Compound Life: Issue 1 – Week In Review

In 2022 we moved from Canberra to Townsville, to a block of land that has 2 houses (main house and a granny house) on it. My parents moved into one house and our little family moved into the other. It’s been a rollercoaster of learning, laughing and adapting. We affectionately refer to the property as “The Compound”.

Before we all moved here we used to daydream about how great it would be to live close to each other. HUBBY and I had spent 20 years in Canberra for our careers and we’d never lived close to family. (We had family we’d chosen for ourselves in the friends and Church community which was amazing, but it’s not the same.) With a 9 year old growing up fast, a pandemic behind us and the opportunity to sell our home at the market peak we made the decision to move.

During COVID my Nana had passed. She’d been such a big fixture in my life. We had a special relationship and to the best of my ability I’d been there for her whenever I could. But in the pandemic I’d been forced to stay home while she passed. I had to say goodbye to her over the phone. I Facetimed her funeral. It was horrible. My entire life I’d been able to be by her side whenever I wanted, and the one time it mattered I was stuck 2,000km+ away. I hated it.

I didn’t want to be in a position again where I couldn’t be with the people that I loved because of distance. We’re fortunate that HUBBY’s family are all together in Melbourne, so they have each other when he’s not there. My brother and I both lived out of our home town, and so when we had the opportunity to go to my hometown – both for my own reasons and my family reasons – we talked about it and we took it. It’s such a privilege to be part of a family.

My parents house hunted for us. Originally we were going to move into a single home property, but then they found this place. Happened to drive by it one day and pull over to see what it was like. The rest they say is history.

It’s not what we thought we’d end up living in. (I had one requirement; a pool. What’s the one thing this place doesn’t have; a pool.) I think if we’d all had time to think about it more we likely wouldn’t have ended up here. But I’m grateful that we didn’t have that time. We’re right where we’re supposed to be; together.

The yard on this place is massive: 1,600sqm. It was overgrown and hectic when we moved in. My Father (with some help from my Mother) has transformed this place. He’s a machine. Seriously. He’s brought it back under control. Built garden beds, poured concrete, built a massive amount of fencing, taken out trees, replanted trees, built garden sheds, pruned, weeded and loved this place on our behalf. It’s a true gift of love.

Over the years we’ve talked about putting in a vegetable patch. Mum and Dad have planted fruit trees, and they’ve thrived. They also have a healthy herb garden that they’ve tended to in pots. We’ve gotten chickens who provide us with a wonderful source of eggs which we use and share with the little community around us. It’s been lovely.

However, with the current geo-political machinations happening we decided that the time to stop talking about a vegetable patch and put one in had come upon us. After much back-and-forth we’ve made decisions about how we’re going to do it.

Given the over abundance of wildlife in our area (lots of rock wallabies, bandicoots, echidnas, birds and insects) we’ve decided that we need an area where we can grow our items and keep out the majority of critters. Dad’s building “the cage”. It’s 3m x 6m and it’ll be full enclosed so that we can keep everything nice and safe.

He’s done it all by himself (with the occasional oversight or tape measure holding from Mum and I). I’m telling you, the man is a machine. He’s worked out what he’s needed. He’s made it happen. He’s also been collecting a few things off Facebook Marketplace to go towards making pot stands for the cage.

We did a lot of back-and-forth about how to set it up. In a perfect world we’d have purchased Foodcubes. They’re Australian made and designed. They are an all inclusive wicking system that can be customised to suit your growing needs. They are able to be added to so you can grow with trellis, you can add netting and they keep your gardens neat and ordered. However, we’re starting out and trying to conserve money while balancing the needs of the property.

In the end we’ve opted for pot-based planting. With the occasional grow bag added into the mix. We want the pots up off the ground because of snakes and the level of fear that Mum and I have about accidentally disturbing a snake. Dad’s going to convert some items (pictured above) into pot stands.

Dad’s going to be responsible for growing tomatoes, capsicum, peas and beans. Mum and I are going to be responsible for growing potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin and cucumber. We’ve also started on some shallots and perpetual spinach. (We planted those out into the styrofoam boxes pictured above to get them started.)

We’re completely new to this whole thing, but we’re keen. We’ve spoken to a neighbour up the road who has a thriving vegetable garden happening. We’ve researched. We’re ready to make a start. I can’t wait to eat our first homegrown vegetables!

👆 Mum’s been growing Dragonfruit. I have to say, it’s my favourite fruit to look at. I just love the vibrant pink and green combination (plus the white and black inside). I’m also trying my hand at growing celery from the cut off end of a grocery store celery. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Edibles

In an attempt to be more responsible we decided to start buying our meat in bulk. This means we have to meal plan and be more intentional with our grocery shopping. It’s off to an interesting start.

A good friend of ours came over to give us a cooking lesson in Indian cooking. We often share meals together and her food is always so flavourful and delicious that I wanted to see if she’d teach us some tricks so that I could start adding more Indian meals to our rotation. (I could eat Dahl on crackers, toast and with every meal!) She kindly agreed and came over for our lesson.

It was brilliant! I learned so much and it’s completely changed the way I understand using spice. Emboldened by our lesson I went to Townsville Indian Grocers and got some goat meat (bone-in). I also picked up the start of my spice and dahl collection. I also stopped into Indian Aroma and got a few other things (including some roti and paratha).

We’ve had goat curry since moving here and it was amazing. I was determined to give it a go and so I just picked a recipe and jumped in. I found this recipe on Sinfully Spicy: Tender Indian Goat Curry. Words cannot describe adequately how thrilled I was with how this turned out.

