Building a permaculture garden and a new season

Hello there! 

It's been a bit since I have popped in, and I apologise. We got into a rut at our place.  Progress and projects seemed to crawl along, and everything felt like a struggle. It happens to us all, but the important thing is to remember it is only a season, and that we can pull ourselves out of it. Especially with good family and friends around us. 

This is Hoopla our British alpine dairy goat, just popping in to say hello too. 

Back in May, I started a permaculture course with David Holmgren and Beck Lowe through Melliodora and it's been wonderful to connect with like-minded people all over Australia and the world. I'm nearing the end of it now and it has helped to clarify a priorities list and given me ways in which to talk to Grant about what is important to me. We have been tinkering with designs and working out what is of high value to us. We have been working on the yurt garden (which in a permie sense is our zone 1) over winter as it is something we could do with very little money utilizing what we have here. We have used large rocks from the farm to build garden boarders and paths, used timber logs from the forest as stepping stones and then we have been bringing in either a load of compost or gravel for the paths once a fortnight. There are still a few more loads to go, but in the meantime, we have been sowing seeds and planting seedlings in the garden spaces as they are built. We managed to find a pond and outdoor setting for free off Facebook Marketplace which has been amazing. Already there has been a huge transformation and I can't wait until it matures and fills out.  I'll be sure to share the design with you all once I have finished tinkering with it, though as gardens are always evolving, it too will no doubt change. 

One of the best things about doing the permaculture course has been the people. The teachers David and Beck are amazing, but it's been delightful being able to meet so many people on the same path. It seems like Instagram and Facebook have gotten incredibly loud with either nastiness or endless advertising of things we can't afford or are not realistic to our way of life. I miss the days when everyone was blogging and sharing their stories and pictures of their gardens cobbled together out of this and that, their projects on the go and their modest DIY housing projects. Now it seems people are either a professional interior designer or a florist! Which I know of course isn't true, it's just what the algorithms want us to see. But golly it's annoying. Rhonda Hetzel is back on her blog Down to Earth, and it was a timely reminder to share here what we have been up to. 

Turning 40, falling into a rut and my last baby suddenly seeming grown....Well, I lost myself there for a bit. We are also quite isolated on our property, primarily due to the driveway and I struggle with that. But with Grant's encouragement, I have been making a big effort to catch up with friends for coffee or dinner in town and it's brought much-needed balance to my life. I've also started attending a bible study fortnightly through our church and the people in it are wonderful. To do things just for me again after being deep in the season of mothering and our 4th baby has indeed been a blessing. 

But with spring at our doorstep, it seems like a new season is here in my life too. Having broken the back of the yurt-yard garden, I've been reminded of the potential this somewhat wild property holds. 

The next job to tackle will be to build a new chook yard, expand our flock and then we will focus all our energy on starting the deck. We have decided that aside from the odd day on 'can't be ignored' farm jobs, the undercover deck with two more bedrooms, a small bathroom and a summer kitchen needs to be our absolute priority. For the sake of everyone's sanity. The boys are getting bigger and I have resumed theological study part-time and need a quiet space to work. The yurt is a sweet little home but it is not quiet, nor spacious. 

This introvert needs a quiet nook all of her own! 

Well, I'll keep today's post short as I have things I need to get stuck into study-wise. But it's good to touch base with you all and I apologise it's been a while! But all is well in our little corner of the world, how are things with you? 

Much love,
Emma
xx