Life In The Cottage

We’ve lived in the cottage at our new farm near Moama for two weeks now. We’re bunking here while the main house is renovated. 🏠

Though I was emotional saying goodbye to our 2025 rental near the Murray, it astounds me how quickly we’ve moved on. How quickly life moves on.

When I went back to get the last straggly bits of stuff in the days after the main move, the space quickly held a different feeling. It felt like an empty shell, just a building. I was eager to get back to our new digs.

I love how close to nature I feel here. Logically I know that in a regular house the outside is only ever just beyond the window too, but here it feels closer somehow.

I’m enjoying the simplicity of it, though it can feel overwhelmingly small when everyone is in here being noisy (which is pretty much always!). 🙃

I have the luxury of spreading our belongings between this cottage, the hire cabin a few steps away (where 3 of our boys are sleeping in a school-camp kind of arrangement), a shipping container and the main house about 20m away. After lots of sitting in the past few months I’m enjoying being outside more in our semi-camping arrangement.

From the outside it’s a rustic Aussie log cabin vibe. On the inside, we’ve reimagined the space which now leans warm, modern-country with earthy tones, natural textures, brushed nickel and touches to soften its old bones.

My mother-in-law commented that ‘it’s cute as a button,’ which I reckon sums it up. It’s a bit quirky too.

There’s a handful of last cottage reno jobs to be finished including the ceiling, bathroom and painting, before we officially move onto the house reno.

It doesn’t feel ‘normal’ here yet but it’s beginning to feel more familiar. Our new home. It’s the first place in three years where we know we’re staying, at least for a long while, and gosh it feels so good.

I’ve been wondering how it will feel not having another major life-shaping decision on the horizon in 2026. I contemplate if I’ve become used to the thrill of big life changes? Will greater stability feel boring? I suspect there will be a tension within me… the relief of certainty versus missing the excitement of change.

The long middle between leaving our farm at Moonie and moving to our new farm at Moama has taught me so much. It’s the heart of my next book after Seen Again. ❤️

How are you feeling in the lead up to the end of the year? Are you feeling swept away in the ‘get it done before Christmas’ imaginary deadline?

After riding the adrenalin wave of the last few months fuelled by meeting my manuscript deadline, renovating, solo parenting during harvest, and moving, I’m working on convincing my nervous system that we can slow down now.

There’s always plenty on the to-do list and all the pre-Christmas things happening, but there is no urgent deadline to meet right this minute. My body is still not convinced… but we’re getting there.

A Reminder

Because I know you’re probably taking care of everything and everyone and pushing through to the finish line, I have a reminder for you. YOU are important too. Your needs matter over this period. You matter.

Your boundaries matter. Your health matters. What’s okay for you might not be for someone else, and vice versa. It’s okay to question the rules if you didn’t write them.

I know how easy it is to get stuck in thinking that things have to be a certain way for them to be good enough, but it’s okay to release or adjust expectations when things feel too much. No one expects perfection. No one looks for perfection — least of all your children. Connection is most important.

That’s enough from me for now. More again soon as I wrap up the year that’s been.

Oh, and in quietly exciting news: my new and updated website is now live! If you’d like a look you can visit it here.

Go gently, friends.

With love,

Benita x