A working weekend

In a week where we had to get our winter woollies out AGAIN and the on/off rain was a pain for all the things we wanted to do involving machinery, we still managed to get some stuff done. This was in no small way due to our friend Smutzer coming for the weekend with his trailer full of trusty tools and a huge ladder to facilitate the installation of our new downpipes. When the recent floods occurred we discovered the moat of water we got around the side of the house was partially due to wonky downpipes and the rain spilling in a Niagra-Falls-esque fashion onto the grass. A few dollars and a couple of hours later we have beautiful straight pipes actually connected to the drain so whatever Mother Nature decides to bring we should be a little better prepared. He also coerced our wisteria into submission and it’s now winding it’s way over and around our pergola.

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Our friends in Milton recently purchased an old church together with it’s considerable grounds that adjoined their 100 acre property. It was built in 1883 and renovated in the late 1980’s to become an individual and eclectic home and with it came a grass tennis court (apparently used as long ago as the early 1900’s) and a few outbuildings including a lovely weatherboard cottage used as a Sunday School and some sheds for storing the tennis and croquet gear! All surrounded by beautiful gardens that have been let go a bit but still show the bones of the original design. A wisteria walk, woodland glades, a circular lawn complete with sundial and a lovely aviary/garden room where you could imagine the ladies of yesteryear taking afternoon tea. The entire property (including a remnant graveyard including the headstones of some of the area’s oldest pioneers) is heritage listed.

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The Old Church at Milton

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So it was that a dozen of us gathered on a showery day to help them clear out the garden and restore it to some of it’s former glory. The men got stuck in whilst the women folk whipped up some lunch and prepared the dinner etc to keep them all happy. At 3pm it was tools down and a well deserved beer or 3 before we tucked into a magnificent feast of Bangalow pork, duck fat cooked roasties and amazing salads fresh from their kitchen garden, enjoyed in the old tractor shed which was transformed into a rustic dining room with candles and portable heaters. All washed down with some lovely bottles of red we teetered home with a feeling of satisfaction from a job well done  and a sense of contributing to the newest chapter in the life of the old church.

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Hard at work

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A folly found in the middle of the woods

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Lunch break for the workers

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Happy to finish after a day working in the rain and the mud

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Tilly and Sofia feeding the little orphaned calf Buster

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A bit of “pruning” and the makings of a good bonfire to have before the end of the burn off season next weekend. Should be able to see it from Sydney!

Make hay while the sun shines

Life poddles on in The Meadow as we fall into the rythmn of our new life. As it becomes our new normal we hardly recognise our newly relaxed selves as we wake with the sun and connect ourselves to nature. A half an hour in the veggie garden checking on the new seedlings and plucking the odd weed before collecting the morning’s eggs from the girls and then off for a walk with the chocolate drop is the perfect way to start the day.  I have been exploring some of the other local ‘lanes’ with her and have come across some magnificent properties and beautiful countryside. No wonder our office at Raine & Horne is going crazy with enquiries from city folk looking for a country getaway. The hottest segment of the market is the 1-5 acre plot in the $1-1.5M price bracket and we could sell 5 a day if we could only get some stock!! It makes Cam and I feel better that our house falls exactly within those parameters and if and when we are ever fed up with it I know we would have no problem at all selling it. Luckily we love it – even Cam has fallen in love with it – and hopefully we wont part with it for a long time yet!

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The beautiful countryside around Berry

It was lovely to have one of my longtime Sydney friends come and stay last week. She was working at Wollongong and decided to drive another hour to stay at The Meadow instead of heading back to Sydney. We had a lovely time chatting non-stop ( we excel at this, as both our husbands can testify) and we ventured into town (!) for a meal at the pub and after a nice walk with Bailey the next day and a bimble around the shops she was back to the big smoke. I’m so grateful that so many of our friends have made the effort to come down and see us as it makes a huge difference to how we feel – our old life can happily merge with our new one – and as the weather warms up I’m sure a few more friends will be booking in to the B&B!!!

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Thanks for the bubbles Jilly – so lovely to have you stay   xx

We got our lovely architect Natasha back to draw up a smaller revised alteration plan for the back of the house and have also booked the builder as his first job in 2016. That way we can enjoy Xmas with all the troops without having to worry about it being a building site. The library is in production and should be installed in the next few weeks (nothing happens fast in the country). It has proved quite a headache for the cabinet maker with the large dimensions as well as the pull down bed inclusion. Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end.

