Twist them Turns.

The paddock that will be the main growing zone

The view from my back yard (kangaroos abound here)

Kelsey watering the new strawberry bed

I have found that life, in reality, is made of many twists and turns.  We can either fight against it, or roll with the flow.  So, I have decided that I will allow myself the luxury of rolling with the flow.  Two weeks ago I relocated to new digs, yes that's right, starting over again.  The old place became unliveable and to my way of thinking, unhealthy as well.  When I say I relocated, I have moved almost 30km east of the old place.  The new place is situated on slightly hilly aspect, with an iron bark forest over the back fence and an acre of dirt to establish my lovely food foraging zone and orchard.  Then hens and Elvis managed the uplift well and settled quickly in their temporary pen.  Snake, the cat,  became sullen during his first week of being entrapped inside until he got the idea, this is now home.  Once he was allowed outside, he settled well and began to explore the yard and attached paddock.  Strange how he never leaves the boundaries at all, but so glad all the same. On Sunday night I journeyed to nearby Murchison to pick up my very first WWOOFer to share the new place with me.  She is a lovely woman from America, with a very mature outlook on life for her very young 23 years.  Kelsey has proved to be a godsend to me here and in the first two days after her arrival we got a great deal done.  First we placed the chookmahal in it's designated zone, ready to have the fences and gate put up for the permanent chook yard.  Then we built the first garden bed and planted the strawberries from the old place in that.  Next we tackled the northern boundary of the paddock from top to bottom.  Raking rubbish, then barrowing it to the pit up the back of the garage.  We pruned low lying branches from the trees along that area and discussed plans for the entire zone.  Today we took a trip to Kyabram and spent the morning at Chat n Chew,  cups of tea, coffee and pancakes shared with a nice group of women.  Then back home to pick up the tape measure and mark out the area for the orchard.  Gazzoookkks folks,  we had to quit work when we were bombarded by the most persistant mosquitos I have ever come across.  They didn't seem to go after Kelsey so much, but my back, arms and legs are  now like a bumpy ski slope and extremely itchy.  A big thankyou to Kelsey who then researched organic mozzie repelants and found a good recipe.   25 drops of lemon eucalyptus ( or citronella) mixed with a tablespoon of vodka.  To spritz or drink,  that is the question .  All in all, I love my new digs and can't imagine ever wanting to move again. 

Chasing Rainbows?

The beginning of 2012 has presented me with 3 challenges already.  The first was to return to my hometown and make a houseload of curtains in just 5 days.  A dear friend owns a townhouse there and his recently evicted tenants had trashed it.  So much damage done and with so few to help, I felt it would be remiss of me not to step up.  So, car loaded with my machines, ironing board, tables and luggage, I set off for the big N/E Victoria.  I managed to meet the deadline and the townhouse is now inhabited by a lovely young lady who I am sure will be a better tenant.  Then I got the news I had to start Chemo again,  this time for 13 weeks.  I look at it with the most positive spin I can, knowing it is a time for me to reflect on life and where I am heading.  My lovely medical team have constantly expressed my ability to get through comes down to the organic life I lead as well as a positive frame of mind.   The third challenge came by way of a housing dilemma.  Although I love where I live geographically, my rented house is in such an increasingly bad state of repair.  I don't mean simple things like leaking taps or peeling paint that I can take care of.  The roof leaks each time it rains,  not a little but in such proportions I have to unplug all appliances and shift them away from the wall so they are safe from being flooded.  The floors are now rotting out from beneath me and it is just a matter of time before my refrigerator and freezer meet solid earth.  The septic system is so in need of being cleaned out and the landlord refuses to arrange it.  I could go on, but it would make you all squirm.  In order to deal with this during the last 12 months I have had to just close my eyes to it and hope a better place will come along.  I have been doing the househunting thing on the internet for around  months now and my prayers have finally been answered.  A week ago I signed up for another home in  a small town just 30 or so km away from here.  It is in good condition has 1 acre of land around it and is just 1 km from the little shopping centre as well as medical facilities and a lovely little coffee shop.  Bliss,  the bushland behind the house has such a beautiful aspect, I even saw 2 kangaroos hopping around on the day I viewed the house. I am now in the process of sorting, packing and having a massive cleanout of things I have kept for way too long.  Bring on March 2nd when I get the keys.  My time spent chasing the rainbows has finally brought me closer to the little pot of gold. 

