Beyond the Edge of Adventure

\ It's been soooo long since I've posted here......I promise this time I have a decent excuse! Technology is driving me bonkers. It's really not a good year for laptops and phones this year. The good news is that I've still been taking photographs to blog about, so I can get them posted and blogged about now that our technology woes are sorted. This photograph is of a new resident on our lovely acre here! She's a young Australian stock horse on loan from friends and we are loving having her here. Nature Girl was given the honour of naming her, thanks to our friend, who had previously referred to her as "Silver Mare". After many weeks of deliberation, she announced the chosen name for our very first equine friend: Britt (short for Brittney). Mr Man is a convert to the joys of equines! Despite initial grunty references to 'that thing in the yard', Mr Man (12), has become a huge fan of our horse and enjoys riding her bare...

I've been really busy lately! More so than usual - and busy doing life-giving, home-y things, which is nice. Sourdough starter started a few weeks ago, but I went away camping for a few days with a friend and four of my children...........the starter got over-fermented and ended up mouldy, so I had to chuck it out. Then it got cold. I got busy. So the starter hasn't started again. But the rye flour is here ready to go! Yoke Mardewi's Sourdough book is so inspirational and practical. I'm so glad I asked for and received it one Mother's Day. There's nothing better than slicing and toasting a fresh piece of sourdough bread. Now, I know you may be wondering how the flip I get time to make my own jolly bread, let alone sit down and eat it? I often wonder myself, actually. The trick to it is that sourdough needs lots of time to rise and become ready to bake. So there's lots of leaving it to rise, kneading for a few minutes then leaving it again. I find it qui...

The very day after I post about womanhood, Kelly Needham posts her talk on Biblical Womanhood recently in Jamaica. Enjoy!

Well, it's been a while and I've been doing some very deep thinking and praying about my own version of the disastrous Queensland Government's 'Strategy for Women'. Here's my version, as promised. Strategy for Women The hallmark of womanhood is endurance. Women can withstand more emotional and mental trauma than men. We are strong in the long haul of challenges. We endure. We see things through when there's no hope and things are bleak. Women are nurturers. It is biological and innate. If we can't have babies, then we nurture something else: pets, plants, nieces/nephews, friends' children or friends themselves. To deny this fact is to deny biology. Women care. We give life and nurture life. Women do NOT need to become men to be 'empowered'. Our empowerment comes from meekness and as previously mentioned, endurance. We are quietly strong and do not need to do what men do to be complete. We are enough. Women in Queensland literally ...

I happened to pick up a glossy copy of the Queensland Government's 'Strategy for Women 2016-2021' at my local library the other day, knowing it'd be good for a laugh - or a cry. Flipping through the pages that had no-doubt cost the tax-payer a lot, I wasn't surprised to see the usual lines and half-truths about women, men and our society. So here's my rebuttal to this glib and smarmy document that has a few myths and lies in amongst the admittedly admirable noble ideas of aiming for the empowerment, safety and appreciation of Queensland women. 1. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says in her message ".....there is still much work to be done as we move towards a society where gender equality truly exists." Um, no. Much work has been done in the past (giving women the right to vote, allowing women to be paid the same amount as men for doing exactly the same job, etc). We're now in a place where men are suffering too, and often worse than women. M...

Brendan Malone  instantly caught my interest because he has five children. Us families with more than 2.5 children need to stick together, haha! Second of all, he is the media representative for Focus on the Family in New Zealand. I love Focus on the Family and all they do, so I was immediately interested! Now, Brendan spoke a lot over the summit and his talk on euthanasia I found very difficult to listen to. It was quite harrowing. However, first I'd like to write about his first topic and work through them chronologically. First up, Mr Malone talked about EFFECTIVISM. It's not a 'real' word and I have a little wiggly red line underneath it as I sit here typing in my Blogger dashboard! Basically, Mr Malone's point was that we need to be an 'effectivist' rather than an 'activist' - ie. put our energy into activities that will be effective and not waste our precious time. So, be effective. Think about what you do and what you're putting...