29.10.11

Sweet saturday

One of those lovely days.
We spent the day with our school community at the Brooklyn Book and country fair, shared out all our coins evenly, and came home with a pile of books, prizes and happy hearts.
It made my day to go and have a cuppa with Melissa whose family bought our house. Seeing the garden again was awesome, like visiting old friends (plants), some had changed, some had grown old, some were thriving and some were sulking. Melissa and her family have put the heart back into the land and it made my heart sing. The most exciting thing was to see a beautiful, huge crop of apricots for the first time ever. The garlic is also looking magnificent! Melissa loves the soil and it made my day after a really full on emotional week.

25.10.11

I'm such a lucky girl, my kids went with their Granny for the long weekend and I got away to the beautiful South Island West Coast with friends. We briefly visited the Punakaiki tavern where all the motorbikes were stopping on their way to the Greymouth street races but the majority of our weekend was spent on the Pororari river trying to catch tasty west coast whitebait.



I enjoyed some beach walks and bush walks and two nights in a batch where I could hear the sea roaring and night. We lit a fire to heat the water for showers and used solar power for music and lights. It was beautiful and I wish I could have stayed all week or forever.

14.10.11

Potters Patch


I thought you might like to check out our craft co-op. We have 11 members as well as numerous other crafters who sell on commission. We each work half a day in the shop which was established in 1982 by a group of potters. It's the best place in Motueka to purchase local craft , of course I am biased. We also stock a small portion of imported product including some Traide aide. Come inside and have a look, or even better call in when you are in town, we've always got something new.

13.10.11

finally wiping the slate clean

I had a go at rewriting my "about me" but I don't want it on my side bar. So I'll post it here and then start fresh, as a woman age 38 on her own with three children at home, having just sold our family home and all our old dreams along with it:
"I'm a keen gardener and creator, motivated mainly by the need to provide my large family with fresh healthy food. I created the garden and life of my dreams as my relationship destroyed me and my family with dis - ease.
My life has been tarnished by domestic abuse. I allowed it to happen.
Now I find myself at 38 starting over, having been displaced from the family home by New Zealand law which provides for a man to be entitled to the equity in his home no matter what the circumstances are.
My children have had the support of wonderful family and community as well as skilled Councillors and youth workers.
My older blog posts paint a picture of contentment, and for the most part I fooled myself that I was content, I avoided others in an effort to hide what was going on, I pretended things were all "hunky dory", but they weren't and the physical and emotional pain manifested itself with physical symptoms all too often.
So read my archives bearing in mind that they helped me escape and build strength and confidence, I discovered myself as I wrote and got feedback from my contacts all over the world.
I am still me, I share less but grow happier with every day.