Our home, which is also Green Dean HQ, is nick-named ‘Harmony House’ by many because everyone here gets on so well with each other. We have 2 beautiful dogs, 2 cats, 12 chickens, 2 ducks and 2 guinea pigs, who have pretty much free run around our property. They never attack or fight with each other and all get on very well, sharing food and their space. When we first got the guinea pigs, called Patch and Adams, our kitten used to sleep with them. Then all the cats (3 at the time) started sleeping in the guinea pig area, which was also the chookrun. These days, Patch and Adams just run around freely in the garden (unless they’re sin-binned for eating our vegies), sharing food and most days to help mow the lawn.

We waste nothing in the kitchen. We have 4 small buckets near the sink for waste recycling. One is for guinea pig food (greens and veges mostly), one for the chooks, one for compost and worms, and one for organic liquid wastes. Everything goes somewhere to benefit someone. Our vegies and herbs are thriving on our compost and mulch, our chickens provide us with beautiful free-range eggs daily, enriched by their varied diet. And Patch and Adams, Daffy & Daisy (the ducks) provide us with an alarm whenever someone arrives.

Our chooks eat from our hand, the guinea pigs love a cuddle and we’re really pleased with the general energy of Harmony House.

I believe it’s all about respect and TLC with animals and your garden from day one. All living creatures, including your collective environment, respond so much better to a gentler, calmer, more caring approach. In future posts on our blog, I’ll share a little more about the permaculture principles we follow around and in our home that have made such a difference to the wellbeing of the people, animals and plants that live here.

You’re always welcome to come and visit us, have a look around, have a cuppa and cuddle the animals.