Hollow.

Empty houses are so hollow. It's cold and echoey, and it's a weird impersonal feeling. It's someone's 'former home', not yet made someone else's. A strange purgatory. 

Hill Shadow House was cold today. The icy winter wind blew the eddies of dead leaves and dog fur around the cold wooden floor. The doors rattled. It smelled... alien. Unfamiliar. The girls and I stood blinking in the dim cave. Could  this ever feel like 'home'?

Immediately I defaulted to 'get busy' mode! I ran to every room and threw open every window, curtain and door! Let the weird unfamiliar out! Let the icy fresh mountain air in! 

Everything needs cleaning. Everything needs repairs. It's all tired and dinged, and worn and yellowed. Dust coats every surface. The mud. The detritus. 

Dear god. What have we done?

Ok. So there's nothing I can do about all that right now. It's work to be done after a cleaner has been. It's so, so much work to be done.

So with the baby on my back, and Katie in her gumboots. We leaned against the wind with our jackets and buckets of feed to tend to our two horses. They dug appreciatively into their food, hunched against the blasting wind. 

Finally we blew on our frozen fingers and tended the chickens - bequithed to us with the house from the former tennants. Five ageing ISAbrowns and a very handsome rooster. They haven't been laying for weeks. Maybe it's the cold.

But, today... 

Maybe it's a good omen?  

What do you do to cleanse a new place? How do you make it yours? What things can you do to make it feel more like your home?

A day of firsts!

The keys are ours! Yaaaaayyyy!

While removalist trucks and commotion were at Hill Shadow House moving the former residents today, Katie and I took our gumboots and bucket and headed off up the paddock to the citrus grove to pick our first Hill Shadow produce! 

The trees are laiden with fruit. There's smooth Meyer lemons, and bumpy strange common lemons. We've been told there's limes and grapefruit, though I didn't see any. Katie and I picked and picked and soon the sweet tangy smell of lemon was in the air. 

Lemon tree hideout! Perfect cubby! 

Good boots are essential Hill Shadow Farm wear! 

There is mud EVERYWHERE at the moment, as the animals have churned up the well-worn tracks and the cold rain has turned it to slop. 

Ah well - it's only good clean farm dirt!

Now, I'm off to make lemon curd with my first Hill Shadow harvest! 

What's growing at your place? 

When life gives you lemons. And grapefruit. And oranges.

On Thursday I will have the keys to Hill Shadow House in my hand for the first time! Although the current tennants will not be officially out & our lease will not start til August 11, there's so many little projects I'm keen to get started on, like measuring up for curtains, cleaning out the chook pen, measuring for our back fence, planning a stile over to the orchard, putting up the kids' swings, organising the out buildings....

!!! *deep breath* 

So much to do! 

One project I'm a bit excited about is the veritable GLUT of citrus fruit we'll be inheriting! There are at least 4 fruit-laden citrus trees (orange, lemon, grapefruit) on the farm that the current residents have said they don't intend to collect the fruit off before they go, so my heads full of yummy winter citrus recipes I can make!

How about lemon curd? Lemon tarts? Lemon meringue pies? Orange Poppy-seed cake? Lemon chicken? Marmalade? 

Have you got any favourite citrus recipes? 

I mean seriously, if you do - please share!: I'm looking at having about a trailer load (not an exaggeration!) on my hands in about 4 days! 

Xx

2 weeks of living RIDICULOUSLY frugal.

We've all been there. For one reason or another, one week you blow your budget (mine was a doctor's appointment, an X-ray - she's fine! - and a govt admin mistake which accidentally cut off some of my income.)

It SUCKS. And truth be told it's taught me some really valuable lessons this week, the most important of which is to appreciate that for me this state is temporary. For many others, it is not. 

For the most part we can afford for me to be a stay-at-home mum & live off my husband's wage. Things are tight, but mostly we do ok. Still there are always the occasional suprises (car breakdown, vet bill, health emergency, school excursions, fines, bill-shock, home repairs, the list is endless!)

So here's some things - good AND bad - that I learned from my 2 weeks of living on about $40. 

1. Being poor can be really humiliating. 

This week I had to put back groceries at the checkout, tell my 4yo we couldn't afford bananas (wtf?!), turn down invitations, and had a friend pick up a bill for coffee (Thankyou Tash!!! xx). It SUCKED. But it happens to everyone. I hope I can return the generosity and patience I was shown when I'm in a better situation!

