May

May

May seems to have arrived and (almost) departed with quite a frenetic pace. It’s been a busy few weeks – Adam and I have had some long days at our respective offices, we’ve both had work trips away, there’s been a rather nasty cold that ‘s affected the entire family and working bees have started in the garden of the new house – next month is moving month!

Adam and I are putting in a great deal of thought into our new garden. We plan on establishing several distinct “zones” around the house, including a large grassy play area for Paul, a sizable allotment style vegetable garden and an extensive terraced garden. It’s a project that we know will take many months of work and before we launch into it all, we want to make sure we’ve got a clear vision for how we want our outdoor areas to look.

A couple of weeks ago I got the opportunity to visit go to an open day at local nursery, Ladysmith Park Perennials. What I discovered was the dreamiest space. The living embodiment of what Adam and I had fallen in love with in magazines, books and online…

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April

April

A little while ago I signed up to a locally based fresh produce service. It’d been something I’d been considering for a while, but for one reason or another I never made the commitment – What if the box contained something myself or Adam didn’t like? What if Paul went on a toddler induced ‘no fruit or vegetables’ strike? What if I ended up wasting food? In the end though, I decided the pros outweighed the cons and quite a few weeks int my subscription, I’m so glad I decided to take the plunge…

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March

March

Often, when you move to a new town you spend the first little while visiting local attractions. Then if you end up settling in that community, those trips to landmarks get fewer and farther in between. Eventually it turns into years, and you start to forget why these places were top of your list.

I found myself in that exact situation earlier this month, and when I revisited one famous local spot I was pleasantly surprised at how it had grown and changed…

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The Station Collective

The Station Collective

I think it’s fair to say 2020 has been a tumultuous year. Life as we know it has been turned upside down and we’ve had to confront isolation, lockdowns and uncertainty. What I love about my little part of Australia though, is despite it all, new shops, cafés and restaurants have managed to open and thrive.

One such example is The Station Collective, a beautifully appointed coffee shop with a super unique location…

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Strawberry fields forever

Strawberry fields forever

A couple of years ago a hydroponic strawberry farm popped up, right in the middle of Wagga Wagga. For one reason or another I never managed to make it onto the farm during the growing season, so when I saw an advertisement announcing the opening of the farm for the year, I made a note in my diary to schedule a visit.

Strawberries rank fairly high on my favourite fruit list, so the thought of being able to access locally grown, in-season berries was pretty sweet. And this weekend past Paul and I stopped by for a spot of strawberry picking…

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Venturing out

Venturing out

In the last week COVID-19 restrictions have eased in my part of Australia, allowing for the first time in months, travel within state.  After so many weeks of sticking close to home and not really venturing further than the city centre for supplies, it felt strangely surreal to have this new found freedom.

In a twist of fate, a friend who lives in Melbourne was visiting family in the region on the first day regional travel was allowed, so Adam, Paul and myself jumped in the car and went on a little outing…

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So long summer

So long summer

After months of fires, smoky conditions and heatwaves, I’m rather glad this summer is over.  Although it’s been a special time for catching up with friends and family, and watching my little boy grow and develop, I’m craving cooler nights, cosy days and hopefully a bit of rain.

I watched the sun set on this unforgettable season in a local park, on a picnic blanket, watching the world go by…

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After the fire

After the fire

The bushfires which affected Australia this summer made headlines around the world. While the immediate danger is over, hundreds of communities are now facing a lengthy recovery.  Some people have lost homes, others have had their farms razed and in the fire nearest to where Adam, Paul and I live, entire pine plantations have been burnt, which will make things tough for the local timber industry.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when so many areas are hurting, but one of the easiest ways to help is to go and visit these communities.  So, earlier this month that’s exactly what we did…

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The Nimmie-Caira

The Nimmie-Caira

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel to an 86,000 hectare wetland in western New South Wales, on assignment with a colleague at work.  The Nimmie-Caira is a vast area of floodplain that was formerly farmed, at the very end of the Murrumbidgee River system.  Its restoration back to  a natural wetland is a divisive project under Australia’s controversial Murray Darling Basin Plan.

Personal politics aside (there are both supporters and detractors of the project), it was was an amazing day I wanted to share with you a little part of the country that often gets forgotten… Continue reading “The Nimmie-Caira”