Family Comes First
When we first started this milk processing charade making cheese in 2019, Sally and I had five little boys but I can’t say that anymore because they are growing like weeds.
Hamish is the eldest, has a drivers licence, a ridiculous car (which he knows is actually retro and cool) and a new full time job. He’s considering learning how to tune pianos as a side hustle. He said what do you think you get paid for a tuning a piano and should I, in fact offer a discount to clients, if I get muffins and tea while I’m tuning? The majority of my customers will be elderly women who are generally the best cooks and I love muffins, so it would be a win-win scenario. Hamish brings me great joy!
Raff or Termite as I call him, at 15 you would think would be obsessed with sport, girls, phones but his passion is timber-he wants to be a maker of fine furniture. At 15 in our family you are allowed a mobile phone, on his birthday I asked him and he said ‘Yeah I’d like a phone but I need tools more, then much to my disgust he was given a phone but to my joy, 6 months later he hasn’t used it. Every night through the winter we had to pull him out of the shed for dinner and then back in again at 10pm for bed. I love that boy.
George is number three, he is 5ft 11 and 7/8 inches tall, a genuine Collingwood 6 footer, but he’s only 12 so I reckon he will get there. A teacher asked him what he was thinking of doing when he grew up and he said “I think I’ll take a gap year in New Zealand and work on a cattle farm, then I’m going to university to study agriculture, then I’m going to travel a bit more, then I might be a farmer” which was news to me. He has his mum’s paddock voice all the time which is why the trumpet suits him. George is possibly the best hugger in Australia. He demands them daily and it’s hard not to feel totally loved after a George hug.
Rory is 12 minutes older than twin brother Rohan. Lately he seems to have decided upon a career in professional golf. I have mentioned it’s a pretty competitive and tough gig and his sporting genetics aren’t that great, but he’s developing his own style. He has perfectionist tendencies which is not something I ever suffered from. I just love spending quality time with Rory.
Rohan is the youngest, he is developing into quite the cook/chef. He plays the piano, not because he has to, but for joy. We have just come out the other side of a three month delayed concussion battle with Rohan and it’s lovely to have him well and causing trouble again.
Most of you know Sally and that she’s nuts (in a good way). I only have to get one Christmas present each year (Sally)and it seems like it gets harder each time? 20 years ago I would happily buy clothes, dresses, shoes but experience has taught me the risk reward ratio is not balanced in my favour anymore. I did think lingerie but that didn’t work. Do other blokes feel trepidation going into a lingerie store or am I just insecure? You get to the door and there is just rows and rows of bras and undergarments and then my subconscious tells me I don’t belong and to flee the scene. Looks like its tea towels and face washers again Sally-sorry, I do care-I’m just not one of those new age guys that can express it.
I know this is supposed to be a farming story but this is actually the most important part, the why we farm.
Paul