The Jacksons

The Jacksons at Orbost are a family of four plus a vast menagerie of animals! Tristan and Jess are in primary school, ‘Farmer Keef’ as we like to call him is a shepherd, farmer and dad, Rachael is a zoologist, mum and paperwork fiend! Together we bumble along through life’s adventures and challenges trying our best to do the right thing by those around us, and nurture and care for the menagerie and the magical environment that we are blessed to be living in.

2011

This year is going to be busy! Last year we applied to the Scottish Rural Development Fund to enter into a biodiveristy and ecological sustainability scheme for Orbost Farm for 2011-2016. We were successful in our application, and the first task at hand is to fence 20km farm boundary!!! So the Jacksons have got their fencing gloves on, and will be spending many a day out the hill getting the fence done. We are planning on hosting WOOFERS to help us along the way, so really it is all go. The kids are growing up fast, and seem to have prematurely hit the ‘teenage’ phase – when do grunts turn back to intelligible conversation again??!! TJ will be heading off to high school after the summer, and JJ will be climbing towards the top of primary – I guess overall for us it is going to be a year of growth, development projects………… and sore muscles!!!

2010

We spent New Year’s eve playing in the snow this year – moonlight sledging in the farm fields (cracking fun, but very sore on the joints the next day!). Tristan and Jess are growing up so quickly, and I don’t imagine it will be that much longer before midnight sledging with mum and dad is just not cool, so we have to enjoy it while it lasts!

2009

We started 2009 by taking a trip to see my family in Australia, spending Christmas and New Year there. It was fantastic – although always a bit of a culture shock for Keith and the kids, as going from quiet little Orbost into the bright lights of Sydney city life and 30 degree heat is bound to confuse all the senses! It was great family time though, and Santa got the email about where Tristan and Jess were going to be, so all was well. We spent loads of time with my family and my girlfriends, fishing, parramatta speedway, shopping, camping out and experiencing the amazing fireworks on Sydney Harbour up close and personal!

New Year’s fireworks were brilliant, and we were fortunate enough to be able to view them from my Dad’s office balcony, which provided a bit of a haven from the millions lined along the shores of the Harbour. Getting home was another story! All the roads are closed off to traffic to understandably avoid flattenning revellers, but this unfortunately means catching the train home…..with 100,000 other people…….needless to say that I am sure there will be a few psychiatrist bills to pay in the future when the kids fear of crowds, created by the stampede, kicks in! Seriously though it was worth it, and many thanks to Tom and his mate, who along with my parents, Keith and I, created a circle of sanctuary for the kids to hide in whilst edging our way through the crowds. We actually spent alot of our time in Sydney away from the hustle and bustle at some of my more favorite get away spots fishing and bushwalking….oh and swimming every day! ahhhhhh.

So that was then…..and this is now!

We returned home at the beginning of ‘The Big Freeze’ and although the frosts are always a welcome alternative to driving wind and rain, it can make life on the farm much more difficult for feeding and keeping animals watered and warm. We’ve settled back into the swing of things, and have been busy processing mutton, hams, venison and iron age pork these last few weeks, getting the freezers stocked before the calving and lambing starts.