Snowy Sunday Drive

We love living where we do and for us its not simply where we live and work but where we choose to spend alot of our time. This past Sunday we packed a few sandwiches and took at drive to the back of the farm to see and enjoy some of the lovely cold wintry weather that was blowing in..We thought many of you might enjoy seeing what we saw minus the freezing temperatures...Enjoy the photographs.

Getting a fire started at the little hut to make some tea for lunch.

If anyone can get a fire going - its Greg

Here's hoping - the billy is all ready

more pictures coming!

Drift wood Spirit Doll creations.....Hecate of the White Moon

 I really love this spirit doll / goddess doll even if I did make her myself........she is the beautiful Hecate - Moon Goddess and considered the Holy Crone , Queen of the Witches.

Hecate is honoured as the Guardian of the crossroads...with her acute understanding of the inevitabilites of life. In this she bestows her wisdom and her courage.She encourages all women to honour their bodies and the changes that come with it...

Affirmation:

I accept this moments as it is.. I enjoy the freedom of letting go of the need to control the results.I can dawdle,drift,linger and wander. I make my own rules to live by.

I wanted to create a different Hecate than what I have seen....I wanted her to reflect a lightness of spirit and the silver that comes with age.. Hecate of the White Moon is just that..the beautiful crone Goddess....of silver , white and gold, aged but beautiful....and with her own softness from time.

Hecate of the White Moon...is made from a driftwood form.It was gathered here on the beach of New Zealand near our home. I try to honour the actual form of the wood....and not alter it...It makes a beautiful base of age and worn - that is just right for Hecate. I have used a clay face for her face and sheer silvery translucent ribbon, She has a cloak and skirt of silver, white and gold fiber and a pure white feathery skirt. On her head is the symbol of the moon...a single pearl embedded in the gnarled wood. Over that is a cresent dragonfly - to symbolize the wanning moon. She holds a long twisted staff of driftwood and feathers. She is 38 cm tall and has a hook to hang on your wall or altar.

 Hecate can be purchased at
http://www.etsy.com/listing/78055320/spirit-art-doll-hecate-of-the-white-moon

or contact me if you would like your own Goddess/ Spirit doll made..

Drift wood Spirit Doll creations.....Hecate of the White Moon

 I really love this spirit doll / goddess doll even if I did make her myself........she is the beautiful Hecate - Moon Goddess and considered the Holy Crone , Queen of the Witches.

Hecate is honoured as the Guardian of the crossroads...with her acute understanding of the inevitabilites of life. In this she bestows her wisdom and her courage.She encourages all women to honour their bodies and the changes that come with it...

Affirmation:

I accept this moments as it is.. I enjoy the freedom of letting go of the need to control the results.I can dawdle,drift,linger and wander. I make my own rules to live by.

I wanted to create a different Hecate than what I have seen....I wanted her to reflect a lightness of spirit and the silver that comes with age.. Hecate of the White Moon is just that..the beautiful crone Goddess....of silver , white and gold, aged but beautiful....and with her own softness from time.

Hecate of the White Moon...is made from a driftwood form.It was gathered here on the beach of New Zealand near our home. I try to honour the actual form of the wood....and not alter it...It makes a beautiful base of age and worn - that is just right for Hecate. I have used a clay face for her face and sheer silvery translucent ribbon, She has a cloak and skirt of silver, white and gold fiber and a pure white feathery skirt. On her head is the symbol of the moon...a single pearl embedded in the gnarled wood. Over that is a cresent dragonfly - to symbolize the wanning moon. She holds a long twisted staff of driftwood and feathers. She is 38 cm tall and has a hook to hang on your wall or altar.

Poems and Old Fashioned Ballads from the Heart of the Country.

 Anyone who knows us or reads our blog will know by now, we are both passionate about life in the country. Greg is especially gifted in his ability to transfer this passion into beautiful poems that share with a reader the wonder and beauty that is so much a part of our everyday lives.

Greg's Book " Touch This Land " is  an exquisite heartfelt collection of poetry and prose that as the title suggests, puts one in touch with the land.

Written from the true everyday experiences of a  working high country shepherd from the hills of Marlborough New Zealand, this book is easy and enjoyable to read yet loses none of the depth of good poetry in its depictions of a life lived close to the land.

Share with Greg what it means to choose a life in the country working on the land in the face of growing materialism in the poem " Black Cow's Bum" . Or the slowly dwindling sense of kinship in small towns as the urban sprawl invades  in. "Last Dance ". The struggle of a small calf as it fights to survive against the odds in the poem" Irish".

One of my favourites is " Jake" Greg's love and passion for his working dog that was both friend and companion and whose loss he still keenly feels.

Read by firelight with a few good friends 'Touch This Land' will transport you to that warm place in your heart where animals, mountains and close communities provide the base for living an imaginative life in all its fullness
.

Its layout with prose descriptions and photographs make for an ease of reading seldom found in a book of poetry. It has been highly recomended.

What some readers have said:

" I loved the way you described each poem in prose first.It in no way detracted from the sensitivity of your verse"


"Such beautiful, sensitive writing! We love these poems - and wish we could be there in New Zealand to experience it all in person - but these sweet poems are the next best thing - thank you!"

If you have fond memories of visiting New Zealand or have always felt in your heart a longing to visit- this beautiful land- this book will provide an armchair escape to its more remote landscapes.

This book come with free shipping and is available from Etsy for US$15.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53804279/new-zealand-poetry-book-rural-verse-from

My Daily Walk with The Animals

Like most of you reading I need to shed a few pounds...lose some love handles etc so awhile back I joined a team of unusual fitness buddies. These are a dedicated lot who do not let me slack off  for even a day.....everyday after lunch they come together and gather to wait for me to get ready for our walk. Amelia our pet sheep now pregnant with twins, Gwennie the Kune Kune pig  in denial about her weight , Abby the goat ( skipping fanatic ) and Pepper the Blue Heeler. ( seriously needs to chill ) These are my walking companions....my daily dose of fitness on the farm. I have been told we make an amusing view ...all in tow....strolling down the farm. I have been congratulated on keeping order with everyone...but little do they know...I am being kept in line and moving!! Enjoy the pictures..

View from the front porch on a lovely day

Does this angle make my butt look big?

Resisting the urge to play in the mud!

Getting our five servings a day!

Nom ...Nom...Nom....I'll be right there

Stopping at the Juice Bar!

Oh oh oh...are we there yet?

I'll burn it all up!

Abby and Pepper  the only ones without the need to shed pounds!

Nibbles to keep the strength up!

A stop at the local cafe after the workout!

Chicken , Duck , Pigeon and Bird Show!

The Poultry, Pigeon and Cage Bird Association's annual Show, featuring poultry , pigeons and ducks of all breeds and colours. This is the first one I attended and I loved it. It was great to see that the show drew a crowd of all ages. It was a  wonderful noisy place of crowing , clucking and quacking. Next year we may even enter one of our lovely girls! Enjoy the photos...

How can you not love Chickens after all that!!!