A Nesting Day

While I love all seasons and enjoy watching the wheel of the year turn, there is something about blustery, winter days that really re-kindle deep within me that desire to head to the kitchen to celebrate the season by baking bread or creating tasty slow cooked food for my family, more so then any other season tends to do.
Winter mornings for me, are made for bowls of steaming porridge or thick buttery toast and tea, the afternoons for sewing or knitting. Nesting, content to contemplate the last few months and think on the changes to come.This is really when I am the happiest and most content, when tending my hearth and home.

Today has been like this for me and for a time I managed to push aside some of the stresses that have been consuming my days of late. After doing a few domestic chores, I pulled out the slow cooker and made the most scrumptious meal of Tarragon Chicken in Cider, I have posted the recipe here on my recipe blog The Witches Kitchen.. after putting this recipe together, I got motivated and made a batch of bread dough for some pizza scrolls, after finding this recipe recently on Slow Living Essentials it has become a favorite in our house.. the kids just love them.
While my bread was rising and my chicken bubbling gently away, filling the house with some pretty wonderful smells, I hauled out my sewing machine. It had been sooooooo long since I had spent anytime with it, that I could barely recall how to thread it *laughing* how bad is that eh, I had to get out the instruction manual just to be sure...

I am sure my oldest daughter will be tickled pink that I have finally made her bag, bag. You know the ones used to store your plastic shopping bags so you can recycle them. Shes only been waiting since December.. bad Mummy. 28 she maybe but she is pink and cupcake crazy..
These are so easy to make, this one is made from a pretty tea towel, that cost a few dollars from Best and Less, run a seam up the sides, then make a hem top and bottom, thread through some elastic on the bottom and some pretty ribbon or chord to hang it from, through the top hem. Easy.

It has been a relaxed day, and I have needed it, to again take a minute to feel connected to the core of my home..

Headless Chook

Way back in Dec, I posted that my grown up son was flying back to Australia and moving home for awhile... well near six months later we are still *awhiling* It has been an interesting time having a 27 year old in the house again as well as my other two children from another mother.
Well grown up son's g' friend is arriving next Friday and they have decided they need a place of their own - wait for it, by next Friday... yes they could stay here but the lease depicts how many people can live here even temporarily and adding one more to the equation is not an option considering the circumstances..
I'm a tiny bit torn between continuing to be the supportive mother I have been or going troppo freakin' insane mad at them for not having sorted something a little better.. my son's boss is not being very helpful either as he is not letting him leave work even for an hour to look at houses, since they are so short staffed - his prerogative too.. this is frustrating my boy and making me nuts... as it leaves me running about like a stressed, headless chook looking at places on their behalf, and I tell you on their limited budget I have seen some seriously shocking places.

I am not one to walk around with my head in the sand, but I am seriously surprised that in this country and in this day and age, land lords/estate agents can get away with leasing some of the places I have seen.. moldy damp walls and floors, no cupboards, no heating, no facilities to wash your clothes, true some of these places date back to the 70's but that really isn't old..

So another 3 places to look at tomorrow.... fingers crossed I'm not in a straight jacket by the end of the day.

I got what I asked for

Doing the most excited happy dance... in a twinkle of an eye ... autumn/winter arrived.. it's cold 12c and I am loving it... I have pulled out my jeans and a flannel shirt and I am feeling euphoric.. *laughing* Good bye summer skirts and singlets - I'm celebrating the Crone..

The Guilts

When I was in my 20's I had immense trouble saying no, to something if it wasn't convenient, I would just muddle through and find time, to spite myself.. then into my 30's my children where older, I was becoming "independent again" so to speak, had started work again and with a new found confidence, I learnt to say "I would love to help or whatever, but I am not able to at the moment" and I could do it without guilt..

Then about 4 years ago I left my job as a Manager of a business as we moved to a Navy Base in rural area where work was hard to find... this knocked my confidence about as I was either under qualified or over qualified for what little work the area had to offer..After a time I slipped comfortably back into the role of full time homemaker... something my husband and I both enjoyed. I was less stressed and grumpy, and I enjoyed getting back to basics.
When we went from 'coupledom' into 'familydom' instantaneously with the addition of the younger children coming to live with us... something changed within me.. It is not their fault by any means and as my husband and I have had to deal with some insanely huge and painful issues - . this has bought for me full circle, back to feeling guilty for saying "No" Funnily enough, not to strangers, but to family members my MIL, my adult kids, even my husband at times... I have developed this *have to do* almost mentality.. I should be able to comfortably say "Your an adult, you do this or learn to do this" and when I do I feel guilty like I have some how failed.. it is bizarre and I don't fully understand where this has come from at almost 50.

Is this some strange thing that happens with menopause? Is it because my life has so drastically changed my head is still spinning? or is it because I am a woman and it is what we woman do... beat ourselves up over over problems that are not of our making?

