The Wonder of The Farm

I wrote this awhile ago when we went to visit "almost family" who have a small farm about 2 hours out of Melbourne. We normally try to visit them about every 2 months or so but this time it had been 6 months. In between the last visit and now we had school starting, they had to deal with the bushfires. Basically, we all had alot of stuff going on. So now we come to the visit.

I find it amazing that we can drive for 2 hours to get to a friends house and feel like we are in a different place. It is really not that far away and yet, mentally, it is as far from home and the city as you can get. It is incredible the overwhelming quiet and relaxing quality that you get there. When I say quiet, I am not so much referring to the noise level as together we have 5 children, 3 boys, 2 girls ranging in age from 13 to 3 so quiet is not really something that happens with them around, oh and I forgot the mention the 2 dogs, 3 cats, 1 cow, chickens, various sheep, fish and a turtle. Although, I must say, Franklin doesn't make all that much noise, or not that you can hear from outside his tank.

Something happens when we go to the farm, it is almost like a really deep sigh when you are at the end of the day and you know that you can just put up your feet and take it easy for a while. Only it is not sitting down and putting up your feet that does it, it is just the whole feel of the place. No traffic, no crowds, nowhere that you have to be (except local kids footy on Sunday) and nothing that urgently needs doing. Even the girls are different on the farm, or rather, Paige is different. Her and Charli will kick off their shoes and chase the lambs through the paddock with no care for the fact that their feet are getting covered in manure. They run until their cheeks are pink and their noses running and then they run some more. They get up early in order to go and plant trees, they go to the football and cheer on their friends, they barely argue, they play make believe rather than watch television even thought it is on. They have fun and behave like children rather than small semi-adults.

I love what the country does to my girls, it is a wonderful thing to see. It makes me smile to see them having so much fun without a care in the world and know that they are creating memories that they will look back on with fondness when they are older like all the memories I have of when Mum and Dad took us to the bush for holidays and camping. Places where we didn't have to worry about fitting in, we could just be free. I think that is what it comes down to, being in the country is a freedom that you don't get in the city. You worry less and they can feel it.

Every time, we have a ball, we love our friends, we love seeing our children grow up together and we love to get out of the city, even if it is just for a few nights, it is definitely worth the drive.