Narelle Hunter RURAL LIFESTYLE

The city of Sydney is so different from our country life but I love it. I feel like an explorer up here with my daughters who are growing up and taking me to all the cool restaurants and secret swimming spots. It is suggested that I am in the car park by 7.30am so we can drive to Watsons Bay and walk along the South Head Heritage Trail. It is the start of a spectacular day. This is one of the most beautiful walks I have ever experienced. The 1870’s cobblestone pathway leads us to little beaches; grand harbour views, historical buildings and the red and white lighthouse that stands tall like a gentle giant with a story novels are made of. If I read correctly, there was one lonely survivor of the ship wreck named ‘Dunbar’. This man went on to live in the cottage built in 1858 and worked in the lighthouse protecting lives. (For more information your going to have to enjoy the walk for yourself or take a look at the online photos and information such a

I have decided that ‘consistency’ is my 2014 intention. It is easy to make New Years Resolutions and set goals, that is the fun part. Dreaming, planning, hoping and building high expectations is exciting but then you have to turn up and make it happen. So I have decided its all about consistency. There is a resistance to change that can really hold us back. New habits take a lot of self-control and energy to establish at first. We can talk ourselves out of just about anything, as excuses are readily available. The trick is to move beyond the ‘I don’t want to today,’ to ‘I may not want to but I’m going to do it anyway.’ This applies to things like eating well, exercising more regularly, responding in new ways to difficult relationships and even to meditation. I’d like to meditate every morning but when I wake early its easy to curl up and talk myself into a bit more sleep. This morning the word ‘consistency’ came to mind and I went into a spare room in the house, lit a

Looking back over the last 12 months of blogging I can see that learning about the farm and taking lots of photos out here was a main focus. It was really wonderful improving my understanding of planning and running the farm. The bookwork runs like clockwork now so that helps too of course. I think Howard has appreciated me taking the time to learn about just how much he has to do and think about on a daily basis. Being true to the intention of the blog I would like the next 12 months to have a greater focus on my love of yoga. I am a fully qualified Dru yoga and meditation teacher now, not to mention a beauty therapist, life coach and massage therapist. Although the farm is our main income and it clearly has to be a priority, we have these four lovely young women to care for and it feels important to me that my skills don’t feel less important than the money making elements of our life. So throughout the year I would like to intr

I lie on the trampoline and savour the opportunity to look at the clouds as the evening cools a little and the last week of the summer school holiday unfolds. Howard is moving sprinklers in the drying garden and the girls preparing to go for a late bike ride. The clouds turn pink and the crickets start to sing. It is the hottest time of the year out here (over 40 degrees some days) and the evenings offer a chance to enjoy being outside. I will miss having everyone together when our routine returns. I will miss the girls choosing a meal from their favorite cookbooks and offering to prepare it for us. I will miss our conversations on the front verandah, the car being full on the trip to town, the house full of music, the evenings we squeeze on the coach together and watch TV, the fun they plan and hearing about their lives face to face. We have one lovely daughter left living with us and she would like to learn to play the piano this year

Hello from Port Douglas! I am sitting in our lovely room in Port Douglas on my own and I have a chance to write. It is raining outside but still lovely and warm. Howard has taken the girls out for High Tea and I think about the wonderful holiday was are having. This is a truly lovely part of Australia. The day we snorkelled at the Great Barrier Reef was a highlight for sure. Following little colourful fish around as we explored the reef was delightful. A few days later we went to the Daintree rainforest and strapped in to the flying fox. This was a challenge for me but the girls bravely jumped from tree top to tree top fearlessly. We enjoyed hearing about the history of the old rainforest and learning about the plants and animals there. (It is older than the Amazon, the oldest rainforest on the world) On other days we have hired bikes and ran into Port Douglas. They had an amazing market day on Sunday. We walked around trying coconuts and sugar cane drinks, coffee and exotic f

First Sunrise photos for 2014!! Turning good intentions into New Year Commitments. The alarm goes off at 5.20am and I stumble into some walking clothes, grab my camera and head out to see the first sunrise of the year. The paddocks are in darkness as the first light appears in the distance. The sky dominates the landscape and the slow rising sun turns the wisps of cloud from red to burnt orange. The morning is quiet. I think about New Years Resolutions. They are an opportunity to highlight an area of our life we would like to improve or a chance to be really clear on what we would like to manifest in 2014. I don’t set a resolution lightly. It is a commitment not, a ‘should, a could, a what if or a maybe.’  A New Years Resolution is a ‘Yes I can, yes I will. ’ We could probably put every New years resolution into one and say, ‘I commit to making great choices, building on my self discipline and establishing a confident sense of self worth. I take