The Duck Herder

More from that gorgeous girl at Itty Bitty

2011-12-09T19:18:00.001+11:00

If Heidi lived near me, I think we would be friends. Well, I would stalk her and bring her home grown presents and flowers and make her cakes and cups of tea. I love this gal.You can see more of Heidi here.

Oh Blessed JOY

2011-12-09T19:11:00.001+11:00

OK folks. This is the thing. I am frantically packing for New Caledonia. I leave at sparrow's fart tomorrow. Before you get all jealous, it is a WORK trip. I will be WORKING.

I am ALWAYS %#&*ing working it seems. Seems like I have been on the road for WEEKS.

Anyhoo, I need to take some gear to wear on the landfill, (because that's how we roll) which means I have a bit too much luggage for carry on......So I need to take a larger suitcase.....which means it has lots of empty space, I mean, everything is just swiming around in there.

And then I realised

I can take my pillow.

My very own pillow.

Fucking bliss man.

Yes, I know. It is the little things.

Amen.

Wolf Peach Wednesday

2011-11-23T10:25:00.001+11:00

OK, so did Mr Duck get tomatoes for his birthday, well yes he did. Actually we have been eating them all week - just a couple each day......and three this morning. Happy Birthday my Beloved Duck.

Other things are going well too. I am loving the new raised garden beds......my beans are not being eaten by ANYTHING this year.

The basil is happy happy.

Mr Apollo is BIG but still green. He has some friends now.

And here we have a WALL of Wolf Peaches.

And here is a lovely capsicum. Loving the greenhouse.

Here is another happy raised garden bed shot. We are having salads for lunch every day. Yum Yum.

little things

2011-11-19T14:16:00.001+11:00

My daily affairs are quite ordinary;
but I'm in total harmony with them.
I don't hold on to anything, don't reject anything;
nowhere an obstacle or conflict.
Who cares about wealth and honor?
Even the poorest thing shines.
My miraculous power and spiritual activity:
drawing water and carrying wood.

Layman P'ang

Everything is pretty mellow here at duck central. Things are very quiet and still on the inside. The weather is just starting to heat up. The kiwi vines and other trees shelter and shade our house so we are dark and cool inside. Bruce the universe thinks I need to do a heap of traveling before Christmas. Armidale, Townsville, Noumea, Geelong and a conference.

Queen Malina on the front deck is strong and amazing. The smell of ripening honey fills our house every evening.There will be honey for Christmas I think.

Mr Apollo progress report

2011-11-02T12:20:00.000+11:00

Mr Apollo continues to get bigger. He is looking mighty fine I reckon. Last year I managed to get our first ripe tomato in time for Mr Duck's birthday on the 23rd of November.......I think that was a "swift". Anyhoo, things are tracking well for another first tomato birthday pressie.

Closely following are the cherry tomatoes.

They are trying to make a break for it out the top of the greenhouse. You can see the all important automatic vent. If you are thinking of making a greenhouse purchase, I reckon these are an absolute must and well worth the extra expense.....the little piston is fill of some sort of oil that as it heats up, starts expanding and this forces the vent open. If the temperature drops the vent closes. It is magic. It also provides a nice place for bees and other pollinators to get in and out of the greenhouse. And this is good news for tomatoes which need some bee friend help.

And here in the autopots are some other bits and pieces. I am really happy how these are going. The plants are thick and strong. I think I have finally cracked the whole greenhouse tomato thing.......(she said hopefully)

In other news, I am using the same VRM XLR8 products on my curcubit seedlings...... using a deep mulch system at the community garden means there are LOTS of slaters and things just itching to munch up anything that is a bit weak or susceptible to fungal problems.....so hopefully the XLR8 Ca will help to toughen them up a little......They look healthy, and seem to cope with direct sun and wind a lot better than other seedlings from past years so I am REALLY HAPPY. I think I might just need to wait until they each have 2 true leaves before putting them out......most have 1, so perhaps just another week or so........what do other folks do?

