Curry plant, polyanthus and home
For the last few months I have been reading Rhonda Jean's blog Down to Earth. I really appreciate the wealth of knowledge which she shares in her blog but I also felt that posts were often padded out to make sure to provide a post every weekday, every week. Down to Earth has a proper dedicated audience, not like mine with my bro and sis, some friends from my nappy days (UK and NZ) and some fellow gardeners (er three). But then I do have some weird thing where I never tell my local friends about my blog and apart from my sister I haven't told any family. Just imagine, if I didn't have 'blog' and 'real life' in two separate compartments, I might have three more readers each and every week. Or month.
But this post has prompted me to respond here. It talks a lot about the benefits of home making and the rewards of a life based around home rather than the shopping mall. Given that I don't have the love of a beautiful house sufficient to make it clean and tidy every day, sometimes posts like this don't speak to me at all. But this idea of the home space being a nurturing one, well it could be a garden space.
I remember when Favourite Handyman and I first lived together. We were working long hours and mostly relaxed by going out for dinner or breakfast. The flat was a mess but we did both enjoy the pots of cacti which FH lined the steps with.
Later we went to London where for four long years we lived in a tiny flat which had so little natural light that even the cactus on the kitchen window sill died. We had our first child in this flat and I put a lot of my home making energy into organic foods and 'environmentally friendly' products.
Our last year in London was quite different. We rented a terraced house and set about clearing the messy back yard and planting food seeds. I LOVED that.
Back in New Zealand, renting still and pregnant again, I planted out some food in the raised beds and some spring bulbs in pots. The house wasn't ours and was mostly rather cold.
Now, as we are five weeks short of three years in our own home, the garden and the kitchen are where I nurture, make food, flowers and learn all the time about plant and human nutrition. The rest of the house gets scant attention. Divine home maker I am not, but the places where messes are made and they transform - the garden and kitchen - are where the love happens round here. Off you trot fly lady, alchemy doesn't need your organisation.
Today I bought a curry plant for the herb garden. I also admired some asparagus plants but at nearly $6 each, I held off for another time. Has anyone used a raised bed for asparagus? I'd be interested to know how it went/goes if anyone has. Back home I planted out the curry plant and also the box of polyanthus which a friend had rescued from the doom of the dump for us. I still have some chrysanthemums from my aunty which I am yet to determine the best spot for.
The rest of the time I was at work and it was only after a dinner of leftovers (cold and not very exciting but nevertheless virtuous) and storytimes that I addressed the leftover porridge. I used this recipe to make slow rise oat bread. Except as one of my current projects is to sneak black strap molasses into more food, I subbed bsm for the treacle.
We have a lot of eggs. Chooks are wonderful for home loving. Tomorrow, I will hopefully fit in some very eggy baking. Wonder how hard roulade would be to make if I have never made it before and I have two two-year-olds in my care at the same time...
But this post has prompted me to respond here. It talks a lot about the benefits of home making and the rewards of a life based around home rather than the shopping mall. Given that I don't have the love of a beautiful house sufficient to make it clean and tidy every day, sometimes posts like this don't speak to me at all. But this idea of the home space being a nurturing one, well it could be a garden space.
I remember when Favourite Handyman and I first lived together. We were working long hours and mostly relaxed by going out for dinner or breakfast. The flat was a mess but we did both enjoy the pots of cacti which FH lined the steps with.
Later we went to London where for four long years we lived in a tiny flat which had so little natural light that even the cactus on the kitchen window sill died. We had our first child in this flat and I put a lot of my home making energy into organic foods and 'environmentally friendly' products.
Our last year in London was quite different. We rented a terraced house and set about clearing the messy back yard and planting food seeds. I LOVED that.
Back in New Zealand, renting still and pregnant again, I planted out some food in the raised beds and some spring bulbs in pots. The house wasn't ours and was mostly rather cold.
Now, as we are five weeks short of three years in our own home, the garden and the kitchen are where I nurture, make food, flowers and learn all the time about plant and human nutrition. The rest of the house gets scant attention. Divine home maker I am not, but the places where messes are made and they transform - the garden and kitchen - are where the love happens round here. Off you trot fly lady, alchemy doesn't need your organisation.
Today I bought a curry plant for the herb garden. I also admired some asparagus plants but at nearly $6 each, I held off for another time. Has anyone used a raised bed for asparagus? I'd be interested to know how it went/goes if anyone has. Back home I planted out the curry plant and also the box of polyanthus which a friend had rescued from the doom of the dump for us. I still have some chrysanthemums from my aunty which I am yet to determine the best spot for.
The rest of the time I was at work and it was only after a dinner of leftovers (cold and not very exciting but nevertheless virtuous) and storytimes that I addressed the leftover porridge. I used this recipe to make slow rise oat bread. Except as one of my current projects is to sneak black strap molasses into more food, I subbed bsm for the treacle.
We have a lot of eggs. Chooks are wonderful for home loving. Tomorrow, I will hopefully fit in some very eggy baking. Wonder how hard roulade would be to make if I have never made it before and I have two two-year-olds in my care at the same time...
Comments