Spring has sprung

And what a wonder it is! This time of year always seems magical as everything seems to wake up after winter. But even more so this year with moist soil. As the days warm up you can almost watch things grow before your eyes.

Apple blossom

We've been out 'harvesting' our weeds in the past week. I'm not overly concerned about the aesthetics (although it does look neater with a few less about), but I can't pass up the opportunity for a near-effortless nitrogen source to add into the compost. With friends' lawns also getting out of hand after those wet weeks that ruled out mowing, we're gratefully accepting clipping imports as well and the compost is powering. A new compost thrown together just three days ago is already at 64.9 degrees. Ripper! It has also got chook poo, chipped prunings and chook shed litter in the mix.

Meanwhile, left to Mother Nature's care, the strawberries have produced some very healthy looking runners that I've transplanted to a new bed. I'm trying to be patient and not rush to put the warm-loving veg (tomatoes, pumpkins, etc) in too early, but have to admit my resolve is being tested.

Peas, cauliflower and silverbeet continue to crop well, while the broad beans are flowering but don't have pods and the brussel sprouts bolted. Our measly carrot patch is struggling on, but is far from inspiring.

The fruit trees are mostly in bloom, or have already done so, and the first signs of some fruit are visible to the keen eye (which means it's time to get the fruit fly exclusion bags on the job).

As expected, due to the rain, our spraying for peach leaf curl wasn't entirely successful.

Peach leaf curl

Apricots to-be (fingers crossed)While about half of the crazy passionfruits that appeared in late autumn have succumbed to the cold (presumably) and dropped off, others have hung in and are now gaining color!

And the silvanberries and raspberries have loads of new growth and are forming lots of flowerbuds. 

Being over-busy & unsustainable

So as you may have guessed from the infrequency of updates lately, things have been rather busy at the Little House on the Hill. Or more specifically, for one of the occupants.

In some ways it's par for the course for me to be juggling multiple jobs, plus community group involvement, seeking approval for our new shed, updating my "tickets" for work and doing whatever else it has been that has swallowed the past couple of months. I like to do many of these things. I feel I want to do many of these things (although sometimes that feeling has changed between agreeing to them and getting them done!) and for some, my jobs require I do them.

But I'm also feeling a bit worn down by them all. Which makes me reflect on just how un-sustainable it is to be over-busy. I realise that everybody's tolerance and juggling abilities are different. And we all have different interests, obligations, work commitments and relationships. Build-It Bloke and I have more flexibility than most, with no kids and relatively tame financial commitments ... and for us, both of those come from conscious choices we've made. I do aspire to a simpler life. For me, earning less but having more time to do the things that matter to me, and that make me happy, is a desirable outcome.

So that said, this recent busy-ness has really shown me that these goals, and indeed sustainability generally, suffer when the proverbial hits the fan. What do I mean? Well, firstly it wears me out, both physically and mentally. This makes everything seem so much harder. For me, I feel like I've got too many things to keep track of. I may be attempting lots of things (and perhaps even appearing to pull them off) but I don't feel like I'm doing any of them particularly well. And that takes the zing out of doing them. What's more, even if it is a job well done, there's no time to enjoy it - you race off to the next thing.

Then there are the flow-on effects. I cut corners in an attempt to squeeze more in. I eat "convenience foods" (pre-packaged, pre-prepared or takeaway) because I don't have the time/energy/patience to cook real food. Incidentally, often the fastest food around here can be found in the backyard (way closer than the supermarket and even a takeaway option), but of course if I've not found time to tend the garden, or the staples that turn it from raw veg into a meal aren't in the cupboard, that option isn't on the list! Then in my haste I take the car instead of the bike because it's quicker. But I miss out on the exercise and 'time-out' that a cycle commute offers, and I'm tempted to squeeze in another appointment or job with the 'extra' time. Even the amount of waste we create goes up, because we buy more packaged stuff and have less time to consider putting that packaging to a second use once we're done with it, let alone finding a work around or sourcing something secondhand or local.

While the temptation is to say I didn't 'choose' those outcomes, (rather I was choosing the shortcut and those less-desirable outcomes were unintended consequences; by-products of busy-ness, if you like) the reality is that the choices I made did bring them about. If I don't like the outcomes, I need to make different choices.

So, I recognise that being over-busy isn’t sustainable for me personally. It’s not only the effort required to do those many things, it’s that it mucks up so many other aspects of my life that are also important to me. That means I need to consider my priorities and take further steps on my seemingly eternal quest to learn to say ‘no’, especially to things that bring too many undesirable outcomes. Wish me luck! 

Tackling the big stuff, a little at a time

For me, a lot of what I do comes down to systems and habits. That is, putting in place what I need to be able to do something and/or making a concerted effort to do it for long enough that it becomes part of my routine.

A simple example would be our bin set up in the kitchen which is the 'system' to ensure our waste gets disposed of in our preferred ways - compost/chooks/worms; recyclables; general rubbish. There are any number of ways this system could be configured - what's important is that it works for us. So, it needs to be unobtrusive, hold organic waste without odour between empties, fit in our small kitchen and so on. It overcomes the barrier that the alternative - taking individual items to the desired outside location every time – is too much hassle so you don’t do it, or throw everything in the rubbish instead.

Of course I also tweak the systems to keep improving them. And, at a rather magic point (the research says it's after doing something around 21 times) it becomes a habit and incorporated into 'what you do' rather than being something you have to work at. I'm sure you can think of plenty examples - an amazing amount of the things we do are habit-based.  We do them virtually on auto-pilot. The trick is to keep updating the software for the auto-pilot (sorry, poor analogy). I have lots of good habits, I'm sure you do too. In fact, it can be interesting when you come across someone who doesn't have a system or habit that you do and you wonder why! But there's also always room to improve or to add more good habits.

So I'm trying to schedule time and energy to regularly review and improve my systems and habits. I am often tempted to think I'll get to it some other time, when I'm less busy, but the reality is that left until 'later', it just won't happen. I'm also inspired by the many people, blogs and websites out there with ideas, tools and stories of others' efforts. It's not necessarily about inventing the wheel, it's choosing the right wheel for you!

Indeed, there are whole campaigns that encourage people to try some of these things. A favorite at the moment is 'Slow Sunday'. It encourages families to do things that are less fossil fuel-reliant, together, one day of the week. Picnics, cycling, and board games are all in. Madly dashing from sports events to play dates and the shopping centre, all by car, and turning to junk food for sustenance is out. Read more about it here (Australian Conservation Foundation) or here (Resurgence in the UK, who have had different themes for their Slow Sundays).

If scheduling a slow down once a week (or having a vegetarian day once a week for carnivores - see Meatless Monday; or taking part in St Vinnie's 'Buy Nothing New' month in October) doesn't sound serious enough for you, you probably aren't someone these ideas are aimed at. Indeed, perhaps you already do all these things, and more, almost always!?. But for many of us, there seems to be just so much going on it's hard to find the time to understand the issues let alone incorporate change into our ways. These types of 'challenges' if you will, are a way to introduce yourself to the issues, pick some areas to change, and incorporate them into your life, rather than give up before you even start because it's all too hard. As ever, sustainability is an ongoing journey. There are plenty of good habits we each already have, there are more we can try, and when they become the norm, we'll move on the next ones.

So, step one at the Little House on the Hill, is reintroducing some of those would-be habits that have fallen by the wayside with recent busy-ness. Hmm, which systems and habits can help me spend more time in the veg patch and on the bike in spring? Gee those will be tough – I reckon I'm up for those 'challenges'!