Bountiful harvests and a thanksgiving.

I wish I could say that this picture represents our own bounty from our property, but sadly it doesn't. The walnuts are from a young farmer (and upcoming politician) who has a roadside stall, and the eggs are gifted from our very generous neighbour on the farm behind us.

It is one of the many blessings of living where we do, plenty of REAL food and delightful neighbours who share. The only thing I can do in return is provide kitchen scraps for the chickens, or occasional baking.

The harvest got me to thinking of other things though. Those who work the land toil for long hours and are at the mercy of the weather (or lack of it), blights of various kinds, rabbits, hungry pheasants, you name it, the work can go in a blink of an eye. Thankfully these days, few starve due to crop failure. It made me reflect on friendships and relationships. Some are worked on for years, some are easy "crops" and just grow and grow, regardless. Others are a bit more tricky and you really have to keep investing with nutrients and be careful that briars and weeds don't grow through or around them. We have been fortunate that our friendships in this region have grown as sturdy crops and we are seeing the benefit of that in our lives. And we are very, very thankful.