That Writer's Habit

I would like to say life has been pretty busy around here lately as an excuse for my blogging absence, but that wouldn't be the whole truth.

Life has been busy but no more than normal, winter hibernation has also had a hand in things but I guess it is just a case of falling out of the habit. It is hard to come back to the blog after a long gap, strange as surely it would be harder to keep blogging week after week, finding the inspiration to write, but I think the habit of writing is what is most important.

I have been up to blog worthy endeavours lately it is true, I have been ploughing my time into expanding my Etsy store with naturally dyed sock yarn (can't wait to list those), and been posting more about that on Instagram.

We are also getting ready to breed our own meat birds from our established flock rather than buying in hatching eggs this year, we are crossing our Indian Game hens with both our buff orpington and Welsummer cockerels to see which we prefer, and perhaps breeding some cream legbars after that to sell on.

I'm also trying to get through some of my fabric stash making my own clothes, I've got so much filling up the old caravan earmarked for specific projects, and I need the space as I am turning said caravan into a dyeing studio for my work (think vintage style).

These are just a few of the things I've been upto lately amongst others but that's enough to be going on with for today, hopefully I will now be able to get back into that writers habit.

Homestead Reality Lessons: Episode 1

I've been recording videos again, this time I'm talking a little about some of the realities of running a smallholding or homestead that you may not have learned from watching river cottage or the Good Life.

Not All Rural Life is Rosy

This week has in part been one of those where as a blogger we gloss over the shittier parts of smallholding which usually only shows the quainter aspects like raising baby chicks and pulling home-grown carrots. 

Now dont get me wrong there has been plenty of the nicer stuff like a light dusting of snow and calm sunny cold winter mornings, but I'm not gonna lie, there is plenty of crap mixed in with it, and I mean that literally.

For instance one of our cockerels doesn't like me so chicken chores have to be done with a shovel in one hand in case he attacks me (never bothers hubby though). We also have a duck separated at the moment as she has problems oiling her own feathers and gets soaked andcold in bad weather, add to that our 2 young Buff Orpington cockerels don't seem to realise she is a duck and keep... well umm... 'pouncing' on her!

To top all this off we have had the drains backing up and a toilet that would not go down, resulting in fishing around in the septic tank, digging up sewage pipes and too much time spent with arms down toilets, wonderful. 

Thankfully we did not need to remove the toilet, I was having an anxiety attack envisioning removing said toilet and ruining the bathroom floor and waste water to clean up everywhere in one of the few finished rooms in the house.

Of course now I can't get the scene out my head from Christmas Vacation with cousin Eddie emptying his chemical toilet into the drains, shouting to all who will listen 

"Shitter full !! "

Playing Autumn Catch-Up

 I think I have spent most of the past couple of weeks just playing catch-up around here, and still there are things to do, it always seems to be really hectic this time of year.

There has been young pullets to introduce to the flock, and frantically trying to source winter bedding on an island with a very bad hay and barley crop this year.

Planting autumn garlic (a first for us this) rather than our usual planting in the spring in the hopes of getting a better crop, on top of the usual harvesting and garden winter preps.

There has been the baking and putting away of Christmas cakes, and the starting of gift making to try and get ahead.

Finishing off home DIY projects before the winter comes, and the buying of equipment before John reduces his hours and our budget goes down with his wages (the bonus being he will be home more for us to expand on the smallholding)

And if I'm not picking blackberries ready for making wine, then I am bottling the result of last years harvest, not that I'm complaining, I do LOVE our blackberry wine.

So we keep on trucking, so that in a few weeks time we can look back and say "we did this and did that this year" with a feeling of satisfaction.

A fresh and Marvellous New Start

 Often the longer it has been since you have done something, the longer you then leave it to begin again, making it even longer since you did it and even harder to start and so on.

I'm not sure what happened to my blogging, I sort of took some time off during the summer months when the boys were visiting, and then found it really hard to get back into the flow of writing again, it seemed so much easier to just do something else all the time.

 Sort of like when you haven't exercised for a while for whatever reason, and then it seems like so much effort to begin again.

Also I kind of felt like I had lost my blogging way, my purpose, till I remembered that blogging had simply been a way to share with the world my musings, what we are doing in our little corner of the world, and what I am currently creating.

Also I felt as if I wasn't really being me online, not really sharing the stuff we were doing as much as I had been, and also avoiding talking about certain stuff, not out of any sense of lack of privacy, more just because it didn't fit in with what I thought the blog's 'content' was about, hmm.

Well stuff that, it's my blog and I will share whatever speaks to me, inspires me and what I am thinking, warts and all.

So here's to a fresh New Year, lets make it a Marvellous one !!!!

Living our Childhood Dreams (or Life Lessons from Xena Warrior Princess)

Making our Childhood Dreams a Reality

When I was a child I used to daydream about what life would be like as an adult. I would picture myself riding my Clydesdale horse to the nearest village to pick up supplies, long hair flowing, full-length woolen dress and cloak, basket on my arm.

I imagined friends and neighbors coming to me for help with their ailments, a herbal remedies and ointment for aches, a charm or talisman for the home, a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake to offload, all conducted in my cosy cottage by candle light, the smell of incense in the air.

A romantic fairytale image perhaps.

I used to imagine what it would be like to live in a huge house like Misselthwaite Manor from The Secret Garden, but mostly I imagined the secret passageways and rooms, and of course the secret garden itself.

I would devour books which had the wise woman character in them, ones that would touch some inner spark in me, guiding me gently towards my passions in life.

I have a great love of mathematics and science, logic brained am I, and had other fantasies of being some sort of scientist.

How can Xena Warrior Princess give us career advice?

Sometimes we look back on our childhood dreams with nostalgia, or scorn or perhaps bitterness, but I believe our childhood dreams give us insights as to the person or life we are truly meant to be.

I don't necessarily mean we are supposed to be modern day Xena Warrior Princesses, but certain elements of our fantasies show us our true soul needs.

For example, if I had big dreams of growing up like Xena, I would mull that over and pick apart what it was about being Xena that I loved so much. 

Was it the kicking ass part? Perhaps I would be in my element being a martial arts expert or a cage fighter.

Was it the saving the day part? Perhaps I would be better as a police officer or working for womens refuge.

Perhaps that is putting it a bit too simplistic, perhaps I am so off the mark, but perhaps it may help someone?

How I made my dreams into my reality

Looking back on my own childhood dreams shows me a lot about the person I was always meant to grow up to be.

I was destined to be a country girl, the city was never meant to be a happy place for me, a simple quiet life is what I crave and where I am most in my element even if I no longer have the urge to ride across the hills in my tartan dress like Lorna Doone.

Studying natural remedies and the craft was also where my heart lay, and is still where I am at my most confident, but I also have a need to back up the reasoning for why a remedy works with science too, not to the point of dismissing something which I know works, but it makes me want to do a happy dance when I can back up with science something I already know to work.

And as for The Secret Garden and Misselthwaite Manor with its mysteries, well John built me a secret bookcase door, I know I can't believe it, it makes me so happy, childhood dreams made into reality !!!!