More on Micronutrients

2011-11-01T20:39:00.001+11:00

Following on from my last post, I thought some of the other tomato obsessed folks out there might be interested in this nice link:

Colour pictures of mineral deficiencies in tomatoes

Now I truly rooly believe that healthy soil grows beautiful, healthy, perfect plants and fruits and veggies. Organic does NOT mean blemished and mottled - it may mean irregular and oddly shaped but not unhealthy looking. To me organic means BOLD and OUTRAGEOUS and HEALTHY and STRONG, and BUXOM. Now you can hide health problems with chemicals at least superficially, but the thing I love about organic veggies is that they never lie about the soil they come from. Its the same for caterpillars and other bugs.....if they are munching on your plants...then there is something not quite right with your soil health or your plant health....something is making those plants weak and susceptible to buggies whose sole job is to dismantle diseased or weak plants........unless your plant predator is a duck...they are very discerning and only eat the best, most healthy things........that's for sure.

I realised some time ago that rather than a veggie grower, I am a soil nurturer.....and the rest takes care of its self. My job is to love and nurture and coddle the soil.....and the plants I grow are the ultimate litmus test of what sort of job I am doing.......

Anyhoo, roominations over......

It is a bit early, but I pulled up a garlic just to see how things are progressing....these fellas have another 3 or 4 weeks left to get a bit bigger. Some of them are just starting to scape. I think they are going to be OK.

And here is some oregano drying in the dryer...well, my friend Eileen's dryer.

Happy tomatoing everybody.

Tomato Mahal 2011

2011-10-31T12:01:00.000+11:00

Well, tomatoes, eggplants and capsicums are IN and have survived two nights and a very cold below 4 degree night last night. Behold the Tomato Mahal 2011. Yes I know, every year there is a new structure. But as we also know, tomatoes are VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS around here. So why the tunnel? Well, the community garden is just on the edge of a frost hollow. So, night time temperatures are always a couple of degrees cooler and that my friends means there is always a risk of frost.......AND, since the bush fires, the garden is exposed to the PARCHING ONCian westerly / north westerly winds. So the tunnels protect my little babies from the frost and the wind.

I am particularly happy with the seedlings this year. The earlier ones look a bit longer (taller?) than one might like, but that is OK with marties because you can plant them very deep and they will shoot roots from the sides. I think there was a light issue while they were upstairs in the mezzanine level. I have been experimenting with a biological product from VRM the company I do some work for. I LOVE these guys. I LOVE learning about soil biology. It does my head in but I LOVE it. Anyway the product I have been using is called XLR8 Ca (link will download brochure) and it is especially designed to help make calcium available to plants. Which means they are tougher and hardier and stronger and less sappy and less irresistible to the 44578902987 insects pests and diseases that like to pounce on weak seedlings.

And lets face it, pretty much anything bad that happens to tomatoes (blossom end rot, fungus, wilt etc) happens because of problems with calcium deficiency or uptake issues. Well, Calcium and other micro-nutrient issues like Boron. Oh, and except for the strange affliction that suddenly comes upon one's tomato, pumpkin and eggplant seedlings especially when they are outside in the sun "hardening up" for which I think the technical term is "duckus proximinatus". Yep, that is BAD. But only seems to affect the plants on the edge of the benches.......

Now they are all in, I will start using VRMs XLR8 P for phosphorous uptake, and possibly the nitrogen one as well, to help boost flowering and fruiting.

This poppy thought you might like to admire her........Poppies self sew down at the community garden. We have the most amazing colours. They pop up in the weirdest places but they are lovely. You just have to remember not to weed them all out when they are little.

And here are some vista bella apples. These are a very early variety.

Adorable

2011-10-26T15:23:00.002+11:00

I love everything about this gal!

You can read more about Itty Bitty adventures here.

Sweet joys of working at home

2011-10-25T10:03:00.000+11:00

This is my office. Here is Ziva. She likes the warmth from my desk lamp. I had to give her my felted laptop cover to sleep on. Previously she insisted on sleeping on my mouse mat....which made life a bit difficult.

