Gillian Swinton’s Bedside Table

Tell us a bit about yourself. I live in a 100-year-old house that used to be the Doctor’s House. The locals still refer to it as such and quite fondly tell me the antics that have happened here before our ownership.

It’s me and my partner here, as well as our menagerie of animals and a chaotic garden. I wear many hats, working a couple part-time jobs in marketing as well as running our property as a B&B. My favourite time of the day is in the evening when I take the dogs for a walk down the rail trail – it’s part of my routine to switch off from the day.

On my bedside table now is…

My dog whistle. This one is from a local workshop up the road in Ranfurly. It’s made from an old spoon that has been hammered down. I have two 'handy’ dogs on the farm, sisters from the same litter. It’s been a tumultuous year for both of my dogs with their health and I am just happy to still have a reason to wear the whistle. Listening is optional.

Library books. I go through phases of ordering nothing from the library and then getting out a pile of books. I quite enjoy non-fiction, short stories and recipe books, as I don’t have to worry too much about plot.

A mystery pile of seeds from emptying pockets before bed. I often think I will have the superpower to remember what they are, but inevitably I forget and they get sprinkled out in the garden to add to the chaos.

My grandmother’s ring. My grandmother lived in Benbecula, an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland where I spent my summers growing up. I fondly remember her making scones and the mix getting stuck in the flower pattern engraved on this ring. She gave it to me before she passed and told me to melt it down to be made into something I would wear, but I look at the faded pattern and think it would be wrong to do anything but keep it as it is.

This photo was the last time all my family were home together in Scotland, almost nine years ago. In that time, my dad has retired, my brother has married and had two children, and I bought my farm here in New Zealand. I like to have this photo close by, I know my family are far away, but they are never too far from my mind.

My partner is a former commercial beekeeper and now we only have his ‘hobby’ hives out the back. He made this beeswax blend and it’s my everything balm. From dry lips to dry hands, it seems to fix it all. I love it more because it’s our own bees’ product.