Independance Days Challenge Update

Planted: Eggplant, tomatoe, chamomile, oregano, banana passionfruit, lemon grass, strawberries and corn.

Harvested: Broad Beans, spinach, strawberry (just one so far) salad, snowpeas and herbs

Preserved: Lemon Butter, Pasta Sauce.

Stored: Local Cheese - (Disappearing quickly) Seeds, Woodchip mulch

Managed: Spread Woodchip mulch in chook run in anticipation of the return of the chickens

Prepped: Planted more seeds - and potted up volunteer tomatoes seedlings to give away/plant.

Advocated for local food economy: Followed up all the people who signed up for permaculture network, and having our first meeting at the end of October!!!!.

Reduced waste: Compost, church scraps, mum's scraps, Neighbours scraps.

Cooked something new: Broad Beans! Loved them. Steamed then mixed with a little butter with pasta, baby beets and wilted spinach. Mmmm

Spring (and a parcel in the post.)

This is my granny smith apple, three of the apples have sprouted leaves, two have flowers. The other two I'm not sure... Pretty good for a first go at grafting.

My raspberry plants have all sprouted. I may not get much this first year, hoping that future years will bring lots of fruit...

And my parcel from Diane at Pebbledash. She made the stamps by hand. They are so pretty and came wrapped up with a lovely tag.

Have been planting lots of seeds, waiting for it all to come up. Digging up more garden space. Actually gave up the spade and reverted to the mattock, so much easier and goes deeper. I planted some Golden Nugget Pumpkin Seeds that Tracy sent me in her Pay it Forward gift. Hoping they grow lots of yummy pumpkins.

My citrus trees are all full of blossoms, and smell divine. I have been spraying them with White Oil every two weeks and fertilised and mulched and they are all sending out new shoots as well, which all look very healthy so far. The lemon is a bit sad at the moment, I hacked it back severly as most of it's foliage was diseased and it seems to be responding well. Hoping to get an even bigger crop this year.

I also scored a whole lot of wood chips that had been dumped at the wrong address and they didn't want them. They are going down in my chook run. I think I'll have to keep the chooks in there, they are too distressed in the chook tractor, and I'll get a couple of Isa Browns or Bantams for the tractor.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hannah

What happens when you put your hand up

Last Saturday I really started doing something about the Permaculture Group. Wednesday this week I met up with someone I have been chatting to online for a while who has bought a block of land to start a community garden. Some of the plots are going to be leased out to different community organisations. I explained that the group I was starting had no money to rent a plot but could be interested in supporting an educational garden where people can be inspired to do it themselves, where people who come and lend a hand share in the food that is produced.

After an hour over lunch we are looking at running some workshops and introduction to permaculture/gardening on the site to start something. Karen told me she was feeling overwhelmed by some locals who are concerned the site is going to be used as a big commercial site (based on hearsay and not true) and was feeling like giving up at some point. Now she is excited again. There is a school starting a community garden in the area and they are keen to do a course so I may be very busy this summer. It'll be fun.

Need to rally the troops for a herb spiral working bee! Let me know if you are interested in joining in!

This is part of the block of land. Prime growing land in our town on the old floodplain (now levees have been built) I can't wait.

Artiste

My Brother's Girlfriend Kate is in her final year of school. Yesterday I went to their art exhibition of the major works for their Higher School Certificate. She had a theme of the Performance, exploring the idea of being watched. My favourite is the ballet shoes, just cos they're gorgeous.

I feel so blessed to have Kate in my life. I said at her 18th Birthday that I really feel I haven't lost a brother in their relationship, I have gained a sister. And Kate loves doing crazy stuff with me that my sisters don't so much. It's just all good.

PS. Kate is also an awesome dancer. Her composition work scored 100% and she had to go to callbacks in Sydney! Congratulations.

Kate and I at the Art Exhibition.

Garden Update

My seed tray. These are the cucumbers which will all need potting up in the next day or two. (I may have planted too many, but will overcompensate for the potential slug attacks and if I get too many I'll give them away or swap them.

The squash have appeared now too, and so have the leeks, Nothing yet from capsicum or eggplant. It may still be too cold for them, although the last few days have been summery, we are back to cold weather again.

This is my newest garden purchase. A birdbath. It was on special. Really on special. And I love the solid lines. Haven't seen the birds in it, but I'll keep my eye on it on the weekend.

I just need a ground one for the frogs and lizards now.

And finally some harvest. I am picking snow peas and lettuce/rocket/endive etc nearly every day. Brocoletti slowing up now, but still producing enough to pick a bit, I pick regularly to stop it going to flower (then it stops producing) and keep it in a container in the fridge until it's ready to use.

Happy gardening.

A wonderful open garden

Do you know what these birds are???

They are guinea fowl. Aren't they cute!

They just run around the place at my friend Tina's garden.

This weekend she participated in the Australian open garden scheme, run all over the country showing off beautiful gardens.

Tina has 2.5 acres of gorgeous gardens. Natives around the borders that make me want to convert to bushcare (no- not really, but maybe to plant a few myself) Then she has a large traditional garden and a huge permaculture garden with orchard and veges and the bird enclosures.

This walkway is covered with vines of grapes, passionfruit and kiwi fruits and herbs grow underneath along the ground. Tina's garden uses a lot of stacking techniques, even though she has a lot of space.

I sent an email out to my permaculture contacts inviting them to come along on the Sunday, and four people came. Ken and Diane also go to my church, they loved the garden. This photo was taken after the bucketing rain had diminished slightly. It didn't stop the keen gardeners.

Tina asked me if she could give my name out as a contact for permaculture, and she inspired me to get organised. I did up a brochure and a sign up sheet and came along for one of the days, talking to people and signing them up for the group. There had been an article in the local paper about the garden and a few people said the only reason they had come was because it mentioned permaculture. Lots of people keen for a group so today I have sent an email out to everyone asking when they would like to meet and what they are interested in, or have skills to teach others in. Hoping to start in October!!!

In this photo you can see Tina's mandala garden. At the front a frog pond with strawberries around it, and there are 6 beds around it in a circle. All have wire guards to protect the tender veges from the chooks and in the background you can see the fruit trees with frames for netting to keep the birds off.

Here is Tina in the pink shirt giving a tour for some of the visitors. There were also homemade scones with jam and cream, pumpkin scones, delicious soup.... really a great day!

Local Elections

My brother Bohdan campaigning at local council elections

There's been some discussions lately on blogs about building community and getting involved. I'm very proud of my brother who has run for council (local government) in the elections this saturday.

He has wanted to do this for a number of years now, and was running under a mayoral candidate who looks like he is winning. He is at 31.7% and the next closest is the current mayor at 25.1%. They are 2/3 through the votes and then they have to sort out preferences but there is a strong push by the other candidates to remove the current mayor so they will probably give their preferences to each other. If Paul (the mayoral candidate) gets in, then my brother will receive Pauls votes for Councillor and will be elected, and only at 22 years old. He will be a councillor for the next 4 yrs, and he's really excited about it. Both he and Paul are keen to talk with me about sustainability and community issues, so there really is hope that we will see some change.

Congratulations Bohdan and Paul. (even though it's not official) Here is the official website where you can check out the counting progress.