Two aging hippies
Say cheese
Its funny how making a choice can change your whole life isnt it? I met Steve the very first time that I used a computer. My son was showing me how to use “chat” a now defunct way to meet people and Steve was on his very last post after having been totally fed up with chat and all it entailed. This was back in 1997 and ADSL wasnt even dreamed about. We met in a chat room called “Comedy Chat” with Steve’s query “What is the meaning of life?”. Having watched the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, the answer to that was obvious “42!” Half a world later and we were living in Western Australia and my father who lived in Tasmania mentioned that he had one of his houses vacant and would we want to live in it? It took us all of 10 minutes to decide and a day to clarify that it was time for a change.
We want to grow our own veggies, keep chooks for eggs (no killing here, I am vegetarian and neither of us could kill one of our girls, Emo dog and El Chupacabra however are a different matter!) and use our skills and knowledge to keep learning, make as much as we can as cheaply as we can, find sources of what we need at the lowest cost and preferably barter our way to a better life. Want to join us?
Do you believe in Karma? We do. We called one of our dogs Earl! 2 of our dogs are born on the same day. Its amazing how small the world really is and Serendipity is just how all of these little atoms managed to collide together to form our “happy accident” that we are leading now. Hopefully you will enjoy reading about our endeavours to achieve nirvana on a students budget. If we cant make it ourselves, find it online or work out how it goes, it aint worth doing.
I just need to add something here…I am quintessentially a magpie. I find things online including recipes, pictures, information etc. and if I put it into this blog, I am not laying claim to it, I am merely offering it to my readers to share your fantastic online offerings. I figure that if you didn’t want us to see it, you wouldn’t have put it online in the first place?! Ok, that saying, I respect everyone’s rights out there to make a living and should I ever inadvertently use anything on this site that someone gets a bee in their bonnets or their knickers in a twist about me using, please feel free to contact me and I will remove said item forthwith! I am not here to rip people off, I am here to share and thats all that this blog is about. If I use something that you have put online, its because I admire it, I lust after it or I want to show other people how great it is, and in so doing this, surely I am promoting your product? Perhaps you should even be paying me to do so! Let me know…we will work out a deal ;o)
Oct 09, 2011 @ 16:26:41
Brilliant blog Aunty Fronk
Oct 09, 2011 @ 18:49:00
You gave me the idea
) We had often thought about blogging and I had always said to Steve that I was ‘going to start a blog’ but after we saw that you were doing it, and someone else started one that we were pretty impressed with, we decided to give it a go. Its just ramblings about what we do here from day to day. I am glad that you like it, I love your blog as well. Is there some way that we can link our blogs? They are both WordPress. I guess I am going to have to delve into that scary part of blogging “The Dashboard”! Give me a bit and I will figure it out. Thanks for the thumbs up, its good to get kudos from your peers but even better from your family 
)
Oct 14, 2011 @ 17:29:22
This is one blog I want to read forever Pen! Keep it going, it’s
so entertaining for this old duck over here. Besides, I now know what & where you talk about too. Hey, I thought you said Pink was a pregnant sheila?
Oct 14, 2011 @ 17:30:11
You might also see I got the blog by the follow button okay!
May 03, 2012 @ 12:27:11
Hi narf, I have finally got around to reading your blog. Whew! Long posts! Takes ages to load, but I will persevere.
You are doing great things down there in Tassie. Congrats and keep it up. Thanks for the humourous and interesting posts.
May 03, 2012 @ 14:35:54
I used to post every day but cut it down to twice a week and now I have words fighting to get out into my posts. One day I will learn to simplify them down to their essence, but for the moment its a matter of release them or blow!
. Thank you for saying that we are doing great things but half of the time we really don’t know what we are doing. I would love to do a permaculture course to put all of the horticulture that was crammed into my head into the perspective that I need to do what we want here. I am trying to find everything that I can online to help us do this with minimal cost. That is where I found your blog… your wicking beds are a really great resource and something that we are actually using in our sustainable landscape plan. I love to learn from people and I always learn something from your posts. The fact that you are somewhat closer to me than most of the other sites that I predate on a regular basis is great because we have similar climates and temperatures and I can relate to what you are doing with your property. I love your chooks by the way. Mine are insane…I think EVERYTHING that comes to live here has been rejected for some terrifying reason. I hope that all of our hens don’t gang up on us one day and do us in…they just need to learn how to drive the car and access the bank account and they will be right… thanks heaps for your great posts and you are really giving me a lot of fodder for our place 
Jun 19, 2012 @ 06:07:55
Dear Narf, you have left me in stitches with your last paragraph about your hens.
