Welcome to the blog!

I’m mother to an endlessly curious and energetic ten year old boy. We live on a suburban block in town in WA’s South West. I’ve been renting in different situations for over a decade – city, country, single, married, sharehouse, cottage, townhouse, housetruck, tent, community. This is my first experience of home ownership.
When I first ran a household, I began to experiment with herbs and gardening. I didn’t have much money, so I learnt a lot about saving money or even living without it. Along the way, I became more and more interested in this thing called sustainable living – living in a way that doesn’t leave a negative impact on further generations. Parenthood made it all seem more urgent. Permaculture gave me inspiration and hope. I read and read and read. I taught myself how to bake bread, barter, budget, make my own medicine and how to survive on a bucket of water a day. I learnt sewing skills, bike maintenance, how to make soap, Montessori education for toddlers, gardening methods, non-violent communication. I did a permaculture design certificate and a Living Smart course.
Like my son, I’m curious in an endless list of subjects. I’ve researched and experimented with fermented food, local travel, upcycling, natural medicine, setting up a barter station on my street, communal living, gift economies and plastic-free living. As a child, I used to make rose water and other concoctions in my mother’s kitchen, which she often threw out because they looked strange. (Sometimes they were!) As an adult, I enjoy whipping up fragrant potions, which I used to sell at local markets. I’ve spent years testing all sorts of things, and learning about what is important to keep the planet and its inhabitants healthy. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, and lots of discoveries.
I’m no expert, but I can tell you what’s worked for me. I can share recipes, methods, tricks and resources. I can summarise research and ponder over why things are important. There’s so much to learn, it can all get overwhelming. I’m working to compile it all into a book. For now, I’ll post useful stuff on this blog. Sometimes, I’ll write about the why, where or who. Mostly, I’ll show you how. Welcome to the journey. Step in and have a look around.