Wild Hope Homestead

This time, I’m not starting out the year like a firework going off and exploding little sparks all over the place. I’ve put more thought and prayer into the homestead aims and goals for the year. There are still many things I would like to get done but I’ve started to get more of a feel for what the most important kinds of things are, which need to be done first, and I’m getting better at shelving the less important things for later. I have tried not to put too many new big aims and goals on the list for this year and have set a couple of big things to the side so we can focus on getting more important things done. Every category has less goals and aims than last year. I have also organised the garden/outdoors goals and aims into subcategories so it’s easier to see what kind of things need to be done.

Let’s go for a calm little wander and see what’s in store for this year.

Garden/Outdoors

Vegetable Garden & Fruit Trees

• 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.
• Prune big feijoa tree – a lot.
• Build a tall stand for rain barrel in Processing Corner.
• Acquire and install plumbing fittings for outdoor sink to get gravity-fed water from the rain barrel.
• Remove temporary gate/fence panel from far corner of Veggie Garden by chicken pen and replace with proper fencing.
• Build square raised bed in that corner of Veggie Garden.

Garage & Shed

• Organise and tidy garage.
• Install plasterboard on the unlined walls of the garage.
• Declutter and organise potting shed.

Close to House

• Build proper roofing for firewood racks.
• Build/ install fence and big wooden gate across east side of house.
• Build / install small pedestrian gate for path across east side of house.
• Build wooden base for rain barrel beside deck.
• Prep and pave the patio beside the deck.
• Build smaller sandpit beside swing set to replace current one and get sand away from the deck.
• Turn the space beside front carport into a parkable area.

Other

• Finish attaching wire netting along east paddock fence.
• Finish hacking and slashing ‘the forest’ along east fence and remove weed mat.
• Expand my range of plants to sell online.
• Finish building and covering greenhouse.

Food

• Make multiple kinds of soup.
• Make lots of stock.
• Preserve as much of our produce as we can.
• Make more meals to freeze for later.
• Do more baking to freeze for later.

Chickens

• Improve the quality of our Australorps.
• Hatch more chicks.
• Sell Australorps of good quality.
• Build a chicken tractor.
• Tidy up chicken equipment storage area in the garage.
• Build or buy shelving for chicken equipment in the garage.
• Build a new chick feeder box.
• Purchase a smaller auto-feeder for the Corner Pen to reduce food wastage to sparrows.

House

• De-clutter and organise craft room cupboard.
• Deal with clutter and unwanted things in craft room.
• Install remaining house light fittings.
• Finish prepping door for the laundry, paint it and install it.
• Build/repurpose a new bathroom vanity.
• Sort out window stays.
• Frame photo to put in master bedroom.
• Make artwork to hang in entranceway.
• Prep and paint kitchen walls.
• Prep and paint dining room walls.

Crafts

• Make Christmas decorations.
• Fix hole in my slipper.
• Knit some baby hats.
• Knit a cardigan for myself.
• Knit a scarf for myself.
• Get back to knitting the log cabin rug.
• Sew a cover for a breakfast pillow for our bed.

That is all for now.