Hello from Anne at Happy Horizons,
We are very fortunate to live in the western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. It is indeed the Bay of Plenty of most things. This includes rain and wind! The fertile soils and the amazing climate, bordering on sub-tropical, allows us to grow a variety of plants, including citrus, bananas and persimmons. There is a saying here, that if you buy a plant and it says it will grow to 2 metres, best allow for at least 3 if not 4 metres here. This was a part of our learning curve.
My husband and I have lived here for 11 years and have turned a paddock into our piece of paradise. This has been a journey which continues. To my mind a garden is never finished. It is always changing; not just through the seasons, but through the years.

Our garden is based on permaculture principles. It is spray free and random. Rarely do we plant in straight lines, but rather clumps of different crops mixed in together. It makes for a more interesting garden and can trick pests. For example, cabbages, broccoli and cauliflowers are more difficult for white butterflies to spy if they are mixed up with other crops including flowers. They are much less obvious so much safer from attack.
More from the garden in a future newsletter.
For those of you who are already hooked on our shampoo, you will be pleased to hear that we are back in production. Our shampoos are formulated to cleanse, moisturise and condition your hair, leaving it shiny and lustrous. We currently make nettle shampoo and kawakawa shampoo as well as a special blend for your pooch. A word on kawakawa: nature knows what is good. We are guided by insects in selecting the best kawakawa leaves, ie the one the insects like!
Throughout the first week of June we have $5 of our shampoo. Please use this coupon code 34R97TS.
We have made a start on our new blog. For our first instalment go to Thoughts about life and learn about what your skin does and why thinking carefully about what you put on it is important.
Until next time, keep well,
From Anne and Pat at Happy Horizons.