A time warp….or paradise?

First stop is home in a beautiful part of the world. Purakanui, half an hour drive outside of Dunedin in New Zealand.

Leaving behind a dynamic job, amazing friends and the warm weather and buzz of Sydney, it felt like entering a time warp when I first arrived in Dunedin (being 13 degrees didn’t help either!). Not much changes in this city. My sister Cerridwen drove me home from the airport, and echoed these same words that I was, at that moment thinking.

The original plan was to stay here till early February. But I will be honest, I’ve had moments of doubt and anxiety about whether I’m doing the right thing. I’m the oldest of five children and having lived way from home for over 19 years, I’m used to coming home to a bustling household. This time round, everyone else has started to spread their wings and I’m the only one living at home with who we all affectionately call Mungee and Poppa John (names from the grandkids).

However, being out in Purakanui at the family home and property is a micro climate of it’s own. A little piece of paradise. Our property is so self sufficient that I didn’t leave the property for three whole days!! And I didn’t want to!  Everything I needed was right here. Great coffee, an abundance of veggies growing in the garden, visitors from various family members. And 30 acres of land to roll out my yoga mat and work through any style of yoga my body desired, with the soundtrack of the birds to keep me company.

Having recently gone sugar and gluten free, I’ve been loving having the time to experiment in the kitchen making organic and wholesome foods. I’ve decided I’m going to spend the next few weeks honing my farm girl and domestic goddess skills.

Hits so far have been a variety of soups (being able to pick the ingredients from the garden is such a luxury), an attempt at some quinoa & chia seed gluten free bread (epic fail, but will keep experimenting), fresh home made almond butter (my fave!) and there is now some fresh beetroot roasting in the oven to form part of a yummy salad. Recipes to follow shortly.

Until next time, keeping breathing.

Love Lili x

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