Kia ora!
How are you getting on with your story this week?
I’m in the final stages of pulling a book together for a family, about their beloved father. We’re ticking off the very last details and I’m feeling an excited pull towards the finish line, so we can get the book into their hands (oh such a great moment) coupled with an anxious need to get all the final details right!
Often Tom the dog and I need to escape the computer, so we head to the nearby forest where all I see are beautiful trees and all Tom can think about are the weka living in the ferns that I won’t let him chase!
Then I can return to my work with a clear mind and a calm body.
This week I have another story from a reader to share, offering a glimpse into her world:
Farming runs in my blood – a memoir snippet by Ineke Kruger
Farms and farming still have a soft spot in my heart.
I farmed with my parents from 1960 to 1975, when I was growing up in South Africa, and after I completed my studies as a teacher.
After starting my family in 1980, we didn’t have the money to buy a piece of land. Our garden was our farmland. My husband loved cultivating the soil. We always had enough vegetables to provide for our needs.
I enjoy living in New Zealand.
Every morning and afternoon, I love driving to school and back again. State Highway 2 and Plateau Road snakes between small farms. It is lovely to see cattle grazing on grassy paddocks. There is also a paddock with horses. Then there is the river at the side of the road. Well-kept houses nestle between high ancient trees. One can see that people feel for their land and animals.
Some days, I wish to live on a farm again, but looking at these small holdings makes me thankful that I can pass through them daily.
I am fortunate, too! I will be house-sitting for about three weeks over Christmas. And guess what? It is on a farm just outside Upper Hutt. I am visiting the place this coming Sunday and meeting all the animals I will house-sit.
I could feel the simple enjoyment and appreciation in Ineke’s words, I could see the horses and the paddocks and the river, how about you?
Keep writing, because one day your story will be someone else’s history,
Charlotte
PS if you’d like the skills, support and company to finish your story, join my course Write Your Memoir this winter.
PPS If you live near Nelson or Golden Bay, I’m launching two ‘Write Your Memoir in One Year’ courses in those communities over the next two months. The Nelson course starts May 25, read about it here. The Golden Bay course starts June 15, read about it here.
Charlotte Squire 