Things are warming up and the garden is springing back into life as we discover new plants we didnt know we had! A gorgeous wisteria has burst into flower and I have to somehow get up a ladder and wind it around our pergola to encourage it in the right direction as it is a nicely established one we can use with our new extension area. It always helps a new build look part of the original if it is softened with some large plants or trees.

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The plum trees in blossom

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Native rock orchids

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A bush rose

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One of our beautiful blue tongued lizards basking in the spring sunshine

After one of my lovely country walks and feeling full of the joys of spring, I headed home in the car to find a bad accident just around the corner from our house at The Silos Winery. It has a nasty exit onto the Highway with people zooming past at 100km+ and this poor chap just didn’t time it properly. My happy mood slipped away as I realised how things can change at the drop of a hat and that we really do only have one life to live so we should make it a life that we love.

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Luckily everyone was ok but it is a reminder that life can change in a second.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

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Feeling the serenity

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I almost didn’t post anything this week as it has been non eventful and quiet. Then I thought isn’t that fantastic – a calm serene week where I was happy every day, just pottering in the garden, walking the dog, looking after the house and enjoying my environment. I treated myself to a coffee at the gelato shop and thought it was a big deal; I went to Sydney for a haircut and dashed home without shopping at Miranda Fair which was 5 minutes from the hairdresser because Bailey was home alone and I felt guilty. What is happening to me????

I’ve never felt calmer, slept better or been more grateful for the simple things in life. Maybe it’s getting older or maybe it’s a genuine enjoyment of my new life but I am not bored, I love pulling open the curtains in the morning – even if it is before 7 am – and seeing the cows wandering past from their milking and I love saying good morning to ‘the girls’ and collecting their eggs, still warm, in my hand. The fact that all the trees are blossoming or in leaf and the birds are nesting all contributes to my feeling of well being and an overall sense of contentment and happiness.

It was a beautiful weekend for The Berry Small Field Day, a mostly agricultural show with all the latest in 4X4s, trailers, tractors, fencing and chainsaws, sheds and livestock. This year they included a gardening section to make it more appealing to the wider community and there was also an interesting stall featuring the local beekeeping society. We are keen to have a hive and there are several new types available so we will make some enquiries.

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What is an agricultural show without tractors?

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Or without a devonshire tea for that matter!

It was a really warm day and we got to use a lovely gift that our friend in Moruya, Sue, gave to Bailey earlier in the week. It is a really fantastic idea – a fold up waterproof bowl (that can attach to her collar) if you’re out and about during the day. It is much easier to find a tap than a drinking vessel and she lapped it up – literally!! Great gift – thanks Suz!!!

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We actually used it again yesterday when we decided to explore some more of our local coast and nipped down to Huskisson for a walk and lunch at The Husky Pub. People were out in droves due to the beautiful Spring weather and some brave souls actually went in the sea for a swim. Brave, not because of the surf (which is non existent here) but for the water temperature which is still, shall we say, ‘brisk’???

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Beautiful Huskisson

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Cammo appreciating the view from The Husky as well as a cold drink.

Today my friend Jill is coming to stay for the night and I am excited to be going into Berry for dinner and to show her the area I am feeling more attached to every day!! The following may sum up our philosophy but of course as we are old and sensibilish no doubt we will behave instead……….???

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Bailey is in the Doghouse

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Is 7 months equivalent to teenagehood in dog years?

Miss Bailey has been a bit naughty this week.

I was having some difficulties with my computer sound and after twiddling every little button and checking my settings 20 times, I realised that the cable connecting the sound to the computer had been chewed in half. Two guesses as to who was the guilty party??

With the beautiful Spring weather and the longer days the chocolate one has been waking up bright and early and is ready for action circa 6.30 am. She lets us know that she is awake and ready to play with gentle whining that escalates to a “wake up now please” bark and it is very hard to ignore. I thought I would win this little power play by getting up to tell her “NO” and then leaving her shut off at the other end of the house while I attempted to go back to bed and snooze. She continued to whinge until I gave in at 7 am. I got up and smugly made my coffee feeling I had proven to her who was boss when I noticed something wasn’t quite right with my spare pull out bed……

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My smugness disappeared as I realised my tactic had well and truly backfired.

