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18 Summers

*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 none of them inspired me enough to actually open up ye olde computer and type something in.

Life has been full with work and kids and farms and droughts and plans and projects. Full but good. Something had to give and it was blogging that took the back seat. Rest assured that we are chugging along just fine.

We have spent the summer relaxing with family, making memories. I read somewhere many years ago that we only get 18 summers with our children. At the time, surrounded by small children, the prospect sounded daunting, but now on the tail end of our fourteenth summer, I can say that 18 summers are not enough. Not even close – so we are savouring every last minute of this summer.

We’ve spent time building giant turtles out of the sand on the beach and diving into the pool for hours on end, picking mulberries and playing on the dam, lying on the floor listening to stories being read by uncles and having adventures with cousins. It’s been magical.

We’ve played lego for hours, read books, done jigsaw puzzles, played board games, watched movies, helped C feed sheep and do bits around the farm and laid on the couch under the air conditioner enjoying the luxury of doing nothing. We’ve stayed up way too late and slept in before doing it all again. As I said, magical.

Last night I was wandering the garden in the fading light, enjoying the brief reprieve from the heat that an afternoon storm had brought. I looked back at the house, with the shadows of the kids in the windows (it was way past bedtime but they were still up – oh well), and was just so grateful that we are able to have this life. The physical space for them to grow and explore and create, and the emotional space that the physical distance gives us. Space for them to be who they want to be without some of the pressures of modern city life. I love that the farm gives our family a chance to work together and play together, not just in the summer, but all year round.

18 summers are not enough, and I’m coming to the conclusion that 18 years are not enough – not even close!

Let everyone know:

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Comments

  1. Jim McKenna says

    December 28, 2019 at 8:19 pm

    Hi Jo. So great to her from you again and that your summer has been going along so fine. Hope we all get some good rain soon especially you guys on the land. Kind regards, Jim.

    Reply
  2. jeanieinparadise says

    February 17, 2019 at 9:46 pm

    Oh so true – I have one aged out, and it is so hard (especially for the little one) to know that they will never happen again…

    Reply
  3. Katie says

    January 28, 2019 at 1:03 pm

    I’m excited to find a new entry on the blog, Jo! Quite a summer, wasn’t it? Beautiful pictures and words; thanks for sharing them – and sharing the summer.

    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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At last the fruit in the orchard is ripening! It’s been a long time coming. Picking fruit on warm summer evenings is one of my favourite things. The whole tribe comes down with me and we talk about what is going on and what our plans are as we fill bowls (and tummies) with fresh fruit. Toby has just started high school, so we chatted about how he was settling in while the sun set.
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.

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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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