Peace Farm Summer Solstice Event

We had a glorious Summer Solstice celebration!

We gathered on the 21st of December to mark the longest day of the year. We had a beautiful sunny day. We had a visit from 'The Sun King'  (aka Simon Oats) and the beautiful goddesses Karina & Phoenix led us through a sun ritual where we created a gorgeous manadala from fruits and seeds and flowers representing the abundance of summer harvest.

A seasonal mandala expressing the abundance of Summer

We were then taken on a meditation walk where we planted a ring of sun flower seeds to bring in our summer dreaming!

Circling for the Sunflower Seed Planting ceremony

Following the ceremony we had a beautiful feast, largely comprised of fresh vege's from our mandala gardens and then performances including the Peace Farm mama's sun dance, Gaia Gita and  Murray Goodchild. We ended the day with hot tubbing under the stars, a cosy camp fire jam with the lovely and talented Malini (of Babaganoush) and Pinrada. Heaven on Earth!!

Enjoying the delicious food

Harvest day

Each first saturday of the month at PEACE farm we gather and share skills to grow food together.

This month we built a pond for our mandala garden.  Only a few days ago it was only a pile of dirt... Thanks to the joyful hands of the children who helped to co-create!!!

Mulching was also a big part of the day to protect our little seedlings. 

We used hay, freshly cut around the mandala garden.

We trained tomatoes

Children were also well looked after, going for a ride to the dam!

And now, let's go for a walk around to see what's growing...

We can find lots and lots of potatoes

beans

lettuces

and we can find a variety of flowers. Here is some poppy! 

We concluded the day by a first harvest for our members: 

leaks, spring onions, beetroot, lettuce, garlic, coriander. 

Thank you all for your contribution!

Matis

Voila "Petit Possum"

Matis and Petit possum share lots of adventures together

Matis loves trains and for his birthday he shared a train ride with all of his friends

Matis loves playing with Gracie and Luca who lives at the farm too

And he loves riding his bike with Griffin, his play mate

A message from Rodrigo & Viviana

We arrived to the big city, attractive and interesting, but also paradigm of individualism, shallowness and wild consumption. Seems impossible that so near of that amount of cement and advertisements you can find a place with a total opposite purpose: cooperation, community and a solid sense of present, but overall of future. Definitely a worthwhile life experience.They feed us quite good: our tummies of course, but also our mind and soul in a very nutritive way. We will be forever grateful of this chapter in Peace Farm. Our best wishes and thanks for every one of you guys. Viviana and Rodrigo.

Awesome aussie wwoofer Tess comes to Peace Farm

We have been so blessed to have our second wwoofer here this last week - Tess from Albury.  She has been enthusiastically completing every task we have given her and she will be very much missed. Hopefully we can lure her back to the farm in the future.  Here are some words from Tess about her time here at Peace Farm:

I have had so much fun :) There is so much going on at the Peace Farm such as ideas, goals, socialising, gardening, building, looking after kids and just so much it was hard to wrap my head around everything. I am so lucky I chose this Farm as I have met 3 beautiful families who have taught me a great deal both outside in the garden and inside in the family home.

 Permaculture was an area I was interested in and didn't know too much about it but I am leaving here with intentions of furthering my studies in Permaculture.  I plan on coming back to Peace Farm because I had such an amazing experience and there is so much more to be learnt :)

Farm in full swing in Spring

Well there has been much growth at Peace Farm this Spring.  The mandala gardens are really coming along.  

Matis & Luca with chook dome behind

 We did our first application of Biodynamic prep 500-507. 

Here is Matt stirring - "from vortex to chaos".

We have two new gorgeous East Freasian sheep, Opal and Gemma.  They will ultimately be bred, and used for their milk and wool.  We are still getting to know eachother but they are starting to let us stroke their cheeks. Very cute.

We have had our first two wwoofers, Vivian and Rodrigo from Chile, helping us out for the last month.  They have been fantastic - planting the market gardens and mandalas, preparing the beds, mulching, weeding, composting, mowing, and helping with feeding and caring for the animals.  

Vivi & Rodrigo

Rodrigo cooked us a delicious meal of Chilean Mussel soup on their last night at Peace Farm.

Our family spent the long weekend at the beach in Sorrento.  From mountains and river to coast and rockpools.  We are so lucky to have such beautiful nature around.  These few days were a relaxing and welcome break from the busy-ness of the farm.  We all had a dip in the ocean on arrival.  It was freezing but exhilarating to have a swim.  