I ended up marinating the goat overnight when the recipe says you don’t need to. I’m not sure if it made a huge difference, but given how amazing it was I’d do it this way again. I cooked the onion and browned the goat in a Dutch oven before moving it into the slow cooker and cooked it on high for 4 hours.

I served it with rice and Indian breads. It was so good. The house smelled amazing. It reheated wonderfully. Both boys loved it. (The kid even asked for it again!!!) I am so thrilled with how it turned out. I’ll definitely be making it again.

Next time though I think I’ll add some spinach leaves just before serving so it’s got some vegetables in it. Maybe serve it with a side of steamed beans as well. We were just so excited and hungry from the smell of it cooking that I didn’t do anything else with it. (I didn’t even grab photos!)

Entertainment

I’ve been trying to spend less time on watching television. It’s been working a treat. I’ve used the TV time to read instead and so far I’ve read 43 books and counting! But this past week I needed a break from reading and so I watched a new series on Britbox; Curfew. It’s an interesting concept. If you like BBC crime shows, check this one out.

I also finished a book; The Dark Lord’s Guide to Dating (And Other War Crimes). My heart wasn’t really in it (reading overload, not the book’s fault) but it was an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars.

Education

I’ve finished my 2nd trimester of my 1st year of full-time university. (Studying a double degree: Bachelor of Law / Bachelor of Arts – Politics and International Relations.) I’m really enjoying being back in an educational setting. I’ve loved using my brain again for stuff that’s stretching me and making me look at the world through a different lens.

I first attempted university in 1995 (Bachelor of Arts – Literature and History). I finished 1.5 years of my degree and then left to take a job with the Australian Public Service. I did 20+ years with that job opportunity and I loved it. It gave me so many opportunities and being a public servant was something I’d wanted to do since I was 12 years old. I don’t regret it, but I do – if that makes sense. Not finishing my degree has been something that I’ve been ashamed about (and lied about (never to get jobs or opportunities), which I’m even more ashamed about) for 30 years.

When we moved back to Townsville my mind naturally went back to all the things I’d done here while growing up. University was a big unfinished. Not only was it unfinished, but I’d made decisions in my high schooling that meant I didn’t graduate to my full potential. I’d always shown potential for law. I loved it and I had the brains, but in my final years at high school I let the voices of a few and my own insecurities make me small. I finished with marks good enough to get me into a Bachelor of Arts, but not good enough to get into Law.

I deserved those marks. I didn’t study, I didn’t attend school and I didn’t earn my place. Even if I’d managed to get into Law I wouldn’t have had the skill set to make the most of it because I hadn’t built that skill set in high school like I should have. It’s always been there in the back of my mind; am I good enough to do what I wanted.

In 2025 we talked about it and we made the decision that I could return to full-time study. I wanted to be a better role model for our son. I wanted to no longer be a fraud. I wanted to get the degree that I think I could earn. I applied, and thanks to actually studying while in my job and getting a Diploma of Project Management, I was able to gain entry into the course I wanted to do.

It’s been an adjustment. After running my own business for 13 years I’ve realised it no longer fills my cup the way it used to. I’m ready to do something new. I’m not shutting my business, I’m just moving it back into the realm of hobby. It actually brings me more joy now. I don’t miss it like I thought I would. I’d gotten to a point where I just didn’t have the desire to bend in the ways I needed to.

I’ve found a new excitement in studying. I have no real idea about what I want to do with my degree when I finish it. I want to do Honours and, if I can, my PhD. I’d really love to teach in university setting. I’ve enjoyed mixing with the students and seeing them grow and learn. I was nominated by one of my teachers in my 1st trimester for the JCU Mentor Program. It’s a program the university runs where current students are paired with first year students to help them adjust to being at university. It’s been great.

I’ve also approached one of my teachers about self-nominating to lead a Peer Assisted Study Session for one of the classes I took this semester. She was encouraging of it and so I’m hopeful that I can get some experience in that role. We spoke about opportunities to lead tutorials as well and so I’m going to keep an eye out for those.

When I started I didn’t think I’d practice law, but I am excited about the prospect of Space Law. We covered it a little bit in my “Public International Law” class in my 1st trimester, but with the successful Artemis II mission I think it’ll be something to watch. I’ve started collecting articles and information about it, just in case.

I’m enjoying the politics side of my studies as well. Although I am having to be mindful of burnout. I’m so intrigued about the world and the decisions that are being made. (If you’re curious too, I’d highly recommend subscribing to Heather Cox Richardson’s channel on Youtube. I’m loving learning from her.) I’ve always loved politics. (Only kid in Year 7 that had a crush on Paul Keating, watched “Yes, Prime Minister” and dreamt about being a public servant!) I believe it’s a form of service. Not corrupt politics, obviously, but politics in terms of how power and resources are used for the betterment of the human condition. It’s a way of serving each other.

I’m really proud of the results I’ve achieved in my first 2 trimesters. I find myself talking myself out of being happy with the results by saying things like “It’s easier to study now with the internet”, “They mark easier now than in 1995” or “It’s an open book exam, of course I did well”, etc. I need to stop doing it and give thanks to the Lord for the opportunity and gifts He’s given me. There’s nothing wrong with being capable. My being capable in this area doesn’t steal the light of anyone else. I don’t need to be sorry that I’ve done well. But I also don’t need to shout it from the roof what my marks have been. I try to look at it all as a Pass/Fail equation. I’ve passed and passing is what gets it done.

In some ways it’s making the disappointment of my teenage years more acute. This is what I could have been if I’d applied myself. I’m applying myself now and look what’s happened. But I try to stop myself thinking like that. I’m 30 years older, with life experience and an appreciation for the joy of study. That wasn’t me in 1995. I’m right where I’m supposed to be.