Jun 19, 2012 @ 06:26:38
You are welcome Jean…I must be channelling the hen equivalent of Billy Connolly there!
Oct 23, 2012 @ 12:55:48
Duh – just got around to following your blog. Apologies for my lateness to the party
. Hugs from Utah.
Oct 23, 2012 @ 17:29:10
I am amazed that you guys find time to scratch yourselves with having to post every day for Vegan mofo! I dumped all of my omni (albeit gorgeous) food blogs and cleansed myself with a whole heap of new delicious vegan blogs in my rss feed reader. NOW I am armed for summer (and Somer
) and am ready to start experimenting with the harvest of veggies that we are going to get this year. Cheers for following. Its great to see you here on Serendipity Farm. Theres a little saying that I am going to make a sign up for our gate that says “Ring the bell…if no-one answers…pull some weeds!”…Thats our ethos. Make yourself a cuppa and you can have some of the good chocolate biscuits in the tin on the top shelf 
Nov 01, 2012 @ 06:53:46
Narf, you are an inspiration for someone like me and Sweet Man, just starting out on our organic farm. Lots of great information in here!
Nov 01, 2012 @ 07:00:25
Our “farm” is really just 4 acres of overgrown wilderness and steep inclines on a hill overlooking a river BUT we are planning on “farming” our buns off using permaculture principals and thinking laterally rather than mainstream. We are in the process of planting out all sorts of things to facilitate growing an edible food forest and are learning on our feet. We are horticulturalists BUT we are not “practical” horticulturalists…we are hort students on paper without the dig-in-the-dirt practical experience so this is all a big learning curve for us! We are loving the process and hope that you enjoy them along with us
. Feel free to drop by any time that you want and bring sweet man with you…the more the merrier! (Literally merrier if Steve brings out his skeeter pee lemon wine 
). Consider us homesteading permaculture “Hill Williams”! 
Nov 07, 2012 @ 09:01:18
Oh I HAVE to ask… skeeter pee lemon wine? Oh PLEASE, do tell!
Nov 07, 2012 @ 11:26:34
Yup…lemon wine! Well…its more like a cross between ginger beer, lemon wine and lemon beer! Very unusual dry strong lemon and very reminiscent of a non sweet ginger beer. Steve loves it and I got drunk on it so I guess it worked! The orange wine that we made is WAY too sweet and I don’t think it fermented. I think we are going to have to use it like cordial to temper the skeeter pee lol
Dec 02, 2012 @ 14:47:58
Just jumped over from RabidLittleHippy after I read your comment about your available walnut trees. I live in Southern Tassie, Huon Valley area but the in-laws live In Launceston and know that we are after some walnut trees for our block so maybe we could come to some sort of arrangement! I’d love to hear from you. Cheers,
Jan
Dec 03, 2012 @ 05:16:19
Hi Jan…We are heading in the Launceston pretty soon for our final lecture with our hort lecturer and could meet your parents (or drop some trees off to them) then. They are not big yet which means that they should transplant out well. I would let them grow on a bit and plant them out next year in autumn. Did you want a couple of chestnut trees as well? Lovely shade trees and valuable nut species. Let me know
Dec 15, 2012 @ 01:15:34
Hello guys, I just wanted to share this with you:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20723455
Miranda is on the front page of the BBC News website! How cool is that?!
