There is the land.

The land around Silver Wattle feels so old that it is almost timeless. There is the lakebed, a flat area, (when the water recedes), which covers more than a hundred square Kilometres. It wasn’t always flat. It was once a ‘normal’ valley which filled up as silt washed down from the hillsides. Weereewa (Lake George) is an endorheic lake, i.e. it has no outflow into rivers or oceans. Drilling studies have shown that the sediment is up to 250 meters thick.

The scarp is old too. Certainly, it slowly erodes, but in a different timescale to the one of my existence.

 The climate, the weather and the seasons.

When I am at Silver Wattle, I am aware of the weather. Was the sky clear at sunrise? Were there clouds? Was there mist or fog and how long did it take to clear? Is it windy? What direction does the wind come from. Is it a good day for the washing to dry. Maybe it’s too windy to hang sheets on the clothes lines. The seasons influence how one plans one’s day. In the winter, the best time to be outside is the middle of the day. In the summer, the middle of the day is siesta time.

 The rhythm of the day.

The day at Silver Wattle follows a defined rhythm. There is a Meeting

for Worship after breakfast from 8:45 to 9:30. The exception is on Sunday when M f W is held for an hour from 11am. I like Sunday to be differentiated from the other days. Each day ends with an epilogue, often led by an elder, which lasts for about 30 minutes.

 The community.

Silver Wattle has resident directors who live on-site. There may be others

who are there for some weeks or months. Others come for a course, an event, or just for a day or two. But those who are there form a community. The community takes meals together and shares the chores. If there is an event on, then a cook is employed, but even then, tables need to be set and cleared, and dishes need to be washed.

 The simplicity.

These days, some Friends see the testimony to simplicity as requiring them to

declutter their homes. They should restrict and reduce the quantity of their possessions. Friends in the past saw simplicity as requiring them to declutter their minds and their lifestyle. While I am at Silver Wattle it seems much easier to declutter my ways and to follow the advice given by early Friends.

 ‘It is our tender and Christian advice that Friends take care to keep to truth and plainness, in language, habit, deportment, and behaviour; that the simplicity of truth in these things may not wear out or be lost in our days, nor in those of posterity; and to avoid pride and immodesty in apparel, and all vain superfluous fashions of the world.’ – Printed Epistle London YM 1691. 17

 Feeling useful.

When I am at Silver Wattle I try to make myself useful. There is always plenty to do. The jobs rather depend on the season and the community. In the summer, there may be watering to do. In the winter there may be firewood to collect or split and fires to attend to.

Sometimes I get up early and cook porridge for breakfast. At other times I get the bread maker going. Or I might help with the dishes or hang out the washing, feed the chickens or take the kitchen scraps to the compost or worm farm. The vegetable tunnels and the fruit trees may need attention. Perhaps I’ll be needed to drive to the airport or railway station and collect or drop off guests.

 My home is still in Melbourne, but frequent stays at Silver Wattle enable me to lead what I regard as a more ‘balanced’ lifestyle and consequently a fuller life.