Winter is here

Canberra has performed true to form, with the heater not being required before ANZAC Day, and then very much required since. As a follow on from the last post, the intent with these notes is to catch up for the year – the crazy, chaotic year that is 2020 thus far.

January saw me take a quick flight to New Zealand to commemorate the life of Uncle Rusty in Feilding. I stayed with Margie, and it was incredibly special to be able to share that time with her. I was fortunate to be able to reconnect with some cousins I hadn’t seen since leaving New Zealand while there, and will definitely have to spend more time on that side of the ditch in future.

Australia over Summer was horrendous – most of South East Australia was blanketed in smoke, and we spent weeks unable to venture outside the house. We were luckier than some areas in that the fires didn’t come too close during those weeks. We had a couple of rough days when we could see flames on the hills surrounding us – spectacular to look at, but it meant we had ‘go’ bags packed, and even packed the cars a couple of times. I was evacuated from work when the airport was threatened by a grass fire that also cut all of our communications lines for a couple of days.

As horrendous as the air quality was in Canberra, we always had clear air on the farm

 That period coined a new phrase – Disaster Tourism. We had a massive influx of people through our suburbs who were there for the purpose of viewing the fires. Had we had an issue that required evacuation we might have been in real trouble. People would park in driveways and on lawns, and even just stop in the middle of the street. Bloody frustrating really…

I had another couple of crises at work (to be honest 2020 has been characterised by an inability to maintain any semblance of ‘business as usual’, and the term ‘new normal’ has gained a fair bit of currency), and things were just starting to settle down when COVID-19 reared its head and added a touch of complexity to the year. Jane and I have been lucky – we are both classed as essential workers so have been required to continue working. In that aspect, our lives have not changed that much, but things are certainly different.

ANZAC Day was a bit different this year, with lock downs in place due to COVID-19. We participated in the "light up your driveway" movement, and I think it was a really nice way to reflect on the occasion.

Lest we forget!

We are slowly building the house, and I think we will be largely finished by the end of the year. To that end, we have made great strides forward, with the house now completely insulated and front doors installed. The doors look so good that we are having to replicate them for the other external doors! Well… Jane did say she wanted welding practice. Over coming months we are finally going to attack the sliding doors, and them start getting bathrooms ready for indoor use (Jane is SO excited!).

Inside and outside - our beautiful farm doors

In other news, our beautiful boys are both growing up way too fast. Hugo has steadfastly refused to get a haircut for most of the last year, so has been running with glorious flowing locks. He has recently succumbed, and has tidied himself up a bit. In some aspects it’s a shame – I do think he can pull off the shaggy look! MacK is a tearaway with a new found passion for lizards. His latest plan is to earn/scam enough cash to fund said lizard… Will see how he goes with that endeavour.

This was not a warm day! However they had a wonderful time until they turned blue!

I have a bloke who works for me (part time) who also manages a farm. I bought the most delightful pig from him the other day, and have now prepared it for a range of delightful treats, including prosciutto. I carried the carcase into the house last week, and Hugo’s only comment was “Poor piggy – he will need a bandaid…”. Nice thought wee man, but I don’t think a bandaid was going to cut it at that point.

Bring on five months of maturation

I am also really enjoying making bread, and consider I am almost close to where I want to be. My croissants particularly are coming along, and make the installation of a professional oven in the farm house a most economical (?) decision!!

On the COVID front, things are slowly starting to ease, and there is a chance we might get to the mountains for at least a weekend away this year. That would be lovely, and definitely something to look forward to. The last endeavour of note is beer… I have started brewing again, and am working with Leigh on some recipes. So far I have a Irish red ale (still not quite enough fermentation in the bottle), and a chocolate/coffee stout ready for bottling in coming days. I think that my next hit out might be a golden ale style, and then back to the red. It is good fun, and I am enjoying playing with recipes to create my own styles.

The Stout is fermented out to about 88%, and will be ready to bottle in coming days. First thoughts are that it is glorious!

Trying to catch up!!

So once again life has got away on us - and months have gone by without a spare minute. However, I wrote the following notes when I first got back from Africa at the end of 2019, and though I should post them as a quick attempt at a catch up.

Notes from December 2019...

If you are wondering where we went, rest assured we are still alive and kicking, even if we are a little dry at the moment. I was selected to represent the Army in South Sudan with a United Nations deployment, and have been in Africa for most of the year to date. Those exploits are in another journal that can be read offline – in the old fashioned way!

A (much abbreviated) synopsis of my year to date follows – I was heavily engaged in the first couple of months of the year getting ready to deploy. This included 4WD training, cultural exposure to the machinations of both the United Nations and South Sudan, countless jabs and vaccinations (much needed when travelling to that part of the world!) and plenty of ‘administrivia’.

My entry into Africa was via Entebbe (Uganda), which was a beautiful insight to that continent. I could see why people in the past have lost themselves to the magic of Africa. From there it was a brief 55 minute flight into Juba (South Sudan) – but a trip to the moon (for the differences).

I had the privilege of working with some incredibly professional officers from across the world who will always be friends – and the frustration of dealing with others who were just not interested in the mission. I dealt with officers from 63 different nations, and worked daily with military and civilian personnel from about 40 nations.

I did come home for a week or so in mid July. We travelled to the Gold Coast and stayed in a kids resort. The boys had great fun, and it was wonderful to catch up with many of our SEQLD friends and family. It was hard to leave – but at that point I was almost half way done!  

I was fortunate enough (through proximity) to spend a long weekend in Cairo, and stayed in the Mena House where Grandad spent part of his war. During that trip I also made it to El Alamein, and was able to picture just what that would have been like as a battle ground (tough, in case you’re wondering).

I have been back for a couple of weeks now and am back into some kind of routine. On the family front, Jane has been amazing with the boys through the year. When I left, Hugo was throwing out words – now it is sentences. MacK is a delightful young man, with a sensitive and caring nature that will stand him in good stead as he grows up. I am fortunate to have a beautiful family, and treasure the time I get to spend with them – particularly after so long away.

I had my first visit to the farm last weekend. The landscape is incredibly brittle and in desperate need of  rain (in which we are no different from everywhere west of the dividing range). Fortunately we are not affected by fires (and hope it remains so). Jane has done some great work on the house during the year, and much of the rendering job is complete. We spent the weekend determining what it is we need to do to get the house finished – and recorded a range of FINAL DECISIONS. Apparently that was needed…

The year has crashed through to near completion with an almost undignified haste, and we are planning some time to just sit and be together. For those close enough to join us for a seasonal libation we look forward to sitting with you – if we can’t catch up, then we trust that you also find time to relax with loved ones and reflect on the year that was – and what the coming year might bring… (hopefully some rain in my Santa wish list!).