WOMANKIND’S reinvention challenge
Lauren Bevilacqua
Day one: Reinvention begins with research, right? Well, despite all the books, courses, and spurts of outside input over several years, I am yet to get on top of my garden. Maybe this year I can reinvent myself as a gardener, but even just reinventing the overwhelming expanse of green outside my back door to the point that I can enjoy it would be nice. So, I start with research. Only I’m not looking up plant species or watering schedules, but what to wear. I realised that part of the reason I struggle to do any gardening is that it feels like a big task, not just because it actually is, but also because of the time and bother of finding something suitable to wear. I’ve heard having your gym clothes ready to go makes it more likely you’ll go and exercise; I’m hoping the same is true for gardening. I’ve settled on a boilersuit that I can slip on over most things and into gardener mode.
I also went into my garden today, which is obviously a good start. Not that I did any gardening. Instead, I looked closely at the different plants, areas, and problems. I compared the current state of the greenery with photos from when we moved in. I thought about what I wanted from my outdoor space and why. Essentially, I want it to be relaxing, both in the sense of a place I can spend time relaxing in as well as being relaxing to maintain. I settled on starting with the wild and overgrown hedges. Perhaps that is one area where I can make visible progress on reinvention in the three short days of this challenge.
Day two: Today I seized a break in the rain to start attacking the hedge. Having purchased new hedge clippers this morning, I was pleased to discover the ease of cutting with a sharper blade. I made swift progress with significantly reducing the height of one hedge before moving on the shaping the side. Buoyed by my early achievements, I move on to another hedge. It certainly wasn’t the best hedge styling, but I’m hoping it’s like a bad haircut and any mistakes will more or less grow out. There was some disconcerting rustling from within one hedge, but I suspect whatever it was was probably just surprised at the appearance of a human after years of enjoying their habitat untouched. I ventured deeper into the remaining vegetation and began to imagine the possibilities of the space. There’s a little opening between branches that could perhaps frame some garden art. The overgrown paths could be inviting with a little tidying. Adding some flowers and somewhere to sit might encourage me to spend more time in the garden. Pondering what has been holding me back in gardening, I realised I’ve been worried about making a mistake. Ruining the hedge. Killing the plants. I’m also a bit scared of what creatures I might encounter. Really, though, there’s not much to worry about. If the plants die, I can replace them. I probably will make mistakes, but hopefully I’ll also learn some things along the way.
Inspired by a positive day of gardening, I spent some time researching further ideas to improve my outdoor space. Pots, flowers, shade, and garden chairs are all looking good.
Day three: I feel like gardeners probably get up early to garden, so I made it outdoors before 9 o’clock this morning. I managed about ten minutes of hedge-trimming and plant examination before the rain started again. After that, the rain really set in. At one point in the afternoon I optimistically ventured out with a cup of tea in the hope of snatching a little time relaxing in my newly improved outdoor space. After all, being able to enjoy my garden is the point of taking this challenge for me. Sadly, though, the drizzle persisted too much, so I sat awkwardly under the verandah on a kitchen chair. It did, however, give me a different perspective on the garden and the fresh air was nice. Unable to do more in the garden, I instead did some further research on garden tools and inspiration to help me enjoy my outdoor space. I’m not yet sure whether I can reinvent myself as a gardener. On the other hand, I feel this challenge has shown me how much I can do and that, perhaps, with some consistency over the year I can reinvent my garden, transforming it from a source of stress and worry to an inviting and relaxing space I can enjoy.
Steph Conroy
For a long time now, I’ve wanted to be a beach girl. That’s someone who is at the beach every day. I don’t think it matters what I’m doing there exactly; walking and casting my eyes out at the horizon, thrusting myself into the waves and thrashing my arms in the ocean
