“If bees didn’t exist, neither would humans” – Dr Reese Halter I have memories of warm summer days in Northern Germany with my mother handing me a juice with a warning – “Make sure you don’t swallow a bee!” Bees seemed to be buzzing everywhere around the tumbling wildflower and fruit tree garden that surrounded…Continue reading We should all BEE concerned!
Category: Gardening
Why don’t you all take a hike?!
A repost and a good reminder for 2018! “There comes … a longing never to travel again except on foot.” Wendell Berry, ‘Remembering’ “Komm, wir gehen im Wald spazieren”, was our family weekend anthem when I was growing up. “Let’s take a walk in the forest.” Like all children, I often had much better things…Continue reading Why don’t you all take a hike?!
Acid Rain? Clean Up Your Life
“Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.” – Wendell Berry – Just a few weeks ago my partner and I paused on our hike and admired the…Continue reading Acid Rain? Clean Up Your Life
Autumn: A Time to See More Clearly
“There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the annual cascade of autumn leaves.” – Joe L. Wheeler – I was on retreat at the beautiful and cold Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, this past week. It is autumn in our ‘down under’ part of the world. Each season speaks to us, holding its own…Continue reading Autumn: A Time to See More Clearly
Hildegard of Bingen and her Love Affair with Fennel
“Even eaten raw fennel does not harm the body in any way. In whatever form one eats fennel, it makes us happy, gives us a good skin colour and body odour and promotes good digestion.” – Hildegard – Fennel was a regular star in the meals consumed in my childhood. To this day I can…Continue reading Hildegard of Bingen and her Love Affair with Fennel
Want to Learn about Community? … Listen to the Trees!
“Trees also understand that slowness is the key to a good life. For humans, at the moment, it feels like life is going faster and faster. This way of living uses up so much energy that the quality of our lives doesn’t get better. We should slow down.” – Peter Wohlleben – My father…Continue reading Want to Learn about Community? … Listen to the Trees!
Assumptions: The Noxious Weeds of Relationships
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” – Isaac Asimov – The front garden demolition has started. Since moving into this house in November, I have been eyeing the garden beds, overgrown with weeds and noxious plants that have taken the…Continue reading Assumptions: The Noxious Weeds of Relationships
The Broken Birch
“Wholeness does not mean perfection; it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life” – Parker J. Palmer Spring has come to the world’s most liveable city. You would be forgiven for doubting this. As I write, Melbourne is in the throes of arctic-like weather conditions and it is pouring down gallons of water…Continue reading The Broken Birch
The Colours of Autumn
Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees. – Faith Baldwin I love Autumn. I love watching the light change to thick, plush gold as our planet tilts on its axis while we orbit the sun. In our Southern Hemisphere, the temperature begins to drop in March. Well, that…Continue reading The Colours of Autumn
The Wisdom of Elders
Elderberry Soup with Semolina Dumplings! Just the thought makes my mouth water and evokes childhood memories and nostalgia. This was a staple dessert during Elderberry season, whilst we lived in Germany. Elderberry picking was a compulsory past-time and my grandmothers would process this precious purple berry for both culinary and medicinal purposes. No one complained…Continue reading The Wisdom of Elders