Camp cooking

Our cooking facilities are basic here, but we do ok considering.

Our little caravan table, little fridge and kitchen area.  The BBQ and gas burners outside, with a trestle table nearby which adds to the cooking area.  

The same, but different.

It feels like we have been here longer than a month now.  Places are becoming a little more familiar, we are getting used to the very different weather, the boys are settling into school.  Angus, helped by the wonderful care and support of the school, is slowly finding his feet too.  The familiar routine of homework, packed lunches and forms to sign has come flooding back.  

It's the same, but different.  

weekend reads

I thought this year I would use Friday to both highlight blogs, books, articles or links I have enjoyed this week which I have been doing, but also as a time to reflect and share some of our challenge year of  'Our Families Year of Less So We Can Experience More' on a week to week basis.  As a kind of accountability/reflective post.

Bedtime rituals.  A snuggly blanket, a good book, favorite 'Bunn-Rabbit' and a cup of milk.  

camping

It appears Grant is taking our frugal year challenge very seriously.  He found an old cattle trough on the farm he has dragged to the back of the caravan and is converting it to a bath/shower trough.  I'm yet to be convinced it is a particularly good idea but perhaps after it has had a good long scrub I will see his plan a little clearer....

Going for an early morning walk with Aggie and Ronnie.

Challenge: Our families year of less so we can experience more

Last week I floated a challenge idea for our family I thought I would name "Our Families Year Of Less So We Can Experience More."

The Landcruiser loaded up as we moved our family, three dogs, two cats, and Squirtle the turtle 2000kms across Australia to our new farm.  

In many ways we are pretty good at buying second hand, buying only what we need and embracing a simpler lifestyle.  In other ways, we could do better.  More importantly, I WANT to do better. 

Weekend reads

Happy Friday!  I hope you have time to sit and do something you love with a cuppa or a glass of wine in your hand this weekend.  I think Friday night here calls for a chilled bottle of sav blanc and pizza for dinner after a long week.

School, childrens anxiety and ideas to ponder

Hello there, shall we sit and have a cuppa?

a little tour

I promised more pictures of our camping set up on the farm so here it is.  In the aim of keeping it real, I'm going to show it all.  It is not fancy and its certainly not a glamorous camping set up but it is enough.  As with most industries, the camping and off-road industry is full of beautiful fancy things you can spend an absolute fortune on.  Clearly, we do not have them but our camp is neat, clean and tidy and it provides us with all our basic needs.  

Camping at the farm

Slowly but surely we are beginning to set up camp at the farm.  Though we have a little way to go to get things properly comfortable and functioning in a manner which will suit us longer term.  (Well a couple of weeks is longer term.) But we have solar fairy lights strung up now, so that counts as civilized, yes? 

This is our little makeshift camp as of a few days ago.  Its not pretty, but it does the job.  We are yet to put up a washing line.  Our last one was rigged from the Landcruiser to the timber shelter!  I meant to take a photo as it was pretty funny, but this heat is draining and I keep forgetting to photograph things!  Next week I promise to have more pictures.  

Arrived

*Thanks for following along as I share our families journey to off grid living and farm life here.  We are waiting satellite internet to be connected to the farm next week, so I may be slow in replying to comments and emails until then as it relies on my getting to town.  But I will endeavour to reply the best I can when I do get internet service.  I appreciate and read everything that is written in this little corner of mine and I thank you for taking the time to visit and reach out.  xx

The river we have legal access too.  Its shallow at the moment as its been dry, but apparently it makes a great swimming hole.

Well we are here, though perhaps a little worse for wear!

What an epic trip.