Light and Dark

Chapter 1

I had a normal life at first. I lived in Australia, in a small town about an hour away from Melbourne. Basically in the middle of nowhere to be exact.

Mum and Dad didn't have a huge amount of money, so living on a farm was easy because we grew/raised most of our food ourselves. There was always something to do: feed the horses, bottle feed the lambs and kids, collect the chicken eggs, take the dogs and round up the sheep; the list went on and on.

And with all that I even managed five days a week of school! I know it's not that exciting but with no siblings and parents hard at work all day on the farm, school was kind of a contrast and for me it was my social life.

I had done homeschooling for my six years of primary school, but now that I was going onto my first high school year.  Mum and Dad thought I should get out there in the world and go to a proper school. I didn't agree at first but now I do.

The loud sounds I hear from the chook pens wake me up early every morning.

I love it, the boastful crow of the rooster, the cluck cluck cluck from the hens and the cheep cheep from the delightful chicks.

I stretch out my legs from being curled up all night and pull back the doona. The cool breeze from the open window chills me so I quickly hop out of my cosy bed and get my old trackies on and pull on my blue woollen jumper.

As I open our wooden door I grab my beanie and put it on, the frosty early mornings of July really get icy.

To give you a basic idea of my morning here's how it goes: it's about 5:30am now so the sun still has to rise. Firstly I collect the eggs from the chickens and ducks and put them in the crates to be cleaned. Then I ride the mini tractor over the fields to the horses and take their coats off, Mum usually does the cows so I'll leave them for her.
I now milk the goats and bottle-feed the kids. I know I shouldn't have favourites but it is pretty hard not to fall COMPLETELY in love with the baby goats. I bring a cup with me (already with cocoa and honey) and I fill it with fresh goats milk, literally squeezed straight from the teats. The taste is so sweet! I much prefer goats milk to cows milk.

Anyway, I have been going a bit off track. Oops!
I then whistle for the kelpies Misty, Benny and Simba and they help me round up the sheep.

It probably sounds very tiring and trust me, when I first came to the farm and started work in the early morning I was exhausted but now I am very used to it. I love it so much.

Then I watch the sun rise with Benny on our favourite rock, in these moments I feel so lucky to be living where I live.

After that I have to run through the horse field and back home to get ready for school. I pull on my winter uniform and my shoes.

I have breakfast, some eggs from the chickens and some fresh goats milk and then I say a quick goodbye to Mum and Dad who are outside feeding the piglets.

It sounds very chaotic but now, after many years of working on the farm it isn't too hard. I have to go to school now; the bus meets me at the end of our driveway.

Ciao!