 Although I am loving life on the farm, it was also nice to have a change of scene for a few days. 

Finding balance at the equinox

We had a gorgeous sunny day for our Spring Equinox gathering and it was great that we were joined by friends from the Valley and from town. The ritual was about acknowledging and balancing the masculine and feminine within each of us. This whole year 2013 has been a journey to balance the masculine and feminine in me. I feel like I have come a long way with this work, partly from my own inner exploration, and also with some valuable help and insights from Arion Light.

The women and girls gathered in the women's space to connect with and honour the sacred feminine while the men met on the other side of the field to connect with the masculine.

"Let go" mother earth told me during the meditation.  Most of  my life I have felt unsafe to fully surrender, and have stood firmly in my masculine so as not to appear too weak or vulnerable.  Now I can find strength in my vulnerability. I am held by the sacred feminine and protected and loved by the noble masculine.

We met the men in the back paddock.  We did a tantric kundalini chanting meditiation and acknowledged what we loved about the other.  And ended with a song.

And a delicious shared picnic back up at the house.

Thanks to everyone for making it a special day.

Celebrating Imbolc

For each change of the seasons I like to connect with what it brings in my life, and simply do a little ritual that helps me to set my intention and prayers. 

This little flower mandala symbolises for me the new life, smells and colours present around me, and in the middle under the candle is a rock with my prayers written on it. 

Emilie

"At Imbolc we see, feel and hear the beginning signs of Spring. Winter is over, Spring cometh. It may well still be very cold but the energy has shifted. It is the time we see new growth following the seeming dormancy of Winter. Imbolc is a time of hope, a time filled with the excitement of new possibilities for the future, either brand new possibilities or those we’ve dreamed up, ‘seeded’ over the winter. Imbolc was traditionally a Celtic Fire Festival dedicated to the Goddess Brigid.

At Imbolc, the seed, held in the dark Earth over the Winter has germinated, it finds it’s way through the Earth’s surface to see the light, to show itself, to grow. 

Aligning with the Imbolc energy - taking our cues from Nature, we can now ‘see’ the beginnings of our plans and dreams that have been gestating within us over winter. ‘See’ these dreams as ‘seeds’ and see what’s ‘sprouting’ after the months of incubation. "  
Jane Hardicke Collings/Moonsong.com.au

Spring Equinox Gathering

We will be hosting a Spring Equinox Gathering at Peace Farm.

It'll be a simple ritual and meditation where men & women will first gather separately on the land and then we will come together with the intention of balancing masculine and feminine energy. It will involve music, meditation, chanting and sharing of food, so you are invited to bring some snacks, instruments and a blanket to sit on. We'd also love people to wear either green or white!

Contact us for more information by email: victoriabasdeo@yahoo.com.au and RSVP before 15th September.

Snow and sausages

Well its been a big couple of weeks at Peace farm.  We had our inaugural Peace farm-warming party which happened to be on about the coldest and wettest day we have had on the farm so far.  A bit of a bummer that we couldn't enjoy and share our beautiful land more.  But luckily the rains stopped for just long enough for the farm tour.  Apart from that it was very cosy indoors beside the raging open fireplace.

The following morning we woke up to see our mountains covered in snow, so it was great to spend the afternoon of recovery in the breathtaking beauty of freshly fallen snow.  Here's a little video we shot that day:



Since then we have slaughtered and butchered our three berkshire pigs with help from local mobile butchers.  A big process for us all to get our heads and hearts around.  I felt quite sad to say goodbye (and thanks) to the three fellas as I have loved having them here the last 6 months.  The kids made the mistake of naming them as piglets (Gerald, Percy and Charlie) instead of just "Bacon" which is what they are now.  However, the whole process has been quite fascinating. Jasmena, a big bacon eater, is so far refusing to eat any of our pigs, but will happily eat the free range bacon from the supermarket!

I have previously been a vegetarian for more than 15 years and only just started eating pork in the last 3 years so I was not prepared to watch the kill and felt pretty squeamish with the butchering. But I have to say that it feels right to be consciously involved in giving these animals a happy and healthy life on our land, and giving thanks and appreciation to them for providing us with their meat.  It is so much more connected than just buying a packet of bacon from a deli.

We also now have a deep freezer full of delicious free-range pork.  And I am looking forward to getting our next lot of little piglets.  I wonder if these ones will be named...

