a new home

 

 

sometimes transition is not easy for me

in birthing or in life

i can feel lost overwhelmed and unsure I can accomplish the task at hand

can i meet what is coming towards me

the immensity of change

in a breath i am very casual about it all

and sometimes it seems i will breeze through it cheerfully and singing

{this time i will apply all precious knowledge and it will be cake}

and in the next breath i am swamped

by emotions anxiety confusion fear

and helplessness may pop up to join the tea party

this lifestyle i embrace and choose wholeheartedly

has one major difficulty

which is presently with me

transition

finding my centre amidst the change of circumstance.

we are having a pause of some months from being on the road

and i am excited to nest and craft and garden and socialise and sing

and be part of our community

but

first i have to get back from my trip west

and then reintergrate family as we reunite with papa after a month apart

and then arrive in Bellingen

and get used to being parked up in the gloriousness of our friends property

and get into the rhythm of school and lunchboxes and bus stops

and get myself reintergrated and adapted to this next chapter

i think i am contracting inwards

and it hurts abit

i feel better when i go for a walk or a swim in the pristine clear Bellinger river

or when i load up the wheelbarrow and do numerous loads of shifting garden debris

or when i am held in my loves embrace

in moments i think i am really here

and then poof

i am not

this transition takes time

one week is not enough to get my head around it

and rediscover who i am and how i interact here now

i feel more ungrounded this moment than when i am actually in motion traveling

somewhere inside i trust i will come in and feel at ease

and centered and present again

somewhere i know the reality of jetlag

and climate shift

and daylight savings

and external influences

and somewhere i know its moving house again

we all know how incredibly trying that task is

once i wrote traveling is like mini moving house every day

yep

and i love it

once i had spilled all my tumultuous anxiety about this phase to a friend she asked

why do you do it to yourself?

i said

i love it

i love the adventure

the stimulation

the expansion

the freedom

the nature

the change

the time together

the discoveries

it’s worth it.

 

 

once someone wise taught me a game to play at stressful times where

i imagine myself into the future

i am asking myself

“so Roselinde, how did you cope with that challenging time?”

and often the qualities i need to embrace are revealed to me

“well, i made sure i ate and slept well, i reminded myself it’s a temporary situation, i tried to maintain my humour, going for walks,

i asked for help and kept on deep breathing and i used my flower essences

 

it is so so pretty here in the valley in spring

the beauty of nature helps

how do you help yourself get through challenging phases?

what helps you transition?

when do you feel centred?

 

glimpses of indoors

This gallery contains 54 photos.

Glimpses Of Indoors a gallery of moments from my month with my extended family in Western Australia a chapter of time many shared moments centered around the hearth and the heart centered around all the activities which have their place … Continue reading

all in one day

our last day on the farm or was it days?

entailed lots of outdoorsey horsey time

and lots of quiet knitting sitting with my mama

{see how fancy she knits}

i said to her

“when I grow up I might knit fancy socks too…”

she replied in the vein of

“when do you know you are grown up?”

“when i knit fancy socks of course”

on the winding deck on the eastern house side you can chase the sun all morning long… and maybe have a spontaneous yoga session…

after babies sleep we went to a friends stables and Lily got to groom, ride and feed a placid freckled nana horse…

I got distracted by the divine golden blooming wattles… mmmm… i wish i was a beethen after lunch off down the field to see aunty’s horsies

we all sat about and watched her give her horse Bowen and then work with another naughty pony which did not want to be caught

photographed cute baby instead of horses

no big trees to climb here yet, so miss monkey goes up other obstacles…

they are growing though… i remember a certain cold day with a very little Lily,

hands cold in the earth and mud planting some of the sheoaks and melaleuca ‘s at the bottom of this little forest

and now a date with the long oatey grass and my little ones

i was captivated by the sound of the wind in the long grass, i felt very still amidst the sea of green, the scent of sweet oats,                                                 children’s giggles and calls and falls,

memories of making grass houses just like this with my best friend of childhood, rolling about flattening rooms, making oaty meals, looking at the sky and feeling hidden and safe

i was trully enraptured by grasses again, this was the golden glow of my day, here simply laying in the grass, a truly happy simple moment to savour

it certainly sweetened me amidst all the weeping and longing of leaving…

then i managed to convince Lily to shoot me

in my newly hemmed more complicated than it could have been pocketed mama cheerful springtime skirt

really digging the clash of blue prints and red boots…

what do you wear on the farm?

goodbye to this part of our travels

filled with sweetness and mama love and family closeness

thankyou all of you who enrich my life and cradle me in the family nest, help me, encourage me, tease me, put up with me, hug me and love me

Brig Amity

We have left the farm to make a few outings in the last month, honest!

