Blooming where ive been planted

 Its easy to see wonderful productive veggie patches and start to feel like mine will never get there.
My summer plantings didn't do as well as I had hoped. Being that they were planted in soil that had possibly never grown anything but weeds my expectations were probably far too high. I got more tomatoes during the summer than I ever have before so really for me it was pretty fantastic. I think the difficulty is that my gardening goal is to produce enough veggies to live off but that's something to work towards, not something that I can necessarily achieve just yet.

One day that will happen. One day we will be in our forever house.
Benny and I talk about a little farm house on the outskirts of Kadina. I'll have sheep for wool, he wants honey bees. There will be infinite space for my veggies and the soil will get better year after year.
For now I build up this soil to make it healthy with the knowledge that about the time the soil finally fills with worms and gets truly productive we will be ready to move on. Like at our last house. The good healthy soil I tended to had turned from clay to soft wormy loam and now its covered with pavers  (they have no side fence and ill admit to occasional snooping and reminiscing as I walk past:) I love where we are and also look forward to moving on. Its a lesson in patience and letting go, to put so much love into a garden knowing that we wont be here long term but its worth it for the food and fulfilment in the meantime

a tea cup pot my friend Kylie gave me as a 'just because' present. It makes me think of her and the tea parties we love to have together . Its planted with oregano and thyme

For now I need to remind myself to bloom where I've been planted. To be thankful for what I have now. To not be hard on myself. To feel proud of every single plant. To remember that each and every piece of food I bring inside is one less piece I have to buy, one more thing to bite into and smile

 Sometimes I think back to when we moved in and feel pretty amazed and full of joy that this section of unused empty land is now well on its way to being a healthy and productive veggie patch. Dirt is pretty amazing stuff, each seed that sprouts is incredible

 I look at these fluffy little veggie patch helpers and I remember reading the book that inspired me to get chickens. I was sitting in my hammock under the shade of the big orange tree at Mum and Dads. I had borrowed some gardening books from the library and one was about permaculture. I was so inspired reading about the chickens, how helpful they are in a garden. My neighbour had chickens so I went next door to find out about taking care of them. A few weeks later I had my very first chickens and my very first fresh egg!
Its good to remember that I'm slowly on the path to self sufficiency and although its not a fast path I will get closer and closer

 Here is our first row of peas for the year, I noticed today that the first peas on another row are popping up too
Its a good feeling to focus on what I have now. Its all good