Bower birds and Fishermen

I am increasingly being inspired by people and places like Instagram and Pinterest...and my new book Permaculture for the Home Garden...more inspiration from other bloggers!

Our sabbatical to the beach for 3 nights was destined to further inspire my interests,

photography, collecting things that I love and a new found appreciation for recycling, not the plastics and paper kind, more like shell grit for the chooks, seaweed to make my own seaweed solution and driftwood for making things!

and then there is the fishing...we are fortunate, I know, I grew up with a creek that was good Barramundi fishing, a sport, a thrill...but catching a reef fish is just as exhilarating! 

It wasn't to be this time, this creek now gets fished more heavily than ever before...the days of catching a feed everyday are gone, but my optimistic self likes to believe that it just means more people are enjoying a fish...there are other stories from 20 years ago that people would rather forget, lets hope Karma catches up with those lawless folk!

There is something about the ocean, so powerful and raw, the tide going out...

and coming in, it is so natural. At night on a high tide it sounds like the ocean will roar wildly through my door...

Lots of chances to capture these boys...gosh they spent hours on the beach, scouring, climbing, investigating...

Being the good mother I am, wink wink, my stipulations of wearing hats at all times almost ended in tears when the strong winds carted the prize hat into the middle of the tidal creek...I sprinted, the man sprinted faster, wading into the chest deep water against the tide he retrieved the hat...

pick your battles, we will stick to more sunscreen next time.

And then there is the camp oven cooking, my dear old dog revels in being so close...

All our meals were done over the fire...a taste like no other1

For lots of years we just didn't make the time to enjoy this little piece of paradise and ever so grateful to my husband's family that we can use it...

School Holidays...rest, renewal aka catchup on my life!

If you spent time away from home as a child, something similar to the likes of boarding school then you will be familiar with what I am talking about. When school is on it is go go go, we all get throughly worn out by the end of the Term and look forward with great excitement to the holidays, we even count sleeps!

School Holidays should be are a time of rest and renewal...it is also a time to catch up on all of those things that don't get done during the Term.

All riders were lined up to muster up some heifers. We produce beef that grades anywhere from EU, MSA, Jap Ox through to the domestic market. The challenge is to be consistent and the learning is in tailoring our sales to the weather conditions.

the man finished a new grid entrance, along with some more fencing (I've vowed and declared I will never say again it is the end the of fencing!)

I managed to paint up an old bench seat...I am in love with the colour!

and the excitement of finally buying plants for my new garden had me shoving them in and around kids and groceries just so I could do the job all at once....mind you I had little people saying, "do you really think we will fit them all in"...and to the man's joy "How much is that going to cost?"

harvesting all of the rosellas...

along with giving composting a go in the far bed and planting out eggplants kindly shared by

From the Verandah

and finishing off week one with fresh mud crab!

Fishing at Easter

Garlic and chilli prawns,

with a touch of serenity,

some lads in some cowboy hats,

combined with some new rods,

a tranquil place to be on Easter Saturday,

some cute photographic opportunities,

and some good old fashioned time to explore,

find a bucket,

fill it with dirt,