An hour with Badger

Yesterday I had my tooth out and it was a WHOLE lot worse than I had anticipated, it took an hour and I was that shaky I had to ring my husband and ask him to get a duty ashore and come and get me.Two weeks ago we had made plans to go to a Craft/Crystal fair held today, and I was determined to go... So off we went, me looking like I had done a few rounds with a boxer, sipping on my water bottle dosed with Bach flower remedy 'Star of Bethlehem' and while it is often given to animals it is perfect for treating people who have suffered physical or emotional trauma, I used to give it to our children when they first came to live with us.
However I digress... when we got there I had a wee look at the crystals, and picked up a Bloodstone, Carnelian and a Tigers Eye but I what I was really drawn to was the Hoop drums, and Badger a well known Australian Hoop Drum maker was there with his.

For the longest time I have been drawn to the rhythm of the drum. They are alive with their own essence and spirit, the drum is feminine and the beater or stick is masculine together they are a balance within nature.. like the heart beat of nature.

I was drawn to the energy of a beautiful deer skin drum..the tone sending shivers through both body and spirit and with Badgers help I choose a wonderful beater...


The sinew that holds the drum together on this one reminds me of the Tree of Life.. I thanked Badger and I gave thanks to the deer for for his gift to me..

Badger, is the sort of gentle spirited man, who even if you ever met him once, you would not forget him. He has invited me to participate in a Drum Circle with a small group of people, I am excited to be included in this..
I spent an hour chatting with Badger and while I know it is not the case, if I was never to meet with The Badger again, I know my life has been richly blessed for having spent spent an hour with him.

Quiet Minutes and Randomness

It's still early here on the West Coast of Australia, I'm sitting rather indulgently in bed with a coffee and the laptop - well I am justifying that because in a few hours I will be having a strange man poking about in my mouth with large unmentionable metal objects and I'm nurturing myself before said assault.. there is also a wonderful chill in the air ... hmmm maybe that elusive autumness I have been craving is not to so far away..
I managed to get my wee knitted dish cloth finished last night.. while it is my second one, I am classing it as my first attempt - the first is usable but the pattern all went skew whiff. So here is my first * official* eco friendly dishcloth...
Now how bizarre is that, the photo won't stay up the right way..I had another one do this sometime ago and no matter what I did - sideways it stayed.
And a moment of discovery when coming to bed last night.. had to have a wee chuckle when I seen it.

A pair of my socks that where still damp in the laundry basket last night, and I asked my DH to pop them somewhere to air.. this is where I found them, over the top of the finials on my dressing table - random . *smiles*

From this to this...

Yesterday was on of those days that left me wondering if I p****ed off the Gods, because everything I touched turned to great piles of goose poo... firstly I managed to slice the top of my finger with a tuna can lid, having trouble stemming the blood flow, my nursing back ground telling me "great I need stitch or two" and not wanting to give into sitting in a crowded waiting room for, forever, I headed to the first aid kit - all I can say is bless the person who invented steri strips.. wound closed, dressing in place and after my tuna sandwich was consumed I went to brush my teeth.. to much information? *smiles* well 3.5 seconds into my tooth brushing I felt a tough little lump, thinking to myself "great my toothbrush broke" even if it was the first toothbrush in 49 years to do so , I spat out what I was hoping to be a bristle clad little wad, but noooooooooooooo it was quarter of a tooth and chunk of filling.. running my tongue over my teeth I found sad little remnant of back molar all bent and broken... freaking joy NOT! Now this is where thoughts of "I wish I hadn't procrastinated over getting that tooth fixed" came to the fore. That's what the dentist rubbed in when I was on the phone, before I was told come on Friday morning and we will take it out. *insert sad wee face* I gave up on the rest of the day....

Today I decided to make good use of the day as I would more than likely be out of action for the weekend - so on went disposable gloves ( for the sake of hygiene) and I cut up lots of tomatoes, and made Rhondas from Down to Earth and made Tomato Relish

From this bowl of little red tomatoes toooo
( jar of sour dough on the side there)

thisssssssss bubbling pot of gooey loveliness


Six jars of wonderful relish -

Then onto some wonderful cheesy and pizzarie scrolls the recipe is courtesy of Christine at Slow Living Essentials the pizza ones where made with spicy tomatoes chutney, fine chopped onion, salami and cheese, everyone has these for lunches tomorrow and the cheesy ones are in the freezer to be had with steaming bowls of home made soup.

Yummy easy to make scrolls

these barely made it to the lunch boxes..

Will try to have a go at getting the dish cloth I have been making done, finger is holding and sticking up ok... then an early night for me..

So when is autumn?

Living here on the West Coast of Australia for the past 20 months one can get used to the hot weather and climate, I do find it difficult that there is no defined seasons though. The last month of autumn and tonight the weather lady said it was going to be 29c on Friday thats the mid 80's for those using imperial... now this is the one little thing I struggle with here in the west... celebrating Mabon and Samhain with almost summer temperatures.. Before I moved to W. A this time of year I had the fire blazing in the evening, content to nest and do all those wonderfully wintery things... Something deep inside of me stirs when the weather cools, it brings a sense of contentment and quiet.. This is my favourite time of year however I am finding myself a bit frustrated presently, with the days still warm and sunny when that little bit deep inside of me is craving the cold autumn/winter chill.