Once we get over the daily cable chewing and mouse hand pouncing, things settle down and we get on with it.

The weather has turned a little wet and cool. But it is cosy in here. Over my desk I can see the ducks preening themselves in the rain on the lawn. The seedlings that were on the deck are safely hanging out on the dining room table. The others are squished back into the glass house. Standing room only in there. And no room for humans.

Well, I had better stop procrastinating and finish this report. Perhaps after a pot of tea......

Bragging Rights

2011-10-24T15:59:00.001+11:00

Ok, I am trying not to be too smug here.....but here is the first tomato at duck herder central ripening on the vine.

Yup. In the glass house we have an apollo and a cherry tomato growing in large pots, sitting in a tray of water so they don't dry out. Being coddled and loved and fertilized and covered and double covered and well, here we are.

On the other side of the glass house we have tomatos slowly replacing auto pots of winter salad greens. The Auto pot system is great - only kind of hydroponics because you can grow the plants in soil rather than a non soil medium.

Meanwhile, the main tomato, eggplant and capsicum seedlings are hardening up outside.

Today is very windy - so they are being extra hardened up!

Just one more shot - of my lovely capsicum seedlings - these are "cherry time" - a small red cap. Everything looks very healthy. Growing veggies from seed is very rewarding. It also teaches you a LOT about soil and plant nutrition and soil biology and balance and health. It is all love.

Bee Keeping for Complete Idiots

2011-10-12T14:27:00.004+11:00

OK, so, today was/is lovely. Was because I have mucked around all morning, and most of the afternoon, and now I MUST chain myself to the 'puter and do some work....because I have a report due for a client this week, and because I won't get paid if I don't deliver!

SO naturally it is time to blog......

I thought more about the crazy comb, and decided on two things......

1) to minimise the chance of crazy comb happening in these new boxes I just added to both hives
2) to see if it is too late to salvage that box of crazy comb before it gets full of honey

OK, so, strategy 1: I did a thing called pyramiding...which involves pulling out one or two nicely built combs from the box below the one you are adding, and placing these in the centre of the new box which gives the girls something to work from when they draw out the rest of the frames......

Then, on the box below, move the frames all inwards to fill the space, and add empty frames to the outside to fill the gap. Clear as mud.

Queen Malina on the Front Deck has plenty of lovely straight frames...... so I took an extra one for Queen Aprilia of the Crazy Comb.

Now both lots of bees have new boxes with at least 1 very straight well built comb so that they will hopefully build out all the remaining frames in the same way.

Which leaves the crazy comb box......the girls have not only half filled this box with random cross frame combs.... they are filling these up with honey as we speak. So, this box is already half full of un capped honey......so I am leaving it on.......and will deal with it later......Because if I trash it now, they won't have anywhere to store the honey, because there is no spare comb until they build it..... see my problem?

Sheesh. Some of you may realise that I do not seem to use conventional beekeeping methods. And you would be correct. I let the bees make their own comb - what ever size they like. I do not force them to use commercial, chemical filled foundation.......I do not mind if they need to spend extra energy and time building their own combs because I think they like it. I have a secret theory that this time of year especially, bees like to build comb....and if they don't have room to do this, then they are perhaps more likely to swarm. I do not know this for a fact. And, I do not particularly need or want to prevent the girls from swarming - I don't mind a bit. And it is just a theory.

Anyway, I model my bee herding methods on these folks here:
http://www.backwardsbeekeepers.com/
Yes, I am a backwards beekeeper! Who are we?

We're a group of organic, treatment-free beekeepers in Los Angeles, with branches now forming in other cities.

We're "Backwards" because we rely on observation and natural practices to keep our bees thriving rather than pesticides, chemicals, or treatments of any kind.

There is a really cool book you can buy which I think it s very handy resource. It is called Bee Keeping for Complete Idiots.

For any Oncian Urban Homesteaders - I have a spare copy if you would like to borrow