Strigidae Christmas

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Its about 5 minutes away from the new year already – and we’re unsure just where this year went!

Its been an eventful year for us, with moving full-time out to the Farm, having to re-home Digby; our youngest daughters wedding, our eldest daughter turning 30, some enforced bedrest, and a change in employment location!

In amongst it all – we’ve done a decent bit of work around the Farm, the house in town is finallllllly on the market, and we’ve grown a lot of good food in our flourishing gardens…

There are a lot more things we would have liked to have achieved, and a lot of the stuff that we would never have achieved so quickly, if we hadn’t had the the help of a lot of our family and friends.
And for this we are so very grateful – thank you!!

Looking back over the photos from the last 12-18 months is a good way to remind us how far we’ve come, in what has been – in reality – quite a short space of time – and when we’re having those days when we feel like ‘accomplishment’ is happening ohhh sooo slowly – it gives us the wake-up call we need, to remind us that we’re actually doing pretty ok at this whole change-of-lifestyle thing, and we’ve got every right to be pretty darn proud of ourselves!

Along the way, we have got to have some lovely visitors, many of which we’ve managed to get to share a meal with – and this is one of those things that always warms our hearts.

As most of you would know – its only about two short years ago that we were very seriously considering a move to New Zealand.

Whilst we believe it would have been a wonderful adventure, it was unfortunately going to be too logistically and financially difficult – and not a risk that we felt we could make at this time in our lives – despite how keen we were on the idea.

It was difficult for us both, to ‘give up’ on that dream, but whilst New Zealand will forever hold a very special place in our hearts – and we will continue to visit there often; we now very much both feel that we have found our ‘place’ in Life…

So here we sit, on Christmas morning…out in the garden, writing a blog and potting up a zillion small pots of coleus cuttings (which we hope to eventually sell) – and there is a beautiful breeze blowing.
Its not got too hot yet, the dogs are snoozing by our feet, and we can hear a whole range of different bird singing to us from the trees.

We had ham and eggs on toast for breakfast, with the eggs from our girls, and home-made bread.

For lunch, we’re going to have a little picnic outside in the paddock – if we can still find some shade by the time we’re next hungry.

We planted a weeping tea-tree earlier this morning, and we think that by this time next year – it will be big enough to maybe even have a little set of christmas lights added to it! 😀
Its right where we can see if from our dining room table, and is such a pretty little thing…

We understand that there are many who don’t particularly ‘get‘ our love of living how and where we are, but everyone – each and every single one of you – has given us love and support along the way, even when you’ve thought we’re totally nuts!
We are so blessed – and appreciate your support, encouragement and yes – even enthusiasm (!!) – more than you can possibly know…

Merry Christmas everyone.

Enjoy the season, spend time with those you love, and remember to take care of yourself as well.
Big big love from us both xxx

Hamish has been helping with the clean-up around the nursery.

 

From our yummy eggs that the girls give us, comes a scrumptious frittata! DELISH!

 

Our girls give us lots of wonderful eggs, so we give them lots of lovely home-made meals. lol

 

Its just us this year, so we did the ‘frugal’ ham thing. Its actually wonderfully smokey, and we might just sneak in a ‘proper’ leg of ham during the post-xmas sales, and freeze lots, for throughout the year.

 

Our pretty little Christmas weeping tea-tree.

 

Coleus cuttings potted up, for selling once they take root, and are healthily growing.

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