Busyness

I've already spoken of switched on living and reflective practices that, I believe, are fundamental to living a full life.  I've touched on authenticity and living organically; true to yourself and your ideals.  An overlay on all of this is the pressure to be busy.  I see so many people that have back-to-back activites - Monday is netball, on Tuesday there's gym, Wednesday is social night, Thursday partner night and Friday the kids get taken to McDonalds and the weekend in punctuated with appointments and gatherings.  I see people rushing through life - doing what I can only describe as "stuff".  The time they spend bustling around in the morning and evening after work does not seem to generate anything.  It's just activity (see the eloquent writing of Tim Kreider). 

There are so many people rushing around all the time .  And, most of the time, I am one of them.  My days in Melbourne are punctuated with long hours in the office, catch ups with much-neglected friends and desperate attempts to squeeze in some form of physical activity.  In amongst all that I try to make meals for the family for the following week, plan further education for myself and the kids and collect supplies for the build.  Weekends are spent building the house, catching up on washing and cleaning at home, paying bills and caring for children. 

I can cope with this current level of busyness as, I hope, it's a short-term gig for us.  I took a job in Melbourne to pay for the build; so I can see The Gentleman Builder's childhood dream come true; so I can provide a better life for my gorgeous children and so I can spend some time with my terminally ill father, my family and my friends that I haven't spent much time with since moving to Gippsland 5 years ago.  I have a brilliant job that I really love and get to work with some exceptionally talented, interesting and stimulating people.

But I freely admit this is not the end for me.  My plans do not live a life where I am away from my family.  My goal is to settle into country living.  Not the idealised country life where everything is scones and leisurely walks (though I do plan to include those things in abundance) but the reality of country life; where I will get stuck into the seasonality of life.  A life where we will fertilise and plant furiously in the spring to be able to harvest in the autumn.  Where activity comes in bursts interspersed with moments, days I hope, of nothingness.  Where, should the weather be fine and the wind be weak, I could choose a good book from the shelf and settle into the hammock to soak up some vitamin D and get lost in another world.  I dream of a life where I could decide to pick up the camera and take photos all day.  I envisage our block set up with sheep, goats, pigs, chooks, geese and ducks; where the flowers grow in abundace and I spend many long hours enjoying the view.  I hope for a life that is reflective, honest and peaceful.  A life that is overflowing with fresh organic produce for long lunches and dinners with friends that feed both the stomach and the soul. 

I dream of, even crave, times of hard work - I am not averse to work; even in abundance.  But I believe work should be followed by rest.  Time to relect on life.  Time to share thoughts and ideas with others; time to soak up sunshine; time to let the wind blow through your hair and take your troubles away; time to just be.

Blooming beautiful

It's my aim at some point to have an abundance of flowers so I can have bunches in the house and plenty to give away when people visit; perhaps even some left over to sell at the Foster farmers market.

In winter 2010, I had one of my most successful flower crops.  Mum had given me some gorgeous proteas which we planted near the orchard and I have bought some of my favourite bulbs. 

Shady lady

Peonies

Blushing bride

Fringed tulip

Lily of the valley

The plan is to continue to plant more bulbs each year and gradually grow the flower farm.  I love flowers and the effect they have on my mood.  I think the combination of colour and form and the fact that you get to bring a little bit of the outdoors in is why flowers have such appeal for me.  As a child I always dreamed of vases overflowing with seasonal blooms.  I have a collection of vases and the children will frequently pick flowers from the garden for me to have in the house as they know how happy they make me. 

 Mum and my mother-in-law have kindly donated various bulbs to my collection over the years.  Mum is the best green thumb I know and has been growing freesias, one of my favourite flowers due to their gorgeous fragrance since I was a kid.  The freesias have naturalised in her garden and in 2008 they had their driveway reshaped and as a result she kindly gave me two boxes full of freesias.  Many hours later the kids and I had planted the freesias at the block and they come up amongst the grass around my birthday each year and will always remind me of my Mum.  I smile every time I see them budding, knowing that when I walk past them their fragrance will fill the air and bring back memories of the excitement I felt in the build up to my birthday each year.   Mum would pick me a huge bunch every year for my birthday and have them in a vase on the kitchen bench for me when I woke up.  Even now that I live three hours away, Mum will still pick me a large bunch of freesias and bring them up when she visits for my birthday!

Mum also has a knack for growing beautiful gladioli.  I bought a number in 2008 and have them planted up the drive and they continue to grace us in summer.