2. Being poor forces you to be bloody creative!

I made that $40 <<<STRETCH>>>. I budgeted each spend down the cent - which was frustrating, but I was quite impressed with how creative I was! I made packed lunches for the kids everywhere we went, took a thermos of coffee to the park, found free kids entertainment, mended holes in the kids tights, made birthday presents, asked a friend if we could pick some oranges off her LOADED tree ("PLEASE TAKE THEM. I'LL GET YOU A BAG!" - woohoo! Free fruit!) and made meals from scratch and what I already had in my pantry!

I made a roast chicken into 3 meals (4 if you include dog scraps!) and all that was left was a tiny pile of bones - use EVERYTHING. Waste as little as possible! 

Porridge anyone?

3. Use your skills.

I sew, knit and crochet (thanks Nan x) so I was able to mend some clothes to give them a second go, and make some presents for people. I also whipped up a coat for a friend's dog, which she paid $20 for! Yippee! Bonus! ("We can buy bananas AND some apples, Katie!") I also make it a point to try to bring good karma when times are bad - "No one ever went broke by giving" - so I made some pressies and sent some good vibes out into the world. Happy given out, will always make its way back round.

4. Use what you have. Use every last bit.

From using up leftovers, to shopping your pantry and wardrobe, you can usually make do with something you already have. 

And so, finally - here is my recipe for "Bill-Payers Chicken" (feeds 4 people for 3 meals. Plus some skin and gristle for 2 slavering mongrels!) 

Meal 1

Roast chicken.

I did it in the slow cooker (Mummy's best friend!) with some seasoning from my pantry, carrot, cabbage & roasted sweet potato. Yum.

Meal 2 

Chicken sandwiches.

Set aside some chicken breast for sandwiches. Add some mayo, and lettuce if you have any? No? Parsley? No? Celery?

Meal 3

Chicken & corn soup.

This is where you get really creative! You know the liquid in the bottom of your slow cooker after you cook a chook? Don't chuck it out: It's perfect stock! If you refrigerate it overnight, you can skim the fat off, then add WHATEVER you have in the fridge vege-wise! Tin of corn? In it goes! 1/4 of a capsicum? Chuck that sucker in! Celery? Yep - leaves and all! Plus I found a near- empty packet of quinoa in my pantry. Sure why not?! :) 

Serve with toast. Or make some scones (they are easy-peasy! - google it!)

And FINALLY - the most IMPORTANT THING is your health. No use saving a few bucks here and there on heating in a Melbourne cold snap by refusing to turn on any heating. You will just all get sick. Trust me on this. :P *cough cough* 

It's not quite over yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, and pay day's just around the corner...

Got any good tips you can share?

Here's to better days ahead.

Xx

Mud, prickles, feathers & pigtails.

One of the best things about being at the farm as far as Katie's concerned, is the opportunity to jump in puddles & get muddy! 

Today she discovered the little creek & was poking about in it with a stick. 

There's a massive blackberry thicket at the top of the creek - I'm hoping our landlord will let us pilfer a whole bunch of fruit off it before he sprays or does anything with it. 

Mmm - blackberries!!!

And of course, Kate loves to feed Lenin & the chickens, and hang out with the horses.

I can't wait to see what she gets up to when we're in situ full-time! I know she can't wait for her new room (with views out to her chook pen!) and she really wants to build a tree house. 

Well - there's certainly no shortage of trees to choose from! 

What projects are you planning?

Three great resources for farm life inspiration.

Hey there;

I'm stepping in to write a short post about my preparations for the move to our Mountain Home.

I'm just as excited about the move as Darkylss is and I have been busy planning and thinking about what I want to do and achieve at the property. To aid with that I've been reading... and reading... and dreaming!

There are so many good resources out there for planning to farm and live a more sustainable self sufficient life - it almost seems criminal to not do it!

The only problem is there is almost too many options and I find I have to keep stepping back and just going with one idea at a time. I know it can all be done (there is a plethora of proof to back this up) I just realise that I work full time, we have two children and we both need down time - time to reflect and enjoy the experience and fruits of our labours. So how do I control the urge to DO ALL THE THINGS ALL AT ONCE?

