It's a funny time of year, slow and dreamy but also alert and listening.

I love how the brand new 2013 seems to lie in front of us filled with promise and adventure.

I've had a draft of a blog post open for four days now but I still can't seem to decide on the most important details. Resolutions? A word for the year? Words to live by? Do I need them? Should I make them? Will I use them?

Farmer Bren is up and at 'em super early each morning. He's changed taps, fed and watered animals and checked fire hoses and sprinklers and generators before I've even opened my eyes.

It's hot and dry but very still today. On the radio they're calling today  the baking day. Tomorrow will be hot and windy. High fire danger. My farmer boy has the fire wireless strapped to his waist constantly chirping in his ear. We have a plan, a few plans and we are mostly fire-ready but when you live in the middle of a forest, are you ever really fire-ready?

In the mornings we drink coffee and then we collect the eggs. We wear long pants, white business shirts and wide brimmed straw hats. We are cool and protected from the sun but I know we look silly. Cool but not so cool.

The girls are slow and lazy. Sometimes they help us with the farm jobs but mostly they play quiet games together, they lie under the trampoline, they write words and numbers in little notebooks and they eat lots of ice-blocks and juicy fruit.

We still have no Internet. I'm uploading this blog with wifi from my phone. It's crazy frustrating and upsetting.

And the book blanket grows.

And in amongst it I try and write lots of book words. It's coming together slowly. Soon we'll finish with the text and start on the images. It's a book about caravanning and family and adventure and vintage vans and craft and food. I am so grateful for your kind words of encouragement, they are keeping me here at my desk writing and editing and imagining and remembering. I really hope you like what I'm doing.


I wonder how you are spending these first few days of the brand new year.
Are you slow and steady or are you straight back into things?
Have you made resolutions and plans?
Will you stick to them?

From our family to yours - we wish you a happy new year.
May your 2013 be super sweet and juicy!!

I have a great feeling.

Lots of love xx