Our organic vegetable patch

I have a little bit of time left before picking up Miss H from daycare; I thought I'd fit in one last post today. I wanted to introduce you to my veggie patch. It's not very big, at about 1 x 4 metres, but plenty big enough when it comes to pulling weeds and harvesting the yummy veggies. This garden bed has been hidden under a mass of weeds for several years. I either wasn't fit enough, or had time enough, to attack it. And I mean attack, because I'm at war with one particular weed - couch grass. It's the weed that has the potential to grow shoots and roots from every single inch of runner. If you don't get all the roots/runners out it will keep coming back, quickly. I tried a no-dig garden method of preparing the garden patch a year or so ago, but the couch grass loved all the organic goodness I had added (chook manure, newspaper, pea straw, dynamic lifter, normal straw) and went even crazier than ever.

So ... late last year I spent about a month weeding this little patch; digging out the runners/roots, waiting for the runners I missed to grow new shoots, then digging them out again. I continued until the patch stayed clear, or relatively clear, for a while. I still didn't get it all. But it was good enough. So for the first time in such a long time I've been able to grow some veggies - tomatoes, chillies, green beans and butter beans, summer squash, zucchinis and pumpkins. My little inner gardener is very happy. My only concern is that many of the plants have been hit hard by the cabbage moth. I don't like spraying so I've just put up with it; the plants are still doing okay. I've never seen the moths so abundant before - they must like the warm, humid/wet weather.

Of all the plants in the garden, the summer squash seem to be the most prolific producers, though the tomatoes and beans are also going well. Below is a picture of the summer squash harvest from just a few days of picking. We get about 1-2 squash a day. It's crazy. James requested the squash, and he's trying valiantly to use them all up, but even when he puts a squash in every dish he makes (he's the cook of the family) we still end up with heaps left over. Crazy, crazy. And how many squash plants do we have? Two. One would have been enough - something for me to remember for next year! Normally it's the zucchinis that I have way too many of, but the plants have not been producing well this year. Maybe it's too cold or wet. I'm not sure. I think I'll try adding some fish emulsion and seaweed extract once it stops raining, IF it stops raining. Anyway, I'm proud of my little patch of yummy, healthy goodness. Thanks for looking :)

Visiting the National Zoo and Aquarium

James suggested going to the zoo and aquarium one day recently, while he was still on holidays. I was enthusiastic about the idea, though Miss H was a bit less so. Still, she agreed to go and it was fun to check out the animals. Our zoo here in Canberra is not very big, but the animals seem well cared for and we would have to travel about 3-4 hours to reach the nearest zoo outside of the city. Unfortunately, Miss H collapsed after about 40 minutes and declared it time to go home. James and I were less than impressed. It took a fair bit of pleading, gratuitous bribing, and rides on Daddy's shoulders, but we managed to encourage her to stay for about another hour. As I said, it is a small zoo, so this was enough time to see the animals outside and most of the aquarium. (Please remember to click once on each photo, and then click again, if you want to see a larger photo.)

The dingoes are tame enough to be put on leads and taken for a walk around the zoo. Such lovely animals, though not suitable as pets. Miss H thought they were awesome and she patted them for a few minutes. The emu pictured in the photo above was a bit freaky. It was hunkered down next the path and lay there staring at everyone, seemingly without blinking. Do emus blink? One of the wallabies, not the one above, had a not-so-small joey in her pouch; it kept shifting around to try to get comfortable in the confined space but ended up having to stick out its legs or nose out in order to lie down. Very cute, but it made me feel glad I wasn't a mama wallaby. She didn't look particularly comfortable.

These little guys, the meerkats, had me totally enchanted. They were very photogenic, looked at the camera often (wondering whether it was edible?), and made the cutest little noises. I want one for a pet, but that wouldn't be fair to either the meerkat or our elderly cat.

Talking about our cat, I want to share a cute photo. He's got early signs of renal deficiency and needs to be on a strict kidney diet. For weeks he refused to eat much of it and was still using his litter box as much as ever (too often). We weren't sure if he was eating at another 'restaurant' or getting worse, so we started keeping him inside. Well, this did the trick. He's now eating his kidney diet food, and asking for more, and using his box no more he should be. A recent chat with our neighbour revealed that she had, indeed, been feeding him and had been concerned when he stopped coming around for 'elevenses'. He now spends his time sleeping, and sleeping, and eating, and sleeping. Occasionally he'll have a whinge about being stuck inside. He's recently found a little nook to sleep in. This cat loves small spaces. This one is very small, and he's boxed in on all sides, but he's absolutely determined. Check it out ...

