Saturday, March 06, 2004

A 'nowhere-near-the' Sea Change

If you believe the LifeStyle Channel it's happening all over the world.
Professionals throwing in their careers, their high-flying social lives, their modern homes with all the mod-comes (like floors and sewerage systems) for a back-to-basics lifestyle.
For Sigrid Thornton it was a Sea Change.
For us it was a 'nowhere-near-the' Sea Change - we moved up in the world to a tiny town in SA's Flinders Ranges.
As country kids ourselves, my husband and I wanted our own kids to be around growing things, with animals, surrounded by wide, open spaces.
As a writer by both profession and preference I wanted to document our 'change of life'.
And there's a few laughs ahead, I can see that already.
Turns out growing things (like tomatoes and lettuces) are quickly eaten by animals (like dogs, birds and, of all things, earwigs) and the wide, open spaces need constant maintenance or they turn into weedy, open spaces.
But so far, it's been the best thing we ever did...cliche, cliche, cliche, I know.
But if it worked for the Prickle Farmer and on The Good Life - it can work for our own Hobby Farm Hopefuls.
Of course, I interviewed Mike Hayes - the Prickle Farmer - once and his house wasn't finished, his sheep weren't shorn, his kids were unhappy and he was moving town.
Nonetheless, log on and enjoy our 'nowhere-near-the' Sea Change - we are.