We had some errands to run in Albany last week, so we amused ourselves by visiting the Brig Amity

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a beautiful replica ship on the foreshore to be explored

astounding craftmanship

huge timbers and clever carving

one of  the symbolic beginnings of settlement in WA 1826

one of the symbolic end to traditional life of the indigenous people in WA

on one hand I was utterly captivated by the beauty of craftsmanship on this incredible vessel

the wonder that it {the original Amity} sailed from Canada originally

the wonder it held a farmyard of animals and 120 passengers/crew

the wonder of tiny cramped spaces and curved sides

where people shorter back then?

the delight of happy exploring children

and skippers

on my other hand was the mourning of  an incredible landscape and culture

changed so quickly

what was the sacred story of this bay or these great granite boulders

who harvested shellfish on this shore

who sheltered in the scrub there on windy days like today

who made the fish traps and brought back the bounty

who carried the fire

it’s still so fresh here in Australia as in many other places in the world

We came in out of the wind and my ponderings

and warmed ourselves with hot milk in a sweet cafe which is in the very modern world of

14 Peel Place

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Port Douglas Markets and more musing s…

Port Douglas Markets and more musings…

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We have been away for three weeks now on the West Coast.

I’ve just been editing photographs from our last weeks in Far North Queensland.

those beautiful waterways! the warmth and fresh fruit! being outdoors…

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i mean really, look at me in swimmers and being painted by a little angel with river ochre!

less than a month ago!

In my bones until next time…

It’s hard to fathom Jesse will be playing his last set for the year at the Port Douglas markets today.

followed by a sunset dinner by the sea probably.

We are in such different realities at the moment, when usually we travel life together.

I’m only just starting to miss my companion and dear friend…

i’ve been wrapped up in the joy and busy-ness of family time and the enjoyment of space from the relating ship,

which is still happening, but I’ve passed half way of the trip and I think my soul is

preparing to travel East again and thoughts are coming in about my friends and family there.

It makes me aware just how difficult it is to simply be present!

Without anticipating the next chapter of life, or even the next moment of life.

How much of my day am i just trully being in the moment?

I know I relish it when I notice i have come in for a time, and feel the richness of the moment.

it’s not that often, when I really reflect on it! neither is it always comfortable moments mind!

I’m practicing though.

When I go through a phase of doing a daily practice of meditation or yoga or somesuch I notice

my awareness is more centred for the rest of the day.

I tend to put good excuses or futurisms on why I’m not in regular practice of some time of

stillness and centering.

Like, when I have a house I will set up a space or when I’m not so tired or when I wake up tomorrow or when I am enlightened or when I grow up….

{my sisters say I was such a procrastinator as a child}

How about right now?

How about you?

What do you tell yourself, which stops you from doing some helpful practice of meditation, stretching, exercise, centering, movement or so on?

or what do you tell yourself which gets you going with it again?

well that was not what I’d been planning to write about! but reading back I enjoy the surprise of it!

I had been wanting to belatedly post these photos of some of the beautiful produce and handmade crafts from the

Port Douglas Markets!

I think I’ll put them at the top of the page now…

Enjoy your spring/autumn equinox

are you celebrating it in any way?

it happens to also be Uncle D’s birthday so we had

decadent gluten free chocolate cake with cream after breakfast…

Peace

it’s the wildflowe…

it’s the wildflowers

in full festival

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it’s the flowers

in every glance a hint of colour to be investigated

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it’s the flowers

tiny, subtle, gracious, intricate

it’s the flowers

beckoning me across the road and into the woods

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it’s the flowers

delaying me and making little ones impatient with mama as they spring on to new finds

(and me impatient with them for pulling me away, yes must go alone sometimes…)

it’s the flowers

invisibe to a casual eye

revealed with attention

unveiled with presence and patience

delighting all of us with their own groupings and gatherings

what do flowers communicate?

and here and here another another

it’s the flowers

which distract Cedar from falling asleep on walks of that intent

it’s the flowers

the bold red/orange/burgundy pea his favorite and each bush gestured and acknowledged

it’s the flowers

immaculate petalled orchids the queens

puffy pompom wattles

spreading cheerful red leschenaultia and running postman

tall sunshine billy buttons

minute pink fairies

countless silky blues orchids

spider orchids

purple pansy orchids

red beaks

dampiera

dryandras

tiny delicate fringed lily twiner

bright abundant cowslips

tall breezy jug orchids in mint candy striped shirts

at least five variations on the donkey orchid

black eyed pinks

and a myriad more I cannot name but love no less

it’s the flowers

the carpet of which trails our eyes through the open woodland

it’s the flowers

which bring me here in spring

it’s the flowers

whose essence and healing I soak up

it’s the flowers

the discovery of rarities a thrill each one thrillier that the last

it’s the flowers

in rain or wind or warm

beckoning a beautiful bouquet

in amongst the silver brown hued timber

it’s the flowers

enlivening and uplifting me

it’s the flowers

stretching my smile eyes and mind

it’s the flowers.

it is.