My focus has been on a few key areas - the garden (vegetables and the fruit trees)

I thought I would provide a short list of some of the books and resources that I have found to be VERY useful - at least at this, the dreaming planning stage.

Book

Cold Antler Farm (Blog, Facebook)

Jenna Woginrich runs a small 6.5 acre homestead in upstate New York, it gets very cold in winter and has a short growing season - however she manages to run the farm single handed, provides for her needs and her community supplementing the farms income by writing and holding a range of courses, experiences and even sell shares in livestock.

It's not an easy life and their are many challenges but I admire her rawness and honesty. She is strong willed woman who is out there to live the life she wants the best way she can.

Her books on farming and living on a farm are great. I bought and have enjoyed her latest book, a memoir "Cold Antler Farm". It's full of great stories and experiences following the seasons and her life, from dreaming of a farm, to renting land, to finally breaking free of her workday life to buying a farm. I highly recommend this and her other books like "Chick Days" (which is fabulous chicken book and one I want to buy as well - I read this when we first thought of getting chickens a few years ago, can't wait to have the feather friends back in our lives again) - Full listing of all her books.

Magazine

Grass Roots Magazine (Facebook)

Yeah OK these are a little bit hippie and very alternative but they some very good tips and while I'm not about to off grid or start using cloth instead of toilet paper I do appreciate the intention and belief the contributors have.

Our local libraries have a wealth of these magazines available and we both like nothing more than sitting down and reading the latest issue from cover to cover.

Social Media

Pinterest (Farm Lyfe)

We have both been using Pinterest to create boards and share links, images ideas and more.

The community already exists and many of the topics I want to learn more about are found here - Want to make a Pizza Cob Oven? My board with links. Ideas for the Children? Again a board which will grow as I find the ideas.

Best thing about Pinterest I have found is the way I can create boards to meet my interests and needs - I love finding handy work tips and hacks - now I have a place for them all in a nice pictorial design. To make it work best for you I think the more narrow the focus of your board the better and more uesful they will be. I need to go back into boards as they grow (such as Farm Lyfe, above) and really pull out the pins that have a common thread - be that gardening, fencing, or animal/livestock.

Being a techno geek and having the Smart Phone and Tablet help a lot with the medium - it means that I can be connected to the farm life and interests when I am on my way to work or in my breaks. I can study up in the 'city' time and not waste a moment of the farm life.

So there you have my top three current inspirations - what are your?

This just in: Cold. Very VERY cold.

I just found this.

You... It...

WHAT?!

Don't believe me? Check out this pic from Kate's blog!

 

SNOW. IN MELBOURNE.

 

Wow 0.0

 

Icy cold and clear.

Finally got a picture of the beautiful little creek running through the farm, carrying the cold clear water off the mountain. 

The sound of it is just magical. 

Actually speaking of the sound of water; one of the things I miss most about or last house is the tin roof. I LOVE the sound of rain on a tin roof. It was my FAVOURITE thing about the house. 

Unfortunately, Hill Shadow House has a tile roof, but the sound of this bubbling little creek almost makes up for it! 

Still, there's nothing to stop me finding a bit of tin and propping it somewhere outside my bedroom window now, is there? ;) 

What do you love about where you live? 

What could you not live without?

Lenin the Rooster

Master of his domain!

Overseer of the farm! 

Supervisor of activities! 

Controller of slug populace!

Protector of hens! 

Keeper of the realm!

We bow to his Golden Magnificence! 

This post is brought to you by ignorance.

I've just finished reading Jackie French's ' Year in The Valley'  and something pretty weird just struck me. You might think it's odd that this just struck me, when I have dreamed of being on land for so long, but here it is:

I have NO IDEA how to grow stuff.

I mean seriously: Beyond 'stick the rooty-end in the ground, leaves pointing up, and water it', I am completely ignorant. I have no idea what plants to grow where. I have no idea how to plan a garden. Previous attempts on my part have resulted in disaster.

Like the time I planted 6 snow pea seedlings, which promptly were dug-up and eaten within 2 days by birds. I planted carrots. They grew into all leafy top, no carrot bottom. I planted broccoli, it went immediately to seed without any broccoli. I planted cabbage. The slugs loved me for it.

