February 2017

We are now into our fifth year on our beloved fifteen acres, and life continues to change.  From self-sufficiency ideals, to curiosity about the bushland, I think it is safe to say my blog has evolved into a catalogue of native species we have on our property, along with observations about the bushland which surrounds us.  It never ceases to amaze me that every year, the observations are different.  Yes, there are plants that flower predictably, but rainfall and temperature variations result in some surprises each year.

Our bushland is also a creative inspiration for me. Since we moved here, I have developed an interest in visual art, including photography and fabric design, all based on the local wild flowers, which I never knew about before we moved here.  However, this blog remains true to the original intention of only writing about things which happen on our property.  I like this sense of evolution, so I have kept the two previous ‘About’ sections, below.

October 2013

When I first set up this blog, I had intentions of writing about gardening, growing food, preserving the fruit and vegetables we would grow and finding out how to live in a more self-sufficient way.    Then I asked myself one question:  “Just what do we have living in our bushland?”

The more I looked, the more I found!

Over the last year I have discovered a passion for birds and wildflowers in particular, along with the ever-present kangaroos. I love the texture of bark, the colour of leaves and mosses, I’m utterly fascinated with the fact that I can walk around our small patch of natural bushland each day and find something I’ve never noticed before.  Or find something I have noticed before, but it catches my eye for a different reason.

You’ll still find the odd post on gardening and self-sufficiency, but my blog has evolved. I want to take you out with me and to show you the marvelous things I see out there.

You’ll still find the odd post on gardening and self-sufficiency, but my blog has evolved. I want to take you out with me and to show you the marvelous things I see out there. In the process, I’m building three species lists from sightings on our land, Birds, Animals and Plants.

Two rules govern my posts:

1. Everything I write about happens on our fifteen acres of land
2. Through photographs and my thoughts, I’ll try to show you what I found interesting or unusual.

I’ve kept the original September 2012 introduction, below, to show how much this blog has changed over the last year. So if you want to know how it all started, read on.  I’m sure the blog will continue to change as I become more familiar with the land, the plants, and the creatures inhabiting it with us.

September 2012

Although I grew up in regional Victoria, I’ve always lived in an urban environment – within a town (for 10 years in Melbourne) and usually within walking distance of shops, services and friends.   I’m an ‘indoors’ person, comfortable with a book, a pen, and a computer.   An agreement to accompany my partner on a birthday camping trip showed me what life could be like if I made some changes.   That was in March 2012.  By August 2012 we had found a property, moved in, and had sold our house in the centre of a large regional town.

Living on a property, even a small one like ours,  is  a huge change in lifestyle for me.  From the moment I knew I wanted to make the change, I recognised  how much I would need to learn.   It means becoming more of an ‘outside’ person, and learning what to do when I step outside the door.  Hopefully it also means becoming more self-sufficient.  Growing what we eat, caring for the environment and stripping away the layers of consumerism, corporate competitiveness, and inflexibility which were previously required to maintain a professional career in the city.

My blog is intended to be a place where I can share my discoveries, reflections, quandaries – and hopefully my achievements as I grapple with a new lifestyle.

Lisa
Central Victoria, Australia.