Today started off like all our others at Curringa Farm so far . . .
Morning Farm Routine
Reading in Bed: Doug typically wakes up first in our crew. Today he woke to find the girls already reading in bed - amazing! Paige is really into a book called Because of Winn-Dixie, which was recommended to us by Ms. Selvie, the teacher of the 3rd grade class we spoke with in Singapore last month. She is extremely into it; need to find more books along these lines that have a more substantial message & meaning (to supplement the graphic novels she loves reading). Sadie is without a book at the moment so she was just flipping through one of Paige’s graphic novels. We’re hitting up a bookstore tomorrow to get some books back into Sadie’s hands. Also need to get a few more books onto their Kindles.
Breakfast smorgasborg: Everyone on their own to make breakfast amidst a array of choices . . . eggs, toast, yogurt, muesli, avocado, etc. Chef Paige pulled off her second morning of a tasty combination of sauteed swiss chard, garlic and shallots! She’s just like Doug - clear preference for savory foods for breakfast. My go-to has been smashed avocado over toast and Doug’s been kind enough to thrown an egg on top for me. Sadie’s switched it up between muesli and yogurt, and Doug’s favored muesli or eggs. At Daiso in Sydney we bought an individual drip coffee contraption, which has made for legitimately good cups of coffee as we travel around. Plus it’s easier on our wallets; Australia is expensive! Breakfast is especially awesome because it’s leisurely (no rush to get out of the house for school or work or commitment is brilliant) and it’s enjoyed in front of the gorgeous sheep farm views. Super & memorable way to start our days here.
School Session: We don’t have WiFi in our cabin. We knew that when we booked a few months back, but completely forgot when we arrived. It’s actually been a blessing in disguise; we’re focused on just being together in this gorgeous place, without connection distractions. For school it means that we need to drive 3km back to the main reception center. It’s a gorgeous wooden structure with open views onto a pasture and pond. A change of scenery is great for focus and it’s spacious enough that we can split up with the girls with audio on full volume (not bother with headphones). When the girls get antsy and need a quick break they run down to the pond and back or go looking for the sheepdogs to pet :) It’s been an excellent oasis for school, and a way for us to shoot off a few emails while we’re patched into WiFi. Sofie, one of the workers at Curringa, kindly treated us to coffees and teas this morning. Funny how such a nice gesture goes such a long way to feeling hospitality on another level.
Our plan was to go Russel Falls, a multi-tiered waterfall in Mt. Field National Park, about 1 hour away from Curringa. We made a pit stop about half way there which ended up derailing our plans in the best way possible . . .
Ellendale General Store
Our pit stop was the Ellendale General Store. We were on the hunt for a box of tissues (me & Paige have gotten slammed with colds and we’ve gone through one tissue box each the past 24 hours!) and a few other odds & ends like honey (for oatmeal). When we pulled up to the General Store we were amused by the fact that it was one of only about 3 buildings in the “town”. The assortment of items available for sale was random at best. I was excited to find a cribbage board for sale! Almost snatched it up, but didn’t in the end.
We ended up buying a box of tissues (paid way too much, but needed them!), a package of Aussie crumpets (for breakfast tomorrow) and a bunch of stamps (to mail some postcards back home).
Ellendale Community Library
That should have been the end of our pit stop, but Doug encouraged us to check out the adjacent library, which had a small sign on the door saying there were free books for tourists. Any chance for more books (used or free even better!) and we’re all in.
We opened the screen door to find a teeny, 2-room library and two older ladies doing crafts at a table together. We said hello and one of them asked if we were from the area. When we said no (don’t our accents give that away straight off the bat?!), she pointed out a shelf of books in the corner that are free for tourists & told us to take a look. We shimmied on over and quickly found a few good options for the girls. Nothing amazing, but great to have a few new books in the rotation. We’ll make sure to pay it forward and donate them ahead in our travels, as we’ve done with all our books until this point. I also excitedly notice they had a whole bookshelf of puzzles that local residents can come and borrow. How amazing is that!? I love a good puzzle.
Crafting Wednesday
We got to talking to the two women more, mostly small talk. As we chatted, one of the women knitted away; the other’s latest knitting creation sat beside her hands on the table. We said out thank yous & wished them well and walked out of the library. As we closed the doors, literally both of the girls said simultaneously that they wished they knew what the women were making with their sewing. I told them they should have asked, and that it wasn’t too late . . . We turned right back into the library and the girls asked the women what they were making.
We learned that one of the women was knitting a pin cushion holder (for when you carry your needles to sew/knit out of the house) and another was knitting a big dragon stuffed animal of sorts (she was doing one of the little wings when we were there). The woman knitting the dragon was the more friendly & chatty of the two, and we learned that she’s actually from New Zealand and has a Westie dog named Tam (for the Scottish hat). The whole time we were chatting I was thinking to myself how much she reminded me of my late grandmother, and Doug even said the same thing to me after we left (unsolicited).
It was an absolute delight speaking more with the two ladies. All four of us really enjoyed it. A little later on I was reading the signs posted on the community board just down the street from the library. There was a sign for “Crafting Wednesdays” at the library, where from 10:00am-12:30pm you could bring the craft of your choice (knitting, sewing, etc.) and craft alongside other folks from the community. $3 got you a spot at the table and a free cup of tea :) It also said folks were welcome to come for conversation alone. It was then that it dawned on me, that it was Wednesday! (Through our travels we don’t have the typical cadence of weekday vs weekend in our schedule, so we often have no idea what day of the week it is!) The ladies were enjoying Crafting Wednesday! What a joy.