Dec 15, 2012 @ 05:18:53
That is AWESOME! Miranda is an amazing ambassador for the trees and is truly someone who stands up for what she believes in and we are very proud of her
Dec 26, 2012 @ 08:15:07
I came here the other day and didn’t do justice while reading your info, so forgive me. I just came back and was more mindful with my attention. I wanted to say that what you wrote about, making it yourself or finding out how to (which obviously includes growing it yourself)…if more people even thought like this, our economically starved world would be a whole lot better off. Self reliance and sharing are key elements to helping people get out of their mental and physical poverty. Thank you. Paulette
Dec 26, 2012 @ 10:22:33
Poverty is our lot! We are rich in comparison to those in the third world but thanks to a most Serendipitous piece of luck, my hermit father left us 2 houses, one in town where my daughters live and 4 acres out in the Tasmanian bushland where we have put down our roots and are using everything that we learn to effect change with as much hope and anti-consumerism as we can. We have never been happier and as middle aged students, we are able to put what we have learned horticulturally into our day to day lives. People have the power to change their lives magnificently or maliciously in their own two hands…it’s our choice how we choose to live and to see the world. We choose hope and live each day like we CAN make a positive change. We want to share that with everyone and a healthy dose of good humour can’t hurt
. Thank you for your lovely comments and for coming back. You are welcome on Serendipity Farm any time you like. Pull up a chair, get that tin of chocolate biscuits down off the top shelf (have to keep them away from the dogs 
) and make yourself a cuppa…life is too short for stilted introductions, welcome 
Dec 27, 2012 @ 09:13:09
Thank you and very glad I did come back. I was confused by earlier communications which you have clarified here and I feel your heart, so please forgive my misguided ignorance. I/we (my husband) included are on the same page and although we have degrees and professions, a house, etc. we also chose to live simply, help others for free, and share what we can. Our passion is dogs (a being tolerance advocates) and we do what we can to help raise awareness to dogs (and all animals in this situation) in cages, at no fault of their own, for simply being born, being put on death row. We’ve been into dog (rottweiler in particular because it’s a breed many are reluctant to take on) for 28 years. We also, like you, love trees and when we have an overgrowth of seedlings on our property we post adds to have people come and replant them. Yes, friend, life is way too short. Blessings.
Dec 27, 2012 @ 11:43:29
We have 2 Amstaffs (pitbulls) and champion them as well. Our big boy Bezial looks like a Rotty and we have always liked them as well
. We are just about to give a lot of plants/trees away because I would rather see them given a good home than hoard them and have them die from lack of water or a good repotting. I totally agree with you about dogs…it isn’t their fault that they were purchased by people who just weren’t ready for them or the wrong people who just want to dominate something/someone. Life can be really tough and I was only just saying to Steve the other day that it would be impossible for us to foster dogs because we would keep every single one! 
. I am so glad that you stumbled onto Serendipity Farm, we are going to be good friends 
Dec 28, 2012 @ 02:30:51
Just went and saw their photos and stories. They are so handsome! Most of my extended family have pits. Personally, I haven’t met a dog I haven’t loved, no matter their personality or history, but we’ve fallen in love with and took on rotties, with an occasional other dog we pulled out of a kill shelter as circumstances demanded (the only way my hubby could stop me from moaning and whining, lol). I am glad I came here also. You, your life, your dogs, what you write, resonates well with me, in that life is here, make the most of what we have, be kind to our earth and fury family. Blessings. And, if you ever would like to read my book please let me know I can give you the pdf of the text if you don’t mind reading on computer or if you want you can download for free a kindle from amazon (to your Mac or PC) and I can gift you a kindle book. All profits are going to help the first and only no-kill shelter in Ventura County, where I live. Plus the story line is very pro-tolerance and has gotten a lot of support from the LGBT community (as well as press and national magazine coverage). I believe in human rights for all and aside from dogs my other passion is leveling the labeling playing field (antibullying, etc). I’ve written articles that I’m happy to share just let me know and feel free to e-mail me. I don’t want to hog your blogsite but honestly did want to share with you. I don’t like self-promoting but with my passion to want to get dogs out of kill-shelters, and help in the effort to shine a light on persecution and bigotry, I’m motivated.
Blessings to you, Steve, your family (all fury and nature included). Paulette
Dec 28, 2012 @ 06:44:57
Paulette, feel free to share your love of dogs and your desire to prevent their mass extermination due to their owners complete lack of responsibility to your hearts content. Steve and I are right there with you in those stakes. We didn’t realise how ingrained the antipit, antirottie, antianything big feeling is withing society until we purchased (what we thought at the time was an English Staffy
) from the pet shop. Since we bought Bezial, local pet shops no longer sell puppies. As a vegan with pretty strong opinions about animal cruelty my dear constant readers all tend to have similar responses to animals and especially dogs and your words and story would resonate strongly in their fold. My niece Tahlia takes in rescue dogs and houses them until families can be found to take them. I would love to read your books Paulette. YOUR words resonate in my soul and your desire to level the playing field is my ethos and creed. I think that some of us were born with burning crosses inside us (no pun intended) and here in Australia we have fought class systems passionately. We don’t like people getting “up themselves” 
. We like everyone to have a fair go. I am really glad that what I am talking about in my posts resonates with you. I share what I see and I feel about the world around me and how we are trying to effect positive changed in our little patch of the world that mesh together with other peoples little positive changes to form a net of kindness and hope that links us all across the globe…we truly are all one big family and we need to remember that…animal and human we share our world. I love that you share you passion for equality (both canine and human) in your comments and please feel free to continue doing so. I strongly admire people who put their actions where their thoughts are and you are doing just that 
. Now I just need to work out how to download and use an online reader…”STEVE!…” (49 year old ludites unite! 
