Chicken Envy

Ben was checking on our chickens (and one duck) when he discovered one of the horses standing in the chook yard, trying to look inconspicuous and not TOO guilty. He wasn't drawing much attention to himself really and the hens didn't seem to mind at all. Coaxing him out wasn't too hard. All it took was the whiff of a few over-sized carrots from the veggie patch. Ben then promptly set to work repairing the fence, under the watchful eyes of both the offending horse and the other horse who shares his paddock (but who displays better paddock etiquette).  I think the chickens thought the whole caper quite amusing. I certainty did!

There ain't nobody here but us chickens!

Ooooo...is that a carrot? I do rather like carrots. But do chickens eat carrots?

Oh, help, what would a chicken do? I'm so confused.

Bugger - now we'll never cross the road!

Hmmm...that Ben fellow sure doesn't know much about building sturdy fences!

A break in the weather

We spent a few hours down at Kingston on Friday afternoon.  Ben did a spot of fishing at the pier while the kids went exploring with their friends. I just wandered aimlessly with my camera, enjoying some much needed time in the great outdoors. The sun came out a few times, but mostly is was grey and a little bit eerie! The light was just perfect for photographing some of the old buildings and the silhouette of the pines against the setting sun.

{This Moment} :: Fishing friends

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama

Cuddles

Awwwww....aren't they adorable! I glanced over at my two little darlings watching a movie on the couch, and this is how they were (and the camera was right there at my fingertips - lucky).

Grey days

Our lounge-room resembles a laundry, there's moss growing on the verandah, the car has become sluggish, EVERYTHING feels damp and the children have energy to burn! Please come back soon Mr Sunshine - we miss you!

It's raining cats and dogs

We like to step out in style when the weather is inclement. I smile every time I see our gumboots lined up at the back door. I think they speak volumes for the personalities of the people who wear them.

          Ben :: practical, sturdy, sensible

         Me :: detailed, consistent, delicate

         Harrison :: confident, logical, adventurous

         Matilda :: creative, imaginative, a little bit cheeky

NB. To be honest, our gumboots aren't reserved for rainy days - they are considered essential footwear for paddock exploration and trips into the chook yard.

In our library bag this week...

Arrrrr me hearties...there's nothing like a good ole pirate tale in the evening, to help ye sleep sweet dreams. But following tales of treasure hunts and sword fights, one must promptly read a cutesie picture book about a sweet little girl who causes chaos in her local library. Can you tell which one Matilda chose?

Iron Chef :: Norfolk style

Every three months or so we participate in an 'Iron Chef' competition with three other couples.  The winning couple is presented with a "trophy" and is given the privilege of hosting the next round. Winning is desirable because it means you can choose the key ingredient, plus you don't actually compete in the next round. Basically, the winners get to sit back, eat, judge and enjoy (no pressure). Meanwhile, the other contestants have been running like mad things for 24 hours, sourcing and inventing recipes, gathering ingredients, and generally making a HUGE mess in their kitchen!! 

So how does it work?

Well, we all meet at 3pm the day before for the unveiling of the secret ingredient. The next day, at 6:30pm, we gather at the host couples house. Each couple is required to present three dishes; an entree, a main and a dessert. Portion sizes are controlled (otherwise we'd all burst). All serves must fit on a bread and butter sized plate, or something equal in size eg a ramekin dish.  At the end of each round, dishes are scored, taking into account, how well the key ingredient was incorporated, the overall taste and how well the dish was presented! 

All in all, it's a fun (and hugely competitive) night!

Here are some photos taken during last nights 'Iron Chef'.....the secret ingredient.....

LETTUCE!

"Catching"

In our family, we no longer refer to this recreational activity as 'fishing' - we now call it 'catching'. Above is just a small sample of some of the fish caught during a morning fishing expedition - actually most of the fish were caught in only 2 hours! Sweet Lip Emperor (known as 'Trumpeter' on the island, seen above left and bottom) is a beautiful eating fish no matter how it's cooked; we love it baked whole, steamed or fried!

And yes - there are three fish hanging from Ben's line. I'm told anything less than three at a time is disappointing!! If you love fishing, come to Norfolk - you are guaranteed a catch!

Morning has broken

Yesterday morning, before rushing out the door to get to work, I took the liberty of making a quick loop around the yard with my camera.  The air was crisp and clear, and the morning light so magical and enticing! I don't think I'll ever tire of this remarkable view.

{This Moment} :: Rock Collections

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by SouleMama
 

Finally...the anticipation is over!

Matilda has been obsessed with the idea of loosing a tooth since she was about three - which must have been around the time her big brother lost his first! She would ask almost weekly, "When will I get a loose tooth Mum?" Well last Sunday night she woke us in the middle of the night to announce she'd just discovered her top front tooth was wobbly!!!! The next morning there was an urgent request for a tooth fairy pillow to be sewn; it had to have a pink pocket with a white tooth embroidered on the front, the material had to be pink and pretty, and please OH PLEEEASE, ribbons on the top.  Yep, she's quite specific this girl of ours - she knows her mind! I didn't actually get around to making the aforementioned design until last night and phew, just in time. I can't believe that just this afternoon, only five days after discovering it's wobbliness, Matilda pulled it out herself. To say she's excited is an understatement.  And guess what...we've just tested the tooth next to the hole and it's wobbly too!!!

