We grow two types of Nashi- Hosui and Kosui. They are BEAUTIFUL. For the last 2 years, Hosui has been a bit sickly, and last year, I bought a replacement Hosui which was lucky because old Hosui finally succumbed.
Anyway, new Hosui wintered well and has 7 flowers, which is good because Kosui needs Hosui for pollination, and visa vesra.
So I was a little worried when Hosui flowered a whole 5
days before Kosui. This is normal. But when we are only talking about 7
flowers....well, the odds of good pollination are a little longer.
Here is Kosui. She is flowering beautifully. The bees are working her very enthusiastically, but I have yet to see a bee on poor little Kosui.
Meanwhile Kosui's 7 little flowers become older and more bedraggled and as far as I can see, bee less.
Fingers crossed there was a little bit of Hosui / Kosui rompy pompy because I would be sad and sad and sad if there was a year without nashi.
OK, so moving on from the whole Chicken Massacre Debacle, things took a more upbeat turn today. I got to play on the waydeeow. You can listen to our little Bush Telegraph biddy bit here.
OK, So I have been away all week for work. Mr Duck gets 10/10 for looking after the tomato seedlings and 1/10 for looking after the chooks.
My poor darlings. Their cage door wasn't locked one night and a fox got them all. Except the big fella. Who is is deep shock.......propped up on pillows being fed through a syringe.....
Poor Winky
Poor Camila
Poor Victoria
Poor Paris
Poor Dipsy
and poor Big Fella.
(heehee, I suspect that big fat rotund faverolle was too heavy for the fox! Score one for the fat arsed big bottomed girls!
So like, this is for Marla - Marla, this is the Jerrabomberra Wetlands. (Marla gets such an Oklahomian kick out of the word "Jerrabomberra") What is that white stuff? Well, that be FROST. So it was kinda like -2 the morning my big sister and I decided to take our Dad hot air ballooning!
And here are my mountains. That's Mount Painter in the fore ground, Mt Stromlo in the mid ground, and MY MOUNTAINS in the back ground.
And this is us, in the balloon! It was joyous. Marvelous.
I have an old (1981) gardening book - it is called "Indolent Kitchen Gardening" by Libby Smith. It is all about continual deep mulching. I especially love it because it was written right here for the ONC. How cool is that?
If you ever see this book in a second hand book shop - BUY IT. And if you are somehow connected to the Australian University Press, then get off your asses and do a reprint. I am just saying.
Anyway, I have a new gardening super hero role model guru goddess. Her name is Ruth Stout. She was born in 1884 I think. She is actually credited in the Indolent Kitchen Gardening book. I love both of them, but Ruth more, because she was first, and the best, and the most righteous, and because they both managed to get the word "Indolent" into their book titles. I want to be just like Ruth Stout when I am still gardening at 98.
The book of Ruth's I have is called "Gardening Without Work - for the Aging, the Busy and the Indolent". Because I am all three, I believe this book was written just for me. But perhaps it has been written for you too.
Anyway, last week I took possession of 10 bales of lucerne hay and went crazy. I am going to devote myself to her method down at the community garden for ever more. Amen.
There is a little documentary about Ruth - in two parts.
