A Year In  Reflection

We have now lived at Roaring for over a year and for me the adjustment has been like settling into a comfortable arm chair with a good book. I love the remoteness of our home, that we are immersed in a beautiful landscape, and that I can see and hear the beach from my bedroom.

Our garden is slowly taking shape, with fresh herbs in the courtyard, and further up the hill, fully enclosed to guard against the native marauders, our veggie patch. This year we plan to plant more fruit and nut trees to join the lemon, lime and chestnut that went in last year, and a friend has promised some gooseberry bushes which we have prepared beds for.

Most exciting news is the addition of 2 bee hives. It is fascinating to watch the workers come and go from their hives, and even more so, getting geared up in our bee protective outfits, armed with smoker, and lifting the hive lids to inspect the inner workings of the colonies. The big test for us will be making sure they survive winter, and to this end we do not plan to harvest honey until next season.

Marion and I made several trips to Melbourne last year . We were fortunate on 2 occasions to coincide our visits with friends going overseas and thus were able to housesit. For this we were very grateful. It was wonderful seeing my old patients and our family and friends, and there was the added bonus of spending time with my beautiful grandson Linc, who was born in January. I now know and appreciate the wonderful experience of being a grandparent!!

The beach continues to call me daily, and I delight in making the 1 km hop, skip and jump to the sand. I have discovered a world of seaweeds at our doorstep, a valuable mineral supplement to our diet, a great fertiliser for our garden, and an outlet for my creative streak in the making of kelp bowls and sculptures.

I am slowly building up a good set of woodworking tools to indulge my passion for making rustic furniture. A chair, several benches and a table have been completed, with various other projects in the pipeline. Making wooden spoons and other kitchen utensils received a big boost with the discovery of blackwood and dogwood in our very own bush!!

It is always good to have a goal, and this year I have set myself the challenge of participating in the Point to Pinnacle run in November. At half marathon distance, the race starts at Wrest Point Casino and finishes at the top of Mt Wellington. Now for early morning training runs in all sorts of weather, and willing my ageing body to do it’s bidding!!

Our next trip to Victoria will be March 2014. I look forward to it :-).

Monica.