As I write this morning, I have two dogs under my desk. If I stand up to go somewhere, they get up and follow. It is equal parts sweet and annoying as I have to watch that I do not trip over them then I tell them every single time to go ahead of me down the stairs so they do not send me flying in their exuberance. I think they both know my secret. I love cats more than dogs. There, I said it. Not out loud though, as I am not that cruel, and I am sure they sense it anyway. They are both what I...
6 days ago • 6 min read
My biggest learning method appears to be experimentation. I remember last summer when I found myself making cheese; I became obsessed with making cultured cream cheese. I have quite a few cheesemaking books and watched hours of videos making various cream cheeses, from Fromage Blanc to Boursin. I settled on making Fromage Blanc. The Summer Cheese Experiment Picture the middle of summer, Christmas is fast approaching, and I’ve decided to make Fromage Blanc so I can make a cheesecake for...
13 days ago • 6 min read
There are times when I wish I had a crystal ball that told me, day-to-day, exactly what is coming. You know, a little bit of notice. Not a five-year plan or even all the details. Just something like: Don’t bother transferring water all evening, it’s going to rain tonight. We ran out of water yesterday. We knew it was coming. The first sign that the water is getting low is that it starts getting bubbly, almost effervescent; it is something to do with water being sucked out of the tank rather...
20 days ago • 5 min read
Have you ever noticed how completely consumed you can become by one thing? A concern, something someone said, or an idea you just can't let go of. Every time your mind returns to it, you follow the same familiar train of thought, arriving at much the same conclusion. You might not think about it all day, but whenever you do, you seem to see it in exactly the same way. I've been wondering whether, when this happens, we're actually seeing the whole picture. Or whether we've become so focused on...
27 days ago • 5 min read
We are all makers at heart, but sometimes we go through a maker’s drought. There is a maker, a creative, in every single one of us. Before you say, "No, not me, I’m not very creative," hear me out. I don’t just believe that everyone is innately creative, I know it. Strong statement, I realise, but it’s a hill I am willing to die on. The number of people I’ve spoken to who think they aren't creative boggles my mind, because I simply don't believe that's true. I get where they’re coming from....
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
I’ve been wrestling with the "good girl" archetype this week. You know the one, always doing the right thing, always saying the polite, politically correct thing, and holding her tongue rather than saying what she’s really thinking. But that’s not who I really am. It’s a construct, a persona, a mask that I learned to put on as a child to get through life. Deep down, I’m really a swearing, obstinate, objectionist (yes, I just made that up), and I am just as likely to disagree with you as agree...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
We attach meaning to everything. Our favourite song comes on the radio, a good omen for the day. A perfect gap appears in the traffic when we reach a junction, the traffic gods are looking after us. We catch 11:11 or 22:22 on the clock and instantly become hypervigilant: this is definitely a sign. Or is it? My current answer: yes, no, and maybe. Humans have been making meaning from signs in the world around them for millennia, tracking the stars, watching animal movements across the...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The Way of the Sage I love driving home in the dark. Where I live, there are no streetlights and, more often than not, I am the only car on the road. The road twists and turns through glorious avenues of trees that stretch up on both sides and meet high above. It is like driving through a living tunnel, breathing as the leaves rustle in the breeze, leaving me feeling covered, protected, and in awe. For me, the drive is often on autopilot, unless I am very careful to remain present. I know...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The Way of the Sage I watched a massive full moon rise over the horizon. It was halfway up when I first noticed it, and I stopped what I was doing to stare in awe. I was out with the cows, moving them from one paddock to the next. The air was cool but not freezing, and the fog was thick, slowly dampening my shirt. The dogs weren’t even brave enough to join me in that much fog, preferring their warm beds to keep their paws dry. I was transfixed, a giant, glowing ball of light piercing the fog...
2 months ago • 4 min read
The Way of the Sage I got up early this morning to see a "large" procession of planets. I was so excited. I mean, six planets, all in a row. I definitely wanted to see that. I remember being dragged outside in the pre-dawn darkness a few years ago. We were up early in the cattle yards helping a newborn calf feed when someone told me to look up. Across the clear sky stretched 30 to 40 satellites all in a long line, looking like a string of diamonds twinkling in the night sky. I must admit it...
3 months ago • 3 min read