When I first took a job out west, almost 17 years ago now, I really struggled to adapt.
I just couldn’t get my head around what I considered to be the enormous cultural divide between city and country. I wasn’t sure that I ever had a place out here.
Seventeen years ago – before the internet well and truly found its legs – I started emailing friends and family about my experiences out west. I called these emails “The Country Chronicles”.
The Country Chronicles amused and amazed my loved ones. I fed off the entertainment factor. In reality, I probably only sent a handful of emails out.
This was before I was married and the mother of three children. Life seemed to take over for a while.
It wasn’t until years later – seven years ago in fact – that I started The Country Chronicles again. It was a small blog that didn’t really make it past a few instalments.
Within another two years Facebook had started its meteoric rise in popularity. I began another blog I called “The Farmer Has A Wife” and continued what I had started several years earlier.
I had hoped to share my experiences as a city girl living in a rural world with people I was rapidly reconnecting with.
Another year or so passed and I decided to change the blog again. I was reaching a larger audience through social media. Brands were asking me to spruik their products, and my hobby slowly started becoming a job of sorts.
This was the beginning of The Farmer’s Wife. I was offered a column in a Queensland magazine, followed by a column in the Queensland Country Life.
The opportunities presented to me surpassed any far-fetched dream I ever had about my blog in the beginning.
Nearly three years later things are changing again. I’ve said most of what needs to be said – for now. I’ve been fortunate enough to have met some amazing people and been on the receiving end of incredible opportunities and experiences as a result of my writing.
While this is the end of the print version of The Farmer’s Wife, it will continue on social media. Apparently the world is still going nuts over that scone recipe I posted several years ago, so there will be recipes and stories abound on my social media accounts.
Thank you to everyone who has read and followed me over the years. Thank you for the letters of support and words of encouragement. I feel very grateful for the chance to have been able to share my thoughts with so many of you.
I look forward to seeing you online! (Facebook and Instagram - @jessthefarmerswife)
Until next time, Jess x