A Denmark Day

Mama and I and the little ones spent a happy day browsing and completing errands in the Coastal Forest town of Denmark

After visiting the two op shops and finding some great embroidered linens and pastel Johnson Bro bread plates we had a tasty lunch at

while Nanna went for acupuncture Cedar Lily and I where playful in the riverside park. A pretty cool playground, some stately old Marri and Karri trees…

I had one of those moments again. one of those precious ones where my heart pauses and I am then flooded with sentiment as I watch my little ones in their innocence and fun and kindness and I give an enormous breath of gratitude to the gift they are in my life, and the beauty and clarity of sunlight and the cool scent in the air almost overwhelms me with the richness of nature and my place in it.

try and imagine how old this Marri tree is… All it has witnessed… the slow pulsating rhythm of being a tree… go and find one and sit or lay under it or climb into her arms and soak up some arboreal wisdom…

Yes Cedar is out and about in his pyjama jumper… he loves it as much as I do… It’s from Engel via Cambridge baby

oh how i love the scent of rivers,

growing up an inland girl the novelty of bounteous water is yet to fade…

the myriad of light refractions on waters surface amuse me endlessly, the green shade and becooled air which stirs about draping leaves becalms me

and refreshes me and i am enchanted in my thoughts as i move us up to the colourful delight of wool heaven!

I was getting distracted from choosing yarn for a bold project I am about to undertake of making Lily a short sleeved cardigan for the coming seasons from an Elizabeth Zimmerman patern resized to vaguely fit an eight! phew. I think I’m abit out of depth but looking forward to the challenge.

I chose an heirloom silk touch Merino, Alpaca, Silk blend and Lily chose a sweet sky blue tint.

Lily had been quietly amusing herself, when I appeared to check with what she was amused I saw…

You know those beautiful enticing rows of neat embroidery threads in every good crafting shop? well…

Mothers panic try to be calm…

“honey what are you up to?”

thinking…oh god We are going to be kicked out, no worse I will have to painfully sort these all out into colour batches and rehang them. oh crikey

“Hi mama, these where all in a jumbly mess, some kids been playing with them probably so I took them all off and I’m sorting them out!”

“ah OK good one that’s really thoughtful of you”

luckily shop lady overheard and pipes up gratefully that it’s OK and thanks to Lily

phew… phew… phew…

Cedar had been happily driving his new tractor and trailor around which we had just found beautifully made at the Denmark arts centre…

after this we perused the Butter Factory Studios and Alpaca Centre

I am in love with Alpace fibre once again and tried to convince my mum to buy an exhorbitantly priced Alpaca coat to no avail… yet…

I found Cedar a sweet duffel coat by Oobi instead and some fantastic local ceramics.

The end

everyone tired and hungry and wants to go home now

goodbye Denmark til next time

Manning farmers market

I jetted to Perth solo for a special event on the weekend (more later)

From the airport I picked up my brother and we went for lunch and a wander in the 

Manning farmers market

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my dear friends who make the music of Laliya first introduced me to this market and I have looked forward to another visit

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in the grounds of Clontarf Indigenous College the sturdy stone buildings are with their own stories

(some quite grim as it was once St Josephs orphanage)

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St Joseph was on hand to welcome us with his little peace baby

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and then in we wandered… under the beautiful gum tree shade

a hustle bustle

bananas three dollars a kilo is the cry

bounteous produce, handmade goodies, real bread, pastries, cheeses, fruit juices, plants, fish, coffee, eggs and on and on more and more

we linked arms and looked for lunch…

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turkish delicious yummy spinach, fetta, sundried tomato and olive filled fresh folded pizza like dough thingy.. i cannot remember the name right now! if anyone does let me know…Image

 

 

oh baklava sweet treat of my heart… i have made this delicacy before. deceptively simple, i more than halved the sugar (which is why it didnt glue together properly) and increased the lemon juice… mmmmImage

 

 

i was feeling oh so liberated as a mama in town alone, and with a handsome intelligent fun young man to peruse with!

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lunch was followed by delicious sourdough pastries with decadent caramelised nut centres….ooohhhhh

i had a second to photograph this before it was all gone, Max’s hand is just out of the frame on the right!

 

 

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my other favourite wa bread bakers where there

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so began a very special weekend in town, while my family on the farm cared for my little ones. Thankyou

Hinata Japanese cultural festival

On Saturday the 8th I explored the beautiful Hinata festival held in the gorgeous bushland setting of the Bibra Lake Steiner school in WA.

There where traditional and modern handmade goodies, delicious food, including a burger with grilled pressed rice instead of bread, excellent gluten free option, indigo and plant dyeing workshops, kids craft, music and more and more..

 

I had such a great time I didnt take a single photograph! yes kicked myself afterwards…

but i did photograph some of the gorgeous things i purchased there…

so enjoy looking at these and imagining what the festival was like,

and if you live in Perth get to the Japanese Hinata festival next year!!

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the detail on the pocket of my new denim shift…

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playful original watercolour for Lily’s room when we get a house with walls again…

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roving/wool tops dyed with, indigo, sour sop, eucalypt and another i forgot

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five layer muslin hankies or flannels

I have coveted these in the house of my friends who invited me, ha now I have my own!

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buttons covered in vintage Kimono fabric

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whimsical artwork by Nuoko

a beautiful day and fantastic handmade specials

I read a great quote which was along the lines of

If you have money buy, something unique and handmade

 

I love to support artisans and be supported as an artisan

happy making!