Show Time { Maitland Show 2026 }

Another very fun show year with lots of entries, excitement, big wins and lots of ribbons! As is tradition we had a ride on the dodgem cars and the kids chose a great fun ride flying up in the air. We saw the animas and the cutest bunnies, which we would take taken home but we have reached bunny capacity. The poultry was impressive, we saw a few breeds we liked the looked of and took notes for future reference. Our favourite of course is racing to the pavilions to see who has taken out the most wins! 

School's Back

Big milestone for us this year. All four of the Catton children are in school! Lily is the most excited of course. She has been waiting patiently to start Kindergarten for the past two years. Literally counting down. Everyone else is well and truly in the swing of things. Finley entered Year 8, Primrose Year 5 and Quill Year 2. They were all as ready as they could be. Squeaky clean, new shoes, pencil cases and bags packed. We are excited for everything ahead of them this year. Finley has his debut musical performance in Mamma Mia coming up in June. Primrose has Virtual Academy at school and leadership opportunities. Quill begins karate and is working hard on his reading and Lily has started dance and is starting to learn to read too. We are proud of the little people they are and are looking forward to the the year ahead.

Summer Holidays

What a summer! Probably the best in memory. We had the Ryan cousins come and stay at Avonlea for a full two weeks and it was one big, long, fun sleepover. The days were warm and many adventures were had. The project of the summer was making a movie - written and directed by Tristan Ryan, cast - the cousins. I caught snippets of the action as it was filmed at the river and the dam and helped them acquire a cow skull as a prop but truly have absolutely no idea what it is about. We eagerly await the release! 

Avonlea { Chapter Two }

Chapter 2

We had our first floods this year and it was as great as everyone told us it would be. It had a covid like feel to it, the rushing to get food, preparing for who knows how long at home, the kids anticipation of getting to miss school. Then there was watching the water rise across the road and the quiet after the rain has finished but the flood waters are still high and we have the run of the roads to ride and be our own little community. There were nightly drinks down at the flood water, a visit from the SES flood vehicle, time just to be, because there was no going anywhere. I learnt quite a bit, like that if we are flooded in so are a lot of people all across the hunter so many things grind to a halt like sport and travel. So the best thing to do is just go with the flow and enjoy it while it lasts. It wasn't all fun and games though. The sheer amount of rain basically swept our driveway into the Flower Paddock. We also had water seeping in downstairs and spent many an hour with the wet vac trying to manage it. It's been a wet year, the dams are full to overflowing which is a site to behold. 

Making our Mark { 2025 }

There's no small or quiet years around here anymore, if there ever was. With six of us, there's always a lot on the go and we've expanded the scope of life substantially with our 26 acres, 3 rabbits, four horse and 12 chickens. It's the life we dreamed of, and the reality is a whole lot of work but a whole lot of love. We love where we live and the rhythm of country life and wouldn't have it any other way. 

The Moment

In September we had a beautiful experience having a family photoshoot home at Avonlea. The pictures came back more beautiful than I could have imagined. I had really wanted to capture this moment in our lives, at our forever home, with all our children still children. I'm very conscious of how fast they are all growing up. That it won't always be like this. Our life feels like we are at this heightened stage, it takes all that Levi and I have to make it work, like all the best and hardest things are happening to us all at once. We are truly living the long held dreams we've dreamed - owning this beautiful place and raising four wonderful children here, and also trying to manage life and all the things that come our way. What I do know is that I want to hold on and not speed through it too fast. Look at my children's little hands, the freckles on their noses. Breathe in the country air, take in the joys that surround us. I'm so grateful these pictures capture us, just as we are, living the beautiful life we've created. 

Family + Fun

We have had such a fun, full, school holidays. We've barely sat down but loved every minute of having family visit, creating fun and going on all sorts of adventures. We had the Ryan's spend a lovely 5 days with us, a quick trip to Sydney in the middle and then Courtney with us for the end. We love sharing our home and surrounds with our family and love that they come to visit. 

7th Heaven

Our little superstar has waiting patiently through three siblings birthdays to FINALLY arrive at his time to shine. Quill turned 7 in a blaze of Pokémon glory. He had all the bells and whistles on the actual day at home with us, plus a birthday badge and lollipops to take into his class. Then on the weekend it was party time!

