In my previous post I mentioned that there were some changes happening at Matiatia, so I’ll try to bring you up to speed…

For those who came late in the day to this blog, brief backgrounder. Matiatia (formerly Mateatea) is this here farm where we live and do farm things and blog. Matiatia is a small holding 5 acre permaculture farm and guest facility owned by my friend Michael. I live here currently with my grrl Charlene.We have been living here for about 1 year, and I have been managing the guest facility during that time. For the full story see here.

We have a fairly fluid family/community life going on here, with lots of people coming and going. We like it like this. Our friend Neha is here from San Francisco at the moment. She will stay for a month. You can check her out at Ekphrastic Feminarca.

So… 

Recently, Michael and I decided to call it a day with the business. It’s no money maker and it’s wierd to have people who aren’t friends or family in your space all the time. It’s a psychic drain., on a permanent basis. They’re always lovely people, really interesting, aren’t your usual Byron tourist fodder, have eco interests often and so on. Still, I feel constrained by their presence.

So on February 11th, in just a few days, the business will close. The last guests are currently in the cottage and the last turnaround has been done. Then it will be just family at Matiatia and that is how it should be.

We (the farm family) will rent out the whole property, including the cottage (formerly guest house) and the bails, which is a renovated space which was formerly the original dairy. It’s a great space, self contained with the outdoor bathroom, but very, um… rustic living. It is a great space. I love the bails.

And so we are expanding, our small family, the core of which has been Charlene and I, this small family in which dogs outnumber humans, will be expanding our number to 5 and occasionally 6.

Deb, frequent commenter on the backyard, our other limb, and founder of the Bring Tippi Home Front will be coming back from the UK at the end of February and taking up residence in her old room, reuniting with her dog Bucky and resuming house duties .

 
Deb (left) and Charlene (right) photo by tom anthonisz

In the cottage our Zhane,special friend, farmboy and tree changer from the Big Smoke (that’s Sydney…) will be living. She will come to Matiatia to be herself and paint and stretch her wings (which are usually hidden beneath her clothes).

Zhane outside the toilets of the Lismore Showgrounds looking cruisy

In the bails will be Jax, a local writer who will write!

Neha will make regular visits in preparation (we hope) for eventually moving out here permanently.

neha on the verandah

In other exciting news, I am about to become farm housewife to a dairy farmer! Yes, Charlene just scored herself a job on a local BIODYNAMIC (!) dairy farm. This couldn’t be more perfect for her. She loves cows, and they are a sustainable, organic, eco friendly, animal friendly ethical family business. They loved Charlene and are prepared to fully train her based on her passion for the job. This is great news for a family that has been living a subsitence level existence for quite a while now.

I broke the mower, perhaps not unfixably but i have to say that mower was everything to me. That mower was my life and today I felt that I could mow forever. I do feel remarkably tired at this juncture, however, and, while I am sure there was more to say, many more important tidbits of information to pass on, I am simply too tired.  

Some words and some pictures should suffice for the day.

Love country style Vxx