Wintering Well

Life lately: chickens, books, and beach mornings

My son Jesse recently spent three weeks with his dad and that side of the family, travelling between Johannesburg, Hoedspruit, Kruger, and Marloth Park, where his grandparents live. He had such a wonderful time. They took him fishing many times, even though none of them are actually into fishing themselves, which I thought was such a loving thing to do for him. They even took him fishing shopping. He came back very happy, although slightly traumatised by Johannesburg winter. He has become such a coastal child that he completely froze in the Highveld cold and was not prepared for those icy mornings and nights.

I missed him terribly while he was away, and while he was gone we also completely lost our routine with the chickens. Jesse is the one most invested in them, and somehow his absence affected all of us. By the time he got home, we were having to do an Easter egg hunt in the garden every day, which feels especially appropriate since many of our chickens are Easter Eggers. We wandered around the property hunting for hidden eggs because the hens had stopped reliably laying in their nesting boxes. At one point we were lucky if we found two eggs a day.

Yesterday we decided to keep them locked in their coop to encourage them to lay where they’re meant to. They were deeply offended. I swear they cried all day long, despite having everything they could possibly need: laying mash, water, greens, and kitchen scraps. While they were locked in there, and in broad daylight with all of us home, a mongoose tried its luck and attempted to get into the coop. This is not encouraging news because mongooses are crafty little creatures, determined, clever, and difficult to deter once they’ve identified a food source. It also made me wonder whether that might explain our disappearing eggs. Perhaps we haven’t just been dealing with rebellious hens but with a hungry predator as well.

Today the chickens are back to free ranging, and thankfully the layers are using the egg boxes again. We have two roosters, and they do a surprisingly good job of protecting the flock. I’ve watched them sound the alarm when birds of prey fly overhead, and within seconds every hen disappears into dense bush. They seem excellent at their jobs. Hopefully they’ll be enough to deter the mongoose too, unless yesterday was its first visit and it now plans to return…

Lately I also watched the Off Campus series on Amazon Prime, and judging by the internet, I know I’m far from alone in loving it. It was unexpectedly refreshing: a great soundtrack, genuinely lovable characters, and yes, Garrett was very much a standout. Naturally, after finishing the series, I decided to read the books by Elle Kennedy that inspired it.

I really enjoyed the first book, The Deal, even though it differed quite a bit from the show. Hannah and Garrett were fun, charming, and easy to root for. I did not enjoy book two, The Mistake, nearly as much. Logan and Grace’s story simply didn’t land for me. I think I may just be too old for that kind of book now. While The Deal felt young but still fun, The Mistake felt very clearly written for teenagers, and I don’t think I’ll bother reading the rest of the series.

That actually reminded me of something from years ago. The first time I separated from my husband in 2019, I developed a self-soothing ritual. Every night for nearly three months, I watched the oddly funny movie Warm Bodies on repeat. At the time, I told myself it was comforting, but in hindsight I think I was mostly dissociating. I wasn’t processing much at all. I was numbing. Can you relate?

You may also have noticed that I’m producing more content lately, both on social media and here on Substack. I used to blog back in 2010 and absolutely loved it. If I’m honest, I’ve missed this kind of writing deeply. Long-form writing feels like home to me in a way that social media never quite has. That said, social media has become its own kind of shadow work for me. The more I show up online, the more I realise this is also a journey of self-actualisation, learning to share more of my true self without hiding behind perfectionism. The eventual goal is to start doing talking videos on Instagram, but I’m not there yet. Baby steps.

The sea and beach have been unbelievably beautiful lately, although we haven’t spent as much time there as I would like because fuel prices keep climbing. Living by the coast remains one of life’s great gifts. Tomorrow, or rather today by the time this lands in your inbox, Jesse is going into work and I’m planning to take the girls to spend the morning at the beach. I think it may be school holidays, or perhaps that only starts next week, so it could be busy, but that’s okay.

This really is one of the most magical times of year to live by the ocean. The mornings and evenings are chilly now, but the days are still beautiful, and the sea remains warm enough to swim in comfortably. The sardines haven’t arrived just yet, but my fishing-obsessed son is waiting very impatiently.

In case you missed it, I’m also running a contemplative reading of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way here on Substack:

Leap, and the Net Will Appear

I hope you will join me.

Have a wonderful weekend.

With love,