Dreams can come true!

A late spring sunset @ 9 degrees celsius

Overgrown landscape after the rain @ 9 degrees celsius  

The thing about dreams is that they're usually short-lived night time adventures, or else they're daydreams, the fantasies we have about what our lives might be like if we had X, Y or Z. It's rare we have the opportunity to actually turn our dreams into reality. So, when the opportunity presents itself, it can be a little overwhelming!

We used to live in a three bedroom, 1970s split-level home, on a quarter-acre block in the foothills of Adelaide, just one step away from suburbia. Although we spent almost 10 years in this house, and worked hard to make it a home, we regularly pined for something else ... perhaps a little farm, somewhere further out, somewhere we could lead a more simple and environmentally sustainable life. And then one day we happened across a half-acre plot of land, just 10 minutes further up the road, complete with another 1970s “renovator’s delight” (it seems like we've been renovating forever!)

In what seemed like record time, we sold our existing house, bought the new house, and moved everybody and everything in. The excitement lasted a good few months while we met the neighbours, hung out with the local wildlife, and were treated to beautiful sunsets while toasting our toes in front of the wood fire. However, when winter turned to spring, and it took us an entire weekend to just mow the lawns, let alone get on with renovating the house, the thought that we'd maybe taken on too much began to worry us. 

At the end of September last year, and then again a week later in October (a month or so into our spring), South Australia was wracked by some of the most severe weather events ever experienced in this state. Unrelenting rain, repeated gusts of wind, and freezing temperatures followed what had already been a very wet, cold, and long winter ... and then, amazingly, the power went out. Everywhere. Imagine that, an entire state of approximately 2 million people, without any electricity!

Thankfully, power was restored fairly quickly - although the political blame and point scoring still continues - but we were left with considerable damage to our new house; with ceilings, floors, and the basement all needing repair. This, combined with some tough times at work, led to us feeling pretty down and less than motivated. What had happened to the dream of a little farm, with animals and productive gardens, and maybe even a little side business?  

And then one day it happened. 

After a few extra difficulties at work, we agreed that I would resign and instead focus on: supervising the repairs to our house, turning our property into a fully productive (albeit very small) farm, and in case I wasn't going to be busy enough, also build a private social work / counselling practice. Oh, and did I mention I also home school our daughter two days a week?

Luckily, we believe in the power of dreams combined with hard work, and although it feels a little overwhelming at the moment, we hope you'll follow us on our journey as we strive to build a productive, but simple and environmentally responsible life at 9 degrees celsius. 

If you'd like to keep up to date with our adventures and challenges, please keep reading our blog, and check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ pages. If we really get organised, we might even add a Pinterest page and YouTube channel as well.

Next time we'll talk some more about our experiences as "farm newbies", and also where the name 9 degrees celsius comes from. 

Cheers,

Bonnie, Shane & Ruby.