Seeds of Sustainability

Issue 1: New Roots - Settling in and starting fresh

Earlier this year, we made the move to a new home—further out into the country for the peaceful more sustainable lifestyle, though not on a lifestyle block, big enough for us. The house itself is modern, but the garden tells a much older story, with landscaping that’s been shaped over the past 40 years.

There’s a dedicated vege garden area with raised beds (in need of a little TLC), established fruit trees, climbing frames for berries and veggies, and a lovely glasshouse. Our trusty 30+ year old tunnel house has been repurposed into a sheltered run for the chooks—more on that in another post!

We’ve brought our worm farms and compost bins with us too, so we’re all set to continue our sustainable gardening journey. Watch this space as we breathe new life into the vege garden area.

I wake up every morning feeling grateful to be surrounded by such beauty. After viewing so many properties, I’m truly thankful for everything the previous owners have created here—it’s a garden with soul, and we feel lucky to be its next caretakers.

We're looking forward to adding our own ideas and we've started with the recycled road sign that was purchased at last years swap meet, the sheep bell from one of our old houses over 20 years ago and a few more personal touches you'll see as we go forwards.

Here’s the view in summer when we arrived—lush, green, and full of promise. More photos will follow in future blog posts as we share what we’re working on and the changes we look forward to over the seasons.

I’m still working from home, creating my recycled bags and accessories, and fitting in garden and outdoor projects as time and weather allow. There’s always something to be done, but we’re pacing ourselves and enjoying the process.

Recently, we’ve been doing some pruning and maintenance in the main garden. The smallest sequoias was struggling—smothered by overgrown shrubs and previously shaded by a large gum tree that had been removed before we arrived. Now that the light reaches it again, the surrounding growth was still holding it back.

We cleared away some of the overgrowth that was choking the lower branches and trunk area, and you could almost feel the sequoia breathe a sigh of relief. Its branches gently eased back into a more natural shape, as if it finally had room to relax and grow. Before and After pics:

There’s still plenty to do, but we’re enjoying every step—messy hands, muddy boots, and all.

Keep an eye out for the next blog post, where I’ll share how we transformed our old tunnel house into a sheltered space for our three happy hens. It’s a bit quirky, definitely recycled, and very us