)
Dec 28, 2012 @ 12:05:15
I’m laughing at you screaming for STEVE to help you download…I’m a tech dummy and it takes me forever to figure things out. The book offer is there if you ever… no pressure from me. Been so lovely chatting with you, all of it. Blessings to you, yours, fury & ones with leaves, etc. included. Happy New Year and a big cyber hug.
Feb 09, 2013 @ 04:03:48
Paulette from The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap sent me to your blog. I’m glad she did. So much in common. I am an aging hippie. You still look young.
Feb 09, 2013 @ 05:00:27
A smiling face always looks younger
. Cheers for coming to have a visit and big thanks to Paulette for bringing you 
. It’s all a bit chaotic here on Serendipity Farm. We are constantly evolving our ethos to suit the local environmental conditions and sometimes we have to shave a bit off our idealistic visions but we are learning from nature and have never been happier. I am now off to check out your blog and I can feel another addition to my rss feed reader coming on 
.
Feb 22, 2013 @ 05:27:57
Am I being really dim (not unlikely as I often am!) or is it that I have my varifocals on upside down – but how the heck do I follow your blog? Can’t see the button!
Feb 22, 2013 @ 05:43:28
There is a follow button at the top? I am sure of it
Feb 22, 2013 @ 21:58:15
No, maybe my wordpress is doing funny things?! Oh well, will just keep popping back to check up on you!
Feb 23, 2013 @ 04:00:05
Still can’t see it? I have had a few people say that they can’t find the follow button so perhaps WordPress is indeed doing “funny things”! I love it when you drop in for a metaphorical cuppa, anytime girl!
(remember the good chocolate biscuits are in the tin on the top shelf 
)
Mar 07, 2013 @ 15:09:38
‘Aging Hippies’??? Wonder what that makes me, then . . . nope, you are still very young; try using my New Age Ruler: 0 – 50 = Young; 51 – 100 = Middle Aged; 101 – 150 = Old; anything after that and you’re Ancient
Reading what you have to say about dogs (I’m a long-haired, working dog person myself, and if I have to bend over to pet it, it’s probably not a dog . . . well, I do like the smaller breeds when they belong to other people . . . but I like a DOG!); oops, guess I was digressing again . . . how come some people just bring that out in me? I’m normally a very serious type . . . anyway, as I was saying some time ago . . . I think you might be interested in the books by Juliette de Bairacli-Levi (the first ‘i’ in Bairacli has an umlaut, but I don’t know how to make that here): she wrote several books; I refer here especially to “Herbal Handbook for the Dog” and “Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable”. Once I came home to the farm where I was living, to find my big collie dog lying down and unable to get up. He couldn’t even lift his head. I searched my HH dog book, but could find nothing for paralysis. I had no money for a vet, so resorted to searching the HH for F&S; I found a treatement for paralysis in sheep and by a stroke of luck or whatever, I had all the ingredients on hand, including the slippery elm bark. I made up the potion, formed it into little pellets and sat up all night pushing them one at a time down his throat at the recommended intervals. In the morning, he was able to stand, but was wobbly. By afternoon, he was back to running around as usual. I have no idea what caused the problem, but was sure happy to be able to treat it so easily. I used many of her suggestions and medicinal treatments over those years, always with great results. She’s worth researching, if you aren’t familiar with her already. There is a short film about her, too, called “Juliette of the Herbs”. She studied with gypsies and aboriginal peoples all over the world; raised her own breed of prize-winning Afghans; raised two children naturally (and wrote a book about that, too); and much more. She was the first person to cure distemper in dogs, all with herbal treatments. She died at 96 in 2009. Anyway, just thought you might find her books useful. As my brother-in-law would say, “one good tern deserves another”. ~ Linne
Mar 07, 2013 @ 19:15:31
Came over to read this as you had me well intrigued by your comments Linne and I am even more intrigued now by the books you’ve mentioned. Dying at 96 is a HUGE positive for following her treatments too. Must have been doing something right there! How wonderful to be able to treat your Collie naturally too and hooray for it working.
