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Southbound
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Having planned to travel to Europe this year (a trip that did not eventuate due to Covid 19), we booked a short holiday in the state’s southwest region instead. In this corner of the state, there are tall trees, lush growth, waterfalls, moss, full rivers, and immaculately maintained walk trails and tracks.
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Country work, farm work
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Work commitments, more than lifestyle has kept us on this farm. The farmer has been on his own now, having left a farming partnership with his brother almost ten years ago. I have had a reliable off-farm income for many years now.
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Country mothers
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When daughters leave home Imagine your children leaving for boarding school before they become teenagers. My three daughters left the farm between the age of 12 and 13, and sad to say, they never really came back. That’s young to leave your hometown. As a mother, I found this extremely hard. Spending time with…
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Country garden
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Now that I have well, almost retired, I feel relaxed enough to sit outdoors and watch the ways of the natural world. I fully appreciate the garden I have tended for years. I acknowledge the beauty of the sensational autumn roses I have grown here on the farm.
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Active after 50
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There is no doubt that women carry more weight as they get older. This may be due to hormonal changes, health issues, a more sedentary lifestyle, an increase in stress, less sleep, or natural muscle loss. Since I took leave from my office job, I have lost 2 kg with very little effort. The…
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Country living
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Our country home This is where the farmer was raised, and where our children grew up. The farm has become an intricate part of our identity and when I think about leaving (when the time comes), a sense of nostalgia creeps in, for the lives we have led and for the lives that have…
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Becoming a grandmother
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My new role as a grandmother Becoming a grandmother has been one of the most important and beautiful things in my life. I can’t tell you how much I love my little grandson. Coming from a family of nine sisters, attending an all-girls boarding school, and giving birth to three daughters means that I…
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Country women and health
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Dare I say it! Rural people are disadvantaged. Living in a city certainly allows for greater medical options and choice. I am not old, mid-50s, relatively active, and seriously motivated to live a good, fun, and energetic life. As a woman, I feel scared and worried about the aging process. In fact, the fifties…
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Country lifestyle
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Living and working outdoors has its drawbacks. My lifestyle is such that I am outdoors much of the time (farm work, gardening, walking, riding, running, motorcycling, boating). I fear to die from skin cancer. This fear is well-founded, having Irish born parents. My mother died from melanoma in her eighties. Like her, I want…
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Merredin Solar Farm
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The farmer’s family settled in this region over 100 years ago and where we, this generation have conducted our lives. We have produced legumes, pulses, grain, meat, and wool. More recently, there has been a change in land use in that is has become home to WA’s largest solar farm. At the time of…