Just in time for 2020.

Hello dear friends,

For a long time now, it has been my intention to return to this little space, and so with 2020 beginning tomorrow, I feel it is a good time to come back.

2019 is not a year I want to remember. I wont go into too many details here, lets just say that anxiety and depression have paid me a visit in a big way. It is not one single thing that is causing my sadness, but a multitude of different things, like the extreme heat and drought and my struggle to grow food, the fires and the people suffering loss, family issues, the sad state of the world and so the list goes on...

I am hoping that returning to my homemaking roots will help me deal with the feelings of despair that I have been struggling with. I am well within that "certain" age where I am feeling very emotional, angry, and frustrated with everything in life. Any advice would be very welcome.

I have always loved the vintage way of life, so this year I will be striving to live a more simpler life by implementing the principles of a woman living in the 50's and 60's, with a mix of earlier times and also bit from the retro era...

This little space will be about all things homemaking, vintage loves, and of course my garden.

The above rose was the first one to open on a young bush I planted out in winter last year. I was so excited to watch it form a bud and then open into a magnificent red bloom. This is an old favourite, Mr Lincoln, and the aroma was so beautiful.

And then there was this Dahlia. Mum gave me four bulbs leftover from hers, but only two have come up. This yellow beauty and an apricot coloured one (sorry no pic because the heat fried it!).

Some of the produce I have picked from the vegetable patch.

These are my Lebanese cucumbers.  I have attached string to a piece of rope strung over the top to hold the vines off the ground, because apparently the lizards like love to eat the flowers...

Before our recent heatwaves I was picking a lot of zucchinis. Now not so much, they are suffering stress from the relentless heat, as are many of my other plants.

The sunflowers I planted a while ago have grown so tall. The tallest one is well over six foot! They are protecting the tin now from getting too hot while the young saltbush plants are growing. You can see the seven year beans winding their way up through the lattice.  These are planted on the inside of the vegetable patch, and as their name suggests they can last up to seven years.

The first sunflower popped out happily today, the others are not far behind. I love the way they follow the sun.

We made beeswax from a rescued hive. So looking forward to a regular supply of this!

Another year, another birthday. My dear mum who is now 80 always makes a special cake for me.

Also for my birthday, hubby made a coffee table from left over red gum.

The main piece of red gum he used to make a top for this special table.

I try to fit in regular sourdough baking, because this bread is so good!

From the beginning of my blogging in 2007, I have always enjoyed Rhonda Jeans blog.  She was the one who inspired me on my journey to a simpler way of living and thinking.   Then a few years ago I stumbled across Grandma Donna's blog, and I knew that this was how I wanted to live. So since then, I have slowly incorporated the old days into my everyday life. I absolutely love browsing over gDonna's blog pages, this makes me dream of simpler times, some of which I remember from my younger days. We all know those times weren't simple compared to today's modern conveniences, but still there is a draw back to those times. My parents, in their 80's say that they were lucky to live through the good times of the 50's and 60's, and right now I believe them.

I hope you will join me along my journey, maybe we can inspire each other, and maybe, just maybe it is what is needed in this world.

Wishing everyone a WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!

Love and peace to you all.

xTania