Hurrah! It's been another slow Saturday to soothe the soul.

It's been a hectic week again, characterised by changes in the air, a toddler with a recurrent bout of bronchiolitis (requiring mid-week grommet surgery to be postponed), and ultra busy days at work. By the end of this week, and with only one full night's sleep in three weeks, I'm run down and trying to stave of a head cold. 

Thankfully this morning saw the dawn of a long weekend here, and I was granted a rare sleep in with the toddler - who had attempted to rise at 4.30 a.m. but eventually surrendered to come and snuggle in bed for a few more hours.

Despite initial plans to head in to the city to enjoy all Adelaide has to offer in the month of Mad March, we ended up spending a quiet day outdoors at home. The kids helped their Dad with home improvements, and me with the gardening.

Today's gardening was all about vegie patch maintenance. We've had a crazy run of weather over the past summer including a spate of heatwaves of over 40 degrees. In addition to warping trainlines and inducing mental meltdowns, the heat's left the vegie patch having to fend for itself and looking worse for wear at the end of the season. 

I again enlisted my two trusty little helpers and we set about to water, clear dead bean stalks from the teepees, trim and re-stake the tomatoes, and give the compost some TLC. Some of our discoveries included eggplants hiding behind luscious leaves, self-seeded cos lettuce germinating, and lots of bugs doing-their-thing in the compost, showing us some rich soil forming much to the kids' equal disgust and delight. 

word // up

lessons from the Faraway Tree

"Going back to a simpler life is not a step backwards."

Yvon Chouinard

For me simplicity is personified in the almost-nightly routine my daughter and I have of climbing up into her bunk and getting lost in a story book. I'm often exhausted by this time and craving some time to myself, but as long as its not too late I'll make sure we read together. We have a deal: I read her two chapters of the current book, and together we slip away on an adventure. 

We are currently [re]discovering the Magic Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton, which was recently re-released as a series of beautiful [and politically correct!] keepsake books .

As a child, I distinctly recall submerging myself in the enchanting stories of the Magic Faraway Tree. And now, like my own mum before me - and her mum before that - I see my child fall under the same spell: my daughter's eyes light up, her imagination fires away, and our story time always concludes with a plea for 'just one more chapter, one more!'.

As an adult, reliving Blyton's books through older eyes, what I also really appreciate is her classic story telling in the context of modern living. Her framing of play, adventure and discovery in nature is so refreshing to me living in a fast-paced, time poor world where we hold so many fears of kids roaming free. She writes: 

nature // street vision

"Nature in our urban landscape and homes is critical for connecting half the world's people with the natural environment. The experience and contact the majority of the world has with nature is more likely to occur in the city or home rather than a rural setting. The more urban our lifestyle, the bigger the need for a connection with nature" 

                                                                                 Amanda Talbot, author of rethink:the way you live

Today's nature // street vision is for roof top gardening to be the norm in modern urban living. Let's foster the creation of urban jungles in all shapes and form!   

   

   

   

   

sources (l-r, top to bottom): unknown (via Pinterest), The Permaculture Research Institute, 

Spitsoskylo, A Paper Aeroplane,  LD5, JaminPaul, unknown (via Pinterest), Nubby Twiglet

lifestyle editing