Halloween

Pics Courtesy of www.becauseimaddicted.net

Halloween is my one of my favourite celebrations, next to Thanksgiving. It was one part of living in the USA that rubbed off on me. In the States they live it large at Halloween. I love the costumes, the 'hallowedness', the bonfires and the ghouls. Not to mention the sweets. It is my Son's first Halloween and I am going to carve pumpkins. I bought him a vampire mask to put on for a photo opportunity. Not sure if a 1 year old will be into that, I guess I will find out. 

Here are some inspirations for home style Halloween decoration from Martha Stewart.

Another Time Another Place

All those years I was travelling to Paris and Milan to buy for my stores arida and attic, I didn't think it was going to end. It was such a busy and stressful time, despite being rewarding and inspiring in many ways. The fashion industry felt like a wonderful, fabulous and scary merry go round that you couldn't get off. It was a fun ride.

Recently I sold both stores. It feels like the end of an era. It has been bittersweet making such a big change but I am crazy about things to come - launching an e-tail business, being a mother and Domestic Executive and living on our farm. I now can look back at the last two decades of experience through the romance of rose coloured glasses. Here are some of my personal photographic mementos.

PARIS.

MILAN.

Berry Beats 'N Bowls

If you think lawn bowls was just for old folks think again. Berry has the bowling green spinning with DJ Nana Blade and Guests. If you are day tripping or living local check out the barefoot beats on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month from 2pm. 
Berry Bowling Club, 140 Princes Highway, Berry NSW. Visit Berry Beats 'n Bowls for more details and links to old school Hip Hop masters such as De La Soul and Grandmaster Flash. Launches Sunday 21 October 2012.

Farm Hands

pic courtesy of Aaron Joel Santos

Obsessed with how dry and aged my hands have become lately, in my despair I took to an online search for miracle creams to buy. On my travels I came across this site The Hands of a Farmer: The Story of American Agriculture Through the Hands of Farmers. 

Nobody Told Me There Would Be Days Like These

Today I........

• Woke at 6am to feed our son scrambled eggs. He played with them and fed them to the dogs.
• Cleaned the house for the cleaner.
• Caught our horse to assist the vet mend her hoof abscess.
• Climbed the electric fence to feed the chickens and collect eggs whilst on lookout for Diamond Python in coop.
• Drove an hour with son to pick up chainsaw attachment for wipper snipper.
• Helped cleaner/maintenance man work out how to attach chainsaw to wipper snipper to cut brush around house so snakes could not hide and kill baby and/or dogs.
• Took son and dogs for walk only to accidentally let cows through gate to house paddock when they thought son in pram was wheelbarrow of hay.
• Helped cleaner/maintenance man chase cows back into main paddock with lure of food.
• Pushed son in Mountain Buggy through paddocks for afternoon walk with stick to fight off sunning snakes.
• Put on 1,000,000th load of washing for the day.
• Met with local fire volunteer at home to discuss bush fire plan in case of emergency.
• Called farrier.
• Organised water cartage to fill our tanks so I could do 1,000,001th load of washing for the day.
• Fed chicken and leek pasta dinner to our son. He played with it and fed it to the dogs.
• Waited desperately until 6pm for glass of wine.
• Went to bed at 9.30pm with dog while partner watched sport on tv.

R U OK?

Suicide and mental health are issues close to my heart. My father took his life after suffering depression. I have suffered bouts of depression through my teenage and adult years and experienced mild Post Natal Depression soon after my son was born. I have friends who have suffered depression. I follow the work of Black Dog Institute and beyondblue and have always thought that there needed to be a foundation that was current, relevant and dedicated specifically to educating and campaigning against the prevention of suicide, as well as supporting positive mental health. It turns out there is.

R U OK? is an independent, non-profit organisation committed to providing national focus and leadership on suicide prevention. It encourages people to have open and honest conversations to build a more connected community who support each other through life's ups and downs. 

R U OK?Day was launched in Parliament in 2009 and only an estimated 58% of the population know about the national day. I am part of that statistic as I have only just stumbled across the organisation recently, despite doing my research (I know I live on a farm, but that is no excuse...) R U OK?Day is a national day of action to empower people from all walks of life to ask each other R U OK? Despite being a prevalent issue the subject of mental health is still quite taboo and needs more open discussion and exposure. So reach out. Thursday 13 September 2012 is R U OK?Day. 

It Used To Be So Simple

It was my partner's birthday recently and as I drove down to Sydney to meet him to see a movie together, I considered this fact. You see, in the car I had my son, one dog in the back seat with him, the other dog (who vomits) in the boot area (so she would vomit only on the plastic flooring and I could hose it down), the pram, my bags, my son's bags, my son's food and the dog beds. It had taken me the better part of the day getting everyone organized and the car packed. We were staying at my partner's parents place and they were babysitting the dogs and baby. It had been planned a week before. It had become a military operation. No longer can I leave home with just my cell phone and wallet. It used to be so simple.  

It's The Little Things

That I miss about living in the city. I wouldn' t change my life on the farm for anything, and I get all claustrophobic after too much time in town. However, when I stay in Sydney I am reminded of the small things I forget about, being on a property. The sound of a car late into the night, a siren waking you up as it screams by. Signs of human life. Stepping out for a coffee. People. Seeing friends without having to arrange it weeks in advance. People. Cafes. Restaurants. Stores. The energy of the city. The hum. The grit. The smells. The angst. The rattle of a train in the distance. Just knowing that there are people around. Culture. The ease and convenience. Did I mention people? 

Weekend Chores

We spent the best part of Saturday vacuuming the paddock. That's right. A paddock vacuum. Think your Miele on steroids. Greystone MaxiVac. Electric Blue. It sits attached to the back of the ATV and sucks up horse and cow manure. Someone must have thought it a good alternative to shoveling. Never thought I would find it so satisfying. Fun for the whole family.

Mittagong Preschool Kindergarten 2012 Family Fair Bush Fun Run

A girlfriend of mine Sky Hunt, moved from Sydney to the Southern Highlands NSW a couple of years ago with her partner and two kids. She is an amazing Personal Trainer and this is what she has been organising in her spare time. If you are in the area and feel like running for fun sign up. Visit the Mittagong Preschool Kindergarten website for details.