We Are Here!

We are here and here we are!  After a long break with a very wet and cold winter, I feel inspired to write in this space again.  Sometimes we need time to refresh, recharge and re-evaluate.  I have enjoyed the inspiration from other blogs Soulemama, Down to Earth, Ivy Nest, Typically Red and Foxs Lane, over the last few months.  Now I feel ready to write again (with plenty of encouragement from Phil), with happenings to share.

So, what have we been up to these last few months?  It's been busy time. We have been.........................(in no particular order as I get the hang of the new blogger format!)

 planting spring and summer seeds for the garden

 on a weekend away to south coast new south wales

 completing a knitted vest for Ava - HOORAY!!

 celebrating the Swans (Phil's football team) winning the grand final (it's a BIG DEAL here!)

 finishing Ava's vest

 making sausages with our own lamb that Phil butchered (and beef)

 experiencing spring lambing

 hearing Michael Pollan speak in Melbourne Town Hall - inspiring stuff!

 learning how to milk at a friends dairy

 on a spring holiday to Tasmania

celebrating Peter Rabbit's 110th Birthday (also BIG NEWS here!)

So a little snapshot of our last few months.  More to follow.  Have a lovely evening.

A Weekend Away

A Weekend away was just what we needed.  Recently, we packed up our camper and headed to our very favourite spot for a couple of nights.  Just to recharge our batteries.  To spend some quality time together away from the work of the farm.  To remind ourselves why we choose to live where we do.  How beautiful this place really is.  And to relax.  And to breathe.
We walked through the forest to the beach.  We kayaked up and down river.  We watched the birds.  We listened to the chorus of the seals in the surf and enjoyed the serenity.
And we returned home refreshed and restored.  A Weekend Away.

In the kitchen

These days have been spent busy in the kitchen.  Ava has really taken an interest in cooking lately and has been keen to help (and taste test!).  We made lasagne the other day and she did a great job layering the pasta, picking off fresh basil leaves and measuring out the ingredients.  Now when I'm in the kitchen without her (and she feels like it!), Ava pulls up her little stool to stand beside me, and will just begin to help, or watch with interest, what's happening in the kitchen.

I'm really glad for her new found interest as I love to cook and I hope that Ava can find the same enjoyment that good food brings in her life too. 

 We also picked our first apple from our Granny Smith apple tree that was planted two years ago.  It was an exciting moment!  The flavour was amazing - tangy and crisp - quite unlike anything we buy from the supermarket.

 Another baking activity in the kitchen!  We made this lovely wholemeal honey cake as a thank you gift for one of our good friends. It almost didn't leave the kitchen as it looked so good!

These Days

It's been strange weather here these days - sunny and warm one day, then wintery and stormy the next.  We have been spending more time than usual inside, making indoor cubby houses

playing with dolls

 making crystal scenes (before)

 sewing library bags for little friend's birthdays

 watching our crystal scene grow (after!)

 Picking ingredients from the garden for dinner when the rain finally stops

 Enjoying these golden roses

 Sowing seeds with dad

 watching the hail storm outside

A road trip

We have been on a road trip.  A family holiday heading west towards South Australia along the Great Ocean Road.  The end destination was Adelaide where Phil attended a work conference.  It was amazing to see the beauty of the coast and countryside.  We saw some spectacular scenery.
We hopped in the car with quite a few days to spare.  No plans, no daily destination.  We just took in places along the way and stopped when or where we felt like it.  How indulgent.  We are very lucky.
The west coast of Victoria is steeped in history.  Old buildings, old lighthouses (I am a BIG fan of lighthouses and would like to be a keeper one day!) and old fishing ports.  
Adelaide was nice enough, but cities are becoming too busy for me.  I've discovered that I have become a country girl without even realising.  After a few weeks of feeling so unsettled, I know this is the life for me, that I do enjoy the slower pace of farm life and whilst the city is nice to visit, the country is where I belong. It was so good to return home to our farm.
So here are a selection of the many photos we took on our road trip - the 12 apostles, blue lake (an extinct volcano that is now a lake), cape jaffa lighthouse, cape otway lighthouse (there is a theme here!), london bridge, the obelisk at robe, an old church from the 1840's and the big lobster!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  I have been told that 2012 is going to be good year as twelve is an auspicious number!!  We have just returned from a restful holiday with family in Tasmania to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.  It was the first time the family has been all together for many years, so it was pretty special.  We had a lovely Christmas and Ava was so excited about it, especially as she was able to spend some time with her little cousins who she is very close to.  Father Christmas came and brought Ava a few things - of particular note - a princess nightie and pajama set.  She now refuses to wear anything else to bed!

We also spent a week down at mum's beach house by the sea (literally).  Most of these photos are taken from the front deck.  It was just so good to be by sea in the salty air. It makes you slow down and take things at a more relaxed pace.  Our days at the beach were spent swimming, kayaking, walking and paddling in the rock pools.  There were many spectacular sunsets and the weather was just perfect.  It was a really peaceful holiday. 

It's good to be home now.  The garden has flourished whilst we have been away (and so has the lawn!) and the animals have grown, especially the lambs and chooks.  The garden bounty now requires preserving - plums for jam, zucchini's for pickles and the tomatoes have been steadily ripening.  It feels good to be back into it, preparing for the leaner months, filling the cupboards with jars of our summer harvest that can been enjoyed when winter sets in.

Christmas was a time to reflect and pause upon the year past.  We feel renewed and happy to be back on the farm, ready for another year of healthy living in tune with the seasons.

Ava has a go at paddling the kayak

Ava and Phil spent ages paddling around in the kayak

one of the many friendly locals!

the view of the estuary from mum's house, looking out the the bay

heading out for a paddle in the bay

Sunset from the balcony at mum's beach house

Contemplating what to write in the letter to Father Christmas

Leaving a letter for and supper for Father Christmas - plus a carrot for Rudolph!

Father Christmas has been!

Ava and Nick (mum's dog) paddling in the estuary

Running on the Beach