A long overdue update from 1/4 acre.

6 months after my last post I thought it was time I did another! Sorry for my absence, it’s just felt a crazy year with actually very little going on by way of the garden so little to write about anyway.

I gave up work completely 4 months ago after a long stressful 18 months including workplace bullying by new management then losing this job I loved when I refused to sign a new contract, going to care for a woman with an illness and finding that very demanding in too many ways. Actually, I was just very stressed, very angry and very worn down. Wendy is back now 🙂 After a shit 2 years I am feeling much better in myself and I am no longer feeling like I wish the world would just bugger off and leave me alone. Many of you would recognise that feeling I am sure!

Anyway, Spring is here and there is lots going on. Though we got plenty from our garden last summer it was not maintained as well as previous years but we have been busy this past month getting it all back up and ready to plant. Roger put an extra raised garden in the front and we have been eating from both all winter. Last Summer/Autumn we filled 2 large freezers full of produce and still have enough for another two months and we will be doing that again this year.

My soap business is going well. I have opened a small shop in half our lounge (which I don’t really advertise yet) and we need to make signs for this.

This is most of it but not all. My products are in a few outlets now and I was asked yesterday if I could supply an Organics/Naturals shop in town they they move into a larger shop in a month or two. I am so excited about this one, not only because it’s probably the busiest outlet but because she is also interested in any produce we can grow. We have been sprayfree for four years and there is little in the way of sprayfree and organic produce in town, she has been unable to source local. I guess this is why the blog post today – finally, if you hang in there, it becomes possible to earn money off a not huge piece of land! The downside is Roger doesn’t have alot of spare time these days and it will be my job to do this alongside the soapmaking etc. Isn’t it good then, the timing coincides with me managing to get over myself! 🙂 It going to be verrrryy busy. An extended herb garden is also growing well but with increased sales means increased everything and I will need more.

One thing that I am sure has helped alot this past month has been trying flower oils for healing. I read about flower essence oils where they run along the same idea as Bach Flower Remedies but – those have never really appealed to me as a viable healing modality so I upped it. If liquids hold the “memory” of flowers surely there is better, researched flowers solarised in oils (as I read about) but for long periods for truer value. Here to tell you this DOES work! but needs to be well researched for personal needs. Oils are then massaged in and absorbed that way.

Some of you have asked about baby Catherine, my granddaughter, and how she is doing. Catherine was born blind due to congenital cataracts (actually the worst the surgeon had ever seen) She was operated on and now has wee glasses but any improvement has been slow and full of unknowns. Catherine also has challenging brain issues, she has had an awful time with seizures which are thankfully more controlled now, her future prognosis is not for a long life. This child is beautiful and her parents are incredible and along with her big sister they are a loving and tight family unit prepared for the challenges which lay ahead.

Other than all this I have been keeping an close interest in the state of politics both in this country and of course America – none of which I am discussing here because I am prone to ranting but far out, this is a crazy and fraught world right now, isn’t it?! One nice thing though is last weekend I met a lovely group of people who were doing a 400 km walk and a 3.5 hr ferry trip to protest at Parliament about the TPPA. The leader of the group was a mother whose was joined by her 3 kids aged from 5 to 11 – they walked that whole distance! What an education for those kids, aren’t they going to grow up to be the doers of our next generation 🙂

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