What a time it's been - the lead up to Christmas and then harvest (drawn out over about 9 weeks), Christmas and New Year, lots of visitors, hot days, warm nights, cricket and tennis on the TV, lazy afternoons reading and snoozing, but it's time to become more productive. The holidays are over and I'm wanting to create, make, and grow.
I want to write more, draw and paint more, sew more, garden more, walk more - fit more in my day. I also want to stress less, watch TV less, consume/purchase less - allow more quiet space in my life.
I'm living in Cowra in the beautiful Central West of NSW but I miss my life in Melbourne. I've been thinking of ways I can live a more Melbourne type life while here in Cowra. I have the sense that there is more community where I was living in Northcote - tram stops, cafes, community gardens, farmers markets, with a broader range of ideas, information and discussions.
There are ways of adding a more Melbourne flavour to my life in Cowra, such as seeking out and spending time at regional art galleries and museums. I need to take the time to explore more widely to find accredited farmers markets, locally grown produce, and innovative cafes that are more sustainable or creative.
I'm still regularly listening to Krista Tippett's On Being podcasts. They are a gift and set things in motion in my mind and in my life. So many good things and amazing ideas have become part of my life - John O'Donohue, Mary Oliver, David Whyte, Michael Longley, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ruby Sales, Alice Parker, Paulo Coelho, Xavier Le Pichon, Henri Nouwen, Yo-Yo Ma, and so many more. How had I never heard of all these incredible people before now?
For January, the "Melbourne living challenge" will be to:
- Visit the Brett Whiteley exhibition at the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
- Memorise a Mary Oliver poem - good for the soul as well as trying to get the brain into action!
- See a movie
I'm hoping to create a better day by getting up early, walking Duncan, watering the garden, listening to podcasts, drawing and painting, and making healthy meals.
The side garden is still a work in progress but I now have chives, coriander, mint, and basil for picking, as well as the old favourites of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. For the first time ever, I'm having trouble with zucchini's not growing to a size big enough to pick. Other friends have been having the same problem and we're concerned there aren't enough bees around to properly pollinate our veggies. I need to plant loads more bee attracting plants - we all do. But the big problem is all the pesticides used by our broad acre farmers . . .