WWOOF hosting continued.

Woojon mowing the lawn with an enviro mower.

I recently had the opportunity to host not only my first mature aged WWOOFer, but also my youngest WWOOFer.  First came Woojon, from Korea.  He came along not knowing what to expect, just as I didn't know what I should expect of a mature aged person.  His age remains a bit of a mystery as he was most secretive about it.  Not that it is a big issue, but curiosity will raise it's head and niggle at me.  Although he claimed to be much older than I am, he only looked around 45.  I came to call him the man with an engaging smile.  During his time with me, it brought a greater awarenes about the extreme differences that can exist between cultures.  It really isn't just about the language barriers, it is cultural beliefs, religious beliefs and personal perspectives.  He would have worked day and night if I hadn't stopped him. He is so used to a country that has very high humidity as well as temperatures, however Australia's climate is so very different and I am pedantic about educating my WWOOFers on the risks of heat/sunstroke, dehydration as well as the risk of UV exposure and resulting skin cancers. It took a lot of hard thinking and problem solving in order to get those things across as he just couldn't grasp them.  Eventually his time came to leave and as I saw him on his way, I pondered the possibilities laid before him and how his journey would turn out for him.  One can only wish him well and pray he achieves what it is he has in mind.

Damien, shucking corn cobs

Then I had the lovely opportunity to host my youngest ever WWOOFer, 19 year old Damien from France.  We met at the Southern Cross Station and journeyed back to Kyabram together by train.  What a great chance to chat and get to know each other a little.  Along the way, we both felt the need to take a rest, instantly I dozed off and when we got closer to Shepparton, Damien gently woke me.  Finally ensconced back in my humble abode, we set about giving the gardens a good watering.  The two hot days in a row had taken a toll on a number of plants (some were lucky and survived).  We then settled into the routine of daily chores, sharing stories and of course, me listening to this intelligent young man as he spoke on many subjects.  A breath of fresh air to say the least.  Once Damien leaves my place, he will travel back to Melbourne to begin working as an Au Paire.  To Damien I say,  Au Revoir and journey well.

Herb Drying 2012

Oregano, Sage and Thyme drying on the Clothes airer

I have just spent about an hour or so out in the garden to see what herbs etc were ready to harvest.  I ended up with a big bucket of sage, oregano and thyme.  So I brought that indoors and began the process of making it into bunches and tieing it off with some wool.  Now, the problem is, I don't have a proper herb drying rack.  What to do, think outside the box, ta da.  A solution presented itself in the form of my clothes drying rack.  It has 3 levels and is on castors, making it quite easy to move around. I worked out it will hold 16 bunches of herbs per level giving enough space for 48 bunches in total.  Feel pretty chuffed about it because I now only have to worry about finding a food dehydrator for the celery leaves and basil. Mind you it will also be used for a variety of fruits I want to dry to make snack packs for the winter.  Think that issue may have been resolved as I found one on Ebay for around $39 plus P&H of around $10.  I almost have all the required equipment to make my food preserving kit complete.  I actually had to buy a food processor to do some of the prep work for jams and pickles as my arm is not at it's best and I find chopping a bit of an issue. (thanks to family for the envelopes with money at Christmas time.)

Who's crazy now?

"Snake" the cat in repose

Snake the cat has decided that my tray table by the window makes a good bed to sleep on.  So I don't argue, who wants to wake a sleeping ninja anyway?  So on the tray table he sleeps, with the window slightly open for him to get a bit of a cool breeze.  Then the other night the inevitible happened, there was Snake in repose, snoring for all the world to hear.  Big Stretch, rolls over and plonk, thump on the floor.  He sits up stunned, turns my way and gives me the biggest dose of "stinkeye" I have ever seen. So I laughed,  as you do. He immediately lumbered over and bit my foot and leg.......hard.  Now, with blood streaming down my ankle,  I give said Snake the cat still wearing the "stinkeye" look a good shove so I can go fix my leg and foot.  Nooooooo,  it's not over by a long shot.  As I get to the lougeroom door he lunges again and firmly affixes his claws and teeth around my shin and calf.. gaaahhhhh.  I swear one day I will turn this cat into a Davey Crockett hat.  grrrr mumble mumble curse.