I went ballistic of course and she knew she had done something very wrong. She slunk outside and looked very doleful and sad at this turn of events. During the day every time I looked at it or pointed to it she did the same thing – at least she knows she did wrong and didn’t employ the  “well, THAT will teach you for ignoring me” attitude. She got locked in the laundry that night so hopefully the message got through.

In order to restore the friendship we decided to make the most of a beautiful afternoon and head for the beach where she could run to her heart’s content and tire herself out. When we got there we had the entire beach to ourselves, which always amazes me after Sydney’s well utilised beaches. It is a great beach to walk on with flat well packed sand and people walk, run, ride their horses, cycle and even go kite karting on it at various times of the year. Today it showed the aftermath of the big rain with loads of driftwood and foam balls blowing in the wind like tumbleweed which kept Bailey amused for ages.

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Foamy fun…

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Not a soul in sight…

What a beautiful way to start the day.

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It’s back!!!

After an initial burst of Spring loveliness our bubble was well and truly burst with the floods and now you would hardly know they had happened except it’s still squelchy underfoot in a few places and the plants wont need watering for ages. I stocked up on loads of flowers and veggies to plant and am madly trying to get rid of the last of my winter veggies – cabbages anyone? I am going to attempt to make some sauerkraut this weekend with the last of them and then I can plant some zucchinis in the cabbage bed. As soon as the brussel sprouts are gone (they were fabulous this winter) the tomatoes can go in and the fennel, beans, beetroot, carrots and lettuce are already enjoying their new place in the patch. Anything I don’t grow I can order from Greenbox and our local producers so I am very lucky.

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It’s a good job that fresh produce is prolific at the moment as I have embarked on a 6-8 week anti-allergy diet which is basically Paleo and involves no grains, dairy or alcohol . Seeing as I could happily live on bread, cheese and a glass of red I’m not a happy camper at the moment. The first couple of weeks are always the hardest and I have to get into the swing of it by having plenty of options on hand and prepared so I have things to take to work or have in a hurry when I would usually grab a sandwich. As for giving up my evening glass of wine – nothing is going to make that any easier I’m afraid. I can have an “occasional” glass apparently and I am translating that as being able to have one if I go out to dinner or if someone comes here for dinner. Fair enough I think??

So here I am dreaming of this..

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when all I can really have is this…..

Anyway……….if it works and I can enjoy a better quality of life (well, breathing anyway) I will happily forgo some of my fave foods. With my body at an all time super sensitive high the least I can do is be proactive in my health and try and ‘do it my way’ as Frank would say. Watch this space……

We had a nice surprise visit from Tom this weekend, his mere presence was his gift to his Dad on Father’s Day and on Sunday we ventured into town with the chocolate button to visit the monthly market at The Showground. It is extremely popular with people coming out in droves for their new season plants and loads of handmade and crafted items. The crowds are a rare experience for Bailey and she gets super excited for the first 10 minutes until she gets used to it all. I found a nice lead for Bailey’s dog friend Chloe (remind me to give it to you Karen Riley) and Tom gifted his Dad a nice new belt. We bumped into Leigh and John from The Valley stocking up on new plants and she showed me the place to get a good passionfruit plant. I have been looking for the common black passionfruit for weeks but all I could find was the banana or golden one so I am happy that we will now have our fave fruit on hand to squeeze over a pav, or some yoghurt or in a tart whenever the fancy takes us!

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The Berry Country Fair

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Happy Father’s Day

With the arrival of Spring my favourite little blue wrens are back making nests in my rose bushes . I can spend ages just watching them and listening to them sing. Just another beautiful part of daily life in The Meadow.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The big, big, big, BIG wet!!

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No sooner had I written about the imminent arrival of Spring when we experienced a nasty low pressure system that was hanging around the east coast of NSW and which delivered 375 ml of rain (that’s nearly 15 inches in the old money) in 3 days and created a few headaches in the region. Major and minor roads were shut, as were the schools and the shops. Rivers and dams broke their banks as they just couldn’t deal with the speed of the rapidly rising water levels and the poor farmers were desperately trying to move their animals to higher ground before they got stuck. We had relatively minor flooding around the house and basically just had to stay inside for 48 hours until things calmed down again. A few days later and things have improved enormously just leaving us with a soggy garden and a full water tank.2015-08-25 11.53.54

The side garden

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Shoalhaven Heads most expensive street under water…….

opening the river to the ocean They finally dredged an opening from the river to the ocean to relieve the situation.

