Earthly Delights in Wonthaggi
Chris is a man with green thumbs and pampered feet.
It’s a long story, but let’s start with the amazing new garden that Chris has just finished building out the back of his place in Wonthaggi, which is one of Melba’s supported homes.
“We’ve been planning it for years, and now we’ve built it and planted it out,” Chris explained. “We had to get the wood to build it, the sleepers, then we had to get some carpet to go on the bottom to keep the weeds out. We wheelbarrowed the soil in and we got some seedlings.”
Chris has put up the tomato stakes, fertilised and even pulled out some weeds already among the seedling corn, snow peas, lettuce, spinach, spring onions, bok choy, silverbeet and lots of herbs including rosemary, oregano and parsley.
He’s a good cook too. His favourite things to make are steak in mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, meatballs and also stir-fry. Chris has big plans to make sauces with the home-grown ingredients too, as well as pickling some. Zucchini relish will also be on his menu.
The garden bed is raised to make it easier for Chris. Building it was definitely a labour of love for him because he has always loved gardening – but still, it was labour.
“My legs were getting sore, and my back was getting sore,” he laughed.
Which is a great time to bring up Foxy House, the respite accommodation property that Chris loves going to. He has visited but hasn’t slept over yet at the gorgeous, luxury, five-bedroom homestead. But he wants to stay over.
“They have a foot spa,” he says wistfully. “It’s great when the hot water comes right up over your feet.”
Along with the relaxation that Foxy House offers, it’s also another chance for Chris to do his beloved gardening.
“Every time I go to Foxy House, I have to go and water plants and then I go back to the house and I have a rest. I do the gardening, and love it,” added Chris.
