Welcome to our blog!
This is the ongoing story of a young couple who left their familiar yet impossibly expensive surroundings in beautiful Victoria BC, Canada, and ventured slightly North to Coombs, the town where goats graze on green roofs. Using the principles of permaculture, we intend to transform our property into a vibrant, self-sustaining food forest over the coming years. This blog is a journal of our endeavours, our successes and failures, and will provide a living example of permaculture in action. My name is Andrew, and the beautiful woman doing all the fancy illustrations is Kat, my future wife.
I grew up in what you might call a mansion, situated on an idyllic 3 acre hobby farm in Duncan BC. With sheep, chickens, pigs, a steer at one point, a veggie garden, a pool, a 10 acre forest next door, and a charismatic dog, I didn't realize how lucky I was. And ever since my initial move to Victoria I had a hidden desire to return to a more "country" life. After meeting Kat, we realized gradually that we would both pursue that same goal even if it required a bit of sacrifice. Even if it meant living with my future in-laws. The "cringe" reaction at that notion is so very North American but the move ultimately made perfect sense for all of us. From city apartments and tiny shared lots to 3 acres! 3 acres to build a house, grow food, raise livestock, and give back to the people who made it all possible. So thank you, Bob and Arlene, for giving us the gift of land and the chance to live out our dreams.
Kat here: Like any kid (who grew up in the times of empty lots full of wild roses, brambles, swamps, chirps, snakes and pollywogs) I enjoyed nothing more than romping through the woods, making forts, and rolling down grassy hills. All of these things sound just as enticing to me now as they did then. Playing outside is something I just can't seem to grow out of. And then I realized: why should I want to? Meeting Andrew was a catalyst for this "aha". We both love wandering through green swatches on the map. We both get knots in our guts when people deny dwindling fossil fuels and "green wash" dirty, dangerous practices. His chosen path in the gardening trade combined with my desire to get my hands muddy just clicked. I needed to start doing my part. I needed to make these changes in my life in the hopes they would radiate outwards and become part of a greater change. I delved into research and discovered lovely things like guilds, soil life, and -heavens to betsy- COB! Sculpting a house?? Who's been keeping this from me??
So we made a big decision: we'd uproot ourselves and start anew where we could begin our journey in full. As Andrew addressed, moving back with the folks feels kind of weird in the context of modern North American culture, but North American culture feels weird to me in the context of my sensibilities. My parents are generously (and patiently) opening their home to us, and helping in the construction of our home. I know that we can help them too when they need.
Now we're jumping in head first. Spring has started springing, despite the few globs of wet snow that drenched me as I was feeding the chickens and corralling some ducks this morning. We've begun building our first garden patch, and the plans for our home are coming along nicely. We'll keep you updated on it all with photos. We hope to be moved in to our cob(yes!!!) fusion house by fall, so it's going to be a year jam-packed with fun. Please, follow us along. Ask questions! If you're close by and want to come stomp some cob while we're at it, by all means! We want to become a part of a community, and if we have some knowledge or experiences to share, then that's what we want to do!
Warmest regards,
Andrew & Kat
Nettles!
I trudged through a mini snowstorm to find these babies! Boy are they worth it. I also grabbed a few roots to transplant in our yard for our very own nettle patch. What an amazing start to spring and end to the starchy indulgence of winter!
The nettle forest I found is about a block away from our house. Score!
Garlic, onion, home-made veggie stock, potatoes, and nettles. Blend. ENJOY! Such a tasty way to eat these zingy leaves. Not bad with a bottle of beer, either.
And so pretty, too, for those who eat with their eyes.