The season is changing. There's still warmth in the afternoon sun but the mornings and evenings are icy. The school holidays are over. The quinces are all cooked and bottled and shelved. The beans have been dried and jarred. The washing only dries inside. The wood-fired cooker stays on. There is a big bowl full of feijoas on the kitchen table. The girls pack beanies instead of sunhats in their school bags.

We have spinach and kale and lettuce growing in the garden again. The outside tomatoes are slowing down and the ones in the poly tunnel have only a little while longer. We're eating soups and stews and pies for dinners. Every bed has a blanket tucked up on the end. The freezer and the shelves of the pantry are full of summer goodness. Every day I try to spend about 15 minutes splitting wood.

Yesterday I sprained a little muscle in my foot driving far, far away and now I have to ice it every few hours, brrrr. We've been talking and learning and are about to start playing with bio-dynamics. I can't remember how I dress to stay warm and comfortable in this cold. I'm so pleased I picked up so many dry sticks for kindling over the past few months. At night we're watching sneaky episodes of Girls while our girls are asleep.


Right now farmer Bren is out planting the very last of the winter veg. It might be too late for things to grow, but it will rain tomorrow so it's worth a try.

I've got a pastry shell blind baking and am trying to write a magazine article. I feel like I need to hurry up to get everything done before getting the girls.

I've started a Facebook page for Foxs Lane. I resisted for so long but now I love it over there. Why don't you pop by and say hello.

Oh and thanks for all your wonderful feedback on the motif meditation. I'm so excited that so many of you are keen to join in. I think we'll make an instagram hashtag and a weekly link-up here. Do you know if you guys can post to my Facebook because that might be fun too.

So tell me peeps, what're things like where you are?
What are you wearing/baking/making/growing?

OK, I'm off - as Willy Wonka says - So little to do, so much time. Strike that, reverse it.
Big love

xx