Chilli Choices: A Fresh Start

7:00 am and the sun was reflecting off the water. My hair was slightly wet and chilli! as I sat slowly rising and falling on my surfboard in the warm waves of the clear blue waters at Manly Beach, Australia.

I was in paradise on the other side of the globe to rest, reset and re-energise.

“I could do this,” I thought.

“I could live here in Manly. Surf in the morning. Get the half-hour ferry into Sydney and after a day’s work in the city, come home and surf until sunset.”

I was on a long holiday with friends in Oz.

They were all asleep in the hostel after a big night out. I had been out last night too, but I had caught the bug. I tend to get highly enthused!… and surfing had entered my soul.

It began at Bondi. I rented a board. I bought a wetsuit the same day and taught myself to surf. I was first up on the surfboard out of our travel group and was building on that. We had moved to Manly and were staying on the beach. How could I pass up the opportunity to walk out of the front door onto the beach and surf for the weeks we would spend there!

As I sat in the ocean, ahead of me on the distant shore lay the white beach, the coast road, the hostel; lay Australians, British and a dormant future in a vibrant and welcoming land. Ahead lay Australia and everything it had to offer.

Behind me was the vast expanse of ocean and thousands and thousands of miles, half the globe away, lay my home, my family and friends, but also lay a dormant future in the soul and soil of that sceptred isle. Behind lay Great Britain and a very unconventional future.

This was a fork in the road. A new life was opening here in Oz. A real fresh start of uncharted opportunity…

7:00 am… Since that epiphany at Manly, I came to love the early morning sun.

As I stood, my hair was dry and warm. The sun glanced my face from the southeast, reflecting in the dew on the chilli leaves. In my polytunnel, the dew on the teardrop-shaped leaves shone like diamonds—humid, pregnant with life and potential.

I had returned home to the UK cleansed, regenerated and keen, and more importantly, I still had my crazy northern English hobby of growing chillies.

There is a simple, calming and affectionate beauty in growing. It soothes my soul.

Something was moving in my life. A seed was being sown. I loved chillies and in passion lies power…

There was calm, warm, oxygenated, sun-drenched treasure here—I just couldn’t see it yet…

and I was about to give everything to try to keep it!

 

Q. How far can you get on a handful of chilli seeds ‘n’ dirt?

 

READ ON… Part 2: Polytunnel Chilli Passion

 

• Part 1: Chilli Beginnings

• Part 2: Polytunnel Chilli Passion

• Part 3: Chilli Leap of Faith

• Part 4: The Foodie Community

• Part 5: The Rock Star ChilliMan

• Part 6: ChilliMan Press and Media

• Part 7: The BIG Chilli Greenhouse

• Part 8: Chilli Growing Instructions

• Part 9: 999 Emergency Ambulances

 

Part 1: Chilli Beginnings

Part 2: Polytunnel Chilli Passion

Part 3: Chilli Leap of Faith

Part 4: The Foodie Community

Part 5: The Rock Star ChilliMan

Part 6: ChilliMan Press and Media

Part 7: The BIG Chilli Greenhouse

Part 8: Chilli Growing Instructions

Part 9: 999 Emergency Ambulances

 

For my Kids’ Gardening Pages CLICK HERE

For more information on Gardeners World CLICK HERE

Who is RK Alker Children’s Author?

R.K. Alker Best-Selling Children’s Author was born in the UK, but he was MADE IN LANCASHIRE!

He is famous as the TV & Radio ChilliMan aficionado and a champion of local producers or “Food Evangelist!”

R.K. Alker has a career spanning more than 3 decades of university lecturing, content writing, UK 999 emergency ambulances, media and entertainment as the colourful TV ChilliMan which contributed to this hilarious children’s adventure book written for his kids.

Read RK Alker Funny Kids’ Author’s amazing story in the PRESS SECTION CLICK HERE

RK Alker is an author of funny children’s books from Chorley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, Earth!

His little girls think RK Alker is the Best Funny Kids Author in the World.

Find RK Alker Children’s Author Events, Book Readings, Children’s Bedtime Stories, Kids’ Storytelling, School Author Visits, Children’s Book Signings and more on Eventbrite.

R.K. Alker is also The Chilli man from Little Green Men, a master of The Ancient Lancastrian Art of Ecky Thump! and can be found on Instagram, Blogger.com & Yell