Down on the farm

I have always loved the idea of living on a farm.

My mind conjures  up all sorts of romantic notions about the idyllic country life. Milking cows, drinking fresh milk every day, baking bread, cooking from scratch in the rustic country kitchen, making quilts, walking down dusty roads, gazing at  rolling hills from my kitchen window, and having oh so much space to clear my head and commune with Nature. 

I never really thought I could be a farmers wife though. 

I am wayyy too indoorsy and just cannot cope with spiders, mice, rats or ANY bugs AT ALL. 

Seriously. I can't. 

I don't even like animals all that much. (Sorry!)

I thought  a farmer's wife would have to enjoy milking cows, touching animals, help cows give birth and generally love  doing gross things in barns.........

But no!!

We recently stayed with an amazing family who live on 200 acres of beautiful farmland. They have seven incredible children who work hard milking cows, raising sheep, fixing fences, making quilts, baking bread and doing school at home. They are truly living the epitome of country life. It was such an enriching experience spending a few days with them. 

I was pleased to learn that their Mama Bear loved to quilt and didn't milk the cows or assist in birthing calves!  Her bookshelves were full and the schoolroom an inspiration.

 ( Maybe there is hope for me yet if we ever move inland!!) 

It was interesting stepping into the shoes of a family who do life  differently to us. We buy our milk from the supermarket, and have no cute baby lambs to feed in the mornings. We don't have a school room as such, ( but ohh how I would love one!!!), and the women in the family get to quilt more often than I do. We don't have motorbikes or sheep to herd, but we grow bananas and are still busy raising wee little Lambs of our own. (The two legged talkative kind). The farm house is full of rich, earthy hues of browns and rustic greens. My house is bright and bursting with colour. We go to the beach and swim a lot. Our farming friends wear checked shirts and farm boots.

 In many ways our lives couldn't be more different.

As we sat together around the meal table, the fellowship was sweet. We  discovered more about each other and shared parts of our life journey....

 I was inspired by the schoolroom. 

Very organised and clearly a creative hub of the home. Notice that the table is higher in order to cut out fabric!!  Love it.

I love meeting new people. I love meeting families who share a similar journey, even though our daily lives may look so incredibly different. We always encourage our children  to glean from other people.  Every person has a story to tell, an idea worth listening to or a  quality worth emulating. There is always something you can learn from every single person. 

We have certainly come away from our farm stay with much encouragement, a few good ideas, homeschool and quilting inspiration and precious memories.

These dear friends have such an amazing life. Their children are blessed growing up with so many  valuable experiences and belonging to a beautiful, loving family.

 Farm life really does look  as good as I imagined! 

XXX