Introduction: Emilie

Bonjour,

My name is Emilie, married with Travis and mother of Matis, my almost 3 years old son.

Being involved in the farm is really rich of experiences!!!

The last month things have changed in me. Travis and I went through a vivid tornado regarding the way we were relating to each-other. I really felt “death” and rebirth from it. It’s a huge time of growth and learning for me. Relearning how to be with myself and others in a more truthful, open and balanced way.

Since, I feel that new light growing in me, and a sense of confidence.

What I love about living here is the mountain facing our farm. I love our sacred women circle we made not long ago. Having a space to retreat where I feel held by nature, by a circle and by the directions feels wonderful and very special. The east is marked by a bushy area, the north reveals the mountain, the west is where our dam is, and in the south we can find a fox den and further away, our homes. Since we've opened that circle I’ve finally started to found in love with this land and the farm, and all its potential. I start to feel my potential on what I can give and offer from that place. Today I played my drum in the circle for the first time, and felt very grateful of the simplicity and ease to just do it! I’m at the moment studying shamanic midwifery, and part of the course is to have made our own shamanic drum, and to play it as a tool to heal and journey within. I love it! And this is a big part of what I would like to share with the farm…

Vix here...

I'm also involved in Peace Farm.

I'm very happily married to my love Murray and a very proud mama to my darling daughter Grace (nearly 2 years) and love my job as a kundalini yoga teacher.

I'm passionate about many things, particularly education based on the cycles of nature. I love alchemical crafts (transforming trash into treasure!) and I love wholefood homemade cooking, herbs, crochet, making mandalas, singing, dancing and the list goes on an on!!

In summary, I'm a lover of natural beauty.

More to come...

The beginnings of peace farm

Hello Fellow being of nourishment,
My name is Matt Daniele partner of Cat, step father of her two kids Jasmena and Marlowe and father of a toddler Luca and a new born Ollie.

The beauty of the Yarra Valley became the chosen place and when I got the job as Edible nursery manager at ECOSS community environment park we had to quickly find a place to rent. One year on we have bought our own land, a place to call home, a place to express all my interests, to grow my family, to plant all my plants for the wild, for stulpturing our land and for economic purposes, to share with my friends, to have fire circles with my brothers and sisters, to generally find my place in the cycles and seasons of this great part of the world.
 I love yoga when I make time for it, building projects- domestic, creative and commercial such as hothouses. I enjoy a home picked meal and a home made wine with my friends. My favourite thing is creating gardens for pleasure, beauty and nourishment.
I've brought the pigs to the farm, three berkshire boys. They are pretty good temperament, not too bad at ploughing as long as they have lots of water to drink, spill and wet the ground so they can work it in.

We are enjoying the goats milk and making great fetta cheese. I must say that home made quality cheese is easily up to the best standard cheese commercially made. Give it a go!
Also we have enough eggs for three families with approx 25 layers of assorted breeds, some yet to start laying, though it is mid winter.
Its great to be on animal care at least two days each week, each family collects the products of the animals (eggs & milk) for their weekly requirements. Luca, nearly 2 sometimes helps me and loves playing with water. Last week he experienced frost bite for the first time when we had minus two degrees celsius mornings.
From spring we shall start moving from subsistence to making a small income using various methods of economics such as sell, service, swap and barter.
The dream for me here is to run a nursery with a little cafe, teach, co-create a market garden, mixed orchard, meadow, food forest, animal rotations and wild haven by the spring dam and generally be filled by the joy of the peace and creation of our spaces, be that, sacred, bountiful, beautiful and enjoyable.

I believe I have started giving up my own needs and expectations of  how and when the elements of the orchard, market garden, nursery, etc will be in production and instead begun the learning of good communication, being available for my community.
I would just like to end on, I'm still pinching myself to have this opportunity in life, like coming home, feeling blessed.

Introducing Cat : Celebrating the simple things in life

Hi all,
My name is Cat and I am looking forward to sharing little bits of my life on our PEACE farm blog.  Right now I am struggling to find time to put all my ideas down as my little baby Ollie (number 4) is only 4 weeks old.  But the things I plan to share on this blog are my craft projects, cheese-making, recipes and cooking, multimedia creations, and general thoughts and musings on things such as parenting, farming, and living consciously in community.

