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Big Things and Little

I’ve been trying to get back to the blog for what seems like forever. School holidays seem to be my most creative times, mainly because I actually have a little time to focus on things other than the essentials. I seem to go on about slow living, but I’m not always great at actually slowing down at the moment.

In my spare moments, I have been attacking the outside of the old house with a fresh coat of paint. The actual painting bit is quick and not hard, but all the stuffing around preparing and getting everything we need is not fun at all. The upside is that I can already see how much better the house is looking. I’m really trying to have the veranda completed before December and the really hot weather hits.

C has been making inroads in the garden too. We hunted down some mondo grass to plant between the old veranda and the deck, together with some type of shrub thingy (I leave the name of plants to C) to edge the new deck. He has planted box plants along the border of the north veranda and has then mulched the whole lot. The vegetable garden is also coming along well after being so neglected last summer. He is slowly clearing out all the winter plants, and in the next week, the tomatoes and all the other summer vegetables will be planted out. In no time at all, we will be inundated with vegetables and I will be sharing ways to be creative with zucchinis all over again (seriously – is there any way to be creative with zucchinis??).

Inside the house less has been going on, though goodness knows we need to sort a few things out. We had a reverse cycle air conditioner installed a few weeks back. We had a few warm days and realised we wanted it installed before December (and the hot weather) hit. Our office nook still needs some cupboards installed, but I have bought a wooden filing cabinet to store all our paperwork in. The office nook cupboards and the shelving for the pantry are the big two that need sorting, but I’m also on the hunt for an area rug, and a few other bits and pieces. We will get there slowly! Despite the fact that the house is an ongoing project (and probably always will be), I totally love it. The red door makes me smile still, as does the light and space. I hope I never lose this feeling of gratefulness for such an amazing home.

We have unofficially put the firewood away for the season, though I haven’t cleaned out the fireplace yet. I hate doing it – so dusty and dirty. I do miss the radiant warmth of the fire if we get a cool evening, but the fire takes a while to get going, and then the next day, the house is too hot. Obviously, our new insulation and double glazing are working well.

The girls have begun a great business venture which is taking their spare time. They have invested in some silkie hens and a rooster called Fred who crows at all hours of the day, and are planning on breeding and raising silkie chickens to sell. Throughout the school holidays, they built a separate chicken coop for their silkies, and have closely (very closely) monitored their silkies behaviour. One of the silkies has begun to sit on a clutch of eggs so fingers crossed we get some results. A few very excited girls here at the moment.

The kids sorted out their skull and bone collection in their cubby house the other day. Some parents have kids who collect lego, or stuffed animals, or trading cards. Mine collect skulls. I’m not sure what that says about my parenting. They do look very dramatic all lined up on logs in their cubby house.

Perhaps my most exciting news at the moment is that I have a new job. At the start of next year, I will start at a new school, in a higher position. I love my job and will be sad to leave it, but the opportunity to get a promotion was too good to pass up so I went for it. The school is a little farther away so my commute will be slightly longer (and on a dirt road), but I’m ready for a new challenge and I’m excited about the possibilities of this job.

Social media is reminding me that Christmas is getting closer. I haven’t started on planning yet, but this is the week to get going to avoid that last minute stress, so I’m going to get the kids to write a list of books etc that they would like to read, and other things they would like so I can get my skates on and start shopping. Fortunately, we keep Christmas fairly simple around here, but I am looking forward to hosting family and friends in our new home. If you need some inspiration to keep Christmas simple and (relatively) stress-free, have a look through some of my old Christmas posts here. I will also put a few on my facebook page over the coming weeks. Just this morning Meg requested that we make some stained glass windows to go on our new windows. I think we will tackle that in the next few weeks for sure!

What have you been doing lately? Any news? Big or little?

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Comments

  1. Catherine says

    November 20, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    Hi Jo,
    I’ve just come across your blog and I’ve been enjoying reading a very early blog article (post?) on ‘the truth about country living’. It was refreshing to hear about some of the realities of a tree change instead of just how perfect it can be. It’s so important to consider all aspects not just the dreamy ones if you are contemplating a move (as I am…maybe, one day).
    cheers
    Catherine

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      November 21, 2017 at 8:22 pm

      Hi Catherine, thanks for following along. I don’t get to blog as much as I used to these days – life is full, but I still love to share my thoughts when I get the chance!

      Reply
  2. jan2132 says

    November 13, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    Congratulations on promotion. I don’t know about your daughter but all my schooling prior to high school was at the school my father taught at. I was glad to go to a different school. Then dad went to teach at nearby high school and my brother and sister had him right through their time there.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      November 13, 2017 at 10:33 pm

      Thanks Jan! Han will be staying at my old school. She loves it there, and it’s a good school. It’s also a lot closer for her, so less travel – though she will have to get used to going on the bus every morning!

      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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