Bush Romance Tips

Keeping the home fires burning when from dawn to dusk all hands are on deck trying to keep the family business going can be difficult. Romance and quality time with your partner and family can be pushed down the priority list when the cattle need to be shifted to a new pasture, the cows need milking, the chickens need feeding and the crop needs harvesting – whew! Romance isn’t just about champagne, flowers, expensive dinners and weekends away – it is about the time and effort someone puts in to thinking of their partner and expressing their feelings about that person. Here are a few tips from Relationships Australia on keeping the romance in your relationship on the land:-

• Send a text message or email telling your partner that you love them. Each of us needs to know that someone loves us on a regular basis and is thinking of them. A simple text message or email can be enough to put a smile on that special someone’s face – even if you are only a few meters from each other!
• Send a digital photo either via email or phone. Technology is fantastic for being able to quickly communicate with people while being physically away from them. Invest in a digital camera or get a camera phone and take some happy snaps from the farm and arrange for your partner to send you some while you are out fixing fences or planting a new crop. You may be surprised that you end up communicating more than you would if you were in front of each other!
• Get dressed up for dinner. No you don’t have to go to a restaurant, make a date to have a special meal at home with your partner but both of you agree to dress up. Most of us only dress up on special occasions, but they may be few and far between. So make up a special occasion and get out the finery and put it on!
• Write little love notes to your partner and leave them in small hiding places around the house before you go to work. Put them in places you know that you partner will go to over the week, like amongst the socks, in the bits n pieces draw, the freezer, inside a favourite cup, in the cereal box, under their pillow, in their wallet, on the seat of the ute, on top of the feed bales or in their lunch box.
• Make a date. Yes, make a day/time for just the two of you. It doesn’t mean that you have to book a restaurant or leave the house. It may be booking your partner for a cup of tea and scones on the back verandah for an hour while the children are off playing or doing their homework. Some quality conversation time for the two of you may be just the romance you need.
• Open the photo albums and spend some time with your partner and family going through them. You can get quite sentimental and romantic just looking back at your dating times, your wedding, the baby photos, birthdays, etc… You may then talk about adding some photos from now or an upcoming holiday or party. Photos often get us talking about the past and thinking about the future.
• Get healthy. Take your partner for a walk and hold hands. A simple gesture but when was the last time you took your partner’s hand?
• Write a letter telling your partner how much you love, admire and appreciate them. Focus on the good qualities (resist any temptation to mention something that annoys you as it defeats the purpose). Spend some time on it and hand write it. It will mean so much to your partner as we often get so busy that we forget to mention how much our loved ones mean to us. It is also the sort of romantic item that your partner can look at over and over again when they might be feeling a little sad or lonely.
• Hug. Make sure the first thing you do when you get home next time is hug your partner. A big, long hug and maybe even a kiss. Simple, but effective.
• Be creative. Write a poem, paint a picture, make something or do something that you know your partner will appreciate and treasure.
• Take a holiday. Try to ensure you take a holiday every year even if it is for a week. It is important to take a break from our everyday activities in order to refresh the mind and the body. If you stay on your property you will still be thinking about what needs to be done and may end up doing it so get away.

This article was written and supplied by Relationships Australia Queensland. Any reproduction of this article is prohibited unless agreed upon by Relationships Australia Queensland.