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But as usual here in sunny Australia the clouds cleared to a blue sky and the sun came back out and last week is a nearly distant memory. Once the sun came out the bees were back at work in our lavender and all was well with the world…..

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I had a quick trip to Sydney and managed to pack LOADS into a little over 24 hours. A Specialist appointment that almost ran on time (miraculous!) allowed me some time for a quick whizz around the shops – so shiny and sparkly and bright I hardly knew where to start!! I shopped like a bloke and therefore had a pretty successful 2 hours resulting in a  few purchases and I was a happy little camper. Nothing like going home with bags with strings.

A lovely evening with all my bookclub girls and a catch up the following day with the girls from my old Physio clinic with their gorgeous offspring gave me the hit of Sydney I needed before heading home with my car boot full of plants from the nursery and my tummy full of lunch after meeting Tom in Padding ton for a bite to eat. Amazing what you can pack into 24 hours when you have to!

I collected Bailey from the kennels – she was excited to see me but was in no hurry to leave (I think you can see why in the picture). She was happily exhausted after 2 days of playing with all the other “guests” and had had a wonderful time. She apparently behaved and was well liked (it was like getting a school report!) and we are welcome back any time!

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I couldn’t get Bailey to stay on the bed but this little hound was happy to comply!

Please note the doggy doonas on top of their trampoline beds and the individualised decor! This room had doors out into a large exercise run and had piped music to boot! Nothing is too good for our fur babies……

A shop in Berry called Shady Fig was holding a masterclass in flower arranging and as I have no faith in myself in this field I enrolled and talked my friend Leanne into coming with me too. Michelle is a lovely friendly girl who stocks a selection of quirky and individual items in her shop and she put on a great night for us with champagne on arrival, a detailed demonstration and then it was our turn to come up with something…..

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Michelle demonstrating a “loose” design. Particularly hard for us symmetrical types who usually prefer a slightly more formal look but this loose style works better in the country I think…

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Beautiful flowers everywhere

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Taaa daaa!!! The finished article….

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Our friends Craig and Jill had an overnight stay with us on their way to a music festival in a field in Milton. After 15 inches of rain last week I can only imagine what fun they would have camping there! Alcohol was going to have to play a big part in the tent being bearable I think. Reminded me of my youth when I too did the camping in the mud at festivals. Maybe mud is an intrinsic part of the music festival experience? I’m sure they will appreciate being back in their own bed when they get home…..

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Bailey enjoying Craig’s company….

Spring has Sprung

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Almost overnight the blossom is bursting on the trees, the birds are building their nests and we haven’t had the heating on in the house for a few nights. The sun is rising earlier and the magpies wake us up before the sun does. Our veranda is almost too hot to sit on in the middle of the day and there is a bottle of rose languishing in the fridge just waiting for Happy Hour. I LOVE Spring. It holds such promise for the next few months but isn’t so hot that you have to walk before 9am or after 3pm. The garden wakes up and thoughts turn to outdoor seating and eating and the hammock swings temptingly in the breeze. In a few more weeks we will be moaning about the heat, the flies and the fact that the grass needs weekly mowing but for now it is a time full of endless possibility and anticipation of happy sunny times ahead.

Luckily it was a beautiful day this week when I arranged to meet a couple of girlfriends for lunch in Wollongong. We figured that was about half way between them in Sydney and me in The Meadow and not too far to travel for any of us. I had never visited the Gong before and was pleasantly surprised. This was North Beach and a great little lunch spot, Diggies, provided us with a perfect place to catch up on all our news and while away a couple of hours.

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Diggies Cafe – North Beach Wollongong

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Back at The Ranch I am pushing forward on the long list of things to do in the garden before it goes berserk again. I have luckily found Will, a local lad, who is helping me with all the hard yakka. He is passionate about nature and is very thorough and helpful. He is concentrating at the moment on our front boundary which needed a lot of help. The agapanthas were inundated with weeds and grass and he is slowly but surely restoring the border to something I am happy with. Then we have the rose border, the plum trees and the pear tree to contend with plus all the summer veggies can now be planted – home grown tomatoes here we come!!!