Such a simple thing, and yet so special and important - connection, community, conversation and mental stimulation. Sign me up! I hope to partake in and enjoy those sorts of opportunities for the long haul. Made my soul happy to see these two ladies doing their thing, and I know it impacted the girls & Doug as well. Paige even wrote about how nice it was to meet them in her journal entry this evening :)
Picnic Lunch
At that point we realized the time - almost 1:30pm - and figured we were better off eating the picnic lunch we packed here in Ellendale, as opposed to by the waterfall as we had originally planned. As luck would have it there was a gorgeous little picnic table nestled alongside the community library. It was like it was placed there special for us :) It was actually the girls who spotted it & suggested it.
We settled into the table. As Doug & I readied sandwiches (peanut butter & fresh strawberries) and other goodies (hummus, carrots, cucumbers, yogurt), the girls dug into their new reading & activity books from the library. We all agreed how fun it is to pack a lunch & eat it (very satisfying!). We’ve talked about wanting to do this more often; Tasmania is going to get us on track! It was a delightful lunch, and a delightful pit stop in Ellendale.
Funny How Your Outlook Changes
When we initially pulled up to Ellendale, it literally looked like a ghost town, and nothing that would be more than a 10 minute stop. But through our experience connecting with the community in our small way - at the general store buying provisions, at the library with the crafting ladies, lunch at the village picnic table - we came to look at the place in a whole new way. Those little experiences made for such an enjoyable time in a village (population 241 by latest Census) that stretches no more than 200 feet. But I have no doubt our time there will be remembered highly amidst all our travels. Such a fun reminder and nudge of what happens when you let yourself slow down, free yourself of preconceived notions of your plans/commitments and just lean into the moment. I’d like to think this year has helped us do that much better; and today was a lovely reminder of what that is so beneficial . . . for all of our souls :)
Where Next?
Post lunch we still thought we’d head to the waterfall, maybe not for the full hike but for just a mini one in the national park. We got back on the road and carried on. There was one more planned stop before the waterfall, which was just a further 15 minutes on from Ellendale, a berry picking establishment. I had called yesterday and they said they had no more berries for picking, but that they sold many in their store. So our plan was just to buy a pint or two and be on our merry way. Imagine our pleasant surprise (and confusion, given my conversion with them just yesterday, oh well!) when they told us they had strawberries, blackberries & blueberries available for picking. Why yes we’d like to pick our own!
PYO Berries
Manned with a sticker that we paid, and a kilo plastic container for each girl, we headed back into the PYO (Pick Your Own) berry aisles. We smartly gave each of the girls their own container and said they could fill half of theirs. Sadie was keen to get strawberries and blackberries; she & Doug went off in search of the best ones. I stayed with Paige, who was adamant she wanted blueberries. I was a little perplexed because blueberries aren’t one of her favorite fruits. Then I figured it out! Paige was picking blueberries because they’re smaller than the other fruits, which means she can fit alot more of them (i.e. versus bigger strawberries) in her half of the bin . . . aka she gets to pick alot more fruit than Sadie! Paige confirmed that was her plan; silly bugger! But can’t fault her too much; that’s some smart, quick thinking on her part :)
We cashed in at just under 1 kilo of beautiful fresh strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. I told the girls we’d make a berry crumble or something with a chunk of them tonight. Best to eat fresh berries soon for max enjoyment.
Abort the Falls
At that point - just after 3:00pm - Doug & I agreed it was best if we scratch the waterfall and just head back to Curringa. There wasn’t enough time to get to the waterfall and do the ~3 hour hike. Plus there was a bunch of stuff related to future trip planning that Doug & I needed to work through, so time back at the house was important. Back in the cabin, the girls wrote in their journals and then cosied up to watch a movie (they chose Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban amidst the limited collection of DVDs in our cabin) and Doug & I got to work out on the deck outside.
Evening Wrap-Up
We closed out the day with a nice evening at home. Doug (with help from the girls) cooked up some dinner while I did some laundry and packed us all back up. Right after dinner the girls & I made an improvised berry crumble with the limited ingredients we had in the cabin. We popped it into the oven and then all went out for a little walk. We took a different route tonight, heading back up behind our cabin. We saw a huge stampede of sheep; all of a sudden sheep started racing from all directions towards a point quite a ways off. We thought maybe they were going to be fed or something, but ultimately we saw nothing that indicated why on earth they’d all suddenly head to the same spot. A group of a few dozen leapt (literally) past us within a few feet. Amazing to see nature doing its thing!
Everyone liked the berry crumble (I thought it was OK, not great) and we chatted over dessert about what a nice day it was. We dilly dallied after dinner and the girls ended up getting to bed waaaay too late again (after 9:30pm). We have to get them back on a better schedule! In all fairness when we don’t have a hard start to our days in the mornings, it makes a firm bedtime less of a deal breaker. But we still want them hitting the sac at a more reasonable time (ideally 8:30/8:45pm) to ensure they’re getting enough sleep. Travel goals! :)
All in, today was a gorgeous day. Our unplanned, extended time connecting with the community in Ellendale - and our unexpected ability to go berry picking, resulted in a day that will go down as a favorite for sure. It’s OK - and even better - to flex your plans and serendipitously go where the day takes you!
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