Growing a simple beautiful life, inspired by nature and rooted in the seasons.
Learn easy ways to grow food and flowers, live simply, save money, eat unprocessed, whole foods, self care, off grid living and self sufficiency.
Follow the journey, of a bare piece of land being turned into a wildlife haven for birds, bees, moths and butterflies.
Grow
Food, fruit and flowers
Simply Home
Slow living, off grid and self sufficiency with kids
The Potting Shed
Quality products that don’t cost the earth
The Journey
You didn’t find yourself here by accident. You’re on a journey to live more simply perhaps? Cut down on the stress? Eat less processed food with their many, many ingredients? I’m glad you are here. This is a space to unlearn modern toxicity and relearn the old ways. It’s not a place to be perfect but it’s a place to start or find reassurance. Wherever you are on the road, here’s to a healthier you and a healthier environment. Because life is complicated enough, I made it my mission to find the simplest and easiest ways to do things eg. 1 or 2 ingredient household cleaners, one pot meals, cutting down on clutter and cleaning etc etc.
My journey began when the children were young and I became very aware, of how toxic chemicals had integrated into every aspect our lives. Products, clothes, food… I wanted to do something about it but was trapped on the hamster wheel of life.
I took radical steps to change our lives and live more in harmony in nature. I sold my business, got rid of our possessions and took to the road with my partner, 3 children and cat. It’s been a long journey with bumps along the way but I am ready to share what I’ve learnt, what went right, what went wrong and some funny moments. Come along with me and let this space be light-hearted calm in the chaos. Learn more about my journey here.
Diana
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I had a dream to live more sustainably and live in harmony with nature. We travelled far and wide, learning from those that were living it. Planting trees, wildflowers and creating community gardens … learning many things along the way.
We now have four acres of land to rewild and we named it Gardd y Pila-pala which translates to The Butterfly Garden. Using no dig methods to grow food and flowers, permaculture, to create a food forest, I’ll be planting hedges and trees for birds, borage for bees and bushes for butterflies.
Grow with me, simplify your home and reduce consumption of throwaway products.
Come Along for the walk
Grow food and flowers Growing from seed is the most satisfying way to grow and also the most cost effective so win win! I use open pollinated seed and will be growing some heirloom and unusual varieties that have been long forgotten… watch this space for mangelwurzel!
Grow a Market Garden
This will be made up of no dig beds outside and under cover in a polytunnel to extend the growing season. This will be the most intensive area for growing but there will be no pesticides, fungicides or herbicides. Only organic methods for the healthiest veg and flowers.
Orchard
We have planted an orchard of fruit trees (apple, plum, cherry, medlar) and underplanted with some soft fruit bushes and perennial plants to start our permaculture and tree guild journey. There’s still lots more to come.
Wild Woodland
We’ll be replanting the wild woodland that once stood 100 years ago. It leads down to a babbling brook which is in need of some care.
A Healthy Home
DIY cleaning and self care products with simple ingredients Ditch the plastic and toxic chemicals and make your own healthy, cost effective alternatives. I also recommend some non toxic products you can buy if you don’t have the time or energy to make things (but I promise, the DIY stuff is soooo easy).
Baking and Making Making Sourdough, Kombucha, Kefir, herbal teas and wild salads from things you have foraged and preserved, are such easy skills when you learn how. Skills that can be passed onto the next generation….let’s keep the traditions alive!
Other life hacks Things that will help you save money, reduce waste and overconsumption, save energy and help the environment
Living on the Road I’ll share what we learnt on the road and how we lived as a family of five (and a cat) in our home on wheels.
Home education and roadschooling Taking charge of your child’s education is not easy but it’s so rewarding. The children have learnt so many skills and followed their passions which were being crushed at school by curriculums, tests and unnecessary pressure . I’ll share resources and what we did to keep learning fun and engaging.
Some Favourite things
Support small and eco friendly Find some of my favourite things that make life easier, that will save you money and help in the fight against over consumption. I carefully choose sustainable, long-lasting and handmade items that support an eco-friendly lifestyle. Where possible, I promote small businesses, open pollinated seed sellers, independent makers, nature-focused brands and high-quality tools that align with simple, slow-living values. I prioritise products made from natural materials that are designed to last.
Learning to live with less
I love multifunctional and beautiful things. Before, I had a house full of stuff that was constantly being moved around or gathering dust in corners and I was overwhelmed. In preparation for life on the road, we donated and sold most of our belongings and just pared down to what we really needed.
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Tired of the rat race, we sold and donated most of our stuff, hit the road, in our home on wheels. A family of five with a cat. We were looking for a plot of land whilst volunteering on farms and smallholdings up and down the country. I was desperate to learn how to grow things, live off grid and become self sufficient. Our mobile home became a travelling green house with seedlings sprouting and plants growing everywhere. It was a challenge with cats that like eating soil and sitting on heat mats (We acquired two more cats on our travels…ooops!)
On our travels we learnt so many skills from the people we met and through having more time to learn and explore. We never had time before, with the demands of modern life, taking up every minute, of every day. Find out what we learnt here and browse the posts which are regularly updated.
Hopefully you will find some inspiration and some laughs, as you read how we navigated with children, animals and wildlife.
“You didn’t find yourself here by accident. You’re on a journey…”
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