Uh-oh and yay!

Just as I went outside to capture some pictures of the strawberries I managed to plant (finally) I stumbled across a crime scene...

Uh-oh...

Something had pulled the strawberry plant up and dug another hole nearby. Thankfully it was only one plant out of the ten. I know we get bandicoots, but I suspect the culprits are bush rats. They always attack the strawberries and tomato plants at this time of year.

It wasn't hard to plant it back in the ground and I won't lose any sleep over it. We've had to live with native animals since we moved here - it goes with the territory of choosing the bush as our home. The kangaroos have even managed to crush some new bulbs I planted this year, due to them moving into the garden during winter/spring when there is little feed to be found elsewhere.

Sparaxis tricolour

Here is one of the bulbs which managed to flower (not sure how many will) and its a sparaxis. I was very excited to see it's little cap peeping out from the garden, to shine some colour on my day. Ever so enticing to look at, I even decided to use it as my new header image. There was a mixed collection of bulbs of this variety, so I wonder what colours will emerge next?

A Callistemon variety, named after Australia's first saint

~ Mary MacKillop ~

"I am not afraid of any of the difficulties, they rather make my courage rise" (26/3/1873)

The "yay" part of this post, has to do with the other flowers which are just starting to emerge. Right now it has to be the beautiful callistemon shrubs which are stunning in the morning sunlight. Their red bristled flowers are dripping with nectar, and don't all the honey-eaters love it! I have the Mary MacKillop and Kings Park Special variety flowering at the moment, and of course, many grevilleas which seem to flower all year round. I love seeing the different kinds of birds visit the garden, and it makes struggling to grow anything here, all the more worthwhile.

What is a garden after all, if you cannot share the delicious banquet with other living creatures?

Hardy ground covers

I'm also happy to have discovered two hardy ground covers which seem to do well in our climate. These are the Rhoeo and the Verbena candy cane. The Rhoeo (more commonly known as, Moses in the Cradle) is in the foreground of the image and took a season or two to really settle in. Some kind of small leaf-eater, would attack it every winter but it somehow managed to bounce back - now it has very few predators and needs no attention from me at all.

I love the colour of the verbena too (so happy) and it's as tough as old goat's knees, as the saying goes. It spreads really well, which does wonders for providing natural mulch in this area. Verbena has many different colour varieties and I also read, do well in containers or hanging pots. I love a no hassle, attractive plant.

Anyway, it is the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers this Saturday, and I'm hoping to take Peter to visit the beautiful parks and gardens for the very first time. David and Sarah will be pre-occupied with something else, but I'll share more on that after the weekend.

Spring time and spiders!

I knew spring would be here, when it was time for our new baby to don his Spiderman suite. David is an avid Marvel Comics fan, and purchased this suit on special, long before Peter was born.

It has been waiting patiently in the cupboard and finally the weather has warmed enough to bring it out!

This is the kind of spider I like to have around the house.

Trying to...

I have been wanting to return to the garden since Peter was born, but he's not an easy baby. Not like my first. He's struggled with wind so sleeps very lightly. It's not uncommon for me to spend most of the day with him. Because of this, much of my attempts at gardening look like...

Luffa sponges get recycled back into the ground

Half finished projects...like strawberry plants waiting to go into the ground. I have a wonderful little area which I've been planting in this year. It's kind of an experiment. I would love to share more, but it's so very slow in the making. It's a small area, incorporating an old wheelbarrow (and a few concrete blocks) nestled into the side of a slope.

Attempting to create a better micro-climate

The wheelbarrow is planted with herbs which are growing really well. I love having fresh parsley and chives in my scrambled eggs again. Herbs tend to shoot to seed very quickly for me, as it gets too hot here. But utilising the slope and a few spindly trees, it does manage quite a bit of shade during the day.

I look forward to sharing the success of this particular area, and hopefully when Peter is a few months older (fingers crossed) I'll have more time to do it. I know this season of baby raising will pass soon enough and I'll get to enjoy the garden full-time then.

Australia votes

It's about 2 more days until Australia votes to decide who will form the next Federal government. Then we will have to live with the effects of their policies for the next 3 years. I don't want to discuss personalities or concepts of right and wrong - but I am interested in exploring the policies and what they will mean for Australians.

Today the Opposition released their costings for their policies, and one of the big surprises is how they intend to reduce money set aside for foreign aid - to the tune of 4 billion or so, to help pay for much needed infrastructure in Australia, like roads, public transport and the National Broadband Network. This investment in infrastructure will help grow the economy, so we can afford to be more generous with foreign aid later.

I'm sure this is a policy many Australians will shake their heads at. I'm personally dismayed to consider we wouldn't be able to help those who are forced into refugee camps due to Civil War and persecution. Cutting into increasing foreign aid in order to pay for more infrastructure in Australia, seems terribly selfish. And yet choosing where the axe will fall, will surely have to be a trend for the future?

