More than a decade ago, I was a full time working mum with two adult children at home and a full time working husband. We were doing the whole thing! Commuting, travelling for work, worrying, working late or at home, trying to get by. The thing is, I was not happy. My weekends were not enough to reset my equilibrium before the week started again and I was back in the grind.
I started searching for anything which would improve the way we lived. It led me to the Simple Living movement -to bloggers and forums and books. It made sense! We started, very slowly, to change.
One of the best things we did was to put a sign on the letterbox to say 'no junk mail' and immediately we stopped seeing those colourful glossy catalogues which are full of attempts to make us buy things we don't need. We stopped using shopping as recreation. We watched less commercial television so we saw fewer advertisements. We started to learn about growing things, making a lot of mistakes but having enough success to keep going. We started to find new ways to do things for ourselves, and our sense of confidence and happiness grew along with our skills.
This week has been part of the long and abundant harvest of those changes. It has seen us be happy to be at home, to try to help others where we can, to do things for ourselves. I cut up another pumpkin we grew, and roasted some for a recipe. The peels went into the stock pot with other veggies which were getting tired in the fridge, plus herbs and onions from the garden. I brought the stock to the boil and put it in the hot box for several hours. I put some lemons in a jar with salt and spices to make preserved lemons. I made bread, as usual. We had a lovely chaotic day with the grandchildren and in the midst of it all we made bread together and jam drop biscuits. They picked things from the garden, and sampled edible leaves -some they hated, others were a big hit. DD has been back volunteering at the op shop she works in, DH has been doing the important work he does for another community group and I have been involved in a couple of community based groups too.
The rain left us for a few days and we used the time to put some tree prunings through my new shredder and add the result to the compost. My compost is going so much better in recent months as a result. It gets hotter and produces a better, finer compost. We have continued to add flowers to the garden, to support the insects and birds who come here. I was delighted to see a wattle bird in my veggie patch, eating bugs on the rainbow chard. I have planted another Happy Wanderer -the deep purple one-to add to the pink one which grows up a post which holds up our summer shade cloth.
I worked in the garden, pinning together a quilt with a garden theme! Now to start quilting it -first with a walking foot and then with some free motion quilting. Nothing makes me quite so happy as doing this in the garden on a sunny winter's day.
I read a lovely quote this week which I wanted to share with you all.
I hope we can all live in ways that bring our world to the healing we all need.
Here are some links you might enjoy and be inspired by
Morag Gamble has a new podcast! "SENSE MAKING IN A CHANGING WORLD podcast where I explore the kind of thinking and permaculture action we need to navigate a positive way forward" Find it at your usual podcast app or listen here
Do you read Pip magazine? Lots of wonderful resources here
7 comments:
That's a lovely quote. Thank you for sharing earthmotherwithin.
And thanks for the link to Pip magazine. It looks like a place I could spend hours reading. :)
Have a wonderful week. xxx
That purple flower is stunning, wow! Glad to hear your garden is doing so well. I just love growing my own food and flowers.
I was only thinking the other day that I need more flowers! The lavender here is in bloom though and so fragrant. Bees love it! There's a Winter-flowering salvia too which I love as it blooms when my other salvias have all been cut back. Your garden is looking lovey and sounding productive.
Meg🍎
The photos of those purple flowers are beautiful. I am surprised that I am not discontent being at home during this shut in. My husband and I have been retired for 9 years, but we are always on the go. We have been shut in since March except for our daily walks and grocery shopping. This is the first summer in many years that we are enjoying our deck. I bought hanging baskets of flowers and we sit out and read late in the afternoons. It feels good not to have to be on a schedule to be here or there.
The photos of those purple flowers are beautiful. I am surprised that I am not discontent being at home during this shut in. My husband and I have been retired for 9 years, but we are always on the go. We have been shut in since March except for our daily walks and grocery shopping. This is the first summer in many years that we are enjoying our deck. I bought hanging baskets of flowers and we sit out and read late in the afternoons. It feels good not to have to be on a schedule to be here or there.
Not many flowers are in bloom at the moment but it won't be long before the freesias are appearing. Our city is quite beautiful in springtime as so many people here are gardeners. Last year I grew Queensland Blue pumpkins but they are too hard to cut so I might plant some other varieties later on this uear.
I never knew that about flowers, but it makes so much sense. I am pretty hopeless at growing anything that flowers but maybe I need to try a bit harder if they are that beneficial.
I love to read about people's journeys to a slower way of living, I think we can all learn and inspire each other where ever we are on that journey.
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