Any success I have ever had growing ANYTHING was an accident. A mystery vine grew in our backyard. I let it. It grew and produced what turned out to be 4 decent sized but very tasteless pumpkins! Hurrah! I grew lemons. No let me rephrase that. Someone planted a lemon tree on the block YEARS before and it absolutely DROWNED us in lemons each year, through no effort of mine. One year we had a bumper crop of beans. Yeah: That was weird. I tried tomatoes. Since my grandmother supplemented her husband's income by farming tomatoes around her 7 children, and my step dad grows OUTSTANDING tomatoes, I though maybe - just maybe - I had a genetic 'tomato-growing' advantage... The tomatoes grew GIANT. Well the plants did. Too bad they didn't produce a single fruit.

Yep, if it were up to my gardening skills, my family would starve. But possibly the local insects and birds would be extremely well-fed.

I have a lot to learn.

What struck me reading Jackie French's book, is that she lives in a very similar environment to that which we will be residing in on Hill Shadow Farm. A bushland valley, alive with wildlife. And the question that kept coming into my head again and again is "How the HELL does she do it?" How does she harvest veritable gluts of food for her family, while her garden is constantly under siege - by her own admission - from wombats, cockatoos and lyrebirds! Why don't grubs eat all her spinach before she gets to pick any? Why don't the weeds - which she admits to never pulling out - swamp her seedlings and take over the garden? Why aren't her cucumbers furry and moldy? Why aren't fruit fly attacking her peaches? What the hell is the secret?!?!

Oh man.

I have ALOT to learn.

I wonder if I'll always feel like this?

I'm wondering if my romance with this place will end shortly after we move in and the novelty wears off. Once day-to-day drudgery sets in, will its wildness start to irritate me?

 

At the moment I love the cold crisp air that burns my cheeks. I love the bubbling creek trickling over the weeds and stones. I cannot get enough of that mountain: I cant wait to explore its trails and rainforest darkness. Today I pottered down to the back of the paddock to remove some branches that were over hanging on the fence, and I noticed a little trail snaking off deep into the bush. And I was itching to explore.

 

I wonder if after a few months I will be completely ambivalent to it? If it will be just more mud and inconvenience, trees and work, the way I've heard people talk about their farms (and inwardly cursed their luck at having such things to complain about!). I've waited and dreamed and waited and prayed for a property of my own ever since I can remember, and I wonder if this is the beginning of a beautiful love affair, or a big culture shock.

 

Or maybe both!

What blog? Why blog? How blog?

Its a weird thing, blogging. I find myself with such mixed feelings as I write this. 

What if I can't write? 

What if it sounds like a wank? 

What if no one reads it? 

*omg* what if SOMEONE READS IT?!

I'm not that interesting. 

Should I make it personal? 

What if it's TOO personal?

What if I get criticised?

What if I get stalked (pfft - that's a little up-yourself, don't ya think?) 

What if I get in trouble with the law? 

What the hell makes me think my blog will be any different from the millions of other ones out there? Or any good?

...no idea.

Here's what I do know: if you spend your time doing what you're passionate about, you can't go wrong. 

Here's what I love:

My girls: My wild, crazy, kind-hearted-messy haired, lick-the-bowl, dirty-face, snotty-nosed, vanilla-cupcake-smelling girls.

My husband: my warm-hearted, fearless, funny, happy-go-lucky, best friend.

Our menagerie: our 2 mongrels, our arrogant sod of an ex-galloper turned trail horse, our cheeky pet rat.

Books, baking, knitting, creating. Being outside, being warm by the fire, appreciating the small things, reconnecting with nature & the simpler life. Being kind, being real, being honest, taking joy. 

So that's what I'm going to do. We're going bush. And I'm gonna write about it. I'm feeling the doubts, but I'm doing it anyway. And I'll see where this goes. And you can read it if you want. But I'm not writing for you. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

X

The Jonquils are out - Winter is here.

I always know it's winter here when the Jonquils push through the soil. At the moment little clusters of dark green spears are poking through the mud everywhere at the Mountain House, and you can't help but be cheered from the icy gloom of winter when you smell their sweet scent and see their little delicate white faces.

I cant believe we'll be living here in a little over a month! SO MUCH TO DO!