Simple living Sunday: When I say simple what do I mean?

Finding a hidden treasure when decluttering this week.

I always have holidays at this time of the year so it's a great opportunity to evaluate where things are at in my life. Even though I'm fairly happy with where things are at in terms of my simple living goals I wanted to try to define what simple living means to me. I came up with the following:

making a conscious choice to live  mindfully, 

making choices that are people-friendly and earth-friendly 

and which enable life to be simple and uncomplicated. 

The last part could be an oxymoron as I can be intense at times especially when my inner chatterbox is in "anxiety mode" which is why simple and uncomplicated are important parts of the definition.

Simple and uncomplicated means that my life does not have to be determined by the media and marketing world. I can live my life free of advertising persuasions. It means that  shopping is intentional moreso than a way to pass time. At Christmas time I chose not to buy presents for friends. I know some people put a lot of time and thought into gift-giving but when I see the amount of things in my home I find I choose not to add to the clutter and, ultimately, landfill. I have plenty so I don't feel the need to gather more and I'm not sure that Christmas is meant to be about that sort of gift-giving. That's something which I hope to explore a little more come Christmas 2015!

Simple and uncomplicated - I'm learning- means that life's goals can be achieved just as well using the simplest of methods rather than resorting to expensive or complicated methods. Simple and uncomplicated is also where I find my life balance. Weeding the garden is one of my most enjoyable recreational activities. I find it therapeutic and I find it energises me.

Simple and uncomplicated means that I don't have chickens and sprawling vegie gardens and I don't make everything from scratch. One of my life purposes is to teach and to be present to those students and that requires time and energy. I'm happy to do that work so bringing chickens into the equation would not fit at all. There are weeks where the dishes don't get done so it's important for me to know what I can manage easily (=simple) and what would make life  unnecessarily stressful (= complicated). It means I do what I can when I can.

This week I've gotten into the swing of making sure simple living can happen in my home by decluttering the tubs and cupboards in one of the unused rooms. At one point I was quite dismayed to see the amount of stuff I had stacked away as I really do try to be careful about what I hold on to. Once I got past that stage it felt good knowing that I could focus on making way for a nice, inviting work and relaxation space. It's been very satisfying carting loads of stuff off to the local op shop but just a tad frustrating knowing I haven't yet finished. Stay focussed!!

It's time for these papers to go!

These tubs have been sorted. Just one cupboard to go...

Sunshine after days of rain

So on this windy, overcast Sunday, it's back to the grindstone. I want to make a vegetable lasagne for dinner,  I'll probably relax after that as I've been feeling tired lately and I don't have any pressing deadlines at the moment. The sun's coming out which is heartening as this  house is dark in summer when the light is low.

Have a good week.

Simple Living – garden update

It’s been a wee while since I posted a blog. I finally finished reports and I can now start to unwind a little. That means I’ve also got time to blog and tell you what’s been going on in my simple- but expanding- garden.

So here's a quick garden update. I’ve been rather keen to do this. 
I’ll show you why…

My fairy garden is now a little village. Again, I didn’t see this coming. I arrived home one day and there it was. Almost everything has been upcycled from something which was lying around the garden or found in the shed. Yes, even the dog!  Santa and the roof of his house were frugal buys from the el cheapo shop.  

Meanwhile the vegies are taking off.  Once again, I find it thrilling to see plants bearing “fruit”. And, well, yes, I have been getting a helping hand from someone who spent ten years of his early adult life raising crops on his family land. I think he's naturally drawn to be out there in the garden. He works away morning and night (daylight savings), bringing a beautiful rhythm to our new routine.

 One of the biggest surprises was to see the grape vine bearing fruit.  Now we just have to stop the birds from taking a liking to it. Hmmmm…

A lot of other seeds are just starting to sprout. Hopefully they’ll grow well. Summer can have drastic effects on even the strongest plants. Mr S is keen to try and see what happens so a number of plantings are experiments.

