GARDEN STORY (so far...)

In the beginning...

 The books that got me thinking

Our hideously overgrown garden before Nic turned it into our vege bed

This guy worked HARD to get the patch back to a usable state.  I was so impressed.

Ayana was just a wee thing back then and refused to be put down for even a second.  We couldn't have done it without the help of Thalia (despite being a nervous first time aunt!)

The sweet little seedlings ready to go out and face the big bad world.

Planting at dusk

Ayana during the second season of planting... and still non to pleased at being left on the sidelines!

 Changing seasons.  Looking back I love seeing how Ayana grows as the garden does.  These days she's wandering around with me digging in the dirt.

Having a baby does this weird thing to you, it makes you think A LOT!  It makes you think about what you're eating, what your child is going to eat, where that food comes from, how much crap is in it, how much it will cost, who has handled it along the way.  You're given this absolutely perfect new life, free from all the poisons and rubbish that we subject ourselves to everyday, and you can't help but feel that it's your duty to preserve that for as long as possible.  That's how I felt anyway!  Long before Ayana was born I found myself toddling down the musty aisles at the local library looking for books on gardening.  This makes me laugh now because the most valuable source of information on all things concerning this lived just five minutes down the road... my mum!  She has been growing her own food since I was just wee thing.  In Munich she grew carrots and lettuce on our inner city balcony and when we moved to New Zealand she created an amazing organic farm.  As these things always go I of course had no interest in it at all!  All I saw was the punishment of having to shovel goat shit for compost after school, of hiding in the back of the car in shame while she collected seaweed from the beach after a storm, of that hideous smell of rotting fish fertiliser.  I wanted to be a city kid, I wanted to eat bug free lettuce, I wanted apples without wormholes. And so I paid no attention to all the hard work that was going into the food we so much took for granted.  Oh how my mum must laugh now when I come to her begging for advice on how to stop the rabbits from eating our lettuce, or when to string up the tomatoes, or how much salt to throw into the olive brine.  We're not the finest, most dedicated gardeners Nic and I.  Between focusing on a new baby, a new career and a never ending haze of sleep deprivation our poor garden has often been left to its own devices, but we're learning, we're slowly getting there!  We've managed three seasons worth of vegetables so far and the rewards of harvesting our own food has just blown me away.  It feels SO good to eat what you've planted and encouraged to grow, and the taste is something that will never compare to the over shined supermarket lot.  Our freezer is bursting with chilli, tomato's, capsicum and cubes of basil.  The pantry now has two jars of olives, with two more bowls soaking in the kitchen.  And my pride at what we've managed to create for our little family is huge.  Of course none of it would be possible without the help of my amazing, amazing mum.  From providing us with a little plot of land, to growing extra seedlings in her glasshouse for us, to giving us a much needed kick in the backside when we're not getting things done on time!
xx