As soon as we enter Katie’s home, which smells like coffee and freshly baked scones, her glowing energy embraces us as she chats about her family’s new life. “You should have seen this place when we first moved in! I walked in and I just gagged”, Katie laughs. Three years later, the Robinson household is a homely, warm family space with a certain rustic charm to it, like it’s wearing a giant tea cosy or gumboots. It’s filled with repurposed furniture and antiques from auctions, which is one of Katie’s many loves. “I love the ongoing project that is this house and has become our “home” and I’m having such fun getting my hands dirty”.
Katie-Jo is currently studying interior design and pursuing her dream of creating the ideal home for her human and furry family. “Kentucky Farm is 30 hectares, which allows them to expand “A Farm Life” into the sought-after fun, family-friendly accommodation it has become. So far, Katie-Jo has lovingly restored the 75-year-old pool house into a little self-catering cottage, endearingly named “Kentucky Cottage”.
“We used to live in Ballito”, Katie tells us, “which is beautiful, but we just wanted a different lifestyle with more freedom and a space for us as a family to grow and be a part of together. Curry’s Post is where our heart landed, and we have not only fallen in love with our home, but the community that have been so welcoming since our arrival!” Luke, the eldest son, is very hands-on, and since living on the farm, he has built his own paintball course for himself and his Howick High School friends to enjoy. “Our children are very entrepreneurial and they use the farm to their advantage by selling their freshly picked strawberries, broccoli, spinach and many other organic veggies at the local markets”, Katie tells us.
Their 12 year-old-daughter, Abby, is a passionate animal lover. Since moving to the Midlands, the Robinsons have expanded their fur family to three dogs, a flock of sheep which Abby earned by working for their ever patient and informative neighbours, a brood of chickens, a hen named “Spaz”, a bull calf named “Honey boy”, a very large pig “Peggy”, and four rescued goslings!
“And what is your thing”, she turns to her youngest son Jesse, poking him cheekily while he giggles. His answer did not disappoint, as he explains that his ‘thing’ is looking after the cute and cuddly rescue puppies and kittens.
Outside, we were shown where the family collect freshly laid eggs from their chickens, “Rambo and his ladies”, each morning. The garden is full of bountiful crops like kale, snap peas, artichoke, asparagus, and even pumpkins – a true farm aesthetic! As Katie-Jo leads us around their property, she speaks of Tarzan swings, working in the barn, receiving fresh milk from the milkman, garden tennis, fishing and many other activities that bring them back to the simple way of life. She walks us through fences of dilapidated buildings and explains her vision for the farm’s future. Her eyes sparkle as Jesse whizzes off into the forest on his motorbike. The freedom of farm life sure looks good on the Robinson family.
Does Katie ever miss the beach? “Strangely, I don’t miss it. We have been blessed with two bass dams and two gentle streams!” she says. The children even invented their own version of surfing – “Securing a sack to the quad bike and pulling it around. We call it ‘farm surfing’”, Katie-Jo grins.
You know that feeling when you’re playing catch outside, and you feel the crisp, cold air circulate deep within your lungs and as your cheeks turn rosy, you can’t help but experience an overwhelming zest for life? That’s how I imagine it must feel living here on this beautiful farm with so much potential, and so much fun to be had.