Mar 08, 2013 @ 03:42:22
Ditto to Rabid’s comment Linne
. The only “work” that our two dogs to involves them acting as tractors whenever we go for a walk and Earl is on cat duty 24/7, that’s about it 
Mar 14, 2013 @ 23:34:12
The other day I said we had a lot in common. I, too, met my husband over the computer, but through email, rather than chat. He called me the next day, and then every day until we met a couple of weeks later, and it was love at first sight. We have been together eleven years. I also had a first marriage that lasted 24 years. Also, we live on my father’s farm, which I inherited. And, of course, I think we are both doing organic and recycling, etc.
Mar 15, 2013 @ 03:51:21
That IS a lot in common
. I was married for 15 years first up and have been married for 13 years to Steve this year and we are recycling and using organic and permaculture practices on Serendipity Farm. I wonder how many more people like us there are out there? 
Mar 26, 2013 @ 13:20:11
What a lovely story. I believe in Serendipity, definitely. You’re lucky to live in Tasmania where you can enjoy all these things you’re doing right now – chooks and all. Btw, thanks for leaving a comment on my blog post. Really appreciate it. xx
Mar 26, 2013 @ 13:22:18
Cheers for coming to visit I love your site and recently signed up to it through RSS feed reader to follow your exploits. I love good Aussie blogs and yours is a really good example of a fantastic vegan food blog with ethics
Apr 05, 2013 @ 23:49:47
Hellooo, I have ‘nom’inated you for the “very inspiring blog award”. Love your blog you can see the post here – http://veghotpot.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/blogger-awards-thank-yous-and-nominations/
Apr 06, 2013 @ 03:06:15
Thank you SO much for the nomination…I am chuffed to bits
I don’t actually participate in blog awards but love that I get nominated 
. Cheers again for the thought and the nomination 
Apr 06, 2013 @ 09:08:52
You’re welcome
really love reading your posts, always grab a cup of tea to sit and have a good read!
Apr 06, 2013 @ 12:29:26
Tonights post is a real mishmash of old post and new stuff to pad it out…I thought I really SHOULD recycle my post and not let the brainpower that forged it go to waste (you never know when the old brainbox might just seize up!
). A fellow tea drinker is ALWAYS welcome on Serendipity Farm 
. Go on…grab a chocolate biscuit as well…and you can have some of those vegan bunny chocolates that my daughters bought me for Easter as neither of the dogs will eat them and Steve is still working his way through his own Omni treats…I tasted one and they are delicious BUT if “I” eat them, I might not be able to fit through the door 
Apr 06, 2013 @ 05:10:11
What a magic space you’ve created here. Thanks for sharing your lives and light. Peace and love, lee and janex
Apr 06, 2013 @ 05:17:24
Hi Lee and Janex
. Welcome to Serendipity Farm on the banks of the river Tamar in far flung Tassie Australia. Just hopped over to check out your blog and it is wonderful 
. Right up my convivial alley and now tumbled in with a wonderfully ecclectic bunch of other blogs. I am vegan and Steve is omni (but doesn’t eat much meat) and together we are trying to turn Serendipity Farm (once a weedy wasteland) into our own little piece of paradise with a food forest, our own home grown just about everything and as much happiness as living real lives can give you. Who cares if you are so tired you end up asleep at 7pm I say! If you got up vibrant and ready to take on your days in full, you win! 
. Cheers for coming to visit and for your own magical space in the ether. I am a prolific commenter and can’t wait to read future posts 
May 05, 2013 @ 12:34:25
Hi
Thought I’d reply here to save Alexander’s readers from reading my ramblings!
Are you regarded as locals in Tassie yet?!
We are originally from Sydney, now living on the Far North Coast of NSW, about 1/2 hour from Byron Bay. Been here over a decade. Will prob be locals in another decade!
May 05, 2013 @ 12:40:19
Nah…not too sure I would WANT to be considered a local
I have to hide that I am a vegan sometimes as it’s just not worth the agro with the loggers…sigh… Lucky I look like a logger chick eh? 