Quite a lot has happened since I last wrote. The first thing I want to tell you about is that I have a new niece AND nephew. Mabelle and Harvey. They are two weeks a part and they are devine. My two little sisters timed it just perfectly...
I am now the proud Aunt to five nephews and three nieces. When one of my nephews, Archie, was starting to talk he used to call me, 'Auntie Tosh'. The name has stuck and I love it. So these last couple of months I have taken a couple of trips up north to love and squeeze my little family and do whatever is required as 'Auntie Tosh'.
My Benji, Eden, Kobi and Maya are all wonderful. Family life does feel ridiculously crazier as this year Eden is in grade 10, Kobi in grade 8 and Maya in grade 7 (my baby is in high school which is nuts!!!) so with the school workload, after school activities, Eden has her first weekend job (can't believe that either!!) and keeping up with their social lives, it is quite a whirlwind most days. But it is just such a privilege to watch my babies grow up and to be apart of their lives as they start to peek out into the world and feel their way.
Benji is busy with work but fortunately loves what he does and has spent the last couple of months sitting in front of the fire drinking lots of coffee and tapping away on his computer.
Since moving to the area he has started doing some consulting work with a few of the local town's councils. The towns were originally established during the gold rush and have now, many many years later, become thriving towns once again. Benji is assisting in the urban design as these towns start to grow and change whilst respecting the beautiful history. It has been tricky, but as I said, he is really loving it.
For many years now we have both trained together at the gym. A couple of years ago we challenged ourselves with a Tough Mudder event. It was fun, although Benji's bald head on the electric shock cords wasn't all that fun... We recently decided that we needed another physical goal to work towards so have decided we are going to go in a Spartan race next year. This event is a little more serious and will require a lot more training (especially for me) and no electric shock obstacles! So we have started increasing our training and focusing on different types of training which we are both thoroughly enjoying.
My focus has shifted the last few months. It started with a coffee in town with Benji. As we were walking back to the car I saw the local hall was holding a free community lunch. At the time I had a surplus of produce in my garden and popped in to ask the co-ordinator if I could donate some of my produce. As I started to learn more about the lunch, the people who were relying on the free lunch and the food bank across the street, I started thinking.. Before moving to Victoria, I spent many years working with intellectually impaired adults and children. I loved my job.
I had been thinking about doing something off the farm but I wasn't sure what. Discovering this community lunch was meant to be. I spent a week letting my thoughts flow, thinking about the things I had done and the things that made me truly happy. And then it came to me.. I want to become a Youth Worker. I want to support and (hopefully) help our youth. It made perfect sense to me. It was one of those 'Yes! That's it!' moments. I am into my second semester of a Diploma of Youth Work and I am loving it. It's all online so I can study here on the farm and still give my family the time that they need. It doesn't mean that I have forgotten about A Plot in Common, not at all. A Plot in Common happened organically and will keep on growing and moving as it is meant to. I believe everything happens for a reason.
A bunch of local girls and I have started a book club which I love! We meet once a month, drink wine, chat and briefly discuss the chosen book. One of the girls arranged a book club library card and when the librarian asked her the name of the book club, my friend paused and then said, 'A Plot in Common'. The librarian said, ' Oh, that is such a wonderful name for a book club! '. As another friend said in the book club, 'the Plot thickens'.
The farm is huddled in for winter. The bare trees, the green paddocks, the morning frosts. There is a real stillness to winter here. My veggie patch is looking rather still and bare too. In Autumn I gave each plot a thick layer of horse poo, not putting any thought into the fact that I was creating the perfect environment for lots and lots of slugs. I planted out the gardens twice with winter seedlings, I tried containers of beer, putting on a head torch and picking them off the seedlings in the night. They won. I am not defeated though! With Spring just around the corner I have started planning what I will plant and will get a little head start in the green house this weekend.
Well, I think you are all up to date now!
I hope you are wonderful.
Love Tash xxx
