Welcome to my world!

Hi everyone,

The past 18 months has been a period of immense change and adjustment for me. I have moved from my comfort zone in the city to an entirely new life living on a farm with my amazing husband Quentin. I can happily say that I’ve enjoyed every minute so far and look forward to growing into and becoming more accomplished in my new role as farm wife.

Of course, I’m not a typical farm wife… I don’t get anywhere near cow dung (except if it is dry and being added to my garden)… I’m hopeless at opening farm gates… I don’t dig or hoe or fix machines… I can’t speak the local vernacular SeSotho and I don’t have a brood of children of my own yet. Mostly I just observe and learn and busy myself with the job of making a home for us. And when I’ve had enough of the quiet I simply get in my car and drive to the city where I still have a job as an economist and enjoy all the lovely luxuries that cities have to offer.

But what is luxury? Living on a farm has allowed me to appreciate very simple things in life. Time. Home made rusks. Making jam. Fresh flowers from the garden. Walking with the dogs. Sundowners in the veld with my husband. The quiet before sunset. Changing seasons.  Weekend visits with family and friends. The community of a small town. Every time I go away I appreciate coming home more. And I very much do see Vastrap as my home now.

Over the past year I have shared some of my experiences on the farm with friends on Facebook. Many people have followed my progress with interest and I am constantly amazed at the positive responses I receive. This is one of the great things of our age. The fact that you can be far away from anywhere but still feel connected, and loved and included. So I have been encouraged to start this blog as a more official record of my progress.

I have been following two other farm blogs over the past year. The most well-known is Pioneer Woman with Ree Drummond and the other is a more low-key blog of a farm wife in Western Australia called My Life in the Country. I haven’t seen anything like this for South Africa so hopefully I will have something to add even though I’m not an expert at much! It is surprising and comforting how similar our experiences across three continents have been and I can’t explain why I read these updates from complete strangers, but I do and I enjoy it.

So, welcome to my world and I hope you enjoy the journey with me!

M xx