Creating a Life With Soul

Creating a life with soul...
Creating a home with soul...
I feel fairly certain that most of us, most of all, just really want somewhere to belong...a place to call home.
A place that has warmth & love & soul.
If we carried this thought a little closer to our hearts sometimes I think we might discover that our lives were richer & more wonderful than we had realized.
The choices..to live a richer, better life are often so very simple..

and usually they are the things & habits that are done daily.

The heart-warming, body-nourishing, soul-engaging simple things.

Often they are the creative ways. The ways of the past but instead of having to make do & mend as many of our grandmothers did, we can make do & mend & create to make a home with soul.

Creativity & vitality can even extend to every day meals.
I am learning to love breakfast for the first time in my life. In fact I am learning so much about nourishing traditions & nurturing ways this year that my life will not ever be the same again.

I love Good magazine, as you can tell. I love the nostalgic touches & the good old fashioned, down to earth ...let's inspire & pass on knowledge, choices & information.

Foraging is such a richly rewarding past-time. It can be so easily incorporated into everyday kind of exercise, like walking & helps you connect to the place you live, your own neighbourhood & the people who live in it. Just 5 minutes down the road from our place is Pakowhai Country Park. At this time of the year it is so beautiful & such a lovely place to explore.

The Raupare stream runs through the middle of the park & there are lots of open meadow-ish spaces.

Even in a country park people can be loud & vigorous, much like the exuberant dog friends they bring with them, but if you slow down & begin to look around you can find nourishing herbs

and dear little friends.

No-one seemed to notice the enormous old fig tree..

well no-one but the birds who were wildly feasting when we arrived. We collected a huge bag of luscious figs. I'll show you what I did with them next time.

A few days later we took our Kaitiaki (grandson 2) through the "secret way" to the Farmer's Market.

It was left to Pop to carry the heavy things...like this gorgeous Muscque de Provence pumpkin & 4 litres of Village Press olive oil.

These pumpkins are so delicious. Weighing in at 10 kgs I think we might have to share it with the neighbours when we eventually cut it.

Kaitiaki had lunch with us & played at our house for a while. He really liked the little laundry things that I had found for the doll's house.

I was needing a bit of a hand on the walnut front. Thanks to my friend Gaye's suggestion, we now put the shells into paper bags & use them as firestarters.

I am very thankful for my friend Ruth who is also a constant gatherer.

A few weeks ago we went gathering walnuts at the back of her orchard...

 & across the creek & over here..

Lovely big walnuts are now drying in my washing baskets & a few hazelnuts too.

Ruth has three daughters & they have just set off on the most remarkable journey. They are walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, some 800 miles from The Pyrenees mountains to near the coast of Spain. A pilgrimage taken by many through the ages for as many reasons as there are people, but it is said that James (the brother) of John was buried at Camino de Santiago de Compostela & that the Camino trail is the path that his followers took on the way to find his resting place.

I was so glad that I was able to join some friends & see this wonderful movie "The Way" on Wednesday night & even more delighted to find myself sitting beside a veteran pilgrim Barry who had walked the Camino Way some 10 years ago..what an interesting man. I feel very blessed by the encounter and mention the movie because it really is a just wonderful & you just might like it too.  

I am so glad that you came to visit...thank you for being here!! And for your lovely comments & conversations. I so appreciate you all!

Wishing you sunshine & roses in this coming week.

MUCH

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