The Transition

16 July

THE MOVE

Hello, thank you for stopping by to read my very first ever blog.. (Well, technically my second, my first draft ended up in cyber space somewhere.. It had a technical human error… LOL).

In all seriousness I am really excited to be sharing my story with you and at the same time a little emotional. You see this space I have been working towards creating has come from so many big life changes in the past few years and is not just about growing lavenders alone but also growth within myself to create and follow a dream I have held for longer than I can remember exactly now.

I am going to share my story warts and all. Why? Because that's being real, open and honest which is what you will find in all that I do, this space that I have created has not been full of fluff and rainbows, there has been no magic wand, fairies or unicorns involved. In fact, it has been created with lots of hard work physically, mentally and emotionally. There have been times of great joy and times of grief and overwhelming sadness. There has also been lots of learning and growth along the way.

So where do I start?

THE BEGINNING

Being a country girl who was raised on a farm with 3 brothers, I grew up with a love of the land and animals (Except frogs and snakes.. I still do not like them). When I married another boy from the bush and I started to gather all manner of creatures in our back yard in town and we started our family, one of my dreams was to raise our children on the land in wide open spaces with lots of pets and fresh air around them. So we sold our first home after baby # 3 and purchased a 288 acre block of land 20km from town where we both worked in the health industry.

I had been dreaming about the animals I would have and what we would grow on the farm for a long time. I started to collect animals (pets for the kids of course…LOL) and started planting lavender which I would grow, harvest, process, create products and sell at local markets and farm open days. All while working 2 jobs and raising 4 children. (You know …in all my spare time..). Our main income was off farm work in the health industry but over the years the lavender side of things would grow and evolve, change direction but it would remain something I always came back to and could see a lot of potential in what I wanted to create.

Sadly, others did not see the same and I let go of a lot of what I had hoped and dreamed of creating to do the jobs I thought I was meant to do to keep people happy, ( I am now a reformed people pleaser for 98% of the time) and that was, I thought okay for much of the time.. Until it wasn’t. (more around this on another blog perhaps)

THE FARM

The children all grew up and their lives had taken them into different towns around NSW except for one, where they are living and creating their own families and lives. We were still working 6 days a week off farm and trying to run it as well as keeping up with aging parents, and new grandchildren coming along.

So, 2 years ago we decided to put the farm on the market and move into town.

THE PROGRESS

Here is where the first major transition would arrive.

Becoming townies, we moved into a lovely quiet street occupied with mainly retired farmers. ( lol, more around this later). We sold all our animals or they went to live with family and friends on their farms where I am certain they are well loved but maybe not chatted to quiet as often as I did. I have been able to visit them and often my brother will send me photos or videos of Karl ( the alpaca) still leading our old mob of sheep from one paddock to another or bringing them into the water and back out to feed for the day. (Karl is so cool).

Sadly though, we had one tragic loss while in the moving process. We lost our beautiful Ichabod. My farm companion and mate (Actually my husband's dog. A gift one fathers day from me to him). Always by my side and who gave me endless love and joy, we just spent so much time together when I was home on the farm. He had an accident on the farm and did not survive just before we moved. My heart is still so broken from this. I now just have the birds that come to the garden for a feed to chat to. Not one pet.

Ichabod, always by my side in the lavender field. xo

So moving on, we set about our move to town, set up our new home and rented the farm until it sold last year.

I set about creating the space I work in today and planting as many lavenders in as many spaces that I could find in the new but really well established garden. Re designing and re establishing Gemini park lavender in the next big transition for our business and life.

Lavender angustifolia planted into the town garden.

LEARNING AGAIN

The neighbourhood kangaroos on the front lawn in town.

When we moved to town I was quite excited to think I might be able to grow different lavenders. The soil was so nice compared to the clay and sandstone I battled with on the farm each year, but I had found a way to grow them and they had a way of communicating their needs to me over the 30 years of growing lavender. So here I was starting over again. The move to town , while was at the right time for us and on the outside I may have looked like I was coping well with the transition, internally I had a lot of grief and emotion to deal with. Again I will be honest and say I was not in a great head space. Adjustment can be hard and lengthy. I had heard this from many of our rural families over the years in my clinical work.

So much had changed, the soil, the horrible town water, growing in an enclosed environment as opposed to an open paddock, the space I had to grow plants in and the varieties I had access to now on a different scale. Growing against a brick wall, a metal fence or did I leave some in pots knowing all too well that they do not thrive in pots and they like to have their roots deep in the ground. I had transplanted some lavenders from the farm and hoped they would live and they don’t all like to be transplanted. Even navigating the local residential kangaroo population that live next door and are often found eating on the front lawn, lolling around in the shade of a tree or drinking from a neighbours fountain.

To be honest the kangaroos were a menace on the farm and they can be a menace here as well as they have no problem hopping through the garden where a new lavender plant is trying to establish and crushing it, or knocking over the guard I have around one and bending it out of shape.

While all this was happening I was also creating something different, classes and a home based working space to align with my interest and qualifications in wellbeing.

I had done a lot of personal growth in the past many years (especially when the children had left home as many of us do) and now I was more driven to find my purpose again and revisit my long held dreams of creating the life I now know I was meant to live, but hadn't allowed myself to do so. Thanks to a personal coach Louise Walker and a couple of business support coaches Ellen Howland and Taylah Hudson. These amazing women helped me find my way back to my dream and helped me get to this point today with business and personal coaching aligned with my needs and dreams.

One of the beautiful workshop attendees enjoying the space.

I now not only continue to educate people about all things lavender but I have opened a workshop space where I host creative workshops and monthly art journal days along with a second space where I hold monthly meditations, weekly chair yoga (during the school term), women’s circles and myofascial release and yin yoga classes. Taking private clients for wellbeing or creativity by appointment.

Once a week now I work for my husband in his chiropractic clinic as his receptionist/ Remedial massage / EFT/ Reiki therapist.

I am finally living my life the way it brings me joy and assisting others to find their joy. I love what I do and where I live.

Thank you for being a part of our story. If I can help you in anyway, please connect with me here.

Michelle Riordan