In The Front Garden

In the front garden there's often a bit of a riot of roses, dahlias and hydrangeas.   Nearly all the rose bushes were won as prizes by my dogs so it seems a nice memorial to them to see "their" roses still bloom year after year. 

New Pullets

The day the new young ladies arrived:

Below : 
The young lady we've nicknamed "Rowdy" always has quite a bit to say for herself!

 It was an exciting time when at the end of February our 12 new pullets arrived from Heaslip's Hatcheries in Fairlie.  They were all around 16 - 18 weeks old but we're getting eggs from them already.  Dad is holding "Rowdy" who can kick up quite a racket when she is in the mood but mostly these Red Shavers from Fairlie have the same placid, gorgeous nature - and they're terrific layers.  This is the third time we've bought new pullets from the same hatchery in Fairlie. The pullets from the first two batches have now nearly all gone, passed away through old age.  We only have four "oldies" left, but they're still laying! 

The "beginner eggs" laid by the new pullets are beginning to trickle in with the normal sized eggs laid by the old girls:

Pear O'Clock

It is the first official day of Autumn and the fruit is amassing on the trees.  The early pears are ready to eat or process.  Soon we will be buried for weeks under a mountain of pears, apples, peaches, feijoas, grapes, walnuts and more. 

Big Red - A Tomato

One of life's pleasures surely is succulent, fresh tomatoes,  picked straight from the garden and full of flavour.  Dad picked this large beauty last night.

Enough

At what point do you say "I have enough"? 

Our culture teaches us that to be successful is to have more and more and more.  Strangely enough it's often the case that the more someone has the more they want.  Their "need" becomes insatiable.

More house.
More land.
More money.
More possessions.
More clothes.
More shoes.
More books.
More overseas holidays.
More, more, more.



It's been said by wise men and women for millennia that this is the worst kind of poverty there is, a constant need for more, the inability to ever be satisfied.  

It is an unending ravenous appetite, one I equate with an addiction.

To be rich is to be satisfied with what you have.  At what point do you say "I have enough"? Enough money, enough house, enough land, enough shoes, enough stuff, enough everything.

Human material needs in their truest form are really fairly simple.  We can as easily live in a one-room cabin in the woods as in a palace or mansion.  Personally I would rather live in the one room cabin in the woods, a home which would not only meet my material needs but feed my soul.

And perhaps therein lies the revelation.  We are trying to feed our souls with things which do not satisfy them - more house, more shoes, more money, more and more of the wrong things.  It doesn't matter how much we put in if it's the wrong thing. That's like trying to run a motorcar on orange juice - pouring more and more orange juice into the petrol tank just won't help.  Instead you'll end up with a mess of orange juice.

We can say "enough" of the wrong things.  We can stop the madness of wanting more and more of that which does not truly satisfy us.   That allows us to ponder, seek and find that which fills us, which gives our lives real meaning and real joy.
 
It seems this can often be discovered in our own creativity and the simplest things - it was not the big things after all.  It was the little things.  Baking our own bread.  Growing our own herbs. Keeping our own chickens.  Sitting in the sun with a good book. Enjoying a simple picnic with friends.

A popular saying says "less is more".  Another way to look at it is "more is less"  - more house but less peace, more possessions but less good health, more money but less time to spend with your loved ones.  At some point "more" has the capacity to consume us and all of our freedom - all of our life.

Knowing when to call "enough" is a skill it seems we all must learn to be truly happy and fulfilled.

 We need to know when we've had enough.

Sometimes you just need to chill.

Canterbury Earthquakes

Christchurch and Canterbury

22 Feb, 2011 - 12.51 pm

We Will Never Forget

Tabitha

A few weeks ago a little black kitten turned up in our backyard.  She was clearly wild - and hungry. She had however attached herself to our male tabby cat Leonardo and was following him everywhere.  

We started to feed her and inevitably this cute little minx decided to stick around and finally - adopt us!  She won't let us touch her yet but she comes into the kitchen of the main house and my cottage and makes herself at home.  She is quite relaxed so long as she knows the doors are open. 

Hopefully she will get tamer and tamer.  We have called her Tabitha.