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Maybe it was the half deaf neighbour's choice of radio station I was forced to share- or was it the fact that I could hear the sound of the 747's lumbering down the runway at the airport a good 15 km away?
Suddenly it seemed like a perfectly natural idea - find a rural getaway, a farm - an escape. The city was crowding in and the only way to beat it was to leave it.
That was the biggest decision, or was it. Where would this farm be found? Do you just scan the papers and check the 'open for inspection' times in the rural real estate section and then wander round on Saturdays checking out the ... what does one 'check out' on a farm?
Friends and family provided input from across the advice spectrum -
'You're what!!!'
'A farm! You'll go broke.'
'Leave the city, you'll be bored stiff.'
'Fantastic, you can have a horse!'
'Great, think of all the fresh veggies you can produce - and chickens and cows and...'
Nothing much happened for a month or two, then the tree change urge started to gnaw away again, so one weekend a 'tire kicking ' exercise was organised. We headed off into the hour and a half circle we had drawn around the city to catch ourselves a farm.
Step 1. Cruise up and down the main street of chosen country town and peer at the 'For Sale' displays in the real estate agents windows.
Step 2. Enter the offices with enticing window displays and enquire about properties for sale.
Step 3. Be prepared to be catagorised as a weekend tire kicker.
Step 4. Be persistent, because country real estate agents are a loquacious group, with plenty of time to dispense country wisdom to would be farmers. You'll learn stuff that will become important in life. Information mentally filed away included -the paths of the power lines, where the local tip could be found, tips on soil quality, weeds to watch and roads that led well off the beaten track .
Well we left our first meeting knowing that real estate agents are known as stock and station agents in the bush and they like to tell you the about the prices the 'suckers' fetched at the last sale. Did he include us in the sucker category?
