"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.

― Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hello, weekenders

Nature has been for me, for many years now, a source of solace, inspiration, adventure, and delight: a sanctum, a friend, and a humble and wise teacher.

Growing up in a single-parent family we had very little money, however, this never really bothered me as I found great abundance in the simple things in life. I remember the eight-year-old version of me finding such joy in eating fresh oranges off our tree, riding my bicycle until the sun went down, sipping on homemade frozen pineapple juice cups, upcycling absolutely everything, collecting shells at the beach to growing gardens where I discovered the abundant world of propagating plants [pink geraniums, ribbon plants and mother-in-law tongue cuttings were my favourite as an 8-year old].

However, like many teenage girls, things changed when I became a teenager and was introduced to the world of glossy magazines, glamourous models and of course Sex in the City. I now longed for the so-called “chic and glamourous” and traded my bare feet and sun-kissed glow for heels, lipstick and designer clothes. I replaced the simple joy of eating an orange for seeking out the latest superfood trend. In my new world, it was no longer chic to garden, upcycle,  and was of course absolutely forbidden to go treasure hunting at the local thrift shop.

The truth is I spent the better half of my youth running away from my more earthy and simple spirit. However; like all stories where the narrative always centres around the setup, the confrontation, and the resolution; I had my confrontation or dark night of the soul. As a result, I quit everything I thought I should do and sought out something new. Something more simple and more ordinary.

Choosing a simpler existence reintroduced me back to everything I loved as a child, only this time it included an older style home with a hand-built stone chimney, a small meandering creek, gently rolling hills for my lavender field and a place to rest, nurture and reinspire whilst savouring the miraculous turning of the year.

The truth is I am still a long way from simple living. I try. I often fail. I learn. And most importantly I get better at it.

In honour of simple living and the art of paring down, I want to share with you my joy for Autumn and the beauty that is found in living alongside the seasons of the year. For this simple treasure of life is often forgotten as we become more and more disconnected from our own true nature and the natural rhythm of life thanks to the noise of Silicon Valley's seasons of technology.

Autumn invites me to start my day when the sun rises, getting outdoors and only coming inside for a pot of tea or to begin my afternoon wind-down ritual.  

The brilliant colours of the leaves and the abundant flowering finale of my Dahlia's remind me of the wonder and beauty of nature.

The steam of my breath in the morning crisp air reminds me that the breath is life, and how important it is to slow down and become mindful and present throughout each inhale and exhale.

The Autumn harvest; from collecting flower seeds, planting bulbs, preserving quince to drying lavender reminds me of life’s simple luxuries and for all the things to be grateful for.  

It is a season where days are bookended by a hot shower, some lavender aromatherapy, and a short meditation before preparing dinner.

There is no more comforting ritual for me than welcoming the day’s end, with the aroma of something delicious, slowly cooking on the stove, whilst admiring the golden colours of the setting sun out my kitchen window. There is a voice within me that always speaks to me at the end of the day. It gently says to me “Slow right down, settle and rest. All is safe and well in your sanctum.  Savour the evening, and rest well for the opportunities of tomorrow”.

Do you have a gentle voice that speaks to you at the unwinding of another day? If so what does it whisper to you? If not, see if you can do something that quietens you enough to hear it speak to you.

We witness the first signs of summer's passing in golden leaves, shortening days, foggy mornings, and the autumn glow over the landscape.

Autumn invites us to give thanks for the seeds that have grown over the year, for the harvests gathered, for the full storehouses, and for the mouths it has fed.

Autumn also invites us to rest in gratitude for the new opportunities and experiences that have grown for us over the year, for the wisdom gathered, for the more resilient and inspired our heart has become, and for the nourishment it has fed our soul.  

As the good earth rests through winter's cold embrace, we look forward to its re-awakening when kissed by Spring's first touch.

As we welcome the autumn months, may the earlier setting of the sun remind us to live at a gentler and slower pace, to take time to rest and most importantly to let life love and nurture us rather than us trying so hard to love life.

Autumn also invites us to let go of past regrets and self-sabotaging habits, and to simplify life so that we can rest, renew and create space for the things that matter.