Until next time ...

Queensland catch-up

This post is purely for the Queensland folks :) Every year we visit James' family up in Brisbane. Last year we also stayed for about 5 nights in the Gold Coast here, at Tallebudgera Creek caravan park. We got a special deal on a lovely 3-bedroom cabin situated right next to the estuary's beach. Miss H was in heaven! Our days were filled with sand, sand and more sand, as well as a visit from the Brisbane mob, a trip to a theme park and a lovely drive up to the Hinterlands.

Miss H loves catching up with family. It doesn't matter where they are or how long it's been since she saw them last. Up above are some shots of Miss H hanging out with her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Pat.

If Miss H wasn't making sand castles, she was chasing seagulls or making silly faces for the camera with her Dad.

I posted the photos out of order, but that's okay! The pictures above were taken in Brisbane, where we spent some time with Miss H's Papa and Grandma 'Laine, as well as Aunty Sarah and Uncle Pat. The photo of the sleeping beauty having an afternoon nap is a very very rare event these days! I still miss those afternoon naps of hers and we lost them a full year ago.


Above and below are some photos taken in the Gold Coast Hinterlands. I can't remember exactly where we drove to, but it was beautiful. The photo below is one of my all-time faves and graced the cover of a few photo books given out for Christmas a few weeks ago.



Well, that's the last of the catch-up photos for last year's trip. This year I'm not quite sure what's going to happen, as I only have about 2 weeks off study this year and I don't think I'm going to be able to get away in that time. Not really feeling very enthusiastic about that, I have to say. But this is my last year. Yay! Miss H and James might still be able to make it up to Brisbane without me, though being in the house without them is going to feel very weird.

Before I go, I have to say that I hope Mother Nature can go easier on Queensland for a while. Please. The floods up there are devastating enough. So far, everyone we know up there seems to be okay, though Pat and Sarah are trapped on an island. Come home safe okay?!!!!

Christmas photos

I wanted to share some fun shots I took over Christmas lunch with my Dad and step-family at my step-sister's lovely house. Miss H loved seeing her cousins; she's such a social little thing. She played in their new pool and on their trampoline (with Miss E), and of course with some Christmas presents; Miss L and Miss H also played dress-ups. I think Miss H was a fairy or a princess (of course), while Miss L was the evil witch/wizard who chased her around the backyard. Lunch was a feast; unfortunately I was too busy eating or looking after Miss H's lunch to take a photo of the magnificent spread.

I took way too many photos to post separately, so today I searched for an easy (and free) program I could use to collage the photos together. My current editing software won't do it easily. CollageIt seemed to do the trick (it was the first program I tried and I couldn't be bothered to keep looking). If any of you (family members only) wish to get a copy of any of these photos, please let me know :-) A click of the mouse once on each photo collage, and then once more, will show you a larger version, so you can see more detail.

We had a lovely afternoon with these people, and it took a lot of effort to drag Miss H away, but we eventually made it out and on to our next venue ... my Mum's house. We had a relaxing little dinner there with both our Mums, during which I took no photos whatsoever, having exhausted myself in the afternoon. Sorry guys! But we had fun, and exchanged some great presents. Miss H (and I) managed to get through the day and evening without any major tantrums. And there you have it, another Christmas day over and done with. It was a good day all in all.

Well, it's taken me nearly 3 hours to write this post and get the images and words in a configuration I can live with, in amongst wrestling with our internet connection, so I think this will do for now! My next post will probably be a catch-up on our trip to Queensland earlier this year. Stay tuned ...

New beginnings

There have been a lot of these in the last 6 years, new beginnings. James and I got married and had a baby girl. I left my old career in science and began studying for a new one in early childhood teaching. James moved sideways and up in his career, in a new company. I developed a new passion for visual art, initially inspired by the wonder that is our daughter. I sometimes feel myself getting lost in all this newness. Yet here I am, after 2 years of procrastination, finally setting up my very first blog and adding another new experience to the mix. It's exciting, yet a part of me is convinced I have nothing interesting to write about! Still, it's time I developed an online presence and began putting down some roots in the online art community instead of being a passive and wistful onlooker. I'll let myself embrace the newness and ease into things as I assimilate all the new information and experiences in my life.