I can not believe that it has been exactly 3 years since I posted last. Time flies past so fast it is almost scary! How are you all?
A lot has happened and changed in the past 3 years, and as I finally have more time to do art I thought it was time to start updating my blog again. Even if no one is here reading it, I like having a place where I record the everyday happenings in my studio and in my garden. Having it online will hopefully keep me accountable for writing regularly... 😊
When I stopped writing we were still living in town (Whakatane) in a rental, and I had just started working full-time in a local bookstore. It was supposed to be a part-time job, but due to staff shortage, it turned out to be a full-time job. I worked there for 2 years until August of 2022. I handed in my notice about the same time as we bought a lifestyle property (small farmstead) just outside town.
The year that followed has been a whirlwind of happenings:
We moved in in the middle of August just when the cherry trees were blossoming.
- My bestie came all the way from Brazil and stayed for a whole month and helped with the move and settling in.
- We adopted 3 cats, got 4 chickens for eggs, and then 2 pigs to grow fat for the freezer.
- In December 2022 I flew home to Finland for the first time in almost 4 years, picked up my mother-in-law, and came back to NZ. She stayed with us for 5 weeks over Christmas and New Year. Then it was time to fly back with her to Finland, and I spent 3 weeks with my parents.
- I fixed up an old sleepout in the garage to be my new studio, and I can't wait to share pictures from it with you.
- We got some more chickens, but 3 ended up in the pot as they turned out to be roosters. They were gorgeous looking, but 1: they don't produce eggs, and 2: they started 'singing' at 3 o'clock in the morning. We also got 4 Muscovy ducks, and they are a joy to have walking around in the garden.
- In the autumn my parents came over for a long visit. We travelled a little around NZ and then my father helped us freshen up the bathroom and opened a wall between the sunroom and our livingroom to let in more light. (I promise I will share some pictures in a later post! 😁)
- Our 2 pigs became 9, and then 8. The sow kicked the boar out from their house when the piglets were born, and as the nights were still chilly we decided it was time to put him in the freezer. I have to say that I have never eaten a more delicious pork. It might be just between my ears, but I knew what he was eating, and even if his life was short I like to believe it was agood life here with us.
- 3 months ago I applied and got a new job. It is a part-time position in a local shoe-shop. I work Sunday to Wednesday, 10-16. So plenty of time to take care of the animals in the mornings, a couple of hours to spend working in the garden in the afternoon, and then 3 whole days a week to spend in the studio.
- Our last addition to our small farmstead (I can oficially call it that now) are 2 small calves. They were only about a week old when we got them, so I have been bottle feeding them. They are so cute and I am totally in love! 😊
The last news I have to share is that I took part in a huge Art expo in Tauranga last weekend. For those of you following me on Instagram know that I have been painting again, and I thought it was time to also start sharing my art journey here on my website. Lots and lots of pictures to come, I promise!
I hope you are all doing well! Sunny spring greetings from the artist, and now also small scale farmer, Jenny! 😁