Weekend Reads and pizza pockets

I'm getting the hang of baking in the wood Aga, after a couple of spectacular failures.  I have moved back to baking an ordinary bread over sourdough for a while, I'm frustrated I can't consistently make an excellent loaf, so I have moved back to what I can do well.  

Finding our new normal

Life is getting so much easier now we are in the yurt, and as a family, we are far more settled and relaxed.  Each night as I tuck the boys in, I am so thankful they are in warm, clean, dry beds surrounded by their beloved stuffed toys.  It is such a small and ordinary thing but by golly, it makes me happy. 

A close encounter

There have been a few comings and goings in our family recently.  My beautiful Max the cat is gone without a trace.  I suspect a snake might have got him as he was such a homebody and never strayed far.  Gosh, I loved that cat, he was the friendliest most patient cat I have ever met.  The boys miss him terribly, especially Henry.   

Max, the sweetest cat I have ever known. 

Getting the Aga working

The boys caught this morning for the first time and goodness it was lovely to quickly nip down the driveway and back again.  I was home an hour and twenty minutes earlier than usual. 

I can't believe the difference having the yurt up has made.  We are no longer constantly running into each other and everyone has their own little space.  It rained all Friday night and Saturday, and I was so very thankful that we were tucked up warm and dry in the yurt, able to watch movies and play board games.  If we had of been camping, it would have been utterly miserable, cold and muddy.  This place is slowly beginning to feel like home.  Routines are becoming established and that feels really good.  

A holiday catch up!

As I sit and look around I can hear the generator humming in the background, broken up by little birds singing and the occasional, distinctive call of the whip bird.  The forest leaves are glistening as the sun rises above the hills and catches the remains of last nights dew.  Aggie is curled up on the couch, and she lets out the occasional contented grunt.  The yurt looks like a whirlwind has torn through it.  The beds are unmade, the floor needs a sweep and there are dishes stacked haphazardly on the table waiting patiently to be taken to the sink. 

The yurt just set up.  There is sorting and tidying to do, the tents to pack down but we are in and she is up!

Yurt progress and weekend reads

I’d like to be able to write and say the yurt is up and that we are in it but alas I can’t.  But we do have the frame up and the roof is on roughly which at least offers a little protection to the deck.

Yurt progress and weekend reads

The deck will be finished tonight and the yurt will go up over the weekend!  Just a couple more pieces of board to go, then the edges will be trimmed into shape.  We are all super excited, and the weather forecast is looking good.  It will be a big weekend that's for sure, but hopefully, it comes together.     

the path less travelled

We see examples of what modern success looks like everywhere.  The multi-billion dollar advertising industry drums it into us and so does social media, our jobs and the people we know.  We are expected to get a good job, marry, have kids and buy a nice house on a good street.  As the family grows and we become more successful we are expected to buy a bigger house.  This house should have all the trimmings, with enough bedrooms so that each child has their own, plus an extra bathroom or two and perhaps a games room.  Then there are the extravagant holidays, brand name clothing and new cars to prove to the world and ourselves how successful we really are.
   

The little old cottage.

meal planning and our year of less challenge update

A month or so ago I discussed that our family was going to embark on a year of less so we can experience more challenge.  Inspired partly a reduced budget, and a to-do list on the farm that really doesn't bear thinking about unless we can help it.  It was also inspired in part by the desire to explore all the free beauty that our new district has to offer and to move away from the idea that consuming equals entertainment.

Making a veggie lasagne in the little old cottage.  If in doubt add cheese.  I find adding cheese tempts kids to consume more veggies. 

Build it up, build it up, build it higher!

Apologies for my silence last week.  I was not feeling well, and my head was a cloudy jumble.  But I'm feeling much better now thankfully and back ready to keep on blogging.  

 

But whilst I might have been out of action, the boys have been in fine form and we have some serious yurt progress!  The deck is well on the way to being completed.