Hello!

I was going to write about lasagne today but this is more important so that can wait. I commented yesterday, at 10.30am, that I was at my voluntary job and would be back at lunchtime to reply to the ex-"lurkers", but then we got really busy, I worked through lunch and thought I'd reply at home. When I came home, Kerry, Sunny and beautiful Jamie were waiting for me, so that was that. Luckily Hanno had taken a frozen chicken from the freezer and instead of having the last of the lasagne, I made curried chicken and rice. They're still here and I'm pretty sure I only heard Jamie cry once overnight and now, they're all still warmly tucked up in bed on this cold 5〫morning.

This is a painting by Swedish artist, Carl Larsson from here.

Let me tell you, I feel the love. I never expected so many of you to comment after so long not doing it. I expected three or four, maybe five or six, so it was lovely for me to "meet" so many of you after so long. I explained in the comments at one point that between three and four thousand people come here most days to read and I've always thought it odd to get the usual 20 or 30 comments. Not that I'm complaining about that, I'm grateful for all the comments I get. I realise so many of us lead busy lives and it takes time. One of the reasons I write my blog is that it motivates me when I see others doing what we're doing - it keeps me writing, it's my way of saying everyday that "yes, we're still here doing this, are you still there too?" When you leave a comment for me, you open the door to your life, you let me know you're there. Knowing there are fellow travellers on this simple living path makes it easier for me,  and I think it might make it easier for all of us to know we're not alone. Actually, the catalyst for writing about lurking was seeing a comment on Sarndra's blog from a reader who said she came from my blog, yet I didn't know her and had never seen her name before. It doesn't take much to tip me over the edge, that did it, I said something.

Had anyone told me 30 years ago about the crazy idea of blogging, I would never have believed it. How could it be that we would sit alone in rooms, tapping away at a keyboard on a tiny slip of a machine, and that would connect us to people all over the world, that real relationships would be created, that we would genuinely care for people we have never met and that lives would be changed and inspiration found just by looking at a screen, believing, taking notice and making a decision to change. How can we know people we don't know? It's amazing to me. The blog world is a wonderful and powerful place.

I love knowing there are young women in their 20s who have started their adult lives, often with a husband or partner, on a simple, sustainable path that will help build strong families and serve them well their entire lives. Hearing about your families and how you live reminds me every day that Hanno and I are not alone in this, we are part of a group. To know women and men are learning to cook my recipes just amazes me; maybe there's a cook book waiting to spring out. Knowing that what I write is inspiring others towards a simpler way, leads me to this place every morning to continue it - like neighbours at the kitchen table, having a cup of tea every morning and discussing this and that and how we can do better and be better. So to all of you who took the time yesterday, thank you. It made my day. 

I wanted also to tell you that my blog being archived in perpetuity by the National Library of Australia. Here is the link: http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-127061

This is part of the information they sent: 

The National Library of Australia aims to build a comprehensive collection of Australian publications to ensure that Australians have access to their documentary heritage now and in the future.

PANDORA, Australia’s Web Archive, was set up by the Library in 1996 to enable the archiving and provision of long-term access to online Australian publications. Since then we have been identifying and archiving online publications that meet our collecting scope and priorities. Additional information aboutPANDORA and access to archived titles can be found on the Library's server at: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/index.html

I feel really honoured to be part of Pandora and to be part of your day. Thanks to all of you for including me.