The zucchini has breathed it’s last and the tomato production has reduced to such a small number that it’s time to clear the beds and think about Autumn planting. I’ve always struggled to know what to plant when and for the greatest production. I’ve played with a lot of different approaches but don’t feel like…
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The Johnson Strip (part 2)
We decided we needed to make a start. We would like to show people, or at least demonstrate how a boring strip of grass could become an engaging space. Problem one. Grass. We thought over a couple of options. Poison seemed clearly against the whole ethos of our plan and covering it in plastic or…
Read MoreOur New Normal
It’s a little ironic that I finally getting around to writing about this the day after our weather has returned to more normal temperature, but after a commentator on the news suggested that there may be 2 or more hot spells before we finally leave summer it’s still important. In Australia as in many parts…
Read MoreDesign Lightly?
Our garage is gradually falling over. I would love to believe that it’s just as a by product of it being generally old and of brick construction susceptible to the shifting of soil due to saturation and then dehydration. But the truth I suspect (at least partially) is that it’s my doing. A couple of…
Read More“More trees less assholes!”
Nikki had a confused look on her face. “I don’t get it, why does it take somebody making a TED talk to realise this?”. She’s right of course. In a culture where obesity and diabetes is on the rise how come we need somebody to point out something so obvious like the need to reconnect…
Read MoreGoodbye phone books
No more phone books. We cancelled our delivery just in time, and this week watched the dropoffs go right past our place! I get that these things used to be really useful and probably still are for lining garden beds, propping up monitors for tall people and for furniture in student housing, but really their…
Read MoreThe Strip Begins
We started working to actively engage with our neighbours about 2 and half years ago when the ‘treading lightly’ idea hadn’t even been germinated. We’ve actively sought to be outside, to get to know our neighbours and have organised street barbecues to get people out of their houses and into ‘their’ street. But recently a…
Read MoreA Very Ska-ry night
This post has nothing to do with environmentalism, nothing to do with treading lightly and certainly nothing to do with the oft quoted suggestion that “all those greenies want to send us back to the caveman days”. No this post is simply about a family having a really awesome night out. We planned to go…
Read MoreSustainable Living Gets Festive
Despite the temperature pushing the point at which there was a good chance that one of our children may well have spontaneously burst into flames we still thought it would be worth heading into the Melbourne Sustainable Living Festival. In an ironic twist the train company had decided on this of all weeks to do…
Read MoreBox Frenzy
So the last two weeks have been pretty much dedicated to making boxes and constructing wicking beds. My mother (whilst helping me construct one of the beds) observed that I’m easily excited and I’ve gotta say that the concept, or the potential of these beds has been exciting. It’s also been kinda cool that word…
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A Life of Treading Lightly 