09 October 2017

Its been a While.

My Goodness, what can I say besides: its been a While. 



3 ... No 4 Years since I've had the time and energy to write anything again that does not concern immediate family, medical admin or property maintenance.

So: what has been happening in the meantime? Well for one we eventually bought a smallholding (more a small farm without water..) and then started planting some trees and a few months later we found out that I was pregnant. Much of the rest was is little bit of a blurr, since raising newborn babies and sleep deprivation is certainly harder for some to cope with and I was not that lucky in that regard. I think it took me at least a year and 8 months before I felt human again.

So, fast forward two or 3 years since we purchased our little agricultural property and we now finally have 3 horses staying there plus some stray cats and a rainshelter/ feed room shed with enough hay to last about 5 months. Pretty special :) The last time I blogged I was still working I think... and then I stopped work so that I could pursue a career in art (haaa haaaa. hmmm), writing a novel and to have more time to do things like Blog (hmmmm.. *snort* ) so yes, neither of those two have been happening. BUT we did get married, went on honeymoon, found out we were pregnant, quick baby-moon to France and now here I am. A mommy. wow!

Mommy stories will follow much later, for the moment I wish to talk more about the other non-mommy things that make me ME and at the moment my gardening and horses are what makes me feel alive.

I have spent countless hours doing research into what types of trees/shrubs/groundcovers to plant and how to space and stack them all together with water-collecting ditches (or swales) to make a super-sufficient and sustainable permaculture-like system for ourselves and our animals. One thing I did NOT anticipate was the amount of manure that 4 or 5 horses can produce in the space of 2 months! :o wow!! Glorious. No, really, they produce the most fantastic growing medium for any sort of plant under the sun... ok, except for fynbos species that prefer poor, acidic soil... but anything that is edible will grow in cured horse manure like weeds. In fact: the horse manure piles have started sprouting their own mushrooms already! :D even when standing in full sun, which is bizarre, I always thought that Mushrooms must have dark or shady conditions. Apparently not. 

We also have a few volunteer sunflowers coming up, which is from the few sunflower seeds the horses don't manage to chew that well and swallow whole in stead :) It all makes me VERY excited!! :) I'm much impressed by what has been happening at our place thus far. Even though things are moving V.E.R.Y slowly there is progress and it is amazing to be out in the FRESH air, to hear Fisheagles calling and birds, horses snorting and horsing around. They LOVE to play and run at full speed only to stop and then graze a little more before taking a lie down snooze in the sun. Our only hassle so far really has been the ticks (SHeeesh! there are SOOOO many ticks this year!!) and the occasional issues with the water systems (which seems to be solved at last). Our part of the country has been extremely dry the past two years and the lack of planning on government's side is creating a very tense water-crisis situation. At least for the moment our mini-farm has enough water for us and the animals to drink and possibly have a quick bath in, so I guess that if our water in the city dries up completely we will have to go collect supplies at the farm? :/ far drive, although I go there almost every day now anyway, so it is an option.

So, now I've been spending a bit of time thinking about what exactly I would like to write about on my blog... since life has changed a great deal for our family and I've shifted my focus and desires from complaining about the things that are not as I want them to be and in stead to celebrate the possibilities of today and of the future. There hasn't been that much change in the world (everybody is still fighting, as they always have, my husband is still looking at options of working in another country > he will travel to America this coming week), politics, weather, economic recession, corruption etc etc are still going strong. As they always have. But I have decided to shift my focus from all of the negative things (and things I have no control over) to the possibilities and the lovely tIhings we have right in front of us here and now! It seems like a pretty simple task, but it definitely isn't. If I had to try and explain how I got to this stage I wouldn't understand my own writing... so I will not attempt. I  have just decided though that life is short, celebrate what you have around you already, grow where you are planted and that you cannot EAT money >> savings are not as essential as making the most of the beautiful things that are in front of you. There are no guarantees in life, so give it a good shot so you will enjoy your time as much as you can. Within reason of course. You need to save up for emergencies, pay your insurance, medical aid , prepare for retirement etc, but don't hold yourself back all the time >> the horse needs to go for a full gallop every now and again! And so do YOU.

 : D

So is stead of moaning and complaining some more about all the maintenance issues around our house that are STILL not resolved... I have decided that I would like. to share with the public a few special stories that I have come across per occasion. I've found allsorts of very very interesting people along the way and the more positivity I focus into my days the more fantastic, exciting people I seem to find as well. It sounds too cliche, but it is try=uly so! I've discovered amaaaazing people just around the corner and right next door to me! I am VERY excited about the wonderful experiences we are sharing and some of those people either have a great way of telling their snippits of entertaining everyday life or they have very REAL, intense experience in the world that makes you look at life at a slightly less whimsical angle. They can make you realise that what we are on this planet is a very tiny grain of sand in the desert of eternal time. They also make you realise that we are actually VERY fortunate in the services, technology, education that we have. Some stories will make you shiver, wonder, contemplate what it really is that you are trying to achieve with your life. Those are my favourite type of stories. SO I'm hoping to get permission from a few of my newfound "friends" to post their stories about THEIR piece of LIFE on this planet.


Speak soon :)


PS: no time to Edit the life out of my posts anymore >> please take them as they come.

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