*Jude's Botanical Photography will soon be available in a new web shop here at Fairy Wren Cottage. A curated selection of botanicals on canvas, fine art prints and stationery.
Some things you may (or may not) know about Jude:
All the photos I share are taken here at Fairy Wren Cottage. Life changed for me 10 years ago when the metal prong of the garden rake went
completely through my hand. I'm no longer fully independent and live a very different life with the love and support of my husband and daughter.
The garden has saved me and taking photos each day helps me focus on looking for the beauty, focusing on what I can do.
My husband Michael, daughter Liliana and I tend to our garden and cottage, preferring handmade and homemade.
We grow lots of fruit and veg and try to tread gently in the garden, upsetting the soil as little as possible.
Making sure there are dishes of water and areas for the birds and wildlife to feel welcome. It is so important to us.
There is always something flowering in the garden; encouraging for the bees and beneficial insects, it also means that I can do
one of my favourite things, pick a small posy of flowers most days. Photographing the flowers grown in our garden and the poultry we care for has lead to creating a range of Botanical Art that will soon be available again in my web shop.
I love sitting and spending time with our hens and ducks, just like us humans, they all have different personalities.
My husband Michael specialises in bespoke carpentry, his business is called All Home Renovations and Maintenance.
To read more about Michael's craftsmanship, here is the link to his website: www.allhomerenovationsandmaintenance.com
Together, Michael and I homeschooled our daughter Liliana for thirteen years. Lil completed Years 11 & 12 at the same time as completing the Diploma of Family History at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). She is now a qualified Family Historian and her business is called Family, Folk and History (familyfolkandhistory.com). Lil helps her clients discover their family history, linking the past to the present. July 2023, Lil has returned to UTAS and is furthering her professional development through studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in History.
A perfect day for me is pottering about the garden with Michael and Lil and having lunch outside together.
Bluebell and Daisy our Spoodles and Honeybee the duck are never too far away.
Jude x
There is freedom in letting go of the 'old life' before illness & injury. Learning to be grateful for now. Focusing on doing things that we are capable of & make us feel skippy happy.
since illness & injury
Valuing materials, saving them from landfill, repurposing & giving them a 2nd life, like the Hen House (above) made completely from reclaimed materials.
There is an established catalogue of blog posts and 'How-to" information that I have previously created. While I will sometimes revisit these topics, gardening, following the seasons and flowers will take centre stage. Especially my botanical photography. All of my work to date is still as relevant as when I first wrote it and I encourage you to dip in and out my website and free ebooks like you would a favourite book or magazine. Previous topics include:
reduce, reuse, recycle
Home grown, organic, plant based. Sourced as locally as possible, supporting farmers & growers. Whole foods. Baking. Preserving. Seasonal cooking. Putting by.
Cooking from Scratch
Cooking from Scratch
free range poultry
Bee friendly & wildlife friendly gardening. Organic. No dig. Small heritage fruit tree orchard called our Back Orchard. Small Quince Orchard. Food Hedges. Kitchen Garden. Berry Patch. Mulching. Wildlife habitat.
Gardening
Handmade. Can we make something instead of buying it. Can something be repaired insteading of replacing it.
Lasting longer & appreciated more.
Making
Ducks & Chickens. Head of pest control, free range, rare breeds. Feathered darlings. Medicinal herbs for them planted in their yards. Greens & herbs planted especially for them during the colder months.
P O R T F O L I O
It is wonderful to be able to share our country life through Instagram, this website and the Blog Journal, Pinterest, newspaper and magazine articles.
If you would like to discuss an opportunity or collaboration, the best way is to message me via the contact form below or via my email, fairywrencottage@gmail.com
The two free ebooks Greener Alternatives and Food Gardening Ideas were made possible by the Fairy Wren Cottage instagram community contributing their ideas.
Greener Alternatives was made in response to the catastrophic bushfires occurring in 2019, it was a positive way of coming together, sharing our knowledge in the hope of everyone collectively making greener choices in their home and garden and having a positive impact on the environment.
Food Gardening Ideas was made in 2022 as a response to the increasing food prices, many readers feeling despair and many readers wanting to share their knowledge in the hope that it may help someone be able to feed themselves and their loved ones.
My daughter Liliana and I collated the contributions and edited the ebooks. Liliana did all the tech work and I did the layout and photos.
The power of a community working together is greater than the sum of its parts. Even though we don't know each other personally, we still want to help each other.
I began an Interview Series in October 2022, let me explain a little more about it.
I've created this series to highlight women who are starting out. They have crafted something out of nothing, following those whispers and are moving forward with bringing their dreams to life. I believe in the power of sharing our stories, supporting and lifting each other up.
There is enough for everyone to be successful, in what ever way feels right for them.
It's humbling to be trusted with sharing each woman's story, you can read them in the Interview section of my Blog Journal HERE
You may have seen an article about the Fairy Wren Cottage garden in the At Home Magazine
(dailytelegraph.com.au/athome/ ). The photos were taken by me and the article was in several Australian newspapers.
Combined, I've also written and photographed over 30 articles for
Grass Roots Magazine and Australasian Poultry Magazine.
And for the girl who has always loved books and libraries, it's a proud and somewhat surreal feeling to have my ebooks and the community contributed ebooks published on
Trove, the National Libraries of Australia website. www.trove.nla.gov.au
My hope is to get back to you as soon as possible.
I can also be contacted at fairywrencottage@gmail.com
Jude x
contact
K I N D N E S S
My social media accounts are an inclusive space where everyone is welcome.
Racism, sexism, intolerance, judgement, criticism of others, homophobia, transphobia, unsolicited 'advice' , bullying and inappropriate comments are not tolerated.
Kindness to me is being respectful, not jumping to conclusions about someone, not listening to gossip or believing gossip, treating people how I want to be treated and treating all people equally.
Kindness to me is standing up and defending someone who is being bullied or being misrepresented. Bullying is sickening, corrosive and destructive. That is why I have zero tolerance of bullying on my social media accounts, in my home and in my friendship circles.
Kindness to me is doing something or giving something without the expectations of getting something back. Kindness to me does not include point scoring, holding back information purposely, gate keeping, setting someone up to fail.
For me, kindness includes compassion, empathy, understanding, having a generous heart, tolerance, acceptance, trust and honesty.
And don't we all want those things? All those things make us feel seen, heard, accepted and loved.
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.