Wednesday 8 June 2016

It's Official - SOLD!

Our house is SOLD and we are moving to the West Coast!  After 10 months of waiting and feeling horribly "in limbo" we're decluttering, packing and eating our way through stored food items as we prepare to hit the road in July.  The timing couldn't be better as our children will be finishing the current school year at the end of June then will both begin the next school year in September at their new schools.




Here's a (blurry) picture of our new home.  It's so sweet and full of character.  I can't wait to sit on that verandah with my tea.  Even in the rain, it will be a lovely spot to sit and think and survey the gardens :)

My dear parents are overjoyed as they have been temporarily "housesitting" in our new home waiting to begin the process of building their cottage.   Since our sale on Friday, they have submitted the papers and application forms for approval to be our own general contractor on the cottage build.   Once that's stamped and approved, we can then apply for a building permit.  All told, it will be several months until we can break ground on the cottage for my folks but they are happy to reside on site in their bus which has all conveniences ad comforts of a home (including power, water and septic hook up).

Meantime, back here in Alberta, the packed boxes are slowly stacking up and my mind is focussed on design plans for our new gardens and all the customized elements that will help us develop a thriving and diverse permaculture garden.  We'll be hitting the ground running as our first tasks are quite big:

- build a wood shelter and get a load delivered to kick start our stockpile

- buck, split and stack wood from cleared trees (in preparation for cottage build) until we have 3 or 4 cords built up

- do a complete design survey and sector analysis of the property and create accurate drawings to work from (which will include 10 months of observations done by my parents)

- start a worm farm and major compost operation

- build a small portable coop and acquire hens

- begin sheet mulching to convert grass into gardens for next year's planting

- create hugelkulture beds (to make use of brush cleared for cottage build)

- create a nursery area for plant starts/cuttings, etc

The list goes on...  but I'll stop there before I get overwhelmed.   Our aim is to maximize yield from the smallest footprint of development possible because we know that as we age, we won't want to be tending gardens spread far and wide on the whole three acres.   Sustainability in terms of labor to maintain our systems is very important so I'll be thinking hard about zones and easy access as I plan our future food supply.  Truly productive annual gardens are ones that are close and intimate enough to easily tend.   The spaces further out will be planted to species not needing as regular "tending" (berry canes, fruit trees, etc...).

The countdown is on so follow along with me as we continue our preparations to head out West!







15 comments:

  1. Fantastic news! I know it has been a long, long wait for you but am very excited to hear all the news about the new place and follow your progress. Hope the move goes well!

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  2. I am so, so happy for you! The new house is beautiful...I sure hope you find the time to blog about your new adventures. Best of luck with the move!

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    1. Thank you! Yes, my plan is to blog about the transition. I've been quiet here for a while because being in limbo put a lot of constraints on me and I found it hard to write. Now that we are moving forward, I'm enthusiastic about but sharing the learning and no longer feel "stuck" :)

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  3. Hooray!! So, so happy for you! Many blessings on your move (finally!)
    -Jaime

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  4. Looks amazing! Can't wait to see what you do with it and the gardens. Treat yourself to a copy of The Urban Farmer, some great ideas on how to make more use of space on a small foot print there adn how to keep the labour down, I've been using a few of the practices and they seem to work well!

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    1. Thanks, Kev. Yes Curtis Stone is amazing, He's from Alberta and studied under my permaculture instructor, I believe. He's doing wonderful work :)

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  5. Such exciting news. Hope all goes well for the pack up and move.
    I have moved many times and best advice is.... initially put everything as close to where it was in the previous house and then at least you have a reasonable chance of finding things, not constantly fossiking about .
    Something else helpful is a short general description of contents in the box and the room where you need the box placed.
    A good idea is to have a few days main meals made ahead, could your Mum have some heat and eat food ready in the fridge ?
    some lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise or some marinated chicken drumsticks, all help yourself, heat and eat with a nice salad means you aren't prepping food when you are very tired.
    Big slabs of fruit cake are great at this time for traveling and settling in chaos.
    Hope the weather is kind when you need it.

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  6. Oh Yay! Absolutely love the new house. Wonderful that your parents have kept records for you as that can be the most important part of permaculture when starting somewhere new. Hoping your move goes smoothly :D.

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    1. Thanks, Robyn XO Yes, those notes will come in very handy re: design planning...

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  7. CONGRATULATIONS!
    may you have a safe trip getting there, the house looks wonderful, so full of character.
    thanx for sharing

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