I started dreamingabout modern homesteading in the late 1990s when I found an original homesteader’s cabin in the woods and decided to restore it. With a LOT of help.

After almost a decade of modern homesteading research, hands-on gardening and self-sufficiency workshops, interviewing experts and reading more books late into the night than I care to remember, I packed up my 5 year-old son in the fall of 2008 and moved to a rural homestead near the ocean outside of a small town in coastal British Columbia, just a ferry ride away from Vancouver. With no formal homesteading experience (I grew up in a semi-rural subdivision and knew a sum total of zero farmers), we settled into our small, restored heritage log cabin on 6+ acres of west coast rainforest and began the process of learning the skills that would begin to turn it into a tiny haven of style and self-sufficiency.

At the end of our eleventh official year here, and with much help from family, friends, and mentors, we’ve got a greenhouse, a thriving blueberry patch, raised bed vegetable gardens (with more beds on the way), secure cool storage for harvested fruits and vegetables, raspberries, human-powered clothes washing and drying systems (for emergencies), a flock of 15 14 20 19 12 chickens and an addition to the original old cabin that we love. We’re currently in the process of planning projects for next season: more raised beds for vegetables, more berries, lots of herbs, and some permaculture installations.

Professionally, I’m a designer, copywriter and online business specialist with a busy web design and strategy company, Victoria Gazeley Design & Strategy , out of our little corner of the rainforest. When I’m not fending off marauding wildlife, learning how to grow food and hanging out online with our fabulous Facebook community , I love spending time near the ocean (luckily, close by), exploring the the world with my son, learning about, well, everything, and contributing back to the community with pro-bono design projects for a few chosen non-profits.

After more than 20 years of city living in apartments and townhouses, I’ve found my little paradise in the woods. And as crazy as it gets sometimes (really, I wonder how I could have possibly thought I was busy in the city), I can’t imagine it any other way.

Thanks for checking us out – I’m glad you’re here!