Hi from UK/NZ

[Antoinette James]

Hi everyone, I started a victory garden (11 fruit trees and vege patch in the garden and nettles and blackberries in the lane at the back of the property), at our Southampton, UK, Victorian Terrace 3 years ago - where we live 1/2 the year and now back in Waikato, NZ are creating a tiny lifestyle block (I mean tiny). So far we have four raised gardens doing well, 4 laying hens who didn't get the memo to stop laying over winter, 3 muscovy ducks, 1 being a drake. They are housed during the night and morning and free range the rest of the day. Next week, we pick up 3 pilgrim geese and soon rabbits and bees will be added. Fruit trees will be added this spring to join our lonely fig tree. We are having heaps of fun. I have been ferment food for 4 years, and now get raw organic milk weekly to produce all our dairy from clabbered to butter to cheese to ice cream and clotted cream. I can't learn enough fast enough. A dehydrator and a pressure cooker are next on the must buy list. I discovered self sufficient me a couple of months ago and am watching my previously useless fingers turn green before my very eyes as I grow in gardening confidence. I am happy to be aboard.

 

[ClissAT]

Hi Antoinette and welcome.
Sounds like you've got it all sorted!
Made me feel breathless just reading about everything you are doing.

Reminded me of my younger days out on remote cattle properties in western Qld.
If I didn't make it we didn't have it to eat and often no refrigeration and of course a wood stove.

Interesting life split between the two countries.
Does someone care for your gardens and animals when you translocate?

 

[Antoinette James]

I feel like I am "late to the self sufficient party"! I have been on the verge of all this for decades! Most of our children have left home, giving us a chance to focus on ourselves. Our eldest son lives in our UK home (hopefully weeding, tying up the roses and grapes while we are away). We are apart of a house sitter group and fly out of NZ when some one is happy to tend to thinks NZ side. We tend to go spring to autumn, in each country, meaning we can attend to most of the gardening and livestock during the busy time. I do feel like we are living 2 lives in the same life, but there is the joy of the 21st Century.

 

[Mark]

G'day Antoinette and thanks for joining SSC we have a lot of people becoming members of our forum at the moment so please forgive the time delay in promoting you to Premium but I have to do this manually in order to keep spam under control. Remember to interact via posting or creating threads to get and retain your Gold status and this enables other privileges such as the ability to enter competitions. I hope to interact more myself with you and others in the future. Cheers