(AKA November 2021 Update)
Well it’s the first of December and I completely missed doing a November update. Honestly this time of year always feels like a rollercoaster where I’m just hanging on for dear life. November was when my first born finished year 12, had his formal, graduation and first driving lesson. I’ve been taking kids to paediatrician and psychologist appointments, taxiing my eldest two around a lot as their dad is very unwell, and I did two weeks of part time Virtual Assistant work (15hrs per week) which was fantastic but in hindsight probably a few more hours than is ideal for me. So it was a hectic month!
I haven’t been gardening very much – once it started to heat up at the end of October I remembered how much I suffer in the heat & humidity and how in previous years I’ve started to dislike being in the garden when it is too hot/humid. So rather than push through and “just do it” I am going to honour that part of me, let myself stay cool, and the garden can rest over summer. As you can see below, I’ve started to pull plants out and we will dig in some compost, and sow green manure for a cover crop.
Choosing not to garden over summer got me thinking about more about the whole idea of self-sufficiency – it’s practicality and whether it is actually a good idea for everyone to try and be self-sufficient. I think it’s probably better to aim for self-sufficiency as a community, rather than as individuals. There’s reasons for thinking this (resources used, carbon footprint, available time in the modern world, etc) but I’m a bit too tired to think coherently about it just now. Maybe I will come back and revisit the topic sometime. But certainly for my situation it makes more sense to support local farmers / growers for some produce; and for pretty much all summer produce when I find the garden too hot. So I think for the next couple of months we will only aim to be self sufficient in fresh herbs, and I will make sure that I support local farmers the rest of the time.
Fortunately my potting bench is in one of the shade houses so I can continue with my propagation over summer! So I am still getting out into the garden for that 🙂 Propagating plants, and now selling them on my honesty stall, is bringing me a lot of joy. My stall has been garnering a lot of positive feedback that has been so nice to hear; and of course the sales are pretty cool too. 😉 I do have some lovely customers! I also donated 2 trays of gazanias to a local primary school which was fun. Gazanias spread well, make a nice ground cover and don’t require maintenance, so they should be useful.
One project that Mr T completed in November was to remove the rest of the white gravel from around the pond, put in more pavers and plant some native violet. I have to say it’s looking pretty good! I’ll take another photo once all the violet has grown in.
I think that about covers November! Other than having to constantly tell a couple of spiders “my shade house, not yours!” as I break their webs in order to get to my plants. 😂
Oh and my current crochet project – a big floor / couch cushion. I did make one already but decided I needed another. I keep meaning to make some items to sell, but get distracted with things I want for myself…. or the kids…. or friends…
Bayside Homestead 