This is my wild; let this be your wild, too
An introduction to what this newsletter is all about.
Kia ora, hello!
I’m Zenobia, also known as Zee: a writer, artist, photographer, gardener. This newsletter is an invitation to you - the nature lover, the bird nerd, the gardener, the life-long learner - to take a wander around the garden with me and connect with nature.
I like to think of it as a weekly letter to a dear friend who is just as enamoured with nature as I am; some weeks we’ll take a deep dive into miniscule details, other times we’ll take a broader approach.
You’ll discover the magic of the garden through the seasons and uncover unique New Zealand wildlife with me. As a creative, I’ll also share some of my writing and photography with you.
Like the garden, I expect this newsletter will have its own seasons and evolve over time.
How we got to now
Our house is nestled amongst agricultural pastures on one side & rocky coastlines on the other. There are a few patches of ngāhere (forest) amongst the rolling hills and a handful of conservation reserves.
We moved to this little rural town in East Otago from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland in 2019, and I dearly miss the ngāhere (forest): the Waitākeres, the Huia Ranges, the coastal plantings, and all the patches of wild in between.
And so, we are encouraging our garden to be a haven for wildlife, and a place to nourish my soul & my creativity. Every time I venture outside, there is something new to see; something to send my curiosity into overdrive.
This one-acre bit of land is becoming my wild.
The Newsletter
To start with, my main newsletter will be sent to ALL subscribers, every week on Friday afternoons (NZ time) to take into the weekend with you. You will get a glimpse into what’s happening in the garden. No doubt it will evolve over time so come along for the ride!
Paid subscribers will also get:
Mini series’ on specialised areas, like gardening for butterflies and low-waste living.
Access behind the scenes to see my first drafts as I write.
Much more about the creative life through the practice of writing, painting, and photography.
Over time, I will be introducing more of a multi-media experience with audio, video etc. I also intend to introduce a second weekly newsletter just for paid subscribers. It will be an opportunity for us to explore one aspect of nature & wildlife together - so watch this space.
I hope that you will reach out and help me shape this newsletter, too.
A bit more about me
Born in India, my parents moved with me here to Aotearoa/New Zealand when I was just a few months old. I spent the first thirty-odd years of my life growing up in the suburbs of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland.
After highschool, I trained as a classroom teacher, but quickly learned that I needed to nourish my creativity. I started working part-time as an English & Mathematics tutor so I could have time for writing and painting. I blogged, wrote books for children, spent a lot of time hiking, and developed a yoga & meditation practice. I published my first book in 2014, and now have a dozen or so books & zines out in the world.
In my late twenties my husband and I bought the house we are living in now. It was a stressful period, and just as I was getting settled in we were all hit by the curveball of Covid-19. It was then I bought my first camera, and a passion for photography that had been patiently waiting beneath the surface came to light.
Our garden was to be a productive space and we had grand dreams of (semi) self-sufficiency. That dream is still alive, but through the magic of photography I started digging deeper into the natural world. Combined with our changing world I began to recognise how important every garden is - whether that be an acre or a hectare or a pot on the balcony of an inner-city apartment - as habitat for wildlife and a way to contribute positively to the world.
So now, I work part-time at the local pharmacy and use my days off to immerse myself in the garden and what it can teach me. We are growing more and more of our own food as the years go on, with as light a footprint as possible. I’m still writing, currently working on a memoir of my garden through the seasons, illustrated with my photographs.
My mission now is to foster a sense of appreciation and fascination with the natural world, and to share my continued learning; my tools are my camera and my words.
There is so much for us to discover! Let this be your wild, too.
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