Here I am:…

Heck here it is July, I feel as if I have been on a different planet over the last few months. Its is all good just nary a post.
Winter here in glorious Southern Tasmania the wood fire is going, and snow is on the distant mountains, as I sit writing listening to my two dogs are chomping on bones. We have all been on a short walk. The frost is still present and the sun has not reached my place as yet.

However today is going to be glorious and whilst I wait for the sun to come over the trees(how I wished I lived on top of the hill and not down near the river lol, though in summer I am happy in this position). I aim to get back into the garden, to clear an area of my ‘veggie growing area’. I also aim to dig at least one hole a day for about 10 days for the new fruit plants I have purchased that will be coming soon as bare rooted stock.

My mental health on the whole is good, I have no regrets about coming off my medication (with support) for me it was such a wonderful thing to get me through the really bad period, as I had and continue to have support from my psychologist. I knew it was time. I have not had an ADHD assessment done, yet in my heart I believe it is a fact, and wow if I had known years ago what a difference it would have made in lots of ways. Now this knowledge lets me relax about so many things that often would cause me anxiety and distress.

I took a break of several hours and worked outside in the garden. Winter gardening is all about the weeds and planning. Preparing and dreaming. I am just pottering attending to so many things slowly that have been neglected or forgotten in the last few years. Self care was my highest priority as I adjusted to life with a mental illness, asking for help (hard to do for me) and utilising the help both medication and professional. I feel right now as if I know what I need. I am working towards this and as I do I am content, even with any discontent.

Today lovely sunny one down here in the Huon still and just one of those great winter days. I decided to begin on an area of neglect in between the chicken run and my veggie garden. I had attempted to before I became ill create a pathway for the chooks out to the paddock, so they could not be tempted into the veggie garden. Well that all fell by the wayside and what I was left with is blue steel fencing embedded into the soil (that had made itself over the last 5 years and impaled by the most horrendous grass ever. (I call it onion grass because it bulbs and spreads and its a nightmare).

In the final photo you can get an idea of how deeply buried the fencing wire mesh was. Still more to do. I sort of got sidetracked when I popped into the veggie area and decided to weed a bed. I did come back and pick up all the onion grass and all bulbits I could (little buggers always miss one or many!) Used the top of the old dog house to through all these horrible pulled and cut out grass bulbs, which means no touching the dirt. Tool of choice was a serrated edge steak knife!

The garden bed I was distracted by. A lovely weed filled bed with grass growing around it and weeds. is the one on the left of first photo, completed clearing around the edges and inside. Winter is proving to be the time the weeds are sprouting here at my place.
I may not have dug a hole and prepared for a new or older plant to go in today, I did weed a bed, always choices when you have a garden and always manyana.

I am now looking forward to tomorrow, as the weather is again meant to be lovely as today. I have my eager helpers the dog/s and chickens and I hope to do more of the buried treasure recovery.

blessings to You, Tassie.


So fortunate

The wet weather has gone for the time being. This morning after a very stormy wet night it was lovely to wake up to blue sky even if it is still somewhat winy.

When I went out this morning I discovered how lucky I had been!

A large branch had fallen off one of my eucalyptus trees in my driveway. during the storm. It missed my car. How wonderful was that! Interestingly I had been parking my car about where the branch landed over the previous few days.

I had things in the boot so I parked closer to my house when I returned home yesterday. I am very thankful my car is OK.

A pruning saw and 15 minutes of sawing had the branch removed. Just one of the things you have to be able to attend to. I may now think about a chain saw..just in case.

The wind continues today and I watch the big trees bending in the winds, My plans to work in the garden on the fence for the chickens were not followed up.

The gals are all settling in well. Only two I believe are laying at this point in time. One egg is tiny and the hen lays one every three days at present. The other hen or two give me an egg every day/36 hours or so. The other girls will start laying in the next month or two.

I am surprised that one hen continues to sleep in her tree over night (gale winds last night). I did try putting her in the hen house one night; she is very much her own hen! Choosing the tree. Happy hens and happy me with lovely fresh eggs.

six lovely hens settled safe and dry out of the wind.
if you look closely you will see a chicken shape shadow : my crazy hen who sleeps in the trees even in gale wind and heavy rain.

The days are lengthing as the ‘Georgian calendar welcomes Spring. Here in Australia Spring begins September 1st. It is quite interesting though as it does not really represent the beginning of the blossoms flowering beginning. My garden here in Tasmania has had daffodils, jonquils, flowering for over a month now. I imagine further north they have been blooming for longer.

The end of a beautiful sunny day even with the wind.
I am so fortunate and thankful for all I have.

Blessings to you, Tazzie

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Is it a farm, a homestead a patch of heaven?

I ponder often what labels people use to identify their home/lifestyle. My little patch is just under an acre/ 0.404686hectare. I have fruit and hazel nut trees, I grow vegetables.

I might even fit what some would call a green lifestyle. As I harvest all my water from my roof in rainfall. I have a septic toilet system.

Wood for heating. My power bills are tiny and I use little about 3 x45kg/99lbs gas bottles for cooking and instant hot water. I have like all Australians a two button toilet but go one further. If it is yellow let it mellow, brown flush it down. Which uses even less water.

My home is built out of locally grown sustainable plantation timber. I use only fans for cooling. I use fresh air via windows and the sun for drying my clothes. In winter the clothes hang over my stair rails. Dry in next too know time.

I am in the incredible position of being so very fortunate that I own my little patch outright. Makes me feel incredibly rich. Incredibly lucky especially in these current times and knowing the future for so many across the world is incredibly hard.

So my life is very simple and with my two dogs we are pretty content.

Yet I had been pinning for something. I really missed my chooks. A dear friend gifted me 7 varying ages and varying breed mixed. How incredibly lucky and blessed was I !..

As I was moving them into their new home and one of the black gals escaped.. I had to close up the hen house after feeding them and ensuring there was enough water. So she escaped.

Unable to find her I had to leave her outside overnight. Worried but knowing the chances were high she would be fine. I heard her cackling and calling out to her siblings I felt a pull at my heart.
When I did release the others (having left them in the hen house for over 24 hours to acclimatise to their new home). I heard cackling up high and found the missing hen up in the tree.


Yet even though I am set up for hens I am looking at these chooks and realising that they may discover my veggie garden. So I have been looking at how to increase the height of the fence around their run. Which is part orchard.
This will be my task next week, and my hope is that they do not discover the veggie bed over the weekned, (I can only get the posts I need delivered on Tuesday). I have had extra mesh wire for ages on the deck. Fingers crossed it is enough for my needs.

I was thrilled when she headed to the fence line. Funny she got up in a tree but did not seem to be able to get over a short fence! I corralled her and she took off in fear over the fence Phew! I was hoping that she had somehow not found my veggie garden. I can only hope.

So off to her sister and last seen eating and checking out her new home.

Imagine my delight to find this when I let the girls out! A small but perfectly formed egg.

So do I live on a homestead? A farm? Or as I feel am I extremely fortunate, rich (not as most understand this term) and growing more and more content.

I am living in my home. My safe place, sanctuary. I have no desire to go anywhere else these days. It has been a lovely Winter, and as I write there is snow on the mountains about and more predicted to fall tonight.

blessings to You, Tazzie.

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