The Sabbath
Host: Country Downs Station
Written by Nikki Elezovich – Owner, Country Downs Station.
Here we are at the end of our week’s blog and you have met our wonderful employees Jenna and Josh and caught up with both Kurt and my perspectives about our current and future endeavours. I feel that we really have been blessed this year with the people that have quite literally ‘turned up’. They have all given more to us than what we have them. But as they say . . . ‘It is really all a matter of perspective!’
As it should be, the last day of the week is usually about resting, relaxing, and ruminating on the things that have been and also what could be . . . well for an hour anyway! During the process of writing this week’s blog, I have become completely conscious of the fact that recent events have totally eclipsed what we have focussed on. When I think about it, we have had a pretty hard year on a personal level . . . but that’s life isn’t it? However, in amongst all those crappy times are also the great times like:
Our five poddy calves that, despite the circumstances in which we received them, provide us with such laughter and love that it is hard to not stay in the pen with them and forget about everything else. We did have six for a while, but as Jenna stated in her blog yesterday . . . sometimes it just happens and we all have to move on. It does help dealing with the grief when you know you have at least succeeded with most of them.
Our very cute . . . and very noisy . . . poddy calves! There are five, you just can’t see the far one!
Our family of pigs that, despite the very reason for getting them in the first place (i.e to eat!) are insinuating themselves into our lives to the point that I am not sure if we will ever be able to slaughter and eat them? By the way if you ever want a great loving and loyal pet . . . forget the dog, pigs are amazingly good at making you love them . . . no kidding! Our pigs have to be in separate pens now . . . girl’s pen and boy’s pen . . . they breed worse than rabbits! We let them out on alternate days (to reduce the amount of fornication!) and they share their daily rations with the chooks! I have always heard the stories relating the demise of ‘Hetty the Hen’ or ‘Randy the Rooster’ accidently flying into the pig pen and becoming pig tucker in short order . . . but our pigs are obviously either well fed or did not read that part of the ‘Living a Pig’s Life’ instruction manual! Our most difficult task at the end of each day these days is chasing the goddam chooks out of the pig pens! It’s hilarious when you don’t have to do it yourself!
Baby piglets (not in order!): Cacciatore, Pepperoni, Chorizo, Prosciutto, Pork Chop, and Grunt.
Let’s not forget our best vegie garden ever with the largest zucchinis I have ever seen in my life! I currently have tomatoes, zucchinis, and eggplants piling up on the kitchen counter . . . I just need some time to actually do more amazing things with them. So far, chocolate zucchini cake, pickled eggplant, stuffed zucchini, pickled cucumber, preserved tomatoes, tomato paste, dried herbs, four different types of chilli sauce, rosella, and tomato jam have graced our dining table.
Satay Kambing (Goat), with Stuffed Zucchini . . . for 8!
I also remember the fabulous feeling of great satisfaction when I finished renovating my horrendous old daggy bathroom! I did actually do 90% of it myself, however, when I reached the old shower floor and sent the chisel all the way through the floor, I realised that maybe I needed a bit of extra help . . . plus it’s always an incentive if you have to walk a couple of hundred metres every evening just to have a shower! Kurt helped me put in a whole new concrete floor and we then flew through the re-tiling & painting.
From this . . .
To this!
Most of all, it’s about recalling the times with family, friends, and the great people that have a tremendous impact upon our lives. From simple things like picking up my online Woolies order and delivering it to us, right through to those who have donated their time, labour, and even goods and services. These people . . . our friends, our family, and other generous, altruistic people of our community are what make Kurt and myself realise that it is all really worth it. They provide the vision, the stamina, and the strength to continue when we start to question our own resolve and abilities. The confidence in us that other people have shown is more humbling than most other actions that anyone can give us . . . for if they believe we can do it, then there is no reason why we can’t!
So, as I said in our first blog for 2014, this week for us was really to say thank you to everyone who has supported us, believed in us, and helped us out, during the good times and bad! We all have crappy moments where everything seems to be insurmountable, but I believe if we let the people who love us, help us, the good times just keep on rolling through!
So, all of us at Country Downs will say goodbye for 2014 and I will leave you with what I consider to be quite a momentous photo for us! Our very first family portrait . . . I am not kidding, I went through all of our photos since Rory was born and there is not one with all of us in it except for this one.
Ciao ciao Nikki
Our first family portrait! Enjoying an afternoon together on the back lawn . . . makes you realise what life is really about.