'Book an Adventure' { Book Week 2026 }

We had another very fun and creative Book Week this year. Lots of back and forth about what books and characters, ideas for how to put together outfits and general excitement for a fun day. Finley went with last years Keefe from 'Keepers of the Lost Cities' and was joined by Primrose as Sophie from the same book. Primrose did a great job hand making her brooch for her cloak. Quill went as the Boy from 'How to Catch a Star'. Sadly his seagull didn't arrive in time for the day but we made an beautiful big star which completed his outfit. Lily had three days in a row of Book Week dress up's at preschool. She went as Willa and the Fairy Princess from Spellbound. 

Picnics and Ponies

Lily has been excited for her birthday party since the day after her birthday last year. She dreamed up a picnic from one of her favourite 'Anne' books that depicts an amazing picnic scene, three legged races, picnic rugs and cake. She had her new dress on, her best friends around her and the party dream come to life just for her. She was so happy and floating on a cloud for days after. 

Dahlias

 

What a first season! Highs, lows, flowers ... so no complaining. I have thrown out everything I thought I knew, I think my only hope is lived experienced and trial and error. I have always been one who needs to learn by making mistakes and it seems this will apply to dahlia growing too. As usual I started the journey with lofty, pie in the sky expectations. I figured if I researched the heck out of growing dahlias that I'd be wildly successful, turns out is a little more complicated than that. 

Camp Prim

This is party year! It had been a little while since any of the kids had 'big' parties so we got to dreaming up something special this year. Primrose decided on a camp theme/parent swap type theme highly encouraged by mum - I was excited for the possibilities at Avonlea and it was lots of fun to put together. Primrose invited lots of her friends from school to celebrate, we had the perfect day and a very happy newly minted 10 year old. 

Easter Bunnies

This was our first Easter at Avonlea and was extra special because we had bunnies again! With bunnies and a giant egg hunt, dahlia's still blooming and a lovely breakfast morning, it was just beautiful. A lovely celebration of my favourite holiday. 

Official Teen

Things start moving fast when you turn 13. We have a teenager now and Finley couldn't be more excited to be heading into teenage hood. With starting at a new school we thought it would be fun for Finley to have a epic, giant 13th to celebrate and get to know his new classmates. He wanted to host a Squid Game themed party for everyone to have a day of fun on the farm. And boy was it huge. Kids every where, all sorts of games and fun. The weather turned it on beautifully, clear and sunny and perfect weather for lots of fun.

Miss Lily { 2024 }

Our little Lily has had the most wonderful year. Growing and changing so much, coming into her own little personality and finding things she loves. She is the baby of the pack but she holds her own and brings lots of life and fun to our family. She is keen to be apart of the action but also loves her own little quiet time and is known to fall asleep just about anywhere. She's right at home at Avonlea and we realised recently that this is likely the place all her memories will begin. 

Master Quill { 2024 }

Well, this little boy of ours is not so little anymore. He was more than ready to start Kindergarten after the summer holidays and eagerly took off to class without a backward glance. The year has been full on learning, letters, words, reading, friends and independence. He is grown so much and come such a long way in just a year and we've seen many of Quill's own little unique attributes emerge in the process. 

Miss Prim { 2024 }

What a wonderful, exciting year for Primrose. Full of friendship, fun and new experiences. Oh to be 9 years old and finding yourself and what you love. It's pleasure to watch Primrose living life. She has a beautiful energy and attracts friends and fun everywhere she goes. She has a brilliant imagination and finds joy everywhere, so it goes without saying - she's had a great year. 

Mr Finley { 2024 }

I'm feeling really proud of Finley writing this recap. I've seen so much growth in him this year, so much commitment, determination and resilience. I've seen him really shine and come into himself. We often get the most lovely feedback about him from parents and teachers - Finley is interested, engaged and polite. He is excited about things, a good friend and eager for new challenges. As childhood begins to fade into the teen years we are so excited for all of the experiences and opportunities that await him. Finley was born independent, ready to forge his own way and we can't wait to be apart of the next part of his life with him. It's going to be brilliant.  

Avonlea { Chapter One }

“It’s delightful when your imaginations come true, isn’t it?”

  - Anne Shirley

Finding our Feet { 2024 }

The six Catton's have loved our first full year at Avonlea, at the end of it, I can say that we've passed through all the stages of moving - excitement, overwhelm, fatigue but have arrived now at that nice state of peace where you have your bearings. We've mostly found our feet, the kids are happy and settled in their schools and activities, we know our neighbours, we've discovered lots of the local things that help a place feel like a home and we have made great progress on our vision for Avonlea. We've said it's a 20 year project and I'd say that prediction is about right!