how lucky you are.

I am not hungry or scared or cold or in danger. I have choices and opportunities. I know it's all relative but it still puts things in perspective too.

Be brave and change.

Some things are simple, while other changes take time and courage. But it is so worth while in the end.

You can do it.

Do I want to write a book, write up and sell my patterns, sew more clothes for myself, go on more road trips, learn silver smithing, preserve more of our autumn harvest for winter, learn photoshop....Well why don't I?

Now that we've done this trip, I feel braver. I feel like we can change our lives around to fit in more of what we want to do as well as what we have to do. I feel like we are less stuck now. Like we have options. We can do it. We will do more of the things we want to do. And that makes me happy.

Be social.

At home I am often so caught up with my lists of all that I want to achieve that I sometimes forget to have a life. When we get home I am going to continue the social life we have enjoyed on the road, I am going to have dinners and parties and farm festivals and lunches and bonfires. And we are going to accept more invitations too. I feel like our kids are at an age now where we can socialise as a family because sharing our life with friends makes me happy.

Indulge once in a while.

I know what makes me feel good about myself and makes me happy. A warm jacket, a great haircut, a trip, a long distance phone call, stripey tights, beautiful food, op shopping, some new fruit trees, private time with my lovelies, a walk, baking, time to sew, lovely yarn, an adventure, books, music, films...

Get active.

Even though it is often hard to get moving in the first place, it never fails to lighten my mood and get those happy hormones pumping.

I need to ride my bike, grab my ipod or a friend and a go for a walk, pump up the music and dance, swim, run, skip, hike, hop...

Eat well and drink lots of water.


Feeling good on the inside is a great way to feel good on the outside.

......................................................................

The last ingredient on the dictated list that farmer Bren emailed to me from his phone is his own addition; 'write a hippie self help book!' I get that this post might come across like that, but we are on the home straight now and I still have the luxury of time to think thoughts through and analyse my life from afar, so that's what I'm gonna do.

I'm writing this just outside our caravan in Coral Bay. The girls are all of playing with friends. Farmer Bren is sitting beside me strumming his ukulele. If I look over to the left I can see a bunch of grey nomads sitting in a circle chatting and if I look to the right I can see the most magnificent beach I have ever seen. This place is paradise. It feels like such a great time and place to be writing this post. I feel happy.

So how does this sound to you? Do you have any more ingredients to add to my happiness cake? Do you believe in the happiness recipe? Do you bake your own? From where you sit right now can you taste it?

Happy happy! x

First day.

Mum's pic

I knew as soon as I opened my eyes this morning that today was a special day. I went through the motions of breakfasts, lunch boxes, hair plaiting, Melbourne clothes, but my head was somewhere else. Today was the first day of the rest of my Dad's life. This journey to Melbourne would be very different to my last.

We took a train to the city, Mum picked us up, we had coffee and beans on toast in Fitzroy with Emily and then waited.

Then it was time to pick Dad up from the hospital. It was scary and exciting. How amazing that only nine days ago he had had his heart opened up and re-plumbed and here we were about to take him home with us. How amazing that the constant fear of the disease that had killed his father, would no longer be a part of his life.

I walked into the hospital just as he was checking out. I saw him from behind and I recognised his clothes but not his shape. His pants and shirt didn't seem to fit him anymore. I remember being so careful not to hurt him when I hugged him.

The guy at the desk was asking him if he wanted him to cut off his wrist band and my Dad looked at me and said This is when I stop being a patient and start to be a person again. It felt huge walking out of that hospital with him. Carrying his bag as he navigated his first stairs, the footpath and then the car.

We brought him home. He was cold and my Mum wrapped him up in a rug. He looked skinny but he had colour in his cheeks and he was hungry. He was home. He was ours. Her husband, my Dad, her Ra.

My Mum made him lunch and me and Indi went walking.

She is obsessed with graff(iti) my girl is. Most of my next hour was spent down city alleys, looking at her back as she ooed and aahed and that's so cooled and snapped pics.

We bought coffee and sushi for the train and went back to the flat. Dad was asleep and Mum drove us to the station.

As we sat on the train about to leave he called. He was crying. He was so moved that we had come all the way to Melbourne to be with him and to celebrate his second chance at life and yet he hadn't said goodbye. I offered to get off the train but then reminded him of how much time we have ahead of us, especially when they move across the road.

All the way home I thought about the link between the physical and emotional heart. How deeply connected they are. If not the same.

So that's it. We're home. My own heart feels full and happy and relieved. Grateful doesn't seem like a big enough word this time.

Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. I'm hoping the rest of the story is really boring, textbook recovery stuff. Red wine, eggs, lots of walking, avocados, beans and so much love.

I hope you've had a great day too. xx

Grateful.

This Saturday, as always, I am grateful for my Farmer Boy.

I am grateful for love.

I am a bit of a romantic. I believe there's someone out the for everyone. Some of us find our love earlier and some have to go on a bit of a journey to find them.

The first time I ever really remember meeting my Farmer Boy Bren we were at a dance party in the middle of the bush in about 1997. My sister and I were dressed up as Chuppa Chup (lolly pop) fairies. We were wearing enormous poufy tutus, tiaras, fairy wings, t'shirts that said insert coin and massive jars of Chuppa Chups we had fashioned into back packs on our backs. We were probably filthy too.

This gorgeous guy with long dreadlocks came up to us and sort looked at us all confused trying to work out how he could get himself a lolly and we ran away screaming about the best looking guy we had ever seen. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

Luckily we met again a few days later at the prewedding party of a lovely mutual friend and the rest, as they say, is our history....and our present.

I know its mushy but I can't help myself today. I've had a bit of a difficult week and he's been with me the whole time, doing everything he can to help, look after and spoil me. He's my best friend, my team mate, my love.

Grateful doesn't even seem big enough to cover it.

Have a happy and loved up weekend folks.

ps. Thanks Em for the pic. XX

The year of love!

Good morning!

How're things with you?

So I'm sitting here thinking about the new year. 2011. Wow!

And I'm thinking about where I want to go and who I want to be this coming year.

So many things are popping into my mind and I'm tempted to write a whole resolution list but today I'm going to start with one thing. The top of my list.

I think that this coming year, after ten years of parenting, my Farmer Boy and I need to schedule a bit of regular alone time. Just him and me and away from the farm.

A date night. With a baby sitter and all. Woo Hoo! I am excited already.

Just now after I wrote that bit I called a friend and asked her if she was interested in the job and she loved the idea. She thinks we should prioritise it. I do too.

So there you go. My first New Years' Resolution has been put into action.

What about you? Do you have a regular date night? Have you started making your resolution list?

Have a wonderful fourth last day of the year.

Oh and the puppies still have their eyes closed but they have started wagging their tails. Too cute.

Bye now. XX