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Will doing what he does best……

2015-08-22 08.35.58 Love his work…….

The chooks are also happy when Will is here because he feeds them all the greenery he is weeding out, as they say “one man’s trash is another ‘chook’s’ treasure”!! With the warmer days and the bonus greens they are all happily laying an egg each per day. They are so funny, queuing up to lay in the same nesting box even though there are four identical ones for them to use!

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Bailey has a boyfriend. He is a Maremma which is an Italian sheepdog. They are known as livestock guardian dogs  who famously live/ sleep/stay in the paddock with the sheep/chickens/cows and protect them. They are absolutely gorgeous dogs and we always feel a bit sorry for this magnificent animal who seems so friendly and affectionate yet whose fate dictates he lives alone in the paddock. Bailey adores him and I think the love is mutual. They squeeze themselves as much as is possible under the fence to smooch each other and run up and down the fence border, tails wagging 100 miles an hour, declaring their love for each other. I feel like a real party pooper when I have to call her to my side and put the lead on her to continue our walk down the lane….

2015-08-18 11.49.42Puppy Love………

This coming week I have to go to Sydney for a couple of days. I have a Specialist appointment and luckily managed to combine it with my regular bookclub meeting. I missed the last one so it will be lovely to see all the girls again. I am also rather excited at the prospect of doing some shopping. There just isn’t the range and choice down here that we have up in Sydney and I am hoping to have a very decisive and productive 3 hours whizzing around the shops whilst I’m in the City.

As Wayne is away in New Zealand this week I have booked Bailey into a local kennel for the night. We met Charmaine from Petcharm Lodge a couple of weeks ago and her setup for the dogs is FABULOUS! More like a 5 star hotel for our 4 legged friends as you can see by these pictures. Nothing less than chandeliers and plasma TV for the favoured pooches and she makes all her own bone broth for them for dinner too. We feel blessed to have found her and she is only 5 minutes from our house too! She even caters for doggy day care and will look after them from 9-5 if you have something to do out of town. The dogs are split up into groups according to their personality and size and spend some quality time in the exercise yards together before retiring to their twin share rooms with doggy duvets…..

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Super styling for our fur babies….

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(She may never want to come home………..)

Sam’s Birthday Bash

Thank goodness it only happens once a year!

A dozen of Sam’s closest friends descended on The Meadow this weekend to celebrate his 29th birthday. A birthday lunch at our house has become an annual event over the past 4 years and it was lovely that the boys were prepared to travel to continue the tradition. Most of them had booked into The Berry Pub for the night and we had our guest rooms fully booked too. The new table was fully extended and the kitchen was groaning with food – a good test for the new house with our biggest gathering yet.

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You’ve arrived!!

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All went swimmingly with copious quantities of beer and wine consumed and tales of days gone by were shared over lunch before a game of backyard cricket to round the day off. Bailey was the best on the field – thank goodness she is such a good ‘fetcher’ and was happy to run after the balls furthest away and bring it back to drop the ball neatly at the bowlers feet as the other members of the team were a bit slow off the mark. She had a lovely day with so many people to play with (and no doubt lots of sneakily fed treats as well!)

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A few beers and nibbles before lunch

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A bit excited about the meat

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Ready, Set, Go……

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Happy Birthday Sammy!

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Bailey was definitely the best fielder of the ball…..

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Josh anticipating a catch…

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Howzat!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers and Jeers from the Peanut Gallery…..

Sam’s birthday coincided with the Bledisloe Cup decider and with so many rugby boys (players and fans) in the house we had organised a couple of cabs to take them into the local pub to watch it there. The last time we had beaten the Kiwis at their home ground was the year Sam was born so we had this feeling of coincidence and a sense that we may win. Forever hopeful of course and those hopes were to be well and truly dashed a couple of hours later when we were thrashed.

The All Blacks did not come to (Sam’s) party…..

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A couple of true blue fans  (before their hopes were dashed)

 

Anyway, apart from losing the rugby to our arch rivals and the pre booked taxi not arriving at midnight to bring our house guests home (necessitating a certain Motherly person to retrieve them from downtown Berry at 1.30 am slightly the worse for wear) it was a fabulous day and worth all the hard work. A lovely bunch of fellas with just a couple of my faves unable to attend as they are living in London. It’s hard to believe they are all about to turn 30 – where have the years gone????

