Hi. I’m glad you’re here.
This is the first post on TailsFromThePatch, so let me explain what this site is and what it isn’t, because I think honesty up front saves everybody time.
What it is
A blog about real life on a small rural patch outside Canberra, written by someone in her mid-fifties who got tired of reading product reviews by people who clearly hadn’t used the product. Most of what I’ll publish here falls into one of these:
Honest reviews — kitchen appliances, garden tools, robot mowers, chicken keeping gear, the occasional gadget under $20, the occasional thing over $3,000. If I bought it, used it, broke it, or gave it away, I’ll tell you about it.
Recipes — low-carb, keto, Thermomix-friendly mostly, because that’s how I eat. I’m reversing type 2 diabetes through diet and intermittent fasting, and I’ll write about that journey honestly.
Life with chickens, dogs, and a vegetable garden — because this is what slow weekends look like and I think it’s worth sharing.
Notes from writing books — I publish on Amazon under two pen names. Grace Hartwood writes about pet loss and grief. Autumn Skye writes about menopause and midlife. I’ll occasionally write about the writing.
What it isn’t
It’s not a “girlboss success story” blog. It’s not a recipe site that wants you to scroll through 2,000 words about my grandmother before showing you how to roast a chicken. It’s not a place where I’ll review something I haven’t actually used.
A note on affiliate links
When I link to a product I’ve used and recommend, that link is often (not always) an affiliate link — meaning if you click it and buy something, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is how the site supports itself instead of running banner ads everywhere. I’ll always tell you when a link is affiliate, and I’ll never recommend something I wouldn’t recommend without the commission.
What’s coming next
Over the next few weeks I’ll be publishing reviews of the products I’ve spent the most time with — the Husqvarna automower that’s been mowing my lawn for almost two years, the appliances I’ve come to either love or quietly regret, the RYOBI ONE+ tool collection, my Dyson and Dreame robot vacuums, and the chicken keeping gear that’s actually held up against weather, foxes, and chicken stupidity.
After that, recipes and the diabetes journey content. Then more reviews. Then probably more chicken stories.
How to follow along
If you want new posts in your inbox: there’ll be an email signup soon (still building it). For now, bookmark the site, or come back when you remember.
If you want to send me a message — recommendations for what to review, questions about a product, your own chicken stories — the contact page works.
Welcome to the patch.
