I am new to the community, and am very excited reading so many informative posts. I grew up on and around farms. My grandparents (actually they were aunts and uncles but they were the nearest thing to grandparents I knew) lived on 5 acres. They grew all their own fruit and vegetables, kept chickens (for meat and eggs) and pigs and two milking cows. They taught me to make clotted cream, butter, cheeses and jams. My first memory was of "helping" my Uncle Jack to plant potatoes and his wonderful patience, as I handed him at the end of the row, the potatoes he had laid down to plant, all carefully gathered in my skirt. Other experience included my best friend's sheep farm, my first in-laws mixed farm and our own market garden. Later we lived on a small-holding and I got into canning as well as renewing my old skills. Seven years ago we bought our current property and I experimented with organic growing. We have an amazing, productive orchard, grow all the vegetables we can eat and eggs and meat from our chickens. I have learned about regenerating impoverished soils and, above all, how to never give up! However, our propety is now to small to accomodate my desire to incorporate animals into the mix. So we are searching for a small farm in northern NSW. Our home is under contract and we head off next week to make another attempt to find our small farm. Most people think we are mad, I am 64 and my husband is a vibrant, active 71 year-old, but we are keen to continue to live a happy, healthy, contented life in the fresh air. But we are realistic enough to be looking for about 8 good acres (ideally with the ability to agist very close to our property) rather than buy 100 unmanagable ones. Also want to teach people the old homesteading skills I have been blessed to have learned throughout my life. What point is there in having a skill if you don't share it? All help will be appreciated and I am going to love pouring through all the posts I can.