My boys came down the day before to ‘help’ but ended up using the gorgeous sunny afternoon to try out a local golf course in Gerringong. It is in a beautiful scenic spot overlooking the ocean and on a beautiful day it’s harder to think of anywhere better to hang out with your brother and try to hit small balls into holes with sticks.

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Not a bad spot for a game of golf

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Happy Days  xx

Local life

Our neighbours family have owned land in this area going back to when it was first settled in the 1800s and I got a little peek into how life was for families at the turn of the century when Pat invited me to have a look at his ancestral home. At various times it housed extra Cousins, Aunties and Uncles with the house bursting at the seams with 3 different families living there together. Verandas were enclosed to become living areas and kitchens and rooms built as formal sitting and dining rooms became bedrooms to cater for the increase in numbers. The original kitchen is now gone replaced with an 80’s built in number which must have been sheer heaven after working on a wood fuelled stove and cooking for 14 people every day! Ironically Pat’s Mum Vonnie, became one of Australia’s best known country cooks – renowned for her baking (especially her pumpkin scones) and her many award winning cakes. Now in her 90s she is a judge at the local country fairs and at The Easter Show in Sydney and is the vision of a country lady – all rosy cheeks and twinkly eyes. After seeing where and how she must have started her baking career I have even more respect for her achievements!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA What stories this veranda has seen over the years……if only the walls could talk……..

Their dairy has a wonderful old barn that has been used for EVERYTHING over the years, including local dances and various family christenings, birthdays and wedding receptions. It is mainly used now to house some old equipment but it has a lovely atmosphere and you can imagine how much fun the kids would have had playing there in the old days before the modern ‘progress’ of TV and video games….

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An open door is so enticing…..

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We have had a couple of milestones this past week, our first dinner date with some locals which was lovely and made us feel part of the community instead of  Sydney ‘outsiders’ and my first out of office function with my new workmates. It was a thank you to the team at all 3 offices – Nowra, Berry and Shoalhaven Heads for all their hard work and achievements in the recent Real Estate Awards where they scooped quite a few trophies. We went to the beautiful Wharf Road Restaurant and enjoyed drinks and canapes in front of the log fire and it was great to mingle and meet some new people from the other offices. raine and horne pic   Earlier in the week Cam and I took the hound to the other side of the river from Wharf Road and enjoyed some locally caught fish and chips in the sunshine. There is a path that tracks the river and is a pleasant way to spend an hour walking the dog although I think she may dive in once the weather gets warmer – labradors just LOVE the water!4VnulbLl_BtqAP1M3V9XWPKThmLav1LIgM8xJAbQfI4,mHbc1YM2AV-cR_Scu0S2Qsxcqx9FQzk59X5SLi5Sezg

On a beautiful sunny morning I bundled Bailey into the car and we drove to Milton for a “doggie playdate” with Corona and Chloe at Claydon Park. Seeing Corona a year or so ago had ignited my desire to get another labrador and then Karen and Phil got Chloe – a little black lab 4 months older than Bailey – and I thought ‘what is a country veranda without a dog lying on it????’ Hence our little chocolate drop’s arrival.

We had a lovely day with the three of them chasing each other around the farm and Bailey met her first cat, Felix. Bailey jumped around him prancing to and fro trying to engage him in play but he sat there disdainfully – a huge ball of white fluff – and completely ignored her, until she got too boisterous and then a swipe of his claws let Bailey know who was boss……………………………..2015-08-07 10.48.19

Phil “sharing” his pie with the three amigos………..(note Bailey sitting beautifully in the hope of a reward)

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Chloe, Bailey and Corona – butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths………….

The next day I had to go to work – my alternate Saturday, and of course the weather was perfect. A million things could have been done in the garden but I was off to sit in the office. Still, as I drove through the countryside it was hard to feel hard done by. The coral trees are all starting to flower and contrast beautifully with the green fields and as I drove into Shoalhaven Heads the sun was shimmering on the water and not a soul in sight. Such tranquility, with a sigh I hopped back into the car and onto the office.

