Learning the farm at the cattle gate

Nothing especially momentous was happening here. The kids were spending time around the farm, learning the place and being out in nature. In this photograph, that meant stopping at the cattle gate with an adult and having a look at the animals on the other side.

We like that about life here. There doesn't have to be a planned activity for there to be something worth paying attention to. A couple of shaggy cattle can be quite enough to stop for, particularly when you're still getting familiar with the farm and everything in it.

The practical side belongs in that learning too: gates have a purpose, animals need their space and a working property has areas to respect. Those things sit alongside the enjoyable parts. Looking after a farm and enjoying being here aren't separate stories for us.

Riverdell is a family property as well as a place for people to stay. As we work on it, we want to keep a record of the children getting to know it too. Photographs like this have a place alongside the projects, the creek views and the changes around the paddocks.

No big occasion to explain, then. Just a little time at the gate, the cattle carrying on on their side, and the kids finding another part of the farm to be interested in.