June 2023
This will be my sixth year growing at greenfields and it still feels like the first. I wandered around the kitchen garden yesterday evening and felt pure joy seeing raised beds full of vegetables and flowers. 2023 as a whole has been an incredible year so far and it’s only June; from writing a book about my gardening journey, to presenting on Scotlands longest running gardening program, to completing my largest project to date since launching my business. The milestones are mind blowing to me and I am beyond grateful that they get to be part of my life story.
The book was a labour of love which began way back in July 2020. To be honest I said yes to the project while in the throes of grief and my only thought was, this will give me something to focus on. But as the book writing process went on I hoped to create something that would hopefully inspire others to journey into the world of gardening and nature. Growing at Greenfields is at its essence a book about creating, growing, harvesting and cooking from your own garden, but it’s also a book about personal growth which I’ve had in spades over the last five years. It was a privilege and immensely cathartic to write, and something I will treasure forever.
I plan to ground myself in the garden over the rest of the summer, enjoy filming a couple more episodes with the Beechgrove Garden gang, and spend copious amounts of time making new memories with family and friends.
I wish you a wonderful summer.
December 2020
It’s difficult to know how to start this update without talking about the loss we suffered in 2020. Losing our son in a freak accident in April defined the year, has changed us irrevocably and will no doubt unconsciously and consciously shape the rest of our lives. As a family, we are still navigating our way through everyday: the firsts without him, the waves of grief, trying to ultimately accept our new reality, along with missing our beautiful boy.
Spring turned into summer, while Andrew and I worked side by side in the garden every day, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking non stop trying to make sense of it all.
The one thing I know with the utmost certainty is that the garden saved my life, my sanity and my connection to the outside world this year. It became a sanctuary and haven for my mind, a place to heal. I feel closest to Joseph when outside, he was a true outdoors boy. I suppose then its only natural to want to be where I feel close to him.
On top of our personal grief and along with everyone else, 2020 has been a year of reckoning and loss in a wider sense. A loss of connection with family and friends. We grieved and continue to do so mostly in isolation, while the pandemic continues to rage. The urge to lay down and not get up was overwhelming at times. But get up we did and do, for and because of our amazing daughters; because of our friends and family who made sure even from a distance that we were all ok.
I will never forget the summer of 2020, for how naturally noisy it was. The skies were unmarred by the sounds or white lines made by airplanes, the roads were empty of cars. Instead birdsong was louder than ever before, and the sheep in the field next door joined the chorus.
Along came Autumn and with it, a hive of activity getting ready to launch (relaunch really) my interiors business. I find the busier I am the less the trauma takes over my day. Greenfield Stitchery has been a blessing.
Our daughters are doing so well considering their loss, along with cancelled exams, online school and college, and little to no contact with friends. I am thankful that we can still find things to smile and laugh about each day.
I plan to do more of the things that bring me joy next year: grow more vegetables, plants and flowers, create more garden spaces to enjoy with family and friends. I hope to learn new skills without self imposed boundaries, and say yes to new opportunities. Ultimately I want to live up to the promise I made to Joseph at his service, to be extraordinary just like him.
March 2019
Our first year in the garden was rewarding beyond belief. 2018 was the year of the heatwave, creating the kitchen garden, a gorgeous glut of courgettes and vases filled with flowers from the garden.
A spark has been ignited in both Andrew and I to continue the garden transformation, grow more food and focus on the idea of creating a sustainable do it yourself lifestyle around us, incorporating our new found loves of sewing and even more DIY renovation projects.
Also new for 2019 is a shop to sell my handmade products.
Greenfields truly is growing….x
January 2018
Hello! My name is Diana, welcome to my garden.
Before moving to Greenfields last year, I really had no interest in gardening or growing my own vegetables. It was only on the rare occasion when I happened into a garden centre or visited the local botanics, that I fleetingly wondered if I had any green finger capabilities, or if I could grow anything more than the water cress experiment completed in primary school.
After living in rental properties for the last few years, we found a house we wanted to call home in May 2017. With the dream home came 2 overwhelming acres of garden; a woodland area, kitchen garden, established trees, rockeries and in autumn 4, 635 728 fallen leaves! Overwhelmed would be an understatement.
Our first summer in our new home was mostly spent making a dent in the longer than my arm list of interior restoration works required of an almost 240 year home. Fast forward to January 2018, and the only project my husband Andrew and I want to get stuck into this year is, you guessed it the garden! So I thought, why not record the journey in a blog.
Andrew is my gardening partner in crime. He really digs all types of hard landscaping (excuse the pun) oh and bonfires. You can expect to see him feature in posts every now and then too!
The blog will be a space to share the little and large projects, successes and likely failures and the lessons learnt along the way. I’ll also be blogging about some of my other loves cooking, photography and lots of DIY. I am by no means an expert in anything, but do hope you enjoy following along, as I begin Growing at Greenfields.
You will also find daily glimpses of life in the garden and a monthly highlight reel over on Instagram.