2015-08-08 08.44.36The head of the Shoalhaven River in the early morning sunshine

2015-08-08 08.36.54 Beautiful Coral Trees line the road

There is a feeling of Spring in the air and it wont be long until we are all complaining it’s too hot and driving to the beach to cool down, and despite all the dire warnings of the August winds we have only had one night of rattling windows and furniture stacked up on the front lawn in the morning. The roses are starting to bud and the lavender is blooming. There is talk of planting tomatoes and spring flowers and little calves have arrived in our adjoining paddock. Time for the next push in the garden with the front perimeter fence being targeted this coming week and hopefully the planting of some hydrangeas around the bay window. Bring it on!!!!

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The Five Mile comes to The Meadow

Our friends from further south (and their property The Five Mile) came for a weekend visit which was lovely as the first time they came we had only been here a few weeks and the guest room literally just had a bed. It was much more comfortable for them this time round! They also timed it perfectly as the under floor insulation had been completed the previous day and we could already tell the difference in the interior temperature of the house. It just doesn’t have that icy feel any more and hopefully when we get the next cold snap we will feel a bit more cosy.2015-07-30 07.30.11

The magic under the floor blanket

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What is wrong with this picture??????????????

Seriously, who builds a laundry door and then takes the steps away? The door is also locked with no key and has thus far been completely useless. Bailey sleeps in here and after yet another night of getting up 2-3 times to let her out I finally snapped and drove to Bunnings to get a doggy door. The last “big dog” door available was purchased and then I had to find someone who had the nouse and the tools to put it in!! My lovely friend and Pilates teacher Leanne volunteered her equally lovely partner Michael to give me a hand and this is the result!! I was so excited but of course poor little Bailey couldn’t use it until we had some steps organised so the boys first job of the weekend was to visit the hardware store for something suitable. These bessa blocks proved to be a perfect height and width and with great anticipation we prepared to bribe Bailey with food to see if she would take to using them. Like red rag to a bull she leaped straight out  on the promise of a bit of bacon and then went in and out 10 times in a row until she got the hang of it. We tried not to get excited as we wouldn’t know until the following morning if she would actually use it in the night and not just when we were there with food, but my little chocolate button is very smart and I am happy to report that we got an entire night’s sleep with no interruption! As for any new parents it was a momentous occasion and thanks to Nifty for his great idea for the steps and Michael for the installation of the door – what great blokes!

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Stairway to heaven for Bailey (and us!!)

There wasn’t too much going on this weekend but we stuck our heads into the Berry Showground to see the Regional Firefighter Championships. There were teams from far and wide competing for glory and it was a great atmosphere as they prepared to battle it out.

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Fireman Sam and all his buddies at the Championship.

They came from far and wide with their families in caravans and trailers. It was a colourful spectacle with some old fashioned country charm. The National Anthem was sung and a prayer for our firefighters was said and of course there was the inevitable sausage sizzle!!

2015-08-01 11.26.34 The local lads……..

The local school kids had created the artwork for the pop up cafe.2015-08-01 11.25.16 Who wanted to be a fireman when they grew up????

When we got home we discovered a couple of our chickens roaming the grounds as pleased as punch to be out and nibbling all our plants and veggies. We had no idea how they got out and after inspecting the chook fence and discovering no holes we thought perhaps it was time for another trimming of their wing feathers as the only other way out was up! My very own chook whisperer was inside HQ wealding the scissors while Nifty rounded them up and channelled them into the pen one by one until  they were all ‘done’ so hopefully that has ended their garden jaunts!

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2015-08-01 13.38.45The Chook man with his feathered friends

Feeling quite pleased with ourselves and with the afternoon sun shining we decided to reward ourselves with a visit to The Cambewarra Winery and a couple of glasses of their wine looking out over the fields. A very relaxing way to spend a couple of hours.

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Next to the chardy vines at Cambewarra Estate Winery. A lovely afternoon for a glass or two in the sun..

