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Country Life Experiment

Simple Country Living

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Does Country Life Get Easier?

A few weeks back, I was looking at my blog stats, and somebody had googled “does country life get easier” and found their way to my blog. My heart immediately sank. Not because I didn’t want to answer the question, but because I knew what this person was probably feeling. Because I have been there too.

Does Country Life Get Easier

It’s been almost four years since we moved back to the farm. The first few months of our move were full of excitement and new things, but after that began to subside, I found myself living in a place that was very different from anything I knew, feeling homesick for our old life, with few supports, and in the middle of a steep learning curve. It was hard. If it were really an option, I would have happily packed up my home and moved back to the mountains to resume my old life.

So does country life get easier? Thankfully, the answer is yes! But this comes with an explanation.

Country life doesn’t become easier because it changes…

but because you change and adapt to your new life.

The loneliness will get better as you meet more people, and develop friendships

Making friends takes time and effort. For us it took about 12 months before we really made any friends, and another few months after that before we felt settled with those friends. Everything is easier when you have a friend!

You will develop the skills you need through practice

Learning to handle stock, and deal with produce from the garden takes time and practice, but it does become easier. Earlier this year I managed to put the sheep in the shed all by myself. Something I could never have done four years ago. I have more confidence because I’ve done it lots of time with CB. It was nerve wracking but I did it!!Having a go at new things, and being prepared to make mistakes will help you develop the skills you need.

Does Country Life Get Easier-3

You will get better at planning

The distance you need to travel for business or work stays the same, but you will become better at anticipating what you need. I have become better at organising myself so that when I’m in town I do all the shopping at once. I also do a lot of our shopping on line. We have adapted to longer drives to town, and now I quite enjoy the time as it gives us a chance to chat uninterrupted by the other demands of life on the farm.

You will get used to the idea that a farm is a seven day a week job

We live where we work, so we only truly get a break when we go away for a weekend or holiday. CB works from sun up to sun down all year round, and in summer this is often very late. However, working for himself also gives him the flexibility to go to the kids school for their assemblies and sports days, and to be a parent helper when needed. Something that my job definitely doesn’t allow for. During school holidays, we can easily go for a family day out, as he doesn’t have an employer to keep happy.

Does Country Life Get Easier-2

Country living is hard. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. There is so much more I could say about this. But I want to encourage who ever found my blog by asking that question (and anyone else in the same situation), to keep on going. New things are always hard. You will find your groove. You will adapt to your new life, and it will get easier!

Have you ever made a big change and then wondered if it would ever get easier?

p.s. If you’re that person, or if you find yourself in the same situation, shoot me an email via my contact page. I’d be only too happy to chat a bit more specifically or to provide some support.

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Comments

  1. Sonia Life Love Hiccups says

    October 18, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    I love hearing the real deal because often I fall for the pretty pics on instagram and I know my vision of country life is probably very different to the reality. Yes it is pretty and ideallic .. but much more hard work than an insta snap shows xx

    Reply
  2. Malinda (@MBPaperPackages) says

    October 16, 2015 at 8:43 pm

    I think it is great that you have heard that one voice in the crowd reaching out and have written a post for them, because there will be others feeling the same way who haven’t been able to reach out.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      October 19, 2015 at 8:25 pm

      Thanks Malinda. Google searches often give me ideas about what to write about, though sometimes people google some pretty weird stuff.

      Reply
  3. farmer liz says

    October 12, 2015 at 3:07 pm

    Oh yeah. Country life is hard. I remember city life days when I had NOTHING to do in the weekend… just sitting around reading the paper and napping! But it was also boring. In the country I am never bored, I am always busy, and it makes me happy. It takes some getting used to though 🙂 I like the way you explained it.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      October 19, 2015 at 8:23 pm

      I occasionally wish for a quiet morning reading the paper, though the 50 minute round trip to go get it is not appealing!

      Reply
  4. Maxabella says

    October 12, 2015 at 1:30 pm

    This is really interesting, Jo. I have often craved a country lifestyle (as you know!), but I know I’m not hard working enough for us to ever make it work. I think being a farmer is definitely a case of work-life-integration rather than balance!! You are a good soul to call out to the person doing the searching. x

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      October 19, 2015 at 8:24 pm

      Thanks Bron x

      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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