The country, harden up.

The country is not new to hub or myself. We both grew up with grandparents with farms. His more bush, mine a dairy farm. We rode motor bikes, horses and learned to drive in paddock bombs. We played for hours exploring, getting muddy, helping with the animals and enjoying the occasional bonfire.

So while we know a lot, it is quite different to being here every day.
The fire is something I have a love/hate relationship with. I love how it roars and crackles and warms you up in a way no electric or gas heater can.
I hate the maintenance though, ugh, the cleaner, the starting, the poking and looking after. Not to mention the hauling, moving and stacking of the wood. My arms are getting quite impressive.

Another love/hate relationship is outside. I love how much fun, enjoyment and play the kids get out there. All that land to run around on, make tree cubbies under the big branches and scare me by riding bikes and toy dump trucks down the huge hill.
I hate how much washing it makes! They get so filthy, and dirt and mud gets in everywhere. This annoyance I try to keep to myself. My mantra is, it's ok, they are washable. Keep saying it to myself, ha!
Here is my 4 year old, who dressed himself, outside. You can't tell but he has no undies on. Here he is pointing at rocks he had found. That's great honey, just keep them outside, mkay.



Another fun part of being in the country, bugs! Creepy crawlies! Shudder. I am much better now than what I used to be, but for the life of me I can't get past the common moth. I hate them!
There is LOTS of bugs here. Ants, mozzies, butchy boys, spiders, moths, flies now that spring is here, and lots more that we are learning about.

Here is a crawly we found downstairs. If you know what it is please let us know. Hub squished it after taking this photo and said it was fragile like, not thick. (Yes, the renovator in my is crying about the poor paint job. You won't see cornices like that at my house, haha)

The shops close early. Our nearest supermarket is 10 minutes away, so if you need milk or want a bit of choc, it's a 30 minute round trip. Planning ahead is a must! It is also a good thing sometimes that the nearest take away place is 45 minutes away. So if you feel like a cheeseburger it is an hour and a half round trip for it. This has definitely helped in the eating better department.

I am seeing this as more of a good thing. By planning better due to shops and stores closing before the street lights are on, we are eating better and are much more savvy with our money and budget. A big bonus there.

It is also good to be renting before we build our house. There are a few things we had not thought of that we will certainly want and need in our own house.

One is a big area outside the front door for a bench to put on and take off shoes. Not to mention have storage for the extra footwear. Shoes, boots, gumboots, snow boots, and that is just winter!

It is also great to be living in the community our land is in. Meeting people and making friends we will know for a long time.

It really is lovely here and I am so glad we are able to grow our family here.