There is nothing new on this good earth.
What we do know for sure is that we can change and change is good. But to change you have to lift your head up and speak (or write).
My mother used to say ‘A change is as Good as a Holiday’.
But let’s keep our hearts and minds open, sharp and agile. Though globally we have been here before but with different players (kind of) there was never a time that we had so much skewed data and so much dubious information at (literally) our finger tips and instantly. Look at your news cycle with narrowed eyes. Much of the news is actually opinion. Then that opinion (or guess) is changed 5 minutes later. Or picked up and repeated until it feels real.
Even images can be manipulated now.
Real impartial journalism and reporting is actually hard to find.
We are being herded.
News has become a dangerous kind of entertainment.
I don’t usually comment on politics or the non-news but I am seriously considering turning both off and going back to doing the best I can with what I have and where I am. Or is that irresponsible- I am not sure.
Here is a lovely Instagram reel I shot and published yesterday! Join me over there while you are at it. If you are an insta person that is. We are on FB too!
But I like Instagram – it is quieter.
Quieter is also why I like the 10 minute Farmy SoundScape. It fills a longing I have for a little peace on my screen.
Isn’t it funny how CHANGE is an indication of a full and lived life – yet we cling to social media accounts and news cycles that give us the same shit over and over again. Marketing and news campaigns are designed like this. ALGORITHMS and AI work together to keep us in our place. To lull us into a false sense of security by using the same colours and the same fonts and the same brand voice over and over again.
Oops – there I go again.
I am writing this weekends podcast and a lot of words are running through my head.
We love this blog and we are here to see our animals. Our colours follow the seasons. There is change coming as I branch out into other content avenues but even though we embrace new stuff, and I know you know why I have to make certain changes, we can all relax in the knowledge that the first thing I do every morning is write to you. Using my voice. From my wee farm. On the kitchens garden.
Simple really. Simple life. Simple words.
I am going to sow more greens seeds today into the glasshouse so I don’t get scurvy in the winter. What about you? What will you do for your food security this winter.
Have a lovely day!
Celi
Substack
All next week I am going to publish the 10 minute Farmy SoundScape for free. So sign up here so you don’t miss out. It will arrive in your inbox at 5 pm each evening.
The Kitchen's Garden 
35 responses to “Is Change Too Scary?”
Change is not bad at all, it is the going toward it and into it blindly and without using common sense that upsets the pot and makes us feel taken advantage of. Accept change, but also accept that you need to stay present and aware and informed before fully embracing the new.
I have a question, one I have never thought to ask before but feel is important- when a reader subscribes to Substack, does the entire subscription fee come to you directly or is there some that goes to Substack itself?
Good question – out of your 5 dollars I get $4.75. SubStack is a business after all. I have kept it to $5 though so as many people as possible can join us over there.
Present and aware and informed. Perfect!
Thank you!
Some change is good, but there’s a lot of change for the sake of it, which I find quite tedious.
The news has all descended to the level of salacious gossip and sadly, that includes the BBC and broadsheet newspapers.
Often a product is changed up to drive sales. We are Herded.
Sad about the BBC – that has been one of my go to news outlets.
We definitely are herded.
Tha BBC has decended to the level of the Sun newspaper (or worse) and has a very woke/PC agenda. IMHO it’s bordering being a political party or cult.
Oh my! Miserable.
…and no new decent programmes – just 40 year old reruns.
Have you ever watched ‘Annika’ Mad Dog? Runs over here on PBS (the American Public Broadcast System) along with other BBC programming, and we Canadians have access to on satellite TV…
These mixed up media only add to confusion. I’m sitting now in a restaurant, where it is inconvenient to have sounds turned on, so I prefer reading. It is good to see Mr. Flowers limping along on his sort-of healed foot. And to see how strong the wind is.
Agree with you about outside “news” which is mostly opinion. Animals have refreshingly “pure” emotions. That’s why I depend on them to help set my priorities.
The truest words spoken ‘We are being herded.’ I have seen it for a long time.
Just walking around the farm doing bits of this and that is a wonderful reset in a bloody world. Which is why I want to be able to offer this country reset to as many as possible. It helps us all stay grounded, I hope.
What a wonderful video, I felt my heartbeat slowing while watching. Our animals have the truest hearts. Unfortunately the news outlets make their money by us being addicted to the chaos of the world. The winds blow and the news changes. Most of the time there is really nothing we can do except be the kindest human we can be to those around us. I have had to take breaks and turn it off, concentrating on my dogs, the garden, close friends and family. The cycles of the seasons and weather calm me. I don’t think you are irresponsible. You are saving yourself.
I am off to take our youngest dog for a long walk by the ocean…the best place for meditation.
These are the best words : Most of the time there is really nothing we can do except be the kindest human we can be to those around us. Wonderful Liz. I hope you had a great walk!
