Season 1, Post 1: Sowing a seed.

Who am I, why should I blog, and will any one read it? 

My life is guided by three strands: my love for God, who made and loves me,  my love of people (my family, children, friends, and wider community) and my deep love and connection to Planet Earth, that sustains us and meets all of our physical needs. These strands are deeply and inextricably linked, and at times mysterious or difficult to trace, but also everyday or mundane  (like dirt under my fingernails).
I have a passion for growing (and catching) my own food, born out of a love of the natural world, the desire to eat and provide for others fresh, local food, and the philosophy of treading lightly on the Earth. Do I own a farm or a market garden, or own a fishing boat? No. The challenge to grow or find food is within the limits of 40m2 of suburban Auckland dirt, supplemented by neighbourhood foraging, and trips to the sea with a fishing rod. What is possible within these limits? What are the actual cost savings of growing your own, versus the cost of a trip to the supermarket? Are there other tangible, or perhaps mental or spiritual benefits, to eating stuff you have wrestled from the dirt with your own hands? Do food miles really matter? Why compost rather than use a waste-disposer? How do you grow bok choi? Can a 2-year old really help in the garden? These are all questions I will seek to answer and share, in the hope of inspiring others to do the same. This mindset can be born out of a sense of duty, but is far more sustaining, and sustainable, if born out of a renewed sense of connectedness with the Earth, who we are, our Creator, and the people we live with.

Tim