When Your Heart Is in the Country
Simple ideas to bring a bit of the country into your city life
As a teenager growing up in the country in West Cork, Ireland, all I wanted to do was live in the city. Now, having spent most of my adult life in cities — Dublin, Paris, Singapore and Melbourne — increasingly I find myself pining for the country. Like many people, I’m nostalgic for a simpler way of life. And I miss the fresh air, the smell of the sea, nature, greenery and farm animals.
If I could live in the country now, I would, but career prospects are much better in cities. There are other benefits to city living too, like the wide variety of cultural and sporting activities, and a better choice of schools and universities.
According to the 2016 census, seven in ten of us live in Australia’s capital cities, with 4.8 million people in Sydney and 4.4 million in Melbourne. In just ten years, from 2006 to 2016, the combined population of greater capital cities increased by a whopping 2.9 million people (22%). High-density living is increasing too and 26% of housing now comprises flats, apartments, semi-detached, row housing or town housing.
I often need an antidote to city life so I spend a lot of time coming up with ways of making my city life feel a bit less urban.
If, like me, you crave the country but have to live in the city for the time being, you can bring a bit of the country into your city life today with these simple ideas.
1. Virtual Escape
My Instagram and Facebook feeds are filled with images of flowers, gardens, country homes and home-cooked food. You could say that I escape to the country virtually through magazines, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube videos and TV shows — and why not?
Newsagents’ shelves are filled with aspirational magazines that show an idyllic country lifestyle — one filled with gardening ideas, farmers markets, country walks, art and craft projects, beautifully decorated homes and country pursuits. My favourite magazine of all time is Country Living (UK). I read it from cover to cover; even the ads appeal to me. Country Style has been giving Australians a taste of rural life since 1989, while Earth Garden has been promoting ‘the good life’ since 1972. Sadly, the publishers of Slow Magazine called it a day in September 2017, to the chagrin of many readers. Newer magazines like The Simple Things, Breathe, LandScape and LandLove that encourage readers to enjoy the simple pleasures have been popping up in their droves since 2012 — in response to the global financial crisis, perhaps?
Pinterest and Instagram are full of photos of the countryside, coastal views, country pursuits and gardens to whet your appetite for the country even more. It’s so easy to pass the time drooling over posts by people who have exchanged city life for country life: Matt and Lentil Purbrick of Grown and Gathered, Katie Marx of Butterland, and Tamsin Carvan of Tamsin’s Table.
You could also live vicariously through the presenters and participants of TV programs like Escape to the Country, Gourmet Farmer and River Cottage Australia — I certainly do!
2. Blooming Marvellous
Just like chopping vegetables, weeding can be rather therapeutic, so make the most of whatever garden you have. If it’s sizeable, transform it into an oasis to where you can escape when city life gets hectic. If you’re on a budget — because you’re saving up to buy a place in the country — then ask friends or neighbours for cuttings of plants that are easy to propagate, like geraniums and lavender.
Even if you only have a small balcony, you can still turn it into a relaxing spot with plant pots, flower boxes and hanging baskets. Fabian Capomolla and Mat Pember of Little Veggie Patch Co. are advocates for gardening in small spaces, and their blog and books are great resources. They believe everyone can grow their own vegetables no matter what size garden you have or how green-thumbed you are.
Community gardens are a great option if you don’t have any garden space or if you want to grow much more than your garden allows.
You’ll find community gardens in many Melbourne suburbs and they can be a good way of meeting your neighbours and feeling part of a community.
If you’d like to start gardening but have no idea where to begin, check your local council and library for information about gardening classes, like the ones at Kathleen Syme Library in Carlton.
3. Botanical Style
In the library last year I came across Botanical Style by interior and lifestyle stylist Selina Lake. The book is filled with ideas for bringing the outdoors in by adding botanical style to your home with plants, flowers and nature. Here are just some of Selina’s many tips:
- Group houseplants with different leaf sizes and shapes to create impact and interest
- Display an open vintage botanical book on a book shelf or coffee table
- Gather fresh flowers to make small posies and present them in a few small vases for a striking display
- Take inspiration from naturally occurring colour combinations found in landscapes, flora and fauna
- Head to open gardens, flower shows, parks and forests for further inspiration
- Keep the main colours in your rooms fairly neutral and add botanical elements with cushions, pillows, artworks and vases
- Hunt for vintage floral and foliage prints on fabric and crockery at flea markets and op shops
- Dress your dining table with little posies of freshly picked flowers and vintage floral china and tablecloths
- Group tiles, plates or postcards together to create a wall display — look for ones with floral-motifs, insects, butterflies or birds
- Introduce handmade pottery and wooden items to give your room an earthy vibe
- Layer your bed with cushions, pillows, throws and blankets in different textiles
- Give a room a tropical feel with lush, vibrant prints.
You could even give yourself a botanical style makeover. Floral fashion is a huge trend for spring and summer 2017; just add a fabric flower and some handcrafted jewellery to complete the look.
4. To Market, to Market
As a child, my mum used to take me to our local country market on a Friday. It was a little indoor market and the tables were laden with eggs, vegetables, fruit, flowers and baked goods.
I suppose it was a precursor to what is now known as a farmers market.
Melbourne has plenty of farmers markets to choose from. The Victorian Farmers Market Association (VFMA) has accredited forty-four farmers markets in both country Victoria and Melbourne, including my local ones at Flemington and Essendon.
Melbourne Farmers Markets operates seven VFMA-accredited markets citywide. You’ll find them in Carlton, Coburg, Collingwood, Fairfield and Newport. Even the University of Melbourne has one that operates during the university semesters. The market at Collingwood Children’s Farm was the first one in Melbourne and has just celebrated its fifteenth birthday.
There are many benefits to shopping at a farmers market instead of at the supermarket:
- You know the produce is fresh and in season
- Inspiration for meals will come from the products on offer (you don’t need to go with a shopping list)
- Most stallholders are also the producers so you can ask how the food was produced, when it was picked and how long it will stay fresh
- Buying locally means fewer food miles (the distance a product travels before it is purchased)
- Most markets are plastic-bag free and all Melbourne Farmers Markets have recently gone coffee-cup free too, which helps the environment.
5. Walk in Nature
Author Richard Louv coined the term nature deficit disorder in his book Last Child in the Woods, and I know I’m one of the many city dwellers who suffers from this. My windowless office certainly doesn’t help, so I try to take a stroll around one of Melbourne’s many parks during my lunch break.
Central Melbourne has a great variety of parks to choose from. In fact, you could go to a different one each day of the week. Try wandering round Fitzroy Gardens, Flagstaff Gardens, Treasury Gardens, the Royal Botanic Gardens or Carlton Gardens to get back to nature. You could also take a walk by the Yarra River in Birrarung Marr or Alexandra Gardens.
If you can, take off your shoes and walk barefoot on the grass or hug a tree to feel even closer to nature.
Slightly further afield, you’ll find Royal Park, Queens Park, Williamstown Botanic Gardens, St Kilda Botanical Gardens, Princes Park, Edinburgh Gardens, Yarra Park and many more perfect places for an after-work or weekend picnic in the warmer months.
At least once a month go for a drive in the country for some fresh air and a change of scenery. There are many lovely places that are just one hour from Melbourne. Daylesford and Healesville are two of my favourite country towns, with their lovely mix of old buildings, trees, antiques, good food and handcrafts.
