Wild Hope Homestead

2019 has gotten off to a quick start already. Here are the aims and goals for this year, some of which we have already been working on. In an ideal world, this is what it would be great to achieve this year. I haven’t added too many things in some areas, as I am aware of just how much work and time is involved in the outdoor things, some of which have been waiting to get done for a while, and the need for balance with family and friends time and other commitments.

Of course, there are more things I would like to add, as my ideas and dreams never end, but I have shelved extra things in what I have labelled the Longer Term Goals section of my brain. It seems that my brain has many shelves. The shelves are even labelled. Like, The Deck Expansion Plan. Sometimes I explore a shelf and move things around a little bit, then step away and come back out the door into the present.

One of the things that I learnt last year is not to let mundane tasks pile up. Obviously, this is applicable to any sort of housework; no-one really likes having couches buried in washing, but it is even more important when it comes to outdoor work. Piles of prunings or demolition material or unruly weeds become a big challenge to deal with when they are allowed to pile up. Even chicken equipment or plant growing equipment waiting to be cleaned is harder to get around to when there’s a lot of it. So I am endeavouring to keep short accounts of mundane tasks this year.

Let’s have a look at what this year might hold. And try not to rush off with an armful of tools in great excitement.

Garden/Outdoors

• Grow vegetable crops based on what crops do well here, what we use a lot of, what is expensive to buy and how much time and effort is required to grow them.
• Grow lots of pumpkins and squashes to enter at The Great Pumpkin Carnival.
• Buy two more blueberry bushes.
• Plant/ buy four raspberry bushes.
• Install wire fencing along Raspberry and Blueberry beds.
• Process all tree prunings into firewood or mulch in a timely manner.
• Expand my range of plants to sell at the local market.
• Make a wooden plant nursery table.
• Make/ install a mesh top for metal plant table.
• Clear and mulch Plant Alcove.
• Make a shoe shelf to go by back door.
• Prep and pave the patio beside the deck.
• Install roofing over patio area.
• Build mini greenhouse near house.
• Declutter and organise potting shed.
• Build a 2-bay compost bin in the Orchard Pen.
• Move compost bin in the Cedar Pen further away from apricot tree.
• Dismantle the back carport.
• Build a smaller roofed shelter in front of the garage.
• Build a second Blueberry Bed beside other one.
• Build an extension for the Long Bed.
• Acquire and install a gate for the Vege Garden.
• Build a proper wooden base for rain barrel beside deck.
• Build a raised bed for olive trees along east fence of Vege Garden.
• Build a base for outdoor sink and install in the Processing Corner.
• Build a raised bed along west fence of the Processing Corner, behind Herb Garden.
• Prune big feijoa tree – a lot.
• Organise and tidy garage.
• Build/ install fence and big wooden gate across east side of house and small pedestrian gate for path.
• Demolish rest of wooden fence behind cedar tree.
• Build retaining wall around cedar tree.
• Acquire a third firewood rack.
• Build proper roofing for firewood racks.
• Remove camellia stumps from future parking spot beside front carport.
• Turn this spot into a parkable area.

Food

• Make better use of feijoas.
• Make multiple kinds of chutney.
• Make more soups and stocks.
• Dry enough herbs to use during winter.
• Make almond milk and coconut milk regularly.
• Make more mayo.
• Make more peanut butter.
• Make multiple baking entries for The Great Pumpkin Carnival.
• Acquire water kefir grains and make water kefir.

Chickens

• Improve the quality of our Australorps.
• Sell Australorps of good quality.
• Sell fertile eggs if their quality is good enough.
• Work on dual-purpose meat bird side project.
• Butcher more chickens for meat.
• Build a chicken tractor.
• Raise some turkeys or meat birds for Christmas.
• Purchase another auto-feeder.
• Purchase one or two chick nipple drinkers to reduce dirty water.
• Purchase a chick feeder that keeps more mess out.
• Keep enough hens renewing to be self-sufficient in eggs and able to sell eggs too.
• Tidy up chicken equipment storage area in the garage.
• Build or buy shelving for chicken equipment in the garage.
• Re-fence Corner Pen once retaining wall has been built.

House

• Clean all house windows.
• Build the spice shelf.
• Deal with clutter and unwanted things in spare room.
• Acquire a desk and cabinet for spare room’s new purpose as a craft room.
• Acquire a small table or ottoman for the lounge.
• Finish prepping door for the laundry, paint it and install it.
• Get all household light fittings installed.
• Sort out window stays.
• De-clutter and organise linen cupboard.
• De-clutter and organise hall cupboard.
• De-clutter and organise coat cupboard.
• De-clutter and organise The Little Fulla’s wardrobe.
• De-clutter and organise master bedroom wardrobe.
• Frame photos to put in the living room and master bedroom.
• Finish restoring four dining chairs that are languishing in the garage.
• Acquire stainless steel straws.
• Replace more plastic items with glass/ ceramic/ metal/ other ones.

Crafts

• Make more Christmas decorations.
• Finish knitting dishcloth.
• Fix holes in my slipper.
• Knit a cardigan for myself.
• Knit some boot cuffs for myself.
• Get back to knitting the log cabin rug.
• Sew a cover for a breakfast pillow for our bed.
• Make some washable or wipeable table placemats.

Right, everyone ready? Let’s go!