I Finally took the leap

I’ve been putting this off for a while - waiting for the right time, more finished pieces, a quieter season of life…

But life doesn’t really slow down, does it?

Between four kids (three here with me, and one who lives with his father), there’s always a lot going on. I fit painting sessions in here and there -nothing consistent- and just when I feel like I’m getting into a rhythm, something comes along and tips it on its head.

But anyway… we push on.

We live rurally out of Whakatāne, on the outskirts of Te Urewera, on my father-in-law’s farm. It’s roughly 20 acres -his farm, his rules- so he’s very much in charge there. Between us all, we have about nine horses (including our Clydesdale stallion and his wee band), half a dozen cows -though he’s slowly dwindling those numbers- and far too many sheep (we nearly hit 50!). A few of those have made their way to the freezer recently.

We also have a Jersey house cow who runs with the herd. I milk her when she has a calf… although the busyness of life doesn’t always allow for that.

There’s also a handful of feral chickens running around -some kind of barnyard crossbreed extraordinaire that has outlived and outbred anything else we’ve ever had. They all started from one wild, half-bantam broody chook from a friend who has since passed - but her chicken legacy lives on.

And a couple of pigs - which, honestly, I’m very thankful for. When the kids eat next to nothing of what I’ve cooked (are they surviving by osmosis?), at least the pigs are happy. It never feels completely wasted.

A lot of these little moments and adventures have found their way into my children’s book (because apparently, I didn’t already have enough on my plate).

At some point, I realised… if I keep waiting for perfect, I might never do it.

So I took the leap and launched my website. The pieces I’ve added are a reflection of slowing down - of taking a moment. Moments out in the bush, or on the farm.

Some of you OG followers might remember I had a website before. Around this time last year, I took it down. I was being pulled in too many directions, and with Little Fallow needing my full focus, I put my own business aside.

But now that season has wrapped up, here I am again.

And this time, I’m doing it differently.

Thank you for being here -whether you’re just following along or supporting in bigger ways.