After a lovely evening in front of the fire chatting about old times and adventures still to come, we woke up the next morning to a beautiful double rainbow arching over the garden and a very unusual light. I wish I had also woken up to a pot of gold and as I had a ticket in the $21M lottery I thought it was a sign. Unfortunately it was merely a sign of the sun shining through the raindrops…………

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Somewhere over the rainbow…………………

Sue and I decided to have a Sunday morning bimble around Berry and happened upon the small but beautifully appointed Picnic Shed in the garden of The Sourdough Bakery. It has a lovely unique collection of things for the home, garden and the little people in our lives. Lots of things with a Scandinavian aesthetic and a great place to part with some hard earned cash……2015-08-02 10.29.29 The beautiful Picnic Shed – something for everyone2015-08-02 10.29.50

6 months in The Meadow

Well it’s hard to believe but we have been here for half a year now and we are really starting to feel part of things. This week I am sharing some of the local landmarks that make up my new life. I still pull over to check out gorgeous little cottages which I spy when I’m driving. I hop out and take a few furtive pics and hop back in as if I was a private investigator on a job!!

2015-07-16 12.36.12 Gorgeous in Gerringong!!

Everywhere I look I see a potential photograph or painting especially at this time of the year when the bare trees are silhouetted against the sky or the fog hangs low like a blanket over the fields or as puffs of cotton wool nestling in the hills. The magnolia trees are in full blossom and the flame trees are just starting to show off their huge red flowers and, being the chilly part of the world that we are, the camellias and rhododendrons are also doing their thing. Maybe we notice things more in a Winter landscape than in Spring when everything is in full throttle.

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Despite the cold and the wind my gardenias are still thinking they are in the south of France and are in full flower with more buds forming every day!

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Berry is full of tourists every weekend, and increasingly mid week as well – as this is a destination equally popular in the winter and the summer. There are loads of houses available for rent for short stays and lots of people come from the city for a country weekend complete with open fires and cosy local restaurants. If nothing else, people stop for a break on the big drive south or north and one of the most popular destinations is the famous Berry Donut Van!! When I told people in Sydney I was moving here the most frequent comment was ” Oh that’s where that donut van is” and although I am yet to visit it (I’m a bit scared I may love it and form a bad habit) the rest of the world has no such qualms.

donut van

Other things that attract people to Berry is the quaint main street with a couple of iconic pubs and a some interesting shops.

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The bustling high street!!!

6381239765_a3e7a06d52_bGreat local deli

Cabana Jo's

A cool shop with a lot of interesting stuff

6381097337_975fc0d0ce_b The hub cap pub…..

Our daily life goes by in a flurry of feeding the chooks and collecting the eggs (we’re still getting 7 a day despite the cold weather), harvesting the veggies and thinking of new creative ways to use them all, taking Bailey for walks along the lane and stopping to watch the cows with their new born calves, some days there are as many as three!! They only get a couple of days with their babies before they are taken away from them so I am always hoping that they get two beautiful sunny days together where life is grand before it all gets turned upside down……
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2015-07-24 15.24.04 Today’s pickings…..

There are a few things happening in the house. Our new 14 seater oak table was delivered yesterday and we have are-arranged our dining room to accommodate it. Luckily it is an extension table so most of the time we will have the smaller version on display. Our old table has become a servery bench which will be very handy on those big red letter days like Christmas and Birthdays when we have a house full. We will be giving it a work out in a few weeks time when Sam has his annual birthday lunch with some of his closest friends down here. The boys will make a weekend of it and have rented some rooms at the Berry pub to handle the overflow. It will be nice to have a large crew in the house and we are planning a big country lunch.

table

Our library has been signed off on and should be started in the next few weeks. Michael – a local cabinet maker – is doing it for me and incorporating a pull down bed for those times we need an extra bedroom. He is keen to tie it in to the history of the house and as it is going to be in the main sitting room of the house we feel we need to give it a bit of heritage love to stay in keeping with the features. This is the working drawing to give you an idea……

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The week ended with the boys arriving for a quick getaway from Sydney. We christened the new table in the dining room with a nice log fire and with some braised lamb shanks and veggies from our garden (including Lucy’s first ever brussel sprout which she loved!!) and a treacle sponge pud with custard, all washed down with several bottles of red!! This family portrait (including dogs) was duly whatsapped to Lauren in Honkers so she could feel included. The weather was surprisingly mild at 20 deg and if it wasn’t for the wind (!!!!!!!) we would have ended the weekend with a nice walk on the beach at Gerroa and lunch out but that will have to wait until Spring I’m thinking!! I’m now off to Bunnings to buy wedges for the windows to stop them rattling….wish me luck!

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