A Back-To-Basics Groundswell

I have always been interested in growing, making and doing as much as possible for myself and my family........everything from growing food to making clothes and furniture. With the busy-ness of life and earning a crust often intervening, it hasn't always been possible to devote the time that I would like to these pursuits. But in recent years I have noticed a real groundswell of interest from so many people who want to do these things in order to live more sustainable, meaningful lives where their attachment to the earth and how we come by it's bounty is a really tangible thing. This is not just a dippy-hippie flash in the pan thing, but a real grass roots change among ordinary, thoughtful people. In part, it is a reaction to going into the supermarket and only being able to buy Chinese garlic and carrots etc, when these things grow wonderfully here. It is ludicrous to be importing food halfway around the planet - people are voting with their spades!

 We ourselves have decided to devote more time and effort to our backyard food production.........we managed to eat all winter from our garden and we still have stored vegetables to last until new crops are ready. We have built this Greenhouse Hilton - a four-door poly-tunnel greenhouse already full of things popping through that should be ready to eat in a few weeks and put in new beds and started planting in the outside garden.

As a result, we expect a glut of vegetables and fruit this summer. Which brings me to a great series of classes that Tanya, who writes the Suburban Jubilee blog, is going to be offering in these parts soon. Called "Living Better With Less" she plans to cover such things as preserving your glut by bottling the excess, soapmaking, backyard poultry keeping and doing away with toxic cleansers around your house by using cheaper, safer alternatives. And she's hoping to keep the cost very minimal. You can read what she wrote about it in her blog. This is so timely for me and I am keen to learn more on all these topics, so I can't wait. If you are interested and live locally, you might like to check it out. See you there!

It's Here! It's Here!

After a week of flooding rains, sodden ground and grey, drippy days, the sun has come out and it is actually WARM! The swallows are back (about two weeks earlier than usual) to check out their real estate under the studio eaves and to begin the necessary renovations and sweet things are popping up everywhere in the garden. After a fairly traditionally cold, wet winter, it is lovely to finally feel a bit of Spring in the air.

Do you remember me posting about our glasshouse that got completely destroyed by violent winds a few months ago? Well, here is the magnificent replacement that Bob (with a little help from Y.T.) has built to replace it. It's about four times bigger, so we'll be able to grow heaps more in it, and being a poly-tunnel, it should be flexible enough to withstand big winds.

"I built this!"

The "Sukeshi" dolls are in my Etsy store now and I'm working on a little "Zozie" doll like this one, which Tanya chose as her prize in my recent giveaway.