This Autumn I am committed to wandering through the golden fields of acceptance, grace and gratitude as I savour the simple joys of life.  My prayer for you and me this weekend is to give ourselves permission to hit pause and to stop all the “doing” so that we can breathe in the simple joys and little luxuries that Autumn brings. So that we can get quiet enough within to hear the voice of Autumn whisper within.
 

Have a great weekend, give yourself permission to rest, replenish and restore. Use this season to lay the foundations for an abundant harvest the following year. 

Stay safe, stay well and may you live your life with ease. 

With gratitude
Claire

PS: Tomorrow I have a morning meditation that will be released at 7 am. You can access it when it is released Here or over at  Spotify, Apple Podcast, PodBean, YouTube

1. Layers upon Layers (sweaters, scarves, jackets, fluffy socks and hats)
2. Hot Apple Pie
3. Mushroom Foraging
4. Planting Bulbs
5. The smell of collecting firewood and the first fire in the Fireplace
6. Crisp foggy mornings where the sun rays are golden as they touch the earth and greet the new day
7. Hot Chocolate and Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
8.Evenings sipping Hot Apple Cider
9.Clear and cool night skies
10.Evening bonfires using old leaf litter [high bushfire location makes it vital we do leaf and branch cleanup - we do burnoffs and have fires with it]

11. Savouring Pumpkin Soup

12. Harvesting flower seeds

13.Taking walks amongst the Autumn colours

14. Adding Frank Sinatra’s “Autumn in New York” on my spotify playlist

I love Autumn as it is a time to harvest all the fruits of what was sown over the previous months. 

This week I spent almost the entire week outdoors in my garden planting bulbs, weeding, laying compost and preparing garden beds. I also collected many seeds from my flowers - cosmos, sunflowers, billy buttons, alliums, strawflowers, asters and dahlias. 

There is nothing more rewarding than seeding new life with the gift of seeds that nature has given you the season prior. 

As I add to my seed collection I feel abundant and rich - it is a living mediation that connects me with my most natural and innate instinct of gatherer and living in harmony alongside the seasons of life.

“True belonging is the spiritual practise of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”

- Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

I  have been waiting for these to arrive ever since I designed them in August 2021.

They are amazing - I absolutely love the quality of them.

On the first page, there are journal instructions written by myself and then there are 360 luxury blank pages to journal your thoughts, reflections and dreams. The pages are made with 100gsm quality Ivory coloured paper.

There are 3 journal types to choose from - Gratitude, Moon Mapping or Notes/Dreams

We recently launched our Loyalty program where we thank and show our appreciation to our customers by inviting them to earn reward points so that we can then shower them in gifts, special offers, freebies, coupons, VIP invites and more.

It's our way of thanking you for supporting our small Aussie business.

Earn points on every order plus BONUS points for reviewing your favourite products, referring friends and more. 

.What's In It For You?

• Shop + Earn: You will get 5 points for every $1 you spend.
• Welcome Points: 200 welcome points for just signing up
• Birthday Celebrations: 200 points for just entering your birthday PLUS extra points on every birthday.
• Rewards For Reviews: Get 50 points for every review you leave
• Subscribe: Sign up to our weekend newsletter and get 250 points.
• Get Social: Like us on Instagram and get 50 points.
• Refer A Friend: Refer a friend with your unique tracking link. They will receive a $15 discount and you will receive a $15 gift card for each referral you send our way that makes an online purchase. No cap on how many people you send our way. No cap on how many $15 gift cards you can earn.
• Bigger Rewards For Our Most Loyal Customers: Exclusive welcome gifts when reaching a new membership level plus as you move up in membership you earn more points per dollar spent.
• Freebies: Free samples or little gifts with every order.
• VIP Access: First access to exciting new products, launches and giveaways. 
• Become A Tester/Brand Ambassador: As you move up in membership you will have opportunities to test new products for free

Level One - Bronze Wattle: Free to join + automatically receive $5 Gift Card. Earn 1 point for every dollar spent.

Level Two - Silver Banksia: 1600 reward points. Receive $15 Gift Card. Earn 1.5 points for every dollar spent.

Level Three: Gold Waratah: 6000 reward points. Receive $50 Gift Card. Earn 2 points for every dollar spent.