Sanctuary On Wildflower

05/07/2024

I love wattle season so much 💛

10/06/2024

So very proud of my giant pumpkin that has thrived against all the odds 🧡
Maybe it’s silly but it’s really been a symbol of hope through my health battles. You go pumpkin 💪🏼

09/06/2024

How cuuuuute are these 💝

05/06/2024

❤️‍🩹 Health Update ❤️‍🩹
Last I posted here I was having severe adrenal issues, well now my heart has joined the party 🥲 I have pericarditis, and I’ve likely had it since I had pneumonia and sepsis in September last year, so it’s been really stubborn to treat. I’m currently in a second flare which has been causing frequent PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). While healing from pericarditis, I can’t take my ADHD meds and ya girl is barely holding it together 😅
I also got diagnosed with Hyperadrenergic POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) which is a nervous system disorder causing severely elevated heart rate (up to 175 😵‍💫), fatigue, electrolyte issues, dizziness, and a million other symptoms.
I’ve also been diagnosed as hypermobile with a query for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. The good times just keep rolling 💃🏻
POTS and hypermobility frequently co-occur with neurodivergence so these aren’t massive surprises to me, especially since I’ve suspected POTS for years - it was particularly bad when pregnant with my kids.
But there still seems to be a missing piece to the puzzle because despite treating the POTS and pericarditis, I’m still absolutely wrecked and really struggling a lot of the time 😓
I haven’t been able to garden, craft, start seeds, or hang out with my chickens very much, all of my energy is spent on my kids and working about 12 hours a week 😪
I see my new endocrinologist today so here’s hoping he might have some answers for me to increase my quality of life 🙏🏼

22/05/2024

The last dahlia blooms of the season 💐

06/04/2024

It’s so nice seeing my tubers blooming in their new homes 😍 check out Melville Park for fresh, local produce! 🥬🍉🧀

Friday Night Veggie Update!

Tonight’s picture is just a bit of garden zen from Melville Park. We love our flowers as much as we love our fruit and veg. (And a shout out to Sanctuary on Wildflower for the dahlia tubers!)

This week in the shop: tomatoes for saucing and other kitchen fun; pumpkins, rock melon, apple cucumbers, some caulis, watermelon, silver beet, capsicum, chilis, sweet potato. A variety of herbs are available as well as our “Madeline” Camembert and some great items if you’re looking for a special, handmade gift. The Kuza coffee will be in the drip machine and, no surprise, there’s Easter choc leftovers!

Melville Park & Friends Farm Shop, open 9am -12pm, 13070 SW Highway, Brunswick. Cash and EFT.

31/03/2024

Swipe to see how happy I am about my giant perfect dahlia bloom 😍🥰
It was a stunning day in the garden this Easter Sunday, the dahlias are putting on such a show at the moment, against all the odds 💐💖
Before getting sick, on a day like this, I would have spent the majority of the day actively gardening, doing all the little jobs that need doing, planting, weeding, fertilising. Instead, I was absolutely thrilled that I could manage to cut a couple of buckets of flowers and deadhead, and even managed to arrange the flowers after cutting. This is more than I can usually achieve since becoming ill and I am so grateful I got a taste of what I love ❤️‍🩹

22/03/2024

Look how tall this beauty is! I’m 170cm/5’7” and it’s taller than me 😍
I didn’t pinch it because I lost control of everything including my health 😂 so that could be a contributing factor. I’m not sure what it’s called, as it was gifted to me unnamed. I don’t think it’s Nugget, because my Nugget is a much shorter plant, even though the flowers do look similar 🌹
Let me know if you have any ideas of what its name could be?

03/03/2024

Isn’t she lovely 🌸
Swipe to see this dahlia bloom almost fully open 💗
My son pulled the bloom off the stem so we enjoyed it in a bowl for a week or so ☺️

19/02/2024

It’s been a minute.. almost a month since my last post. I’ve been giving everything of myself in every possible direction (not very many directions are possible at the moment 🥴).
This was a harvest from early January that I am so proud of, and the last photo is my first dahlia flower, against all the odds 🌸
Things are growing wild and fending for themselves at the moment and I am pained but forced to accept it. This is a season of learning to manage chronic illness, parenting, and working, and sadly my passions have taken a back seat for now 😞
It won’t be like this forever, but it is like this now, and as hard as it is, I have to accept that I can’t do the things I used to do for now. Some days it’s no worries, some days it’s all worries. Thank you to all of you for being here in this difficult season 💗