Why do I blog?

I was reading a blog post by another lovely blogger today and her post sparked me to think about my own blog and why I blog at all.

I have been blogging since about 2010 and originally started blogging as a way of showing my crafty side when I was taking crochet and knitting lessons. I have been off the needles (and hooks) for a little while now due to work and uni commitments (although I am starting up again in March over at Jellywares' seasonal yarn club - check it out if you're keen to join!) but continued blogging anyway.

Source: Pinterest

Some weeks I have nothing to blog about, and some weeks I have lots, but I keep asking myself - why do I blog at all?

I think I mainly blog for myself. It's an outlet for my thoughts and my creative side. I am able to jot things down and document events I think are special or worthy of mention. It's a great way of looking back at all of the things I have been doing throughout the years.

Sometimes I think I blog for my readers - if there are any out there.... is there anybody out there???

I never really know if what I write goes out into the interwebs just to sit there, un-read and un-noticed. Unless I get a comment or two, but even then I think - did what I wrote matter? Or does it just matter to me?

I've contemplated closing the blog down before and have just never done it. I love to blog, I love reading blogs and I love the blogging community there is out there.

I need to blog more, I know that, because there are times when hearing from like-minded readers and other bloggers out there really makes my day and that's a bonus!

Who are you blogging for? And what bloggy stuff do you like to read about?

If you're out there...... anybody.....

A thought for the farmers

Although I am no longer living in rural NSW like I have been for the majority of my life, the stress and sadness of the current drought gripping rural Australia still affects me.

A lot of city-folk might not realise how bad things in the bush are right now and it's easy to forget how others live when we get caught up in our own day-to-day rituals.

My family are the owners of a property in far western NSW on the Darling River. (I've mentioned our property in many posts before - check the 'farm life' labels on the right hand side of my page if you're keen to see more!)

Dad's plane on the new airstrip on the property.

Lately my parents have been working overtime to de-stock (sell off extra numbers of cattle) because we just don't have the food or the water to keep them all.

This week my mum emailed me a picture of the thermometer under the veranda at the house on the farm and it was hitting a high temperature of 48'C!!!! And that was in the shade!

My dad was trying hard to move our small calves to another paddock where they would be able to find shade under some trees because they were suffering in the heat. Other cattle were yarded and trucked off to be sold.

Here is a movie dad sent me today show the "mighty" Darling River - how sad that it is almost dry.

My dad sends me regular emails and photos via text to keep me updated with the property which I love. He keeps and eye on my beautiful horses and makes sure I get to see them at least once a month through the inter webs.

My horse Splash (on the left), and Dad's horse Ben.
Both looking skinny and not liking the heat very much!

It pains me to see our beautiful property in such dry and sad conditions, but I know it's apart of farming, as we all do.

I love rural Australia but it is suffering currently, and it pays to reflect on the hard times those are having in this drought. Some farmers are far worse off than us, some have even had to sell everything they have just to get by! I just hope the rains come soon to help save the livestock and the farmers from these terribly dry conditions.

Keep our farmers in your thoughts this week, and lets all pray for some much needed rain.
E, x

Grown-up stuff is tough

I've had a knot in my stomach over the past few weeks.

The usual "grown-up" stuff is getting me flustered: jobs and finances. Don't tell me you don't think about this stuff too.

I threw it out there into the Twitter-sphere last week and had a good chat with some of my "tweeps" about how unaffordable it is to live in the big smoke we call Sydney.

I have only been living in Sydney for about 8 months now and I am understanding completely why it is considered one of the most expensive cities to live in, in the world!

Now, I can't really comment on how much money it costs to live right in the CBD or in the closer metro suburbs because at the moment with my income I can only afford to live in the outer west but still I am noticing the cost of living is ridic!

So many of the girls I chatted to on Twitter agreed. It is impossible for young people to hang on to the dream of owning their own home in this ever-growing city as property prices continue to boom!

I heard recently  the average property price in Sydney has risen again but roughly $100,000! Holy smokes!

If I were single and wanted to get some Independence for myself and obtain the "Australian-dream" of purchasing my own home it would be impossible. Simple as that.

Luckily, when it does come time for me to buy, my partner and I can join income-forces and have a better chance of purchasing a home larger than a dog kennel.

Image source:admablog.com 

How does a young person save in this day an age without moving in with Mum and Dad and working 24/7? Renting prices are almost as high (if not higher in some areas as one Twitter friend acknowledged) than paying a mortgage! Grocery bills are up, electricity bills are high, not to mention the cost of fuel! Small luxuries like holidays are a thing of the past if you're planning on knuckling down and saving for that house deposit. In fact, there goes my social life completely if I plan to save $10K before 2015.

I know I may sound whingy, but this is not the case at all. I am more interested to know just how people manage to save these days. Is it putting those holiday trips and nights out with friends on hold? Or taking public transport as often as possible? Or is eating two-minute noodles for lunch and dinner saving you dimes?

I'm curious and deadly keen to know how you do it as I feel like I am saving as much as I can and still moving at snails pace towards a large sum in ye'old bank account!

Spread the savings love in a comment below :)