Life, The Universe and Everything Else
Like many of you, recent events have had us re-evaluate certain aspects of our business and life in general. We've been basically forced to slow down and take stock of things; those that need to be a priority and those we need to let go of. At Bonnie and Rose we are grateful for the important things in life and are very fortunate to have everything we need; a roof over our heads, food on the table and our beautiful family and friends.
Things don't always go as planned but as the bigger picture unfolds in front of us, it is becoming clear that things will never again be what they once were, but are in fact exactly as they are meant to be. Closing our retail store in December 2019 was a sad occasion for us and the community, but knowing what we know now, we are very glad that we decided to move the business to online and didn't re-sign our lease. Building the Bonnie and Rose website from scratch has certainly been a mammoth task, but totally worth the effort, even though it took much longer than expected and has caused much angst and frustration.
On a personal level, it has been a blessing to have an endless supply of fabrics, yarns and handicrafts as a creative distraction, especially at this time. Being able to indulge in something that one is passionate about is very satisfying and something we all need to take the time to do more of. Slow fashion, upcycling, recycling and repurposing clothing and other items are important concepts for our future and can genuinely co-exist alongside our desire to create from new materials. Like many others, we've recently rediscovered a love for baking with a focus on easy, uncomplicated recipes. Yummy sourdough, biscuits, cakes, jams, ice-cream and kombucha have been among the regular list of makes from the kitchen and we've even dabbled with making our own all-natural cleaning products. There is so much inspiration available at our fingertips, it can at times become overwhelming, but also makes our lives much easier.
We are the first to admit we are far from perfect as we still shop in the supermarket, buy clothing, travel, drive cars and watch television, but our vision is to be as self sustainable as we possibly can in our own backyard, whilst working towards being the change we want to see. By making some simple lifestyle choices such as shopping less often, making do with what we have, purchasing good quality items to last, as well as growing and making as much as possible, we like to think we are taking steps towards achieving our goal of sustainability, but also acknowledge there is still such long way to go.
Working from home has been a bonus for us, helping minimise costs and unnecessary travel, as well as allowing us to spend more time together and more time doing what we love. Since moving to Cooroy, we have planted several hundred indigenous trees and shrubs on our property, which is currently a participant in the Land for Wildlife program. We have also planted several varieties of fruit trees and are working on setting up an area to grow our own vegetables in our backyard, which along with a worm farm and compost bin plus our own chooks for eggs and guinea fowls to help with pest control, sees us a little closer to being more self sufficient. Our current home has been lovingly owner built over many years. Solar panels, rainwater tanks and a wastewater treatment plant have been installed on the property, and we are lucky enough to be able to use ceiling fans and natural breezes to cool our house rather than air conditioning. These are just some of the things we have been able to do as we work a little closer towards sustainability.
The current situation has reinforced that we all need to be conscious of our choices and importantly, now more than ever, we need to be the change we want to see. This change needs to come from within, we can't keep relying on others to do it for us. At Bonnie and Rose we genuinely care about the sustainability of our planet and we are committed to ensuring our environmental footprint remains as small and light as possible for the future of our children, grandchildren and beyond. We hope you feel the same and encourage you to follow your passion.
