If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds of long distance run
Yours is the earth
and everything in it.  Rudyard Kipling

A few weeks ago we parked a vintage caravan on a stretch of wild west Australian Coast and declared it home.  It is station land with sweeping views of the Indian Ocean.  Fringed by craggy red sandstone ranges.  We pay a nominal fee to the station owners to camp here, living like wild gypsies with merchant banker views. There is nothing provided. We are off grid; Harnessing the sun for power, pumping our own water from a well dug beneath the sand dunes and living to the rhythm of the light and the tides.

Our brightly painted caravan sits alongside a canvas tent we have erected as my painting studio. Roughly constructed tables from reclaimed timbers provide an outdoor kitchen. The end result looks rather charmingly like the love shack of Frieda Kahlo and Robinson Crusoe.

We have experienced some unforgiving minutes over the last few weeks. Battling flies and epic winds, things breaking down and losing internet connection which we rely on to run our business. I once read that a happy person is one who enjoys the scenery on a detour. I held on to that as we dealt with the forces of nature and made long distance dashes to town to try to solve our internet problems.  After replacing nearly all of the components that allow us to get internet on a remote beach it turned out to be a tiny patch cable. I like to think we managed 60 seconds long distance run over the last fortnight. We fixed what we could and accepted what we could not. When the flies were at their zenith I zipped myself up in my studio and painted to the sound of the surf roaring in and rolling out. In the pockets of good weather Rock ducked out in his dinghy returning with ocean bounty. Cooking with fish so fresh is entirely optional. We have enjoyed sashimi and ceviche with our feet planted in the sand.

People always ask me if I get bored when I tell them about my lifestyle. I honestly answer no, but I am always perplexed by the question. How do you get bored when there is so much to do? Living off grid allows us to live a life that we want. In the mornings I drink tea and watch the black sheet of morning give way to a series of lurid neon colour. Later I lace up and run with my shadow and the bounding roos. I finally have time to fit in all things that make my life a good one. Running, painting, stretching. I chat with Rock about everything and nothing at all. Our conversation is a shadow boxer, ducking and weaving, making giant shapes, resting and pausing before jabbing the silence with an uppercut of words.

I once read that a happy person is one who enjoys the scenery on a detour.

As I write this a cyclone is forming out to sea. We will need to conserve our power over the next few days and prepare for rain and wind. I am enjoying watching the drama of the sky and I am reminded that when we choose to live in nature we accept the natural, the unpredictable, the wild. Whenever we can we fill the unforgiving minutes with 60 seconds of long distance run. When we are tested and tired and grinning anyway, ours is the world and everything in it.

With the drama of the sky and rain imminent I wanted a recipe that smacked of comfort food. Something warm and delicious. This is such a wonderful combination. Earthy cumin, light sweet apple and fiery chili. We ate them with lashings of chai tea.

 

Pumpkin and Apple Fritters

=R1=