Recently Raw Pleasure (i.e. Jennie and Bill) went away for a weekend. Our relationship was in need of some TLC and so our beautiful friend Miss Bliss who we met through the Raw Pleasure forums came and looked after our house, children, and animals while we were gone. Thanks Blissy! This meant we could travel without worrying what the children were being fed, without worrying about them at all period really. A great load off!

So we packed up our car and headed off to the lovely Sunshine Coast. I have to tell you, every single time we've been to the Sunshine Coast, it's rained. I do believe it should be called the Rainy Coast! Friends who live there assure me that it is indeed sunny a lot of the time but we're yet to see that!

Because relationships need nurturing I felt it was important to have some quiet around us and also that our accommodation be cosy so we wouldn't be apart. We found our perfect, cosy, hideaway out the back of Maleny on a little farm called Spicy Oasis. We were greeted by a lovely lady called Irena who is the resident massage therapist also. Spicy Oasis has three self contained cabins side by side around the lake. Before we booked we asked Irena about the space and she assured us of a peaceful stay. The walls of the cabins are 25cm thick solid concrete and the cabins are not as close together as they appear on the Spicy Oasis site. Also the site's photos are a little dated and there is a lot more vegetation around the cabins these days.

The cabins themselves were beautiful! Open plan, cosy, with real wooden floors, fireplaces (loads of firewood), a big spa and looking out onto a lake... what more could we ask for? How about a bowl of fruit on arrival? And there was home made chocolates as well for the non rawbie! The kitchen was stocked with several herbal teas as well as ample breakfast foods for those who eat non raw. Well, as a bonus Irena has thrown herb seeds around the lake at the front of the cabins. So we at dinner time we just walked out of the front door and picked several herbs to enhance our meals. There was a great variety of weeds also to enhance our smoothies! Irena is a big fan of allowing weeds to strengthen the soil. Clever lady.

Bill and I had a great time away. We went to the Eumundi markets. We've been wanting to visit them for a long long time and were not disappointed. They are amazing! So many different stalls. We bought some lovely gifts for ourselves and our friends as well as stocking up on some fresh produce for our little fridge.
We also visited Shipard's Herb Farm. We bought Isabell Shipard's book a few months back and was so impressed I bought all of her other books and DVD's as well! So it was great to meet Isabell. She is warm, friendly, humble (yet strong!), welcoming, and incredibly passionate about herbs. She has a great love of herbs and their qualities and it's easy to see this when she speaks of them and touches them. Isabell is exactly as I thought she would be and so we walked away with boxes of her product and now have them in store! Click HERE to read up on Isabell's products if you wish!

We're going to return to Shipard's Herb Farm in Spring/Summer and hopefully will shoot some youtube footage for you. This time of year many of the herbs are dormant or have dropped their leaves altogether so the visuals weren't as green and gorgeous as they will be in summer. It was strange being around so many plants at this time of year. I just about wanted to tiptoe around them so I didn't disturb their 'sleep'!

We drove around and took in some sights, laughed a lot and reconnected. Bill and I have had some big lessons this year. From my point of view, when in a long term relationship, it's important to view the relationship as a separate entity. I've come look at ours as a plant. If we don't feed it and water it, it will die. But if we feed it and water it, the relationship plant will survive. We can take that one step further and actively love our relationship, nurture it, talk to it, and welcome it, the relationship/plant will grow and thrive. We've decided we must do this more often. Our relationship plant already is already looking healthier!

Our weekend was such a great experience and, as always, it's wonderful to share this with you. Perhaps you have some relationship wisdom to share of your own? Tips that can help others... if so please feel free to post your comments HERE on the forum where your ideas and suggestions will be ready by many.

With love and hope,

Jennie and Bill...

The photo of the herb in the recycled polystyrene containers is called "Herb Robert". We invite you to google this wonderful plant!