It was going swimmingly. Our first day. Actually it wasn't their first day of home learning; it was my first being home with them. Elsie was kneeling in front of the fire balancing her computer on her knees. Maeve had set herself up at the kitchen table. Perhaps tomorrow we could set up something a … Continue reading An apple for the teacher
One in 4 people will experience a mental health condition this year – I was that one. And this is what it was like.
Probably worse than running out of milk when you live on a farm is running out of the chemicals your brain produces to cope with stress. Worse than depleted water tanks is depleted resilience. Last month I had what they would have once called 'a nervous breakdown’. In an era unwilling to openly discuss mental … Continue reading One in 4 people will experience a mental health condition this year – I was that one. And this is what it was like.
Harvest is finished at last
Imagine there’s a cupcake shop on the corner of your street and they’re calling for cupcakes. If you bake cupcakes all year, you can bring them in at the end of the year for the shop to sell. As many as you like. You’ll get paid for what you bring in. You make some decisions about … Continue reading Harvest is finished at last
Bad mums have a night off to watch Bad Moms
We’ve had a lot of rain in a short amount of time - around three inches in the last week. That’s about 75mm for those of you who went metric 40-odd years ago. So our Facebook feeds started with photos of kids splashing in muddy puddles but have now become filled with warnings of severe … Continue reading Bad mums have a night off to watch Bad Moms
And by morning we had a new playground
Here’s why we celebrated today: Thirty delicious (mostly unpredicted) millimetres of rain. We’re guessing 30mm. Normally we can guess the amount before we even go out to the rain gauge. One or two mills wets the deck. Five will put a puddle in the driveway. And if there’s a puddle over near the gate, we … Continue reading And by morning we had a new playground
Goodbye Jackson and thank you
And just like that, our mob of sheep was halved. We welcomed Jackson two years ago, fighting over who bottle-fed him (I won a lot of the time): Just before we go on, can we take a closer look at Maeve? As he got older, we chased him out of the garden by swinging an empty bucket at … Continue reading Goodbye Jackson and thank you
The only workout you’ll ever have to do
I picked the hoop up off the kitchen floor before anyone else tripped on it. And before I put it away with all the toys, I stepped into it to and lifted it to my waist. Surely it’s like riding a bike. It’s not. What the? It can’t be that hard. I flung it around … Continue reading The only workout you’ll ever have to do
My new invention: modified baby carrier
Maeve was excited when we picked up Elsie’s new birthday puppy. ‘I’m not getting a puppy, am I?’ she double-checked as we drove into the breeder’s gate. On the way, we’d shown them a photo of the pup that we were going to pick up. Elsie held the phone, looking at the photo the breeder … Continue reading My new invention: modified baby carrier
I’m sorry I didn’t do my homework but…
I haven't done any exercise or written a blog post since my last smug entry. Few reasons for that (notice I called them reasons, not excuses...): I used up all of our internet service and had to wait a week for it to renew. Yes, one of the pay-offs of living in a rural area … Continue reading I’m sorry I didn’t do my homework but…
Writing by Larissa Patton 