New adventures

A small update on big changes. A new house. A farm decision. And chickens in my hand bag.

I didn’t really intend for the theme of this newsletter to be on the comings and goings of my life, but epic things have happened in an effort to reduce stress and burnout, and increase good times… and I think it’s working.

It’s feeling like a reverse tree change… we’ve moved to the burbs to simplify and find some peace ‘n quiet.

So I thought I’d share an update interspersed with photos from our new garden, plus a story about the one thing I was most worried about moving, our chickens… then we’ll get back to normal newslettering.

Image: We’ll be rich in strawberries this summer.

Gosh, my last post, August goings-on, feels like it was a lifetime ago.

I think we can officially say that the tablecloth has been pulled out from under our life… here are some ramblings in anticipation of the pulling of the tablecloth.

Image: The sunny back deck. Spotto the greyhound basking in the sun.

The house…

We moved house - so much to say about that, but I will keep this update brief. After 10 months of searching, and umming and arring, and quite a few false starts, we finally found a cosy spot, that’s surrounded by trees and is bush-adjacent. We’re 10 minutes from Hobart, and bikable to lots of the things we do — so many ticks.

We feel incredibly grateful and lucky to have landed here. We worked out bums off renovating our old place, but we also fluked the timing and location. The real estate gods were on our side. I’ll be forever thankful for our privileged position.

Image: The gorgeous lounge room, mid-move-in. The fire is superb, the dog is unimpressed.

The farm…

Next on the agenda… we’re wrapping up our farm business. I typed through tears to write the public announcement that’s now up on our website - we’ve had such a happy chapter growing Christmas trees for local families, but it’s time to redirect our resources and energy in new directions.

We’ve decided to donate the trees that are ready this year to the scout group that we’re involved in. They are going to set up a pop-up shop, and raise funds for some new equipment. We’re thrilled that this year’s crop is going to do something really good.

Image: An artichoke I just found emerging today.

Online presence…

The communication blackout has continued for me… I don’t know about you, but my brain can’t seem to commentate the play-by-play action as it’s happening. There’s been no socials or newsletters from me for months. TBH, it’s been a nice break. A little time to contemplate what the heck just happened, and what amazing potential there is in what life can look like from here.

Image: The previous owner, bless her, wrote the varieties on some of the fruit trees.

New (garden) adventures…

We’re getting into our new routine. Watching the sun come around the house, watching a downpour of rain wash into the garage (a project for another day!) Listening to many birds and suburban sounds that are new to us.

There’s a lot of time being spent wandering in the garden, trying to identify plants I’ve never grown before. Spring, I’m discovering spring is an excellent time to move into a new garden, different things are popping up, and blossoming every day.

I’m finding snatches of time for creating a base map, that’ll eventually become a new permaculture garden design - which is sparking joy for a brain that has spent the last 3 months deep in the logistics of moving house. Urgh. Not my happy place.

There’s no rushing into making big garden decisions though. So far I’ve set up a compost bin, bought another one from Marketplace, and sorted out a soil test. We’ve started to convert an existing arbor into a chook run, so we can retrieve the chicken gang from the in-laws. We’ve missed them.

I also had a load of wood chips delivered, which will help protect the garden from the blistering summer we’re expecting.

For the foreseeable, you’ll probably find me plodding about with wheelbarrows of chips and daydreaming about the garden.

Chickens in my handbag

Evidently, I’m an anxiety dreamer (nightmarer?) I don’t tend to dream unless I’m stressed and worried about something. Usually, it’s about packing and getting to the airport on time… so original, I know.

So when the stress of packing up the house was getting to me, I dreamt about moving the chickens. I dreamt that we were moving to Naarm/Melbourne, and I was flying there. I’m not sure where my family or all of our stuff was in my dream, but when I got off the plane and arrived at the new house, I lowered my handbag to the ground and out hopped two of our chickens.

I was so relieved they made it.

Turns out, in reality, the chickens are having a lovely holiday at my in-laws farm, while we build them a house at the new place. No anxiety or chicken-sized handbag was required.

Well, that’s probably enough from me for now. I still have some unpacking to do, both physical boxes, and metaphorical unpacking of what these huge changes mean for us now.

I hope things become a little more boring around here, so I can find some time to write newsletters and such.

Thanks so much for reading.

Here are a few things I’ve been paying attention to lately…

READING

Good Life Growing: How to grow fruit and veg anywhere in Australia, by Hannah Moloney.

It’s hot off the press, and so, so excellent. I’m so grateful to have been asked to contribute most of the photos, including the awesome cover.

“Good Life Growing provides the inspiration and know-how to grow your own fruit and veg in any Australian climate. This bountiful guide from Gardening Australia presenter Hannah Moloney is packed with practical solutions for all conditions and every gardener.”

LISTENING

Emergence Magazine’s Podcast: Antarctica the Woman

“What would happen, Stephanie asks, if we moved beyond fantasies and savior complexes, and instead approached Antarctica as a living place with agency?”

WATCHING

Ben & bEartha (Documentary): The Amazing Community Turning City Food Waste into Beautiful Compost, by Happen Films.

More damn good links

You can find an ongoing list of great things to listen to, read, and watch here.

Image: The aforementioned Marketplace compost bin, in my hatchback-ute.