Family Project

Since the lockdown, we haven’t had any workawayers and we have all been home. At the time of max production, B and the building workawayers would work about 10 hours a day, with exception when I worked early in the morning or later in the evening teaching yoga or dance. These were busy times and our little family didn’t spend much time at Sakona as there were school runs, errands and household chores that needed attention. We also lived further away from our farm and I would often intend to get out there ‘just after I finished _____’. I either didn’t finish _____, or I would finish it just in time to pick the kids up from school.
Our reality in lockdown is a lucky one, we have land we need to put work into and I still get to work from home teaching and doing projects. Part of me feels guilty that we are in a position that works when so many others are not, but I suppose there is no need to dwell on this, as we are trying to do right by the earth and our little family. We have been spending A LOT of time together, and it had taken a couple of weeks to adjust but now it works more or less with ease. Unfortunately, with the weather turning to autumn (rain) and the lack of workawayers, we are not making the progress we once made. However, we have been getting out to the farm as a family and working together. There is S P A C E, there is land, there are animals, there is clay and a trampoline (!) but most importantly, there are projects. Some days the kids sit in the car and play/fight/occupy themselves while we work. Other days, like yesterday, we had big kid helping dad drill holes in the trusses, and medium and small picking tomatoes. They are usually pretty helpful and get into farm chores.

It felt so nice for us all to be involved. I think in the beginning of this project, we imagined the children frolicking around the property taming horses and branding cattle and there we’ve come closer to that we’re still not quite there. When we first bought the property, they didn’t even want to go out there! “Ugh, the bloooccckk” they would whine. What!? Here we had this gorgeous land that they could roam, with access to the water and they just wanted to stay home. I have now understood that introducing new things to children can either take straight away (if it’s instantly fun, like a trampoline, presents, or playdates) or take a long time for them to learn how to appreciate the beauty (like planting trees, building a house or learning to ride a horse). So in the past three years, our 4 month old whom I’d carry on my back walking around the steep property, is now a 3 year old that can run around freely and knows her boundaries. Our 4 year old who was eager is now 7 and still eager but can do more and our then 6 year old who took time to warm up to our new life, is a strong, capable and helpful 9 year old that knows how to assist in house building.

I think in time, we will creep closer to their farming know how and I will also creep closer to knowing what I am doing as well! Things take time, learning takes time and growing takes time. It is only now that three years have gone by, that I can see the difference our efforts have made. It is such a joy to be out on the land working hard towards something as a family. I can’t wait to move into our house, however many years away that is and fully immerse ourselves into living sustainably.