Now I am home

In the 4.5 years that we’ve lived in Kandos, I had rarely spent huge chunks of time here. This suited me in many ways. But the tug of packing and leaving every few weeks to trek to the city for work was becoming quite painful. Especially for my family. Fast forward to the unexpected now and life has got a whole lot more predictable within the unpredictable. No more long haul flights, fancy hotels or city dinners for now. Just a whole lot of reflective, slow-paced mid-western NSW time.

I love the local girls here. They are refreshingly influencer-free.

Our house feels good these day

After years of renting, there is not a day that goes past that I don’t feel grateful for being able to put a nice roof over our kids’ heads. We’ve put a lot of sweat and tears into the old girl and have grown accustomed to her familiar floor creaks and occasional moans. The new bit at the back is where the teenagers tend to hang the most.

This room gets a lot of winter sunshine. Perfect for naps.

We’ve gained 2 new family members

Ponyo the dachshund and rescue dog Rusty filled a massive gap in our hearts this year after we lost our cattle dog Penny in the worst week of my life. Initially it felt too soon to love other animals again – we had learned that attachment is a dangerous thing. But their adoration for us and quirky personalities have fast-tracked them into our lives. Walking them at dawn, noon and night is a big part of my new home-work-life routine. I love it and it keeps me sane.

Ponyo has helped Jem significantly in a very difficult year

Adventurer dog Rusty has the longest legs and biggest heart

My garden has expanded

Our garden got a whole lot bigger this year with the purchase of the block behind us. We’ve planted a few trees and begun the slow journey of landscaping from scratch on a small budget. I’m trying to buy lots of a few things to plant but the temptation of adding different natives keeps grabbing me. I have no idea what it will look like once it’s all settled in but hopefully the birds, insects and frogs won’t mind.

We collected rocks from friend Rod’s farm to make a border. Rod was glad to get rid of them (thanks Rod)

A place that soothes the soul

We live in a special, special place. It’s not the ocean but it still has the power to envelop you and wash away niggling fears or cranky thoughts. In these strange times of sickness and restraint it is a good place to feel well and free. We had no idea when we came that it would come to this. But in so many ways, I am glad that we were here when it did.