So firstly a but about me. I have 4 children, Jasmena (9) and Marlowe (6) from a previous relationship, and Luca (not quite 2) and Ollie (4 weeks) from my farmer-boy Matt.  Luca is the current biggest challenge in our lives as he struggles to adapt to having a baby brother.  He is mostly gorgeous and gentle with Ollie, but occasionally will slap him on the face, or try and scratch out his eyes.  Hmm yes, its a little stressful.

I have a background in secondary teaching, yoga and multimedia.  I lived and worked for several years in the NT in indigenous education and have recently been the multimedia developer for Nosmokes.com.au a wonderful anti-smoking website for young Aboriginal and TSI people.  I plan to somehow use some of these skills in my new life as farmers wife, perhaps setting up a farm school, or documenting our journey on this blog and beyond.  We will also eventually have a yoga room operating here so I can get back into my yoga teaching.  Right now it is difficult to find 5 mins to do any kind of stretching.

Yesterday I turned 40! I had a lush day of being completely spoilt by my beloved, my kids and my friends.  It was such a beautiful sunny day, and the farm was full of friends and kids running around, yummy cakes and afternoon tea treats, massages in front of the fire.  In what I call a "lush lounge" my girlfriends and I all take turns in massaging one woman at a time so you may have four or five sets of hands on you at once.  Many hands make light work, and for the receiver it is one amazing ride. Yum. At our community dinner last night Trav asked me what it meant for me to turn 40 and what I wanted to set for my intention for this year.  At first I was a bit stumped.  Having just given birth 4 weeks ago, I haven't really had much time to contemplate turning 40.  I know its supposed to be a big deal, but I guess I still feel the same person as when I was 39, and I don't feel "middle-aged".  But I have been reflecting quite a bit on having lived on this Earth for 40 years, and its been a very full life.  And now we are on this amazing peace of land, and living what has been a dream for many years.  We are milking our own goats, making cheeses, designing the gardens and permaculture systems, raising chickens and animals for our eggs and meat, and connecting with eachother and the land in a deep and conscious way.  But getting back to Trav's question, rather than being too unrealistic or grand in my intentions I settled on "Celebrating the simple things in life" and it is these simple things, like collecting the eggs and milking the goats, that give me so much joy and pleasure.

So I will leave you with that - and continue more another day. Right now the simple thing I want to celebrate is that the house is quiet and four children are all asleep. So now it is time for my head to hit the pillow as well.  Good night!

Recette fondant au chocolat

Here's one of my traditional chocolate cake recipe:
- 200g of dark chocolate
- 125 g of butter
- 100g sugar
- 100g flour
- 3 eggs

1. Melt the chocolate and butter together, with a tea spoon of water
2. Mix the eggs and sugar together until the mix become whitish
3. Add flour to mix egg/sugar
4. Add the melted chocolate and stir well
5. Cook for 15min in a preheated oven (180degree)
Bon Appetit!

Hi PEACE Farm followers,

My name is Travis and I'm  involved at PEACE Farm.  To be part of this adventure is a real blessing and I hope to share this with the greater community through regular posts on the PEACE Farm blog. I hope to unravel the mystery, challenge and joy of working in partnership with our Mother Earth with an extended family of likeminded persons.   I have a broad spectrum of interests and passions that revolve around some form of quest to be living in connection with Earth, myself(on many levels) my family and community.  Over the next few months and years we will be confronting the many challenges of living in community and running a sustainable farm business.

Me and my son Matis

Essentially over the coming months and years we will be designing and implementing what we think is a viable model of 'farming' and 'community living'.  With influences of permaculture, psychology, healing, mens and women's 'business', expressive dance, yoga and meditation and lots more, it is looking set to be one wild and wonderful adventure..

The building project--north facing windows..here we come!

I hope that people finding this site will find inspiration, hope, ideas and enthusiasm for their own passions and visions.  Whether it be how to plant your garlic or how to be a better husband, I hope my posts can make a difference.

Emilie and Matis....

Some of the potential themes or questions I hope to explore on this journey include:
- How can we powerfully co-create our visions with the people we love to be with?
- How can I best father my children and love my partner in a wholesome and nourishing way?
- How can make a living and live in complete harmony and connection with Mother Earth?
- How can I deeply relax into myself and my sense and being?
- How can I own my masculinty to its fullest?
..............and I'm sure many more!!

Matis and our very pregnant goat Bella

So that's me for now!

See you on this BLOG or out in the paddocks at PEACE Farm!