Sharon Earl

My little cottage (which I cheerfully call ‘Goodtime Cottage’) is 157 years old – Amberley’s oldest dwelling, built in 1864, the year that Amberley was subdivided.

Since moving here 3 years ago I have been incrementally renovating her ailing and leaning timbers, as funds allow. My hopes are to bring her back from the brink, or at the very least, squeeze a few final decades out of her.

Behind my home lies a wonderful workshop where I create welded steel sculptures, mostly of life-sized birds and animals, in a filigree style. I work alone so it will be a real thrill to showcase my working studio to an audience for a change.

Gardening plays an equally important role in my life as I attempt to tread as lightly on the earth as possible. I make compost onsite in bulk to sustain my organic no- dig productive property, creating an almost closed loop system. Now, in my fourth season here, I am finding which crops thrive here and which varieties are proving trickier. There’s always lessons to be learnt from gardening. This is a simple and joy-filled life that I am very pleased to be sharing during this year’s Hurunui Garden Festival. I hope to meet many new faces and show you my adventures into a life less complicated.