Christmas update on the food crop and future plans.

New turkey bed with Sugar Melons

Corn patch (8 weeks of growth from seed) with bamboo wind support

The large garden in backyard, planted in guild style

Purple King beans, producing prolific numbers of flowers

Yellow Pear tomatoes, the first fruits on the bush

Big Red Tomatoes, first fruits on the bush

Californian Capsicum, first one on the bush

Well just to finish the year, I thought I would do a run down of the happenings of 2011 and bring you an update on the garden's growth and progress.  So let's begin.  The start of 2011 both my sons were still at home with me and we were plugging away at the yard and paddock to get new garden beds established, the woodshed built and to get the chooks sorted with a more permanent enclosure.  It saw my son, Luke, working at the local grain mill until work dried up and at that time both lads decided to move back to our hometown in the North/East of Victoria.  For the next few weeks, I rattled around the house adjusting to the quiet nights and sole company of Snake the cat.  In the early half of the year I managed to hold a WWOOF host gathering and to manage the WWOOF stand at the Back2Basics Expo in Kyabram.  Hosting remained in limbo until the second half of the year as winter presented bleak and dreary weather.  I completed my Cert3 in permaculture and took on the Cert4TAE which I completed in early December. Hosting WWOOFers began again in late September when Michael arrived from France,  all up Michael stayed for 5 weeks.  During the first week of October I managed the WWOOF stand at the Elmore Field Days with the help of another WWOOFer, Leanne.  The day after that had finished I received sad news that my last remaining/closest Uncle Wilf had succumbed to the cancers that had ravedged his body for years.  I partly feel he had pined away as his dear wife Nancy had passed away 5 years prior and they had a very close and strong bond.  During the comings and goings of the second half of the year, I was diagnosed with malignant cells in the Intramedullary tumours on my spinal cords.  They are inoperable and were actually found in 2006, but the malignancy only broke out in July.  I have completed an 8 week course of chemo tablets and now going through the barrage of tests to see how successful that was.  Still I remain totally positive about things and strive to continue with the plans I have in place.  In early December, I enrolled in diploma of Business and Diploma of Management. A 1 year course of study that will hopefully set me in good stead to set up and run an RTO that will specialise in Permaculture Design Course ( hoping for a kick off in 2013).  The last week leading up to Christmas is in full swing here and I am busily sourcing organic fruits and vegetables to make up boxes for my various family members as gifts.  A trip to Echuca is on the cards for Thursday to complete the gift buying and then the last 2 days will be filled with cleaning and making sure all the gardens and animals will be sorted out for the time I am to be away for Christmas.  In conclusion, I wish all those in the world of Blog a safe and happy time during the festive season.

A Peek At The Corn Patch

Stage 1:  Prepare the bed, mark out the rows with sticks and plant seeds.

Set up the Vertical Worm Composting Pipe.

Place 6 Bricks on one side for a stepping stone.

Stage 2:  Maintain the bed with plenty of water daily.

Observe the plant growth and foliage for any diseases and pests.

Stage 3:  Keep the crop weed free to reduce competition for soil nutrients.

This Corn bed was established where an old chook shed used to be.  The area you see had around 8" of chook manure on it and when we went to turn it over, found a layer of bricks beneath it.  Once they were removed, the soil and manure were then turned and the garden worked into the mound.  The Vertical Worm Composter was then prepared (holes drilled around the base) and then placed in the centre of the bed. This composter functions very well as the worms stay in there during the day, feeding on kitchen scraps and then moving into the garden bed by night to fertilise and break down the soil.  During the early morning they then return to the composter to begin the cycle all over again.  The lower of the photos was taken around 5 weeks after the seeds were planted.