TarraGONE

I was so glad to see our Jenni again after a weekend away from her...
We were adventuring about, "just looking" at farms for a possible weekend getaway and lifestyle investment... but that's a whole different story all together.

It was a very inspiring breakaway and to me one of our more romantic weekends away together, but I am always glad to come back "home" and even more so since spending 2 days without our "baby" (Jenni). She is so cute and friendly and such a truly happy little pup, but Oh so demanding!! When I peeked around the garden to see what's still growing and where new holes to china have appeared I discovered my little tarragon (now tarra-gone!) plant ripped out and wilted under the bushwillow. :( ahhh, oh well, I expected far worse. There's no use crying over spilled milk and I suppose my beautiful garden WILL suffer at the red paws of the demanding miss Cutie-pie until she's a little older. I made my beds and now she will sleep in them (and pull out a few plants while she's at it ;)

In the above pondering resides a bunch of very important philosophical decisions and real life facets tied up together...

First in my mind is the philosophy that I have always had: You will never know until you try... Indeed, and actually I'm still not even certain whether having a dog is working for us or not... I know that it still CAN work out, if things improve a little on the side of her demands... but I also know that if our priorities/needs changed (eg. if we had to travel abroad while she's still so young and time-consuming/ if we have a baby and our time is even more restricted, etc.) things could go horribly wrong and we could end up with an undisciplined, even more demanding burden on our time.

The same with the farm. Well, actually even worse, because a dog is a couple of thousand rands worth of hassle, where a farm could be a couple of Million rands' chronic pain. Although I know that I would REALLY like to try it, there are all sorts of factors counting against this decision. But if we just forgot about all the issues and difficulties of farming in the first place, what worries me most is the realisation that there is an obvious difference between the dream and the reality. Knowing my own personal flaws I have experienced the enormous difference between what I always imagined something would be and what it truly is! What I imagined I'd have time for and what I become to lazy to do or just too obsessed with some new thing... etc. To be VERY honest I don't think I have what it takes to make this dream a reality on the steam of my own desires and wishes, I will have to go into it only if I have a partner equally enthusiastic, equally committed and equally crazy to plunge in and make it work out. Hmmm...? A VERY hard decision indeed!

But just look how awesome the natural setting is: I can just see the horses, cattle and alpacas grazing in these "paddocks" :)

It is such a dreamy place and a true inspiration from nature!!

Delicious!

So, yesterday was the 3rd day of the 2nd stretch of my holiday (confused...? so am I ;)

 

I decided that I would make us a Moroccan chicken and chickpea soup and so I Googled 3 recipes that I combined to make an awesome flavour-filled pot of steaming soup. After I bought 2 whole chickens and a few minor ingredients from the supermarket, Jenni and I ventured into our garden to harvest a few sprigs of this and that and gather an entire basket of veg fresh for the pot. Taking Jenn along of coarse makes the job take twice as long, since I have to keep rescuing my celery stalks and spinach leaves from my little helper... before all our ingredients end up with baby-dog teeth marks in them. I ended up giving her the first piece of whatever I was picking and then she would run off with the piece of bean or whatever - rather cute.

 

Mmmm mmmm, Delicious, Frikkie's favourite !

 

Back in the kitchen we had an entire basket full of spinach, parsley, celery, tarragon, marjoram, thyme and 2 chillies fresh from our own organic garden. In the photo is also a bunch of cilantro (young coriander leaves) that I'd thinned out the previous day. I was looking desperately for a few islands of salad burnet and found 3 babies from the seeds I'd sown along with the coriander, so I made some space for them to grow. I just love both the salad burnet and coriander because they will always reseed them self and you'll have some for ever if you don't pull them out (which = easy enough).

 

The Organic Nut house

It took me 5 times longer than usual to get ready for work this morning! First of all I had to take the puppy outside, then I gave her breakfast. Good news - she now eats it all within 20 min. :) Next I had to find Sashi (the cat) and give him antibiotics (he's been sick, but the vet doesn't really know what's wrong?). He spat the pill out on the floor, so I had to repeat the procedure. Then I had to watch the cats eat for 10 min to make sure Sash is eating his food and not getting sick... Last but not least I fed the poor fish, Lang, who is still living in a bucket!! :( And yes, the pond is still not completely fixed up! It has water in now, but the one spout is leaking and I can already see how they're going to mess everything up again and then we have to catch Lang AGAIN! :P So I rather just keep him out of harms way.


I have surrendered to the Suchness of all these people messing around our house and not ever getting it done... however all Suchness is subject to the inevitability of the only true constant (change)... and I blow my top every now and then at the pure uselessness of certain people (eg. the carpenter who arranged for us to open the house so he can install a door to our bathroom, then he arrives without the hinges to actually attach the door to the wall and so he reschedules... this happened 2 weeks ago as u might have guessed he hasn't been back yet to put the door up).  ??? I guess I will also have to accept the fact that not even the new house will ever be flawless. Like everything else in life there will always be a balance between flaws and perfection and without at least one flaw nothing is normal or complete!? Or at least that is what we tell ourselves in order to remain semi-sane and to find enough hope to carry on with life, love, paying tax etc.


At least the cats have started settling a little and are keeping their distance from Jenni, which I truly appreciate! I also have some photos to brag with the super-Fresh produce from our very own organic garden! :) It has been merely 2 months since we started the garden (there was literally NOTHING but weeds and clay before) and she (Mother nature) is already providing wholesome organic produce for the house!! 

 Home-grown organic lettuce from the garden

 Super-easy organic herbs and veggies