Mazes, labyrinths and the good life

The television show The Good Life with Felicity Kendall (as admired by The Young Ones) and my mother's copies of Grass Roots magazine are two things that immediately make my brain manufacture contentedness serotonin. Somewhere floating in that mish-mash of childhood influences is Bilbo Baggins, cups of tea, elevenses and his warm retreat by the fire in that mythical village when the little Hobbit was not out fighting the forces of evil. As an only child in slower times of the 1970s and early 80s with plenty of time and space for reading and dreaming, I would envision my own little world where everything was grown on the plot in a self-sufficient retreat. Throw in the tree-lined country lanes of Anne of Green Gables and my imaginary world of safe and peaceful domesticity was complete.

There is something deeply appealing to most of us of course about the idea of home and growing our own food, baking bread, keeping livestock, producing eggs on our plot of earth that connects us to the idea of the village and the earth and times past. The reality, of course, is far from the romantic idyll depending on where you live and your resources and whatever phase you are in life. Nostalgia is one part reality and two parts fantasy!

Studying economics 101 a decade ago made me consider and appreciate the efficiencies and lower opportunity cost of mass production and specialisation and I felt secretly embarrassed about my childish version of The Good Life which I didn't realise at the time was actually parodying fanatical self sufficiency and middle-class snobbery! Apart from a few conservative diehards, we all know now, however, that the one resource that was always unprotected by economic principles of supply and demand is our planet Gaia.

With our planet in serious need of rescue, the idea of a self-sufficient home takes on a new appeal and a place that does not create an ecological drain on resources and energy is becoming increasingly fused with our ideas of home and what constitutes contentment in our private interior spaces of domesticity. In adulthood I have begun dreaming and imagining again and the idea of a house that regenerates and sustains based on human innovation and technology has replaced the hippy influenced 'Grass Roots' idyll. There's also something sci-fi and futuristic about using technology to heal not harm.

The sustainable house

I've just discovered Michael Mobbs and his sustainable house built 15 years ago. His book Sustainable house has been updated and re-released. This very weekend he opened his house for tours which explain:
What’s happened after 1.5 million litres of sewage has gone into the garden?
How have the solar panels lasted after 14 years?
What’s worked and what hasn’t?
How has the house saved over $30,000 in water and energy bills?
He calls his sustainable house 'the little house that could - and yours can too!' I look forward to buying the updated version of the Sustainable House or borrowing a library copy.

Built for the bush

It's the opening weekend of Built for the Bush which showcases green architecture of rural Australia at the National Archives. I've put this on my to-do list and note it is open until 11 September. The exhibition explores the energy efficient features of Australia's 19th century country homes and the reappearances of these traditional practices in contemporary sustainable architecture. I have planted ornamental grapevine to grow up and over my pergola and can't wait for its foliage to cool our home in summer following in the footsteps of many a 19th century country verandah.

On Friday night I attended the Institute of Building awards in the new hall of the Art Gallery. I met a couple who have designed and built a sustainable house for their family in my beloved suburb of Ainslie. They won an award for the project on the night. The bloke in the partnership is an expert in sustainable design and building. I am looking forward to seeing their house. We have told them that if they want to truly fit in here in Ainslie then they need to get chickens as soon as possible. We were only half joking. A few years ago it seemed like everyone in Ainslie of the yuppie persuasion had a Subaru and a sheepdog!

Children's play spaces

One of the goals I have set myself in starting this blog is to learn more about designing children's play spaces in gardens. I'm currently developing specifications to construct a sandpit at my children's childcare centre and while researching on the internet I have found out lots of exciting things about the value of sand play. For example, did you know that playing in a sandpit can really help calm children down as it is 'soft play' and should balance 'hard play' wherever possible near swings and hard surface play equipment.

I discovered the website of a landscape designer Tessa Rose based in Sydney who creates spaces all over NSW for children including mazes and labyrinths. My friend Libby explained that the meditational and spiritual qualities of the labyrinth help children deal with bad behaviour and give them time out to reflect and calm down. Did you know about the international labyrinth society? Their website hosts an international labyrinth locator. Tessa Rose explains that labyrinths introduce a powerful element of restful movement into children's play spaces. Mazes, on the other, hand, make kids charge around with mystery and excitement as they duck, weave, run and hide immersed in a giant green puzzle. I will never forget that cold crisp and bright winter's day in Berrima a year ago where our kids rampaged with joy.


Harper's Mansion maze 

The maze at Harper's Mansion in Berrima is truly fantastic and last winter I organised a big group of us to meet there for a rampage. The children loved it and the magic of the maze is something I hope will stay locked in their memories. As parents, one of the most important things we can do is create happy memories of childhood - the rest is up to them. They have a fabulous garden at Harper's Mansion which recreates what they grew in the 1830s. You can also get fabulous cheap propagated plants including dogwoods and butterfly bush at the back of the garden from the National Trust gardeners. They get a bit of help from the local prisoners. The maze and mansion are only open at certain times so check before you visit. The mansion itself is a beautiful building and the whole place is quite special.

We also visited the museum at Berrima which explains the floating city during World War I created by German interns - there's a mini-series in that story for sure! Opera, flotillas, music and creativity. These men who were merchant seamen in the wrong place at the wrong time created a beautiful world in their captivity but lived with dignity, beauty and honour in peace with the locals. The kids loved seeing the exhibition of toys from last century.

Bee baths and why I love Lolo!

Okay - I know it's a little unhealthy to worship people you've never met or even those you have met.  But I am starting to ADORE Lolo Houbein. I have ordered her book and The Life and Love of Trees from the Book Depository and as I delve deeper into Lolo's book One Magic Square I realise that it could be one of the best books I have ever owned. I knew as soon as I opened the page where she mentioned the loquat I would be enamoured of Lolo the plant whisperer. The loquat, you see, is a source of fascination for me due to its exquisite glossy unusual foliage. Properly manured every Autumn and pruned after harvest it apparently produces great fruit too.

A bee bath should have a rock placed inside it.

One Magic Square is just SO practical and tells you everything a gardener needs to know in a wholistic manner. The book is deeply enriched by Lolo's years of experience, skill and practical knowledge and those who have learned through trial and error will nod in agreement with Lolo's observations. Everything has an end in mind which is mostly fabulous practical and healthy vegetables to cook - she makes me salivate with her descriptions of salads, soups and stir frys replete with herbs and seasoning. I feel a stirring for healthier eating which is more vegetarian than my current diet but all about flavour, texture and colour.

I could waffle at length about the fabulousness of the information in One Magic Square. Bee baths and bird baths feature in her 'top tips'. Lolo recommends putting many bird baths around the garden so that friendly birds can see the water from the air and be encouraged to visit regularly. She also recommends a shallow bee bath like the charming mosaic dish I photographed. A dish of water with a rock in it gives the bees somewhere to drink in the heat of summer and encourages pollination. How cool is that? I'm off now to read more gems from Lolo such as why you shouldn't pick asparagus spears for the first three years if you want your asparagus crowns to thrive.