Watching the farmy video made me feel warm all over. I have fallen in love with all of your animals. Thanks.
You are so welcome and I am so grateful for the comment because this makes it all worth while!
😊❤️
Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers, or that’s on television or on the internet. There is no balance, few facts and heavily biased coverage of just about everything. I’ve given up on the political insanity, all of them are bought and paid for by some sort of mega interest. It’s disgusting how the really important things our news media and elected officials dismiss the needs the people of their countries and waste the taxes of their populations. I decided quite awhile ago that I wasn’t going to waste my time listening or watching the inmates of the asylum trying to run it.
Absolutely agreed. If we were to believe everything that we read our heads would explode with horror.
I have divorced myself from The News, as opposed to news. I do not watch TV, listen to the radio, read a newspaper or subscribe to any kind of news feed. I discover world events by accident. It has been like this for nearly a year. I don’t feel any kind of lack. I live like someone from another century; things filter through slowly, and in digest form rather than blaring loudly with rapidly changing points of view. Yes, it’s a rather insular view, but I think I’m actually far more in touch with my surroundings and my community. I keep an eye on local issues, on the weather, on the opinions of those whose commonsense and moderation I trust.
A year without news sounds so healthy. I agree that looking after the locals and our families and our people is more important than knowing about the last bomb and missile – I do have empathy and I do care and we are blessed that we are not in a war zone – I just cannot work out what to do, so I get busy doing what i do best – farming.
Very scary and overpowering. Why I love your site and the soundscapes
Thank you so much for being there Beth!
your site and all that goes with it, photos, video, words, are so calming and lovely
Inevitably we are all different both by nature and circumstances. I would not feel part of this constantly evolving world of ours unless there was a continuos ‘newsfeed’ at the ‘back’ of my life. I want to and need to know so I feel part of the bigger picture. The art is to know what the chaff, the rubbish is and simply leave that aside! And the maligned TV after all brings us so many cultural aspects, good plays, concerts, opera, discussion panels, cookery et al lessons . . . how do you find all in the world who share your thoughts and enriches you otherwise? Oh, and Instagram is the biggest fun in the world – from here in Australia I talk to dozens of friends in the States ere I begin work – so, so fun having a laugh at the vagaries of the world , exchange the latest recipe or one’s pup’s misbehaviour on photo . . . late in the afternoon friends in Europe wake and I have my afternoon glass of wine with their first mug of coffee . . . politics – first you swear, then you laugh, then you discard it but know what others are thinking . . . and, often, how you can be a part and help . . .
You have a great community!
*smile* Actually in four languages . . . . lucky to have been born in a small country where one spoke at least three different ones by about age four . . . nope, kids do not get them ‘mixed up’ . . . . big hugs be well and try find time to read my next send when it finally gets written . . .
Back for another minute . . . just thought I would ‘shock’ a few with my differing ideas 🙂 !. If I was younger and in better health I would enter politics now . . . in Australia there are so many absolutely fabulous sincere, hugely hard-working women giving their absolute lives to make the world a better place – and tho’ mostly ‘Labor’ (Democrat) the ‘other side has an increasing number fighting as Independents on the cross-benches. Oh, I managed to get quite ‘high’ in the ‘commentary’ team by beginning to change ‘ideas’ with the PM’s opinionated white pup called Toto on IG. We’d sit on the sidelines and comment on the rest. Well, whoever ‘is’ Toto in the PM’s press office thought this hilarious so the Toto/Eha talks sometimes get to be rather (serious) good fun! Folks . . . I do not know about the States but here most politicians do really try . . .
Been meaning to ask (forever) about your ‘Glasshouse’ Celi… Is it a Greenhouse (with glass all round) or a Sunroom (has an actual roof)?
As to keeping up with the world, having dependable sources of information is critical (and I have neither the time, nor patience for bullshite… :/) so right there with you!
Good morning!
It is a room made entirely of recycled windows and is attached to the south side of the house. The roof is three sliding doors. (Attached) Entirely glass. The door opens into the laundry and warms that side of the house in the winter. If the sun is out! It is small but packed with plants.
Lovely C! Nothing like ‘passive solar’ to liven things up, hey? Do you have some sort of shades to block the heat in summer?
I used to but now the trees have grown and give natural shade. It has windows I open in the summer. And I shut the interior door. It works.
From the other side of the world, I watch with wonder the antics of the politicians in the US. We to have antics here in New Zealand, but not to the same extent. We are currently waiting for the new government to be sworn in. It is necessary for three parties to form a coalition government, and the leader of the smaller of the three appears to be digging in his heels. No doubt you have heard of these antics from your family.
I haven’t heard but hopefully they get it sorted. What’s happening here is bonkers. They are all above the law apparently.
Oh what a lovely little video … special. Simple is good isn’t it