Guess where this plant below was sourced.....
In the gutter. 
Mr S was checking a leak up on the roof when he noticed the plant growing in the actual gutter. It obviously had been getting enough nutrients.

Now that work has almost finished for the year I'm hoping to get back into a regular routine with the blogging. I'm looking forward to it.

Simple Living Sunday: Thoughts on being too busy

Sunday is here again and I’ve barely found time to put my fingers to the keys. I’ve had a young person staying for the weekend and so this afternoon I have to “rush” to make sure there’s enough time to attend to all the items on the to do list. 

I really enjoy working around the home and for me that includes a simple living approach which allows me to do what I need to do with care and thought, and with pride and appreciation for what I have.  And yet the current reality is that I barely have time to do these things at all. Next week I’ve got visitors as well so it’s going to be another week of squeezing in all that needs to be done.

When it gets to this point I find it helps if I keep in mind what must be done versus what can be done. Generally, the things I feel passionate about are those things which are not mandatory. So op shopping for fairy garden containers has to be put aside while I make sure the washing, meal planning and food shopping are done for the week.

Another thing that helps me stay centred is I try to recognise while these few weeks have turned out to be a busy time, it will not always be like this. Time will free up over the next couple of weeks. There will be time again soon for gardening, catching up with friends and other good things.
I spent many of my younger years looking forward to a grand life in the years ahead and missing what was right before me. I don’t want to fall back into the trap of dreaming about tomorrow when today has plenty of good to offer, even when life is terribly busy.

Rather than getting frazzled by the busyness I also need to remember who I am and what makes me tick. The introvert in me is always seeking "time out", time on my own, time to think, time to be.  If I can mange to get some "time out" I can recharge, even if just a little.

When I started this blog  a few years ago I wanted to write about simple living from my perspective, as someone who works full-time, lives in suburbia, lacks many skills, has several commitments and who therefore needs to find a simple “simple living” approach which is cost and time-effective. It was definitely "no chickens" simple living for me.
I also wanted to do all of this as someone who carried the challenges of social anxiety, got tired easily and who was still determined to forge ahead. People with SAd often see things that other people miss. The SAd  and introverted me wanted to share some of those observations and insights with the readers. I'm one of those people who believes that the world really is an amazing place.

This last week it’s really hit home how hard it is sometimes to squeeze in enough time to blog, look after the home, keep in touch with loved ones and simply “enjoy” what each day brings.  Yes, I am overambitious with what I want to achieve each week! And the sun and warmth only makes me want to do more.

So my simple aim today is to work out what needs to be done for the week, prepare a little more for school and do a little gardening to hearten my soul. I don't want to rush anything. I want to enjoy. I also want to find a minute or two where I can start to think about how I might refine my blog so that it is  more manageable while still being a reflection of who I am and where I am going in my life.

How do you prioritise when the to do list is overflowing?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

 

Simple Living: Out and About

A late good morning to you all.



Kaniva livestock

 

It's a gorgeous sunny day here. As I sit by the window, sunlight streams in and birds twitter gaily in the trees. I love the heartening signs of spring, bearing hints of the  warmer and brighter days which are just around the corner.

Over in South Australia I had the delight of visiting the Mt Barker Recycling Centre. It's set up on a hill, across from a very old windmill. It's run by an organisation which employs people with disabilities. It's a magnificent yard of organised piles of beautiful junk. I saw a lovely iron outdoor setting, in very good condition, and a lovely old lampstand and shade. If I was a local I would have loved to have bought them but I was returning home the next day and they would not have fitted in my car. However, I did come away with a sweet, old-looking pot which would suit my sweet, little cottage garden.

 

A couple of days later I was inspired to visit my local recycling centre. It was full of junk and I came away with nothing. It's a newer centre so perhaps over time there will be more to see. There are not too many very old homes in our area whereas the Mt Barker one has many old homes and this was evident by the sorts of junk on sale.



Adelaide Mall



Adelaide Mall



Kaniva livestock

Have a good week!