End of an era ...

Well they say all good things come to an end ... ...

On thursday morning I walked up under the big Peppercorn tree, with Willow, Dakota, Milana, Ava and Winston. This wonderful tree has not only provided us with shade and solace ... ... it has also been 'home base' for endless adventure and fun.

What greeted me was a bit of a shock, gone was the old seed planter, which has most likely been there as long as the farm has and has been known to all, as our train/bus/car/tractor/spaceship/tram/boat/rocket and so much more for a very long time.

Secondly, laying on the ground near by in three pieces was the huge old cedar log that had been part of this landscape too. You can see both landmarks in the photo of Winston, just two weeks earlier ... ... he's on the seed planter with the big old log in the back ground.

I stood in dismay for a moment and then quickly rang Rob in the office to find out what had happened, partly so I could get over my shock and also to help me fill the children in as they noticed too what had happened.

I found out, the machinery had been deemed unsafe, not really a surprise and finally had to go. The good news, in it's place will eventually be an old tractor, stripped back and made safe to become part of the next part of the farms history.

The old log had began to badly split and needed to be taken care of. The good news is, it will stay there now in pieces and be a slightly changed part of the landscape and play for the children.

With the change in our landscape there will also be a change in our story lines, which you will see in photos and vignettes to come ... ... for those who've been part of the children's travels for some time, it's the end of an era ...

The 'make my day' quote of the week had to come from Dawn this week. As we crossed the back paddock after an early morning sojourn in the cool by the river, she turned to me as she strode along amongst her friends, Elodie, Daisy, Magnus and Jock and said, 'Ta-nell-err, I am so happy and so proud of my little gang!'

The slide show and first photo album with this entry really introduce Kari's group on wednesday. Enjoy their travels and fun!

Below that a sprinkle from the groups with me, where you'll see some regular faces and meet our newest little farmer Milana.

Farm 03.02.10k and 17.02.10k

farm 19.02.10