I like to write, plain and simple. Ever since I was a little kid, ordering my poor dad about while I was ‘the teacher’ and he was my ‘student’ (Dad – sitting dutifully cross-legged on my bedroom floor – back straight!), with me giving him instructions on how to form a sentence!

This blog site – it’s all about living the Yeranda lifestyle – our property is named Yeranda. It means yellow tailed black cockatoo in one of Australia’s indigenous languages. Fate brought that name to us.One – it was the name of a property my wonderful in-laws once owned, and also the bird that holds a special place in my heart – a story for another day. Follow my journey of building a home off grid, building our business, our farm, and all the things that contribute to living a life I love.

My dad – I think that’s where the love of words was first sparked in me. Always encouraging me to read, and keep a dictionary next to me, so I could look up words I didn’t understand. Not that I would have ever admitted that in my younger years – being so ‘independent and making my own choices’. Dad started his career as a journalist, he worked for newspapers, radio, and various other organisations as a public relations professional.

I used to love using his typewriter, and my eyes lit up when he brought home bound books full of different typefaces. I used to copy them freehand, and experiment with all different typefaces in my school assignments – taking great care in the presentation, and spending hours on making sure all the spelling and grammar was correct.

From a young age I kept a diary, in my teenage years they were my outlet where I could really let out all those angsty feelings, capturing so many memories. As I grew up, I continued to keep a diary, though not as often as I would have liked. I was determined once I had my children, I would keep these amazing keepsake journals I could pass on to them when they were adults.

Yeah, I know, I had no idea how all consuming parenthood would be, and how the last thing I wanted to do after a day of kid wrangling would be to relive it all again in the pages of a journal. So, my entries were sporadic, and there were gaps of years at a time, and then it was so daunting – where do I even start, how do I catch up on all that’s happened?

Mum and Dad have always loved books and encouraged me and my brother to read. The four of us still love reading, and books are a common and cherished gift amongst us at Christmas and birthdays.

I studied communication at Uni, and my day job is as a communication and change consultant. I am a people person, I love a chat, to share a story, to listen.

I have started journaling again, it helps me get the thoughts onto paper at night, and I feel once they are on paper, I can let them rest there while I sleep. I guess I find it cathartic.

My internal compass has been guiding me for quite a while now, pushing me to start a blog.

But what the hell am I gonna write about? My life is like many others, nothing exceptional. Or perhaps we all are exceptional. Do I have to choose just one topic? Impossible! So, here I am.

Writing about what interests me, what’s happening in my life. Kinda like a journal, without all the sweary bits, or maybe not – authentic self and all that, right?? Now, let’s be clear I am not here to impress or please anyone, I don’t claim to be the next Virginia Woolf or Mark Twain, I’m doing this cos I like to write not because I am good at it.

So today, I introduce you to why I like to write. Next it could be about Project Poultry (yep, it’s a new obsession), living rurally but still a city chick at heart, my journey of the soul, building a shed, or a house – a shouse? Or perhaps my love of ‘hippy oils’ (my husband’s words), the latest book I am reading, asking for your help on choosing interiors, maybe wine…and cheese, or simply something I need to get off my chest.

I hope to see you back here soon.

Nicky xxx