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Taking Stock: January 2015

Well January went in a blur of relaxation and fun, and now we are back (hopefully a little refreshed) to face the year. Here is some of the small things that have been on my mind in January:

Making: a couple of backgrounds for food photography.
Cooking: all kinds of fresh produce from the garden.
Drinking: some cool summer drinks.
Reading: The woman who stole my life, It started with Paris, and Leaving Time.
Wanting: longer holidays
Looking: good…. in the photos my sister took for my profile and about pages. (If I do say so myself)
Playing: board games with the kids.
Deciding: what competitions I should enter into at the local agricultural show next month.
Wishing: for more rain – I’m becoming more of a farmers wife all the time!

Enjoying: these summer holidays. This year has been the first since we moved here, that I haven’t had major homesickness for the mountains.
Waiting: for builders.
Liking: the way our play room is organised now. I went in the other day, and the kids were picking up one toy so there was room for another…. without being told to! I did an internal fist pump of happiness!
Wondering: if the mulberry tree is going to get more fruit. It’s not looking hopeful.

Loving: lots of time spent with my family.
Pondering: the next step with this blog. I know what needs to be done, it’s just doing it…
Considering: having a go at hatching our own chickens this year.
Watching: The Newsroom – series 2. 
Hoping: to have a go at making cheese this year.
Marvelling: at how well Hannah is swimming these days. This year she has really just got it together.

Needing: a better system for handling bills etc. 
Smelling: rain on the land. We’ve had quite a few showers this summer.
Wearing: thongs, shorts and tshirts,
Noticing: that I ironed a label on the outside of one of Hannah’s school uniforms. Ooops!
Knowing: there is no way to remove that silly label. Time for a new uniform.
Thinking: about lesson plans and lesson ideas. Summer is always my time to come up with new ideas.

Admiring: Meg’s creativity with Lego. She is creating all sorts of dinosaurs.
Sorting: DVDs, bookshelves,filing cabinets – it’s holidays, and so I always love a good sorting project.
Buying: new single bed sheets for the kids. New farm boots for me.
Getting: organised for school. 
Bookmarking: all kinds of photography tutorials. This summer has been all about improving my photography. Every afternoon while the kids do read and relax (my name for rest time), I read tutorials, and watched you tube clips. It’s my new holiday ritual.
Disliking: Spiders.
Opening: A lovely surprise parcel from a reader. People blow me away with their generosity.
Giggling: At the movie trailers Hannah is making using imovie on her ipod. So funny.
Feeling: happy when I think back over our wonderful summer break. It really was almost perfect.
Snacking:On the choc mint weetbix slice that the kids keep making. Oh, and peaches.
Coveting: A full frame camera, and a macro lens.
Helping: The girls label all their back to school gear.

I’m taking stock with Pip

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Previous Post: « Keeping It Simple | A Space Saving Way To Store DVDs
Next Post: What’s Been Growing In The Garden In January? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tash @ Little Bit of Thyme says

    February 3, 2015 at 10:06 am

    Hi Jo.. Love your photos! Aren't mulberry trees just fun for kids? x

    Reply
  2. Jo@Countrylifeexperiment says

    January 30, 2015 at 3:12 am

    I know! I saw that photo and wondered where my little chap has gone!

    Reply
  3. Jo@Countrylifeexperiment says

    January 30, 2015 at 12:27 am

    I put the label on the outside on her back instead of the inside. Tried to convince her it was cool… she didn't fall for it 🙂

    I teach in the town near by, and the kids go to the village school. They will come to my school for high school.

    Reply
  4. liz @ Strayed Table says

    January 29, 2015 at 11:26 pm

    Your new photos are awesome. It must be the year for new photos. I too updated mine, finally.

    Reply
  5. Erin aussiebookthreads says

    January 29, 2015 at 10:27 pm

    Not sure where you ironed the label onto..but could you put some sort of funky label over it? btw do you teach at the same school as the children?

    Reply
  6. Pip Southwell says

    January 29, 2015 at 10:26 pm

    Toby looks so grown up- a sign of things to come.

    Reply
  7. Erin aussiebookthreads says

    January 29, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    and I'm now wondering your next step with your blog, looking foward to seeing, when you work it out:) Hope you go better than me, I went to add a commenting system last night and somehow have turned of any comments:(

    Reply
  8. Jan says

    January 29, 2015 at 10:16 pm

    All that sounds really positive, Jo. Lovely to see the family growing up. Enjoy them. It doesn't take long.

    Reply

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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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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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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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