A Productive Garden...

So I thought for this entry I would do a little stocktake of what is growing (or in some cases - trying) in the garden.  I am hoping to add to this but it will be a little bit of hard work involved.  My fiance is not much of a gardener and well when I moved in I was told I could do what I like with the garden.  Easier said than done :-)

Over the last year I have got him a little more interested in the garden and the children are loving it.  I believe children should know where there fruit and veg come from and feel dirt on their hands.  Plus there are all the sustainability principles that go along with a productive garden.

So the following is a list of vegies/fruit/herbs etc that are going around the garden.  Although I have other plants that would be deemed productive for bees, butterflies and birds they are not included in the following list.

Aloe Vera
Basil
Bay Tree
Beans
Blackberries
Chillies
Eggplant
Lime Tree
Mint
Oregano
Radish
Spinach (they have just come up)
Strawberries
Thyme
Tomatoes

So we are continually adding to the collection.  The children are so excited to start seeing their hard work pay off and they can eat what they are growing.  I hope to use the cooler season to really set up for a bumper harvest next spring/summer (well that's the plan).

My son, Brayden, set up his worm farm the other week and is really excited to see that now being used.  He likes the worms for fishing but the we also like the worm "wee" for fertilising and they are great for sustainable waste management (more on that subject later).

I promise to get some photos up soon of the veggie patch (now I have found my memory card).  Also while I'm on the subject of the veggie patch I have a great app on my iPhone that I just love (the kids like it as well).  It's called "Gardenate".  It is an app that you have to pay for but I believe it has been worth every cent (I'm not one for paying for apps).

One photo I will share before I go is one of my "beautiful" Australian Bulldog.  He is very much part of the family and loves to hang out with the kids when they are playing in garden.  He makes a great cricket fielder :-)

The Footprint...

Ok so I have done it.  I now have a baseline to see if the changes I am making in my life are for the benefit for the planet.  I took the not so detailed test as I just wanted to do it quickly and put it out there.  I am now very aware that there is quite a bit of work to be done to achieve my goals.  so here they are...

So given we have a family of six I'm going to have to find some creative ways to engage them.  I do believe my son, Brayden, I will not have to try to hard with and he will be a valuable asset, especially with the younger children.  The first goal will be to get the footprint down to 3 by mid year (if not lower).

I hope for those who read this will give the calculator a go.  I have provided a link under "useful links" for your convenience.

Ciao for now :-)

Consolidation...

So I've decided I need to consolidate and try not to take on any new projects until I have sat down and worked out a plan of attack.  So much to do and I think I have have run myself down a little.  I guess this reflective mood has come about due to me having a siezure last week.  Yes I suffer from epilepsy.  However I do not see it as a disability or disease just another challenge in my life.  It was my first seizure in almost 2 years.  I need to take stock.

I think tonight after dinner I will sit down and write up a few of those "gonna" projects and start kicking them into gear.  Especially the wedding and setting up the home office (another update I need to give people).  I will also take some photos and get them uploaded as I'm sure some visuals will help (well at least try to) explain some of my mad but exciting life.

Until later xx

P.S. I also want to start knowledge sharing so here is website that I love and has some great tips for the garden... Kitchen Gardens SA

Australia Day with a twist of romance...

Just a quick post. A very late night (or early morning) but certainly worth it. 

My fiancé and I spent Australia Day at a very close friend's wedding. A beautiful ceremony and reception in the Barossa Valley. Certainly a day I'll remember for a long time to remember.

It got us thinking about our ceremony at the end of the year. A chapter in our lives I will share as (God bless his little cotton socks) my wonderful man is letting me run with the concept of a sustainable wedding. However I also need to be realistic with budget so purists look away now. Yes there will be things that I could go organic, source local etc etc but in saying that I will do whatever possible within budget.  Details will be forthcoming. 

Change of subject...  Got the lawn planted today. We are on the process of bringing the back lawn back to life. The kids love running around and playing with all there sports equipment they got for Christmas. The lawn planted was saved from a park by my fiancé work. He asked what they were doing with it as they were dogging it up. They replied that they were going to throw it.  So in the end they dug it up and put it aside for us at no charge. Certainly saved a few dollars there.

Well goodnight (or good morning) and I will post again soon.

Where have I been...

So I've decided to give this blogging thing another crack!  The method to my madness is still the same.  My ideologies in regard to living a simpler life (the good life) in sustainable manner have not changed. However my journey has changed somewhat since my last entry.

I'm now living with my fiancé in a typical suburban household.  Four bedroom, bathroom and ensuite, decent size backyard (big enough to get my hands on) and a large front garden. Sounds spacious? Well we also have four children between us, aged 6, 8, 10 and 14. 

The youngest three, well I guess you could say, have not had the 14 years of experience of living with me, that my son has had.  They are certainly coming around to the idea that growing your own food, enjoying the outdoors (including collecting snails after a rainy day) and making food from scratch. Even my fiancé is coming around.

In the coming entries I'll share my carbon footprint as a family as it stands (scary) and try to work out a plan of attack. In the meantime I hope I can inspire and share some knowledge along the way xx

So I got the keys for the new house last Wednesday and we have been somewhat settled in since Monday when the large furniture was moved in. We couldn't contain ourselves once we got the keys we took out the ol' blow up beds and camped :-)

The to do list is mounting up already with the light globes all needing to be changed to energy efficient light globes and all the washers also needing to be changed. The front of the house has a large pergola and it is certainly helping with the cooling of the house as the afternoon sun sets on the front (the orientation of the house is something that I will just have to live with).

I can't wait to start getting into the garden and have started planning the veggie patch. My son and I have moved the cupboards into the tool shed and I will get one maybe two mushroom farms started and then purchase the others pay by pay. By spacing them out it may help with continual supply and I am not 100% sure if they will cope in the South Australian summer. I have started doing a little research on mushroom kits and already surprised with the range you can purchase.

Well this is just a short post today as I must get back to the grindstone. I will take some photos in the next couple of days and post them up.

Moving day is fast approaching....

Well this week I get the keys finally for my home. We are eager to get moved in and my son and I have already begun discussing what we are going to do when we are moved in. We are still in that excited phase so we want everything and we want it done yesterday but I have slowly come to terms that there are only so many hours in the day and money does not grow on trees.

To give myself a little time out during the move out process I have started to do a little bit of research. Today I did the "Footprint" Calculator and was somewhat disappointed with the result. According to the calculator it would take 3.2 planet Earths to provide enough resources to live like me. So I am really hoping that this project will see at least a reduction in my footprint in the next year.

I have begun reading a book called (funnily enough) "Living the Good Life" by Linda Cockburn (Hardie Grant Publishing ISBN 1-74066-312-8). This book is essentially a journal of a family who take the sustainability experiment to the extreme by undertaking 6 months of living of the land in suburbia on approximately 2200m squared. So far I am finding it an interesting read keeping in context that a) I am going to live on a smaller allotment, b) I do not have the luxury to leave my job to live off the land and c) the idea of my project is to reduce where possible and still do things that yes may have an impact but I have done so by making a well informed decision.

I have had some ideas about growing vegetables, given that I am restricted with space. After having a chat with my best friend who has a lot of land in comparison that I will undertake growing herbs and smaller vegetables while she has the space to grow the larger spreading vegetables (eg pumpkin). My son and I will also be growing mushrooms. He is very excited about that as he has been nagging me for a long time to get another farm going. We are going to utilise some luvered cupboards in the toolshed and have about 4 farms on the go.

Well that is my update for the time being. Hope everyone is well :-)