I grew up on the Northern beaches of Sydney and my early adult life involved the hustle and bustle of Sydney. I loved the excitement of roaming the suburbs and everything I needed was a few minutes from home.
When I started Nursing, I lived in the nurses quarters, so my journey to work involved walking to the wards.
I worked at North Sydney, and my travel time became longer as I was living back at Avalon, so it was a two hour drive to work. Travelling was fun and to beat the bridge rising at ‘The Spit’, I would organise picking up co-workers so we could use the transit lane. This could save us upto 20 minutes!
After many years working at North Sydney, and a short stint working at Paddington, I moved to Coffs Harbour. It was bliss and I loved the beachy vibe.
After 6 years in Coffs Harbour, I moved back south and settled at Pearl Beach on the Central Coast. It was during this time that I had a car accident that really did a lot of damage. I never returned to full time work – I had too many spinal operations and I was in constant pain. My specialist doctor advised me to move to a cooler climate and start my ‘road to recovery’.
I moved to the mountains of a village called Ben Lomond, located on the Northern Tablelands of NSW.
It seemed very romantic at first.
The smell of an early morning fire crackling, the sounds of cows moo-ing and birds singing was, and still is, a treat.
I can hear all these sounds because it is so quiet without peak-hour rush traffic. I can count the 5 cars slowly passing by in the morning. People are rare to see. It is a small grazing community and the farmers only ventured off their property to go to the General Store.
Romantic? Yes! What I failed to realise is the extra work that is required to keep a 120 year old home and a 1 acre block of land in good condition as well as a constant supply of firewood and heating going.
I spent several years creating a series of gardens, dry stone walls, pathways and I constantly devised ways to keep the house warm and cosy.
The country life started to work it’s magic.
I slowly recouperated and became involved in several community groups.
I went back to Uni and completed a Graphic Design course.
Ben Lomond finally got an internet connection and I was able to do most of my design work at home. I was starting to enjoy the little things in life again.
I am now fit and (almost) healthy, living the country life, writing and illustrating.
I sometimes miss the excitement of city living and I often feel the urge to move back to a larger community, but for now, this is my home. I have learnt that the grass is always greener when I nourish it. So for now at least, I am nourishing my soul and immersing myself in the people dearest to me.
The country life really is a ‘vase full of flowers’.
This is a little drawing I did (AI) initially, for a business card. I got a lot carried away and it became an abstracty-type farm scene.
Thank you for visiting!
Elizabeth Kerry.com 