It makes me so sad, to walk past my gardens and see nothing growing. The summer was hot and dry and besides the one day of rain we had a few weeks back, it has continued to be dry. (Until today, that is.) We even have had some fires locally, but lucky they were mostly contained. The middle of November and still we are at risk of fires!
I planted my summer garden, but as I was due to move in October, I never bothered planting anything else when the autumn came. But then the move get extended and with so much to do, I decided against planting anything, once again. Don't get me wrong, I am super busy and maintaining a garden would have been too much for me right now. But wow, do I miss it.
I should have lots of Kale and Broccoli, beetroot and carrots by now, with the usual lettuce, onions and radish to keep them company in the garden. But I have none, my basil which is planted in pots next to the truck is the only thing still growing for me.
How I miss mornings in the garden, my hands in the soil and my mind lost in the wonderful food that is growing around me. There are however Oranges, Lemons and Avocados in the trees, so it is not so bad.
The fruit trees here are well established and they need so much less maintenance, which is a positive really. But today it rained, a proper downpour. The earth smells amazing and everything looks so fertile, but there is nothing growing in my gardens and that earthy smell calls to me!
Perhaps if the rain continues, in a few days I will start to see some life, from the plants that have self seeded. I always make sure to leave some seeds for the birds and also some, so that the plants can grow where they choose. I always find it so exciting to find food growing in my garden that I did not plant myself.
Truth be told, this is the first time, in a real long time that I have not been growing some of my own food. Even when I was nomadic, I would grow food in containers and take them out whenever we were parked up somewhere.
At least I have my sprouting, to keep me some what content, but it is not the same.I keep seeing the Hive Garden Journal and yes even though I was pretty slack in posting about the food I was growing,(mostly because the last thing I would think to take into the garden, is my phone, which is also the only camera I have.) seeing it now, brings my mind, what I should be growing. How much enjoyment I get, from being in there daily, talking with the plants and showering them with compliments.
Today I attended an Empow Circle (short for empowering). One of the first things that we were asked to do, was to pick a card from the altar, they were all faced downwards and we were asked to spend some time with the image we chose, to see if it resonated with you.
The one I chose, had lots of wooden balls on it. Immediately it reflected to me, how much I have on my plate, or even how many balls were still up in the air for me. It was bang on really. I arrived to the event, feeling pretty stressed out, thinking of all the things I should be doing.
But of course, attending this circle, was exactly what I should be doing. It's hard to find balance, when there are not enough hours in the day and especially, as I no longer get to lose myself the garden. To experience the healing power that comes with connecting with the soil, feeding it, so that it feeds your plants. To be a part of this beautiful cycle.
This would be my down time each day, yes some days it is labor intensive, but I always come away feeling refreshed and reinvigorated.
I have been spending way too much time indoors lately, as I have sorting through all of our stuff that is spread between our truck and the caravan. (Anything over 2-3 hours during the day, is too much to me.)
I know that this is just for now, that I am going through my own transition and that when I settle into my new space, I can begin to grow again. I had thought about starting a garden over there, but there is no point if I am not there myself. In the first few weeks, you need to really be present, especially when you are growing in a new space and don't know what foods do, grow well there etc.
So, I mostly content myself with all that I have grown before and take pleasure from the photos that I share here today. I look forward to the day, when I can get my hands into the soil again and connect more fully with the food, that I feed myself and my girls.
