Do writing and gardening have anything in common?
I think they do. I’ve spent my spare moments today here at my keyboard hammering out the “About Us” page of a new website about to be launched. […]
Gardening
Good-byes
Have you got the habit of saying proper good-byes?
My sister passed away 13 years ago. I knew when I left her at her home in Ohio as I returned to Australia that I would never see her again. Everything I had to say I had said in words and embraces over the two terminal months I spent with her. I guess that’s what I call a proper farewell. Emptying out of all the things you want your loved one to receive from you because you may not have that next chance.
Humans are funny creatures, rather deluded really. […]
Riches
What am I doing on a Saturday night? Why I’m obviously writing a post. […]
Joy
I remember being surprised hearing from a friend who ran a bush regeneration business that we shouldn’t have to do big scale native planting to help bushland recover. We just needed to get rid of the nasties – opportunistic plants, trees, weeds. We had to get horses, sheep and cattle off the land to let it recover. The seeds and sprouts of beautiful natives that are being crowded out and trammelled simply need the right conditions to flourish again.
There’s a connection with yoga in the above view. […]
Tendrils
It was so beautiful coming home to Mitchells Island after 5 days away because of:
• The Yoga Shed – I did Richard Miller’s “Meditative Heart of Yoga” practice and fell back into myself (Essential Self).
• Strawberry cuttings that neighbour Mandy had so generously left for me to plant in our garden.
• Fresh cucumbers delivered from Jacqui’s garden to our dinner table.
• A heavenly lavender sunset framed by a balmy, breezy atmosphere.
• My four beautiful yoga students who came for their lesson this evening, and left with love shining on their faces.
This is perhaps […]
Remote
I’m not talking about an object to control electronic equipment, I’m talking about living at a distance from amenities.
I had a terrible shock last year when I needed to travel from Mitchells Island to Byron Bay to teach in the yoga therapy course. I found out I couldn’t fly there directly. No, I needed to fly to Sydney first.
Another year has rolled around. I’m wanting to get up to Byron again for the same course and encountering similar travel difficulties. I can take the train, but that takes about four hours longer than the drive. […]
Be Careful (To Appreciate) What You Wish For
Rain. Over the weeks, I’ve been working fairly hard at attracting rain to our garden, if extreme longing works to bring on precipitation.
Apart from a little respite that opened up this arvo, we’ve been sheltering indoors, eating and drinking hot beverages. Sadly, I haven’t been able to show our visitors around the pretty spots of Mitchells Island. I’ve waited so long to show off our favourite places.
On the other hand, in that 15 minute window of abatement in the drizzle, I saw the garden looking so happy, and all of the neighbourhood sparkling in the wet. […]
Bush Poetry
Peter from Dingo Creek Rainforest Nursery visited us today and read us poetry from the bush at the back of our block.
What I mean is, he led a little expedition with Mike, Daniel and Heather into the 2.5 acres of our wetland, an area we usually stringently avoid. […]
Australia Day '11
Australia has a hard, even at times cruel, climate, one that keeps complacency at bay. It seems one of the most extraordinary things to me that our farmers keep going back to husband the land after fires, floods and plagues. Tragic stories of lost properties and livestock abound accompanied by stories of communities pulling together for mutual support, as in the recent Queensland flooding.
We’ve been very blessed this season on Mitchells Island – spared, as we’ve been from the 40 degree temperatures of the Drought Years and saved from the northern floods of this year. […]
Fusion
Lots of people ask me what the best thing is about having moved to the country. Maybe they are trying to build a case for doing the same?
Every time I get this question, I make it up. I don’t have a pat answer. I also don’t remember what I said the last time.
I know that sounds strange. It’s because describing what’s good about being here is almost beyond words. […]
Honest Work
Heather and I waived our early morning yoga session yesterday morning in favour of a recovery program in the garden.
That is, we were recovering from a very pleasant dinner at our neighbours’: champagne, appetisers, mains, sweets and that odd dessert wine that I believe is related to botox (called “noble rot wine”).
So, armed with mattock, shovels, trowels and mallet, Heather and I installed edging in the Hollingworth’s garden. Heather knew because she’d done this job in another part of our garden how hard it was going to be. […]
The Growing Season
Ever since returning from the U.S. last week, I’ve been happily ensconced in the Yoga Shed each morning around 6:30. My body is remembering the grooves it used to slip into with ease before holidays and even before major surgery through up barriers to progress. I am very blessed by having this studio to play in, Heather to practice with and the amazing green vistas we look out on.
You can hear things growing this time of year. […]
Biorhythms
On a list of things that are good for recovery from jet lag, I reckon digging in your garden rates pretty high.
What doesn’t work well, I believe, is looking at a screen for hours on end, be it iPhone, iPad or Mac. Also leave out any inordinate amount of thinking, shopping or consumption of alcohol, even in what you deem modest amounts.
Walking on the beach is pretty good, especially smelling sea spray and hearing the ocean pounding. Sunshine in limited exposure will help reset your clock. […]
Common Ground
It’s no accident that we’ve created our small intentional community that is our home on Mitchells Island. Something in me longed to be part of community for many years.
An old movie called “Witness, starring Harrison Ford (when he was still very dishy), had a scene in it where the Amish people raised a barn in no time at all because they worked together. I saw that movie 4 times and every time I watched it, I would cry when I saw the barn-raising scene.
Well, yesterday afternoon five of us “raised” our new garden. […]
I Left My Heart in Mitchells Island
Daniel and I had a beautiful last day in Northern California. Old friend, Melissa, took us into S.F. to lunch at the Legion of Honor Cafe in Golden Gate Park and then to the exhibition of paintings from the Musee D’Orsay – featuring Van Gough, Gaugin, and much more at the De Young Museum. Brilliant!
I kept thinking as I walked around dazzled by paintings like “Starry Night” and “Beach at Heist” how much I was missing the green vistas of our home on Mitchells Island. […]
The Simple Life
The yoga shed was well-used this weekend. The lovely Liz and the stalwart Bart visited us, along with Mike and Judy. […]
Not Sexy
Being tired is definitely not sexy. It’s not even a good look.
It’s the pits waking up in the morning, feeling fatigued, and then fretting that this is the best you’re going to feel all day.
That was me at 6 am. Even viewing the dawn’s pink cotton candy clouds couldn’t help. […]
Red Birds
The other day, writing on this blog, I was trying to explain a yoga concept called vinyamaya kosha – not entirely successfully done, judging by a couple of comments I received.
I always put the responsibility for communications which the readers finds are abstruse back on the communicator. […]
Dag
I made more of an effort to dress up when we lived in the city. Of course there were more people to impress.
I’ve already confessed to you that these days I mostly do my early morning yoga practice in my p.j’s.
My next admission probably won’t surprise anyone, particularly if you live in the country. I love my blue gum boots. (Actually they are Judy’s boots but she doesn’t have much use for them in Sydney in her CEO job.)
I used to envy little kids when I saw them sporting patterned, bright-coloured gum boots. […]
Discipline?
How’s your yoga practice going since the colder weather has arrived?
Sometimes yoga students think their teachers bounce out of bed, raring to get to their yoga practice.
I’m not bad, but I notice since recent holiday disruptions of my practice routine that now that I’m home again, I’m not bouncing back.
In fact, the last two mornings, I was very happy to practice in the late afternoon – when my body is more warmed up, when the weather has warmed up. […]