Dear Mr Merlino, I saw the gorgeous photo this week of you sending your daughter off to her first day of school. I recognise the smiles – a funny mish mash of pride and apprehension all rolled into one. I have four children of my own, aged 12, 11, 10 and 2. Sending them off… Read More
The block of land we have been trying to purchase for two years is not ours. We thought it was. But it’s not. On Friday afternoon at 4:55pm we got the call we weren’t sure we would ever get. It was the Shire letting us know the 21 day objection period had lapsed and we… Read More
You know how when you tell people something it becomes real? Well on christmas day we took our family out for their first visit to the block. We stood on top of the hill and explained our vision. “Can you see it?” I asked. “The horses grazing native grasses down in the flat. An… Read More
Our eldest kid just went off to high school. I wonder if he will ever know the emotional wrestle that went on to choose a school? We live in a small rural community in Victoria’s north serving a population of about 7000. If Australia rode on the sheep’s back then this town surely has the dairy cow’s… Read More
Steve and I debated whether or not to share this post. We are not ones to dwell on negativity and certainly don’t want to add fuel to an already negative fire. However, we also said we would be honest and share all the ups and downs of our sustainable build. In the end Steve’s common… Read More
The title How (Not) to build a sustainable house is not a typo. Oh how I wish I could write a post called How to build a sustainable house, but I have a funny feeling our blog is going to turn out to be a ‘what not to do’ type of publication rather than a lovely… Read More
During my childhood school holidays were looked forward to with much anticipation. At the end of each term my parents would load us into their green Ford station wagon (remember the ones with the orange stripe down the side?) and make the four-hour trek to drop us at ‘The farm’. The farm was where… Read More
The kids go back to school in two weeks. This means it is about the time I develop my annual About Me anxiety. You know the cute About Me piece teachers ask students to write in the first week of school? As a school teacher I can assure you this is a wonderful teaching… Read More