"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Soul Time

Firstly, my apologies for the tardy response to comments over the weekend.  I have had to use RMan's phone as a modem and that system is not quick, reliable, nor cheap...  A special little modem with a long aerial will hopefully sort that out once we are there permanently.

We managed to slip away to the farm early on Friday - and once we were there - we decided to stay on till Monday LOL

We have started to move a few things and thus we took along a few boxes - mainly books - which we have started piling up in a corner of the lounge area.  RMan had had a cover made for the trailer, and that was wise - it was pouring with rain when we left and, by the time we arrived, the boxes and the books would've been sodden.
You can see from the level in the dam that we've had quite a bit of welcome rain, and judging from the sounds of the bullfrogs, last years massacre hasn't harmed the population too badly. 
The only one who is not that happy is Blockhead - his stomach is definitely slipping down with the weight of the rotting, wet straw - come to think of it, that happens to us as well, doesn't it?  There is a definite "overhang" happening, not to mention the sideways slant to his majestic-ness LOL Hmmm, I wonder what lurks within his rottenness...?
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny - I do so love the quiet, crisp freshness of mornings on the farm in winter.  One feels completely in touch with nature there.  Actually, it's not only nature - there is a calmness, a peacefulness and an uplifting that occurs - definite time for the soul - and a place to leave the self behind.


John Gray's "Seat of the Soul" always comes to mind on the farm.  In that book Mr Gray talks about emotions - to summarize: 'greed, envy, impatience, offence, anger, fear, hatred, vengeance, sorrow, shame, regret, indifference, frustration, cynicism, loneliness, judgement, manipulation and exploitation - being all the negative emotions that have come to characterize human existence and which are the property of the personality or the ego.  Only the personality pursues external power.  And, although the personality can also be loving, compassionate, and wise in its relations with others, love, peace within, compassion, and wisdom do not come from the personality. They are experiences of the soul.'


I know exactly what you mean, Mr Gray :)
I was delighted to see that all my favourite grasses are back in flower.  The contrasting mass of pink and white flower heads was spectacular!
It is definitely the simple things in life which bring immense pleasure, wouldn't you agree?


Not so sure that RMan agrees with me though - it will soon be time for him to schelp out the mower again...

16 comments:

  1. Really lovely post Dani...I can feel your serenity and joy of nature seeping through my computer screen :)

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    1. Tanya - Thank you - more than happy to share it :)

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  2. Hi Dani-so glad you could make a weekend of it.
    The neighbors think I'm "whacko" being out in my garden so early in the morning, but it's SO peaceful and calming. Really, I don't think the world would have half so many problems if people just spent the early morning out pulling weeds and listening to the crows "talk" to each other. Heaven!

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    1. Sue - Mornings are the BEST times to be outside. We have the rock pigeons burbling back and forth here - not many crows about, thank goodness.

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  3. Thank you for sharing Gray's quote. I needed that reminder @;)

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    1. tami - I have a copy of my paraphrase stuck on my dressing table mirror - to remind me to start each day off correctly :)

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  4. Mornings are my favorite time too. The calm before the storm ;)

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    1. Jane - Absolutely - the calm start to the day - nothing like it :)

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  5. Wow, how exciting for you. I feel that coming through my screen as well and I know the feeling personally. I sit here at work today, daydreaming of the farm, what projects I can work on this weekend, what I want it to look like in the future and I just can't wait to escape out there even if only for a couple of days. I totally understand that quote, thank you for sharing it. Might be a nice thing to post to my mirror as well. :-)

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    1. 1st Man - My days are also filled with thoughts of what has to be done LOL Ah well, guess the time is approaching...

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  6. Coming from personality vs. soul. Fascinating food for thought! What an exciting time for you! Moving in at last!

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    1. Linda - Baby (moving) steps LOL But some movement is better than none!

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  7. Just 'loverly' ... ahh .. and you sound so relaxed!

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    1. Mrs Mac - I defy anyone not to be relaxed at a place like the farm!

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  8. Beautiful Photos!

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    1. Thanks, Frann. How are you doing? Would love to see pics of your house. Wanna start another blog?

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.