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Country Life Experiment

Simple Country Living

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  • On living through drought…

    On living through drought…
  • The News In Brief

    The News In Brief
  • 18 Summers

    18 Summers
  • Twelve Months Later

    Twelve Months Later
  • Lately | June 2018

    Lately | June 2018

On living through drought…

March 30, 2019 2 Comments

Most years around this time, I would be writing about our harvest; about how the weather has turned and we can feel Autumn is on its way. Except that this year the weather hasn’t really turned. It’s still warm during the day, and although the nights are a little cooler, it still hasn’t rained much…

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Recent Posts

The News In Brief

March 2, 2019 Leave a Comment

We're back in the thick of school and work after the summer break. In some ways it seems as though we never stopped, but despite the busyness of the start of the year we are feeling refreshed. Over ...

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18 Summers

January 24, 2019 3 Comments

*steps up to the microphone tap tap tap... is this thing on??? Hello! Long time no blog. I've thought of at least a dozen things to blog about over the last however long, but ...

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Twelve Months Later

July 8, 2018 3 Comments

It's been 12 months since we moved back to our freshly renovated farmhouse. Boy does time fly! Not a day goes by where I don't feel so lucky to live in a beautiful light-filled house. It feels both ...

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Lately | June 2018

June 5, 2018 1 Comment

Loving: Cooler days - at last. We have the fire going day and night now, and although it produces a lot of dust, you cannot beat it for a beautiful warm house! Watching:  The Crown, and all the ...

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London Calling…

May 21, 2018 6 Comments

Not long after we were married, C and I took a year off work and backpacked our way around Europe. I taught in London, while C picked up temporary office work where ever he could. Most weekends and ...

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Autumn Glory

May 13, 2018 2 Comments

At long last, it is cold here! The fire is going 24/7 and the farmhouse is cosy warm. Outside, the trees have suddenly turned colourful and are scattering their leaves. On Friday it was snowing (!!) ...

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Also on the blog

Fig And Date Pudding With Butterscotch Sauce

At last, it is starting to feel a little like Autumn. The mornings are cold and the days are not so hot. It’s been a crazy Autumn so far. Hot and dry. Around these parts, most people light their fires by ANZAC day (April 25) or even earlier. This year we still have not lit…

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A Hexagon Rug and My Trick For Blocking Crochet Hexagons

You guys! It’s almost finished! I began this hexagon rug almost as soon as we moved back to our farmhouse last July, and throughout the winter and spring, I knocked out a couple of hexagons whenever I had the chance. Last year I entered a striped afghan blanket in the local show and the year…

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Good Things

ONE I picked up these gorgeous tile trivets when I was in Sydney last week with Hannah. We went to see Ed Sheeran concert last week  (we gave her the tickets for her birthday in December) and took the opportunity to spend a few hours wandering the city and exploring all the things we can’t…

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Pickled Cucumbers

Well, the seasons have officially changed! The sun is coming up later each day, and although it isn’t cold yet, there is a chill in the air in the morning and evening. In the garden, the vegetables are ripening quickly and although not all our crops were a success, we have more than enough fruit…

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Late Summer Harvest

Oh my goodness! All of a sudden we have been inundated with fruit from the orchard and vegetables from the garden. While it hasn’t been a great year for everything (I’m looking at you cucumbers and cherry tomatoes!!), we are inundated with fruit and vegetables needing to be eaten or else processed and stored for…

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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Autumn has well and truly arrived. The mornings ar Autumn has well and truly arrived. The mornings are chilly and the grape vine has turned deep red. I lit the fire yesterday and the house immediately felt cosy and ready for the coming cold weather. When we renovated our house, we deliberately designed it to catch all the winter sun. The grapevine sheds it leaves each winter to let the light and warmth in. Yet another thing I love about our home.
With the weather being wild outside, we’re stayi With the weather being wild outside, we’re staying in today.  Reading, playing games and baking are on the cards. Between the changing season and the approach of Easter I’m all about making breads. Today it is hot cross buns using @jamieoliver recipe with sultanas and little cubes of green apple.They’re going down pretty well.
Over the summer Toby and I sorted out his bedroom. Over the summer Toby and I sorted out his bedroom. The bookcase was always a disaster, and he could never find what he wanted. Since we got him a new shelf and storage cubes, his bedroom is just sooooo much better. He has enough space and knows where everything goes. It has removed a point of conflict and has confirmed to me that kids really need structure in their space. Everything needs a defined place to be put. He is doing his best to keep it tidy and while he is still a 10 year old boy, I can see that he loves having a nice space to hang out in and is proud that he can look after it by himself.
Summer holidays seem a million years ago already. Summer holidays seem a million years ago already. It’s all systems go here as we try to get our rhythm going. School and work are busy, community events are coming back, and our harvest is in full swing. It’s a lot to manage. No matter how busy we are, I’ve been prioritising my evening walk. Sometimes C or the kids come with me and we talk and make plans, and sometimes I go alone, with a podcast for company. Either way, the golden hour is always breathtakingly beautiful and I snap way too many pics. None of them ever fully capture the magic, but I can’t help myself. I mean look!!! 😍
The kids have been wanting to build a raft for the The kids have been wanting to build a raft for the dam for a while. They collected some old barrels and pallets, and got some rope to lash it all together. This morning they put it together and floated it out into the middle of the dam. Plenty of magical days to be had playing on the dam ahead of us!
The orchard doesn’t stop. We’re getting basket The orchard doesn’t stop. We’re getting baskets and baskets of fruit each day and I’m running out of things to do with it all. I’ve taken quite a few to work to give away. I’ve made jams and pastes and chutney. I’ve cooked and frozen apricots and nectarines for fruit crumble this winter and dehydrated plums and apples for lunch boxes. The pantry and freezer are filling up.

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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