Changing with our seasons

Thank you for your good wishes yesterday. I'm fine today, I just needed a relaxed day to recharge. I am learning a lot about myself lately and I do know when I need to step back and sit down. Since the book was published, I have become very busy and in the past month, have gone back as manager of the neighbourhood centre. It's really a full time job that I try to do in about three days. I've also been doing a fair bit of writing, a lot of speaking engagements and have tried to keep on top of my house work while staying in touch with the family and enjoying my new role as granny. I'm not complaining, in fact I think the work load keeps me on my toes. I have always been the kind of person who gets more done, the more I have to do. I like feeling the pressure of work, I like being pushed to my limits, I like going to bed at night knowing I've done my fair share. I like feeling that I'm really alive.

Our daily bread with the remains of the previous day's bread cut up in a bowl, soaked in leftover gravy, and ready to feed to the chooks.

But now that I'm getting a bit older, I also need more down time and for that reason, and so I can spend more time with Hanno and my family, I'm consciously cutting back on a few things. I'm letting go of the Women's Weekly column - last column will be in September, I've closed down the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op blog, I've closed down my Facebook and Twitter accounts and stopped doing a few other smaller things. I'm staying at the neighbourhood centre for the next couple of months to help recruit and train a manager but I'll leave as a volunteer worker and resign from the committee at their annual general meeting in October. That place has been such a big part of my life in the past six years. I think I am a better person than I used to be because of my involvement there and I will surely miss it. But it's time to move on.

A new season.

Knot rolls almost ready for baking.

A few of the things I'm leaving behind have been very close to my heart but I'm much better off without the flimflammery of Facebook and Twitter. I think they're ugly spaces on the net and I've often felt a bit disappointed and disgusted when reading the stream that flies past. I created both the Facebook and Twitter accounts to link to my blog and announce new posts. I rarely wrote there, preferring instead to put the full measure of my words in my blog instead of cutting them back in FB and Twitter. Until I read Facebook, I thought that, generally, we were kinder people. I thought most people thought in a similar way to me. I honestly don't know how we got to this point. That drivel wastes so much time and a lot of it has an underlying tone of disrespect and self interest; I'm really pleased I won't see it again. I am not inspired by seeing out of context quotes superimposed onto the image of a kitten or the setting sun, and seeing animals suffering or in chains makes me so sad I can barely think. I am inspired and heartened by walking outside, breathing fresh air and working, or by talking to the people in my community. So that is what I'll continue to do.

Baked egg custard.

So, what will be happening here? Of course my blog will continue. I love connecting with you and when I do have to take it slower because of the odd tired day, I miss you. I'm keeping the Down to Earth forum going because there is a wonderful community of people there now and it is a great partner to the blog. My business partner Ernie and I will start our workshops soon - I'll let you know when - and we're also starting up a blog to support the workshops and an online magazine about sustainable homes and communities. One of the good things about the four of us working together - Ernie and Jenni, Hanno and I - is that we'll all take it slow and easy. We aren't out to conquer the world. We want to enjoy what we do, we want to slow down and really see and experienced all that will unfold for us.

But I'm interested in knowing if you've had to do this kind of reassessment and change. If you have, what did you do and how successful was it?