NB. There's nothing so cute as a toothless grin!

It seems like only yesterday!

I have so many great memories from last year, our first year living on Norfolk Island. The problem is, despite wanting to start a blog back then, I just wasn't brave enough to take the plunge. I was lamenting this to my blog crazy friend Cristina recently, who assured me it is perfectly fine to write posts about things that have happened in the past.  So here's my new idea - each month I'll endeavor to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on what was happening in our life 12 months prior. Mostly I intend to share some photos - after all, a picture tells a thousand words. Let's hop in the time machine shall we...

* A local visitor pops in to help with the washing * Harrison and Matilda play Saturday soccer * A BBQ at Puppy's Point to watch the setting sun * Bonding with chicks * Celebrating National Tree Planting Day with Landcare * Playing in the creek with mates * Sewing costumes for the 'Wild Things' concert * August 2010 *

In our library bag this week...

This one barely hit the sides of the library bag - and once we started we just couldn't put it down! As a bit of a mid week treat, yesterday afternoon we sat down with a ginormous bowl of popcorn and watched the movie version.  Movies are typically a weekend-only event in this house.

The critics said: "The book was soooo much better Mum!"

And I have to say I totally agree. Books usually are, don't you think?

Happy reading x

Northern Exposure

Ben suggested I explain why our blog is called Norfolk Exposure.  Do you remember this TV series? We were/are huge fans. The year before last, we watched the entire series on DVD - all 6 seasons worth. I think we averaged 3 episodes a night. When it was over I actually missed the characters - it felt like they were part of my extended family. In my day dreams I wondered what they were up to! I still pine for 'Chris in the morning' and his insightful, poetic ramblings. If only I could turn on the radio and hear his lyrical voice every morning. Ben loved Adam the best, and what an extraordinary character he was. To imagine that one man could have achieved so much and be so accomplished at so many different things was ridiculous but amusing none the less. So what does all this have to do with living on Norfolk Island I hear you ask. Well if you compare climate and location then obviously we are worlds apart. And unlike Joel Fleischman, who couldn't wait to leave Cicely, we fell in love with this picturesque island pretty much straight away. Maybe it's because as we got to know the locals we found some personalities to mirror Maurice, Holling, Ed, Shelly and Maggie! Do you ever feel like you're living in a TV series?

So how did we get to this point?

We thought we were living out our big life plans reasonably well. And yet things just didn't feel right. We were struggling to manage the work/family balance. Our large energy guzzling house didn't really reflect who we were. Our mortgage didn't feel right. And generally speaking, our lifestyle didn't flow in a way that felt natural. We were losing sleep over some pretty big issues too; peak oil, predictions of economic doom, real estate busts, environmental disasters, commercialism and institutionalized schooling. Yes, heavy stuff! We were reading and discussing with like-minded friends topics such as living self-sufficiently, home-schooling and building environmentally suitable houses. We sometimes felt burdened and confused, but also excited because there were so many possibilities. It soon became pretty obvious, clearly our big life plans had to change. So we sold up, packed up and moved in with my folks. Ben quit his job and stayed at home with the kids full time and I returned to work five days a week. We had two main goals, firstly to save hard, and secondly, to come up with a new plan. We knew a few things for certain - we wanted to live with an environmental conscience, we hoped to be as self-sufficient as possible and we wanted as little debt as realistically achievable.

Finally we were free to drift and dream for a while. To work through our doubts. To work out if we'd gone completely crackers! Were we being realistic? Plenty of people around us thought we weren't. It didn't put us off - we knew that to be true to ourselves, we had to follow our instincts.

Living with Nannie and Pa proved to be great, especially for our kids. I headed out the door for work each day and Ben took on the task of home-schooling our first born. Domestic duties were shared, food costs split and contributions to electricity and phone bills made. Everybody had a role to fulfill. The house was big enough to allow everyone some privacy.  So we settled in and stopped obsessing about the future for a while.

And that, of course, is when our life journey took a most unexpected path. We were taken completely by surprise. We stumbled upon an ad in the paper. There was a job, perfect for me, on an island far, far away! I wasn't exactly sure where this island was and knew almost nothing about it - but I was intrigued and just had to find out more.  After a little bit of research, we realised what an amazing opportunity this could be. I had visions of us being just be like Swiss Family Robinson!!!! So applications were written, refined and emailed, a job interview endured (I have NEVER been so nervous in my whole life), job offered and accepted and well - the rest is history (still currently in the making of course), because here we are!

So now we reside on Norfolk Island, a small isolated, breathtakingly beautiful, island in the South Pacific.  We are part of a diverse population of just 1800 people, a proud community rich with culture, traditions and history. In this blog I hope to share with you the ins and outs of our daily life. And who knows, one day you might visit and see it for yourself!

Cheers,
Michelle

PS We still aim to be completely self sufficient one day and hope that in the future we can build/or buy a house that encompasses environmentally friendly principles. For now though, we just apply our ideals for living to our Norfolk existence - as best we can!