A day out in my community

We went to the Real Food Festival in Maleny yesterday. Hanno, Jamie and I packed ourselves in the car, drove up the mountain and wandered around like babes in the woods. It was good to get out of the house for the day and to reconnect with our community. And what a community this is. We're surrounded by productive, creative people who produce a wide variety of real food and it's only when you go to an event like this that you realise how healthy and vibrant this region is.

We had Vietnamese satay chicken for lunch, followed by a local coffee.

We live in Landsborough but I consider Maleny to be part of my home turf. When I worked at the Neighbourhood Centre I did my shopping in Maleny and made friends with a lot of the folk there. I haven't been back for a while but I was welcomed back with open arms. People I don't know came up and said hello and my beautiful friend Beverly Hand came along to my talk. If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll remember Beverly as one of the local indigenous leaders here. I haven't seen her for a couple of years but there she was, smiling, at the back of the audience, reminding me of all those wonderful hours we've spent together.

There was an opportunity to start a new friendship too. I was interviewed on stage by Morag Gamble who has been a big part of the Maleny and Crystal Waters communities for many years. We both marvelled at how we've lived so closed, have numerous mutual friends but our paths have never crossed before. I've invited Morag to our home and I have no doubt I'll be enriched and strengthened knowing her.

I was happy to run into Anne Brown again too. Anne is the owner of Rosetta Books in Maleny. She launched my Down to Earth book and I was really pleased when she said she was interested in launching The Simple Home too. If you're ever in Maleny, make sure you visit Anne's store in the main street. It's one of Queensland's best book shops, one of those that has comfy chairs and coffee and you can browse before you buy.

We're back at home today, hoping the last stage of my new book - the so called "third pages" - arrive in the courier's van. If it does, I'll be head down for the next few days, reading the book through and giving my final approval before it goes to print. I hope you have some interesting work to do this week and that it's another good one for all of us.