About me
Just over 5 years ago, I became one of those Baby Boomer/Corporate Drop-out/Tree Changer-types - leaving Melbourne, with my partner, to live on a 5 acre paddock in the foothills of the Strathbogie Ranges on the land of the Taungerung, one of the hundreds of clans of an indigenous people that came to this ancient land over 40,000 years ago. Our commitment to live as sustainably as possible is at the heart of everything we do. Our aim is to leave these 5 acres, and hopefully, the Earth, a better place. When we arrived, our paddock was over-grazed and clear-felled - with the exception of a couple of venerable old Red Gums (Eucalyptus camalduensis) in the extreme south east corner. We have since planted 2,000 native and indigenous plants including Eucalypts, Banksias, Grevilleas, Acacias, Allo/Casuarinas, Hakeas, Callistemons, Hardenbergias, and Correas. We've also established an orchard of 25 trees including a fig, persimmon, pear, nectarine, quince, apples, nuts, peaches, apricots, plums, and olives. A small citrus grove on the other side of the paddock includes Tahitian and Kaffir limes, lemons, oranges, mandarins, bergamot, grapefruit, and a lemonade - Summer was made for this lovely, generous, little citrus fruit. Our vegetable garden, including a lush, ever-spreading plot of asparagus, keeps us just about self-sufficient in vegies year-round, and our voluptuous, fluffy-bummed chookie girls keep us in creamy brown, and flawless white eggs almost all year. A pottager garden tops all of this off - its rhubarbs, grapes, herbs, spices, berries (and a few vagrant, fragrant roses) make this the perfect place for Summer sundowners after a long, hot day working on the paddock. We harvest, cook, eat and share this cornucopia with abandon! We don't have dinners or parties - at our place, we have cook-ins, and everyone contributes something they've grown - ever tasted a best friend's home-made quince jelly on a runny wedge of locally made brie cheese? - that is to live! New and old recipes, new food ideas and philosophies - all have a chair at our table. From crunchy, glistening jewels of salads; curries; braises; pies; roast dinners; and stir-fries, to tarts, puddings, luscious pavlovas and trifles (mango and mandarin liquer - to die for!), we live the four seasons through the generosity of Nature. There is no question for us about what Life is all about! Oh, I forgot to mention our little bay tree (Laurus Nobilis) - a slow-grower, it's still small, but it's growing sturdily and contributes its essence to the rich, luscious braises of wild rabbit and saltbush lamb that are such welcome fare during the icy-crisp, sparkling Winters of northern Victoria. Creating our new life has been a truly sustaining joy, and an incredible, sometimes overwhelming, experieince. Living in a region coming into its twelfth year of drought presented us with unanticipated, unimagined challenges that, ultimately, strenghtened and enriched us, and helped forge a new-found resolve and even stronger commitment to the environment and the wonderful community in which we live. We share all of this with close-by family including two little grandsons who are just starting to understand the magic and privilege of living the way we do in a land of such antiquity and grace. As we say Down Under - "it's a beaut!