Edit: New website for All Home Renovations and Maintenance, my husband Michael Van Heel’s bespoke carpentry business is now live. Click here to visit www.allhomerenovationsandmaintenance.com  Hello, It’s been awhile hasn’t it! I have been sharing less posts on my Fairy Wren Cottage instagram account and writing fewer blog posts related to Fairy Wren Cottage but […]

A Moment In The Day Series. 10th July 2024. The 6th day of my new series: Our ducks in the Quince Orchard. Midwinter and I’m craving the everyday beauty that isn’t in your face like Springtime blossom, the abundance in the garden during Summer, or the golden light in Autumn. Like I mentioned in my […]

A Moment In The Day Series. 7th July 2024. The 4th day of my new series: Ornamental Apricot blossom. We planted this darling tree when it was tiny, now it is about 6 x 6 metres. The tree that keeps on giving with lots of lovely shade in the warmer months and in the colder […]

A Moment In The Day Series. 7th July 2024. The 3rd day of my new series: Liliana and I sat in front of the woodfire this afternoon, the fog settling in early and listened to this wonderful podcast episode. Growing Pansies for Cut Flower Production with Brenna Estrada @threebrothersblooms on @theflowerpodcast with Scott Shepherd. Brenna […]

A Moment In The Day Series. 5th July 2024. The 1st day of my new series: Midwinter and I’m craving the everyday beauty that isn’t in your face like Springtime blossom, the abundance in the garden during Summer, or the golden light in Autumn. Like I mentioned in my Fairy Wren Cottage Postcard for June […]

Hello, Well, I totally didn’t mean to be away for this long. Here’s a little snap of Autumn so far. Our first frost. Racing to finish painting the cottage and installing some new weatherboards – that job is long overdue. Some inside painting and installing dado boards. Harvesting. Preserving. Starting the woodheater for the first […]

We have been adding some raised garden beds to the Kitchen Garden. Like so many we are looking at different ways to increase our vegetable growing space. Michael made the raised garden beds from rough sawn Tasmanian Oak, we don’t stain or “treat” them with anything. They generally last about ten years, and when no […]

Each summer I read the same three books by rosarian Susan Irvine. Packed full of gardening information, meticulous notes, a Tasmanian heritage restoration. Photography by Simon Griffiths. Have you read them? Because I am in the south and Forest Hall is in the northern part of the island I wasn’t fortunate enough to go to […]

Sweet Pea Wallpaper Giveaway: Like so many of us I adore sweet peas. Here is my gift to you. Your own set of sweet pea wallpapers. Little sweet pea seeds planted and grown with love in the garden here at Fairy Wren Cottage, with Honeybee the duck helping me water them each day, photographed with […]