After months of clear weather the sky out here in central Illinois has turned sullen and leaden. Days of it. Right until sunset then the sun fans her elegant fingers into the gap between sky and low clouds and the world lilts into spectacular panoramic colour.
The sky lifts her petticoat clouds just a little and lets in the drama.
The newsletter is a very personal letter to you this week. My head was being pounded by one of those ice pick migraines I get now and then and the internet was conspicuous by its absence. These two together left me raw and anxious almost dogged as I explained the changes to come as well as I could and tried to load it.
But we must embrace change. Grab it by the tail and tuck it in our pockets as we run forwards.
In a nutshell (what a glorious expression) next year I (you and me) will be spending a lot more time in Melbourne- helping out my daughter there.
There is joy in this. Life is a river. I am handing out life-jackets.
Here is the plan:
R will send me pictures and Farmy news to share with you. This will keep us all in touch with the farm.
TKG Take Ten farm videos will be replaced with me reading fireside stories twice a week. I LOVE reading aloud so I hope these will be just as calming as the sounds of the farm.
The TKG newsletter will stay mostly the same (introducing Meanwhile Back on the Farm) but the walkabout will be wherever I am walking that day.
The Kitchens Garden blog (our mother ship since 2011) will continue to come out 5 days a week with one retrospective farm day, one present farm day (with pictures from our farm workers), and three days of living sustainably in the city and putting in The Compact Kitchens Garden.
In two weeks we will be in Melbourne for a month then back here for January and some of February then back to New Zealand in March for a couple of weeks. Then Australia for a while.
I embrace the fluidness of life. My two bags stand at the ready. John and R are supportive. We can do this.
You don’t need to remember any of that by the way – I just need you to know that I have a plan and the antipodes are not the end of the world. Plus they have better internet.!!
There will be lots of new exciting stuff and the most exciting is the bedtime/fireside stories on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will begin by reading Alice in Wonderland. An old favourite. Though I am not convinced it is really a children’s story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland describe my life beautifully at this point. (Maybe without the mushrooms!).
I am looking for more classics that are in the public domain. That have beautiful language. Maybe a poem here and there? There are certain original translations of the Little Prince that are no longer under copyright – I will research that.
Good morning.
Go HERE to read more about all that stuff.
We have two weeks on the farm before our first trip so let’s get cracking!
It is another gloomy overcast morning. With the threat of a little snow later. But it is going to be up in the 50’s so I don’t know how they can even think of snow.
Have a great day.
Ask me anything!
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
29 responses to “We Can Do This”
Let the adventure begin 😉
Indeed!
I am excited to follow you anywhere and everywhere you take us, and I’m looking forward to Alice in Wonderland!
Reading aloud is wonderful – I am really enjoying it – though I think I will get better the more I do it!
Adventures await!
We will just have to see what happens next – but nothing is slow!
Suddenly fall prep takes on warp speed! Do be careful with yourself … inside and out. I’m so glad you found ‘R’. Finding a kindred spirit to share chores with makes ALL the difference. A few years ago I broke my ankle. I had chickens, goats and donkeys to take care of. Next door (a countryside ‘next door’) lived two young girls – just into their teens. They popped into my world and helped me every day that spring and summer. What a life saver they were!
They sound like angels. PLus they probably just loved their time with your animals! Though it is hard to hand over! Right?
wow, so much ahead, and so much to do to be ready, and ready to follow you down the rabbit hole
At least I will ease into this new chapter. I will get set up there and see what needs doing then come back here for the worst of the winter. Winters are hard out here!
Wow, that is a lot of change! I’m excited to join you, and I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on urban garden design and sustainable living. I grew up in the countryside with lots of space and a big kitchen garden, but now as an adult I have a smaller space and live a more suburban lifestyle (itching to get back to ‘proper’ country living as soon as I can… If I had the money, I’d change jobs and move in a heartbeat).
Also, I liked the more personal tone of your newsletter. I haven’t seen any podcasts from you for a while, maybe I’ve just missed them in my feed, but the stories where you read to us were simply lovely!
All the best with packing and preparing for this change.
you are right. I have not done any podcasts in a while. So you have not missed anything! This will be quite a venture!
Sounds like a good plan. You should think about The Secret Garden for your TKG. One of my all-time favorite books. I re-read it about every 6 years. It’s a present that I send my nieces, great nieces, and my (great-great niece in a few years) when they turn 10 or so. With it go my hopes for turning them toward gardening (soon or later in life). It worked for me——took 30 years or so until I had a place to actually make a garden—–but it worked it’s magic.
The Secret Garden – what an excellent suggestion. So pertinent.
The Secret Garden is also one of my favourite books together with the Railway Children.
The Railway Children – I don’t think I read that! But I will look into the Secret Garden for sure!
I love the first two mages…..pure winter…. Being fluid is the key…going with the veritable flow. Here are a couple of lovely children’s classics. The Water Babies…and The Secret Garden…..I still love them from my own childhood a long time ago:).
My Dad had an old copy of The Water Babies but I have no memory of the book at all other than its cover. I will find it!
Along with The Secret Garden, The Water Babies was an important part of my early childhood.
I admire your attitude regarding change! It sounds like you are needed elsewhere and have plans of how to adapt to the many travels coming your way. By traveling, I don’t only mean literally!
I am the itchy feet MaMa – I love to travel – in fact I seldom completely unpack my suitcase!
Good morning Celi…………Oh my, what news you are sharing with us. New Zealand is a long way away and it IS A LONG FLIGHT, did it many years ago but certainly could not do it now. So glad you will keep on blogging as that is my way of following you on your adventures.
BTW, “Alice in Wonderland” is one of my favorite books of all time. I have always thought Alice was so very brave and adventurous (kinda like you, sweet lady).
Safe travels,Jo
I do it every year so the flight does not bother me too much it is the connections! Air travel is not nearly as reliable as it was ten years ago!
Dear Celi, what wonderful news of your future plans. You will certainly feel calmer and happier with this change to spend more time with your children. Life goes by too quickly not to see them more. I have to admit I will miss the farmy animals so look forward to news from R.
Soon, a new year and new adventures.
Thank you for taking us with you.
you are so very right. It is lovely to be helpful to one of my children rather than ‘just visiting!’
Sounds like you have a terrific plan. Safe travels and I look forward to reading about your adventures.
life is a grand adventure though spending time in the suburbs is going to be a challenge!
Before I even read all the other comments saying the same thing, I thought of The Secret Garden. Also, any of the Beatrix Potter books, for younger children. The Wind in the Willows. The Borrowers. So many books I loved as a child are no longer in print.
The wind in the willows / I loved that. Our audience will be mostly folk our age –