Dwindling fossil fuels, and the eventual demise of the baby-boomer driven economic cycle, will ensure the diminishing return will have to be made up for, in either incurring larger debt, or a reduction in expenditure.

It was refreshing to hear the Opposition talking within limits today, because going into increasing debt to meet financial obligations, is only avoiding what the rest of the world is currently experiencing - limits to growth. We would be borrowing on future Australian tax-payers money in order to increase foreign aid at this point in time, while still not having enough to meet the growing trend in aging population and the health care they require.

As I watched one of the debates between the two main political party leaders, and questions were taken from the audience - I couldn't help but notice how each question centered around how much more money the government needed to spend on various sections of the community. Nurses and caring for the aging, dairy farmers, women wanting to have babies without losing their income, etc. These are all very valid issues, and yet no-one discusses how much is enough. Because in reality, everything we have in Australia is presently balanced through debt we've borrowed from overseas. Will we get a choice as a voting population, once the borrowed money runs out though?

If we're currently experiencing the woes of not having the means to stretch the budget today, how much more will we be lamenting, when we've maxed out the credit? While I loath the thought of the axe ever falling - surely it must fall on something? We cannot have real growth in this country, until we start living within our means. Otherwise we're merely working to pay our debtors.

This will probably be the trend for Australian voters for a long time to come, as comfortable policies are not the way of the future. We are looking at many outside influences we cannot dodge forever. We may have allegedly dodged the recession the rest of the world had to have, but we don't seem to be doing much with it other than dreaming about better entitlements, paid for with continued debt. A technologies innovation much hailed as our economic saviour, even if we do come up with something better than solar panels - they will still have to be paid for by (you guessed it) borrowed money.

What will be left of the world which can possibly afford to buy it from us?

No matter what side of politics talks about growth in the economy, the reality will either be spending less (cuts) or borrowing more (debt). Our family has taken measures to reduce our own expenditure because we haven't always been living within our means. We make our budget stretch with the help of family tax. That particular entitlement could be on the chopping block at a later date, so it's why we have decided to take action to make savings to pay back our debt.

It hasn't been easy, in fact, there has been sleepless nights on several occasions. But it's better to get in and start early, than simply let who gets into government decide for you. Because one day the axe may fall on you. I know both sides of politics tries to avoid that kind of speculative language, preferring us to believe the only boogie-man is whomever is in opposition - we, the electorate are otherwise safe. Which inevitably leads voters to believe there is no down side at all, or there is no downside which could challenge their idea of security - so long as they vote against their perceived boogie-man.

Anyway, in the spirit of giving (if you can) please support the various stalls at voting booths this Saturday, to raise money for charity and schools. These are run by members of the community, freely giving of their time and resources to help a local cause. If nothing else, I think mandatory elections can bring community closer together. We may not all vote the same way, but we all genuinely care for our community.

How are you feeling about the impending election?

I wonder...

...if babies dream, what do they dream about? It must be wonderful, as Peter dreams a lot and even laughs in his sleep. This picture was taken not long before he developed a stomach bug, which his sister shared unintentionally. I have been covered in poop, vomit and preparing meals fit for sensitive tummies for several days now. Of all weeks for the washing machine to die, it had to be on the day we had a lot of mess to clean up too.

I managed to fix the washing machine, but not before creating another dandy wet mess, all over the laundry floor. Believe it or not though, I don't feel bad about it all. I don't feel life owed me anything special this week - as if it ever owes me anything.

We got through it as we so often do, together. Which is something worth smiling about, I reckon.

Knit tip for cloths

It's time to start knitting dishcloths again. The ones I've had for several years are beginning to develop holes. One thing I discovered recently, which I didn't know before...

If you have a favourite dishcloth pattern, requiring 8 ply cotton but can only source 4 ply, simply knit from two separate balls. I'm happy to report this worked a treat for me recently. I had no problems unraveling the two balls at the same time and the needles never caught on the separate threads.

I worked a neutral colour and variegated, to give me a light coloured dishcloth. This combination will easily hide any stains it may develop while in use. What I appreciate most about this waffle knit dishcloth pattern, is that it creates a flexible cloth, but also holds its shape once wet. If you have a favourite dishcloth pattern, stick with it!

One down already, just a few more cloths to go...

Message sticks

As I was reading other people's blogs today, within the fleeting moments I had available, I pondered my own blog and what I could possibly write about. I had several things I could have written, however a lack of time seems to always get the best of me. Then something unexpected landed in my lap...

Afternoon tea

Today, Sarah asked if I wanted something to eat after she came home from school. I said I wasn't feeling very hungry, but she was welcome to make herself something. To my surprise, she brought me the plate to show off her little creation. I thought it was beautiful and made with no input from me either. She has never made these before. I simply had to taste one now.

Delicious!

While I don't have much time to myself nowadays, I am happy to show what others in my family are getting up to. And darn it...but doesn't it inspire me. My little girl is growing up and showing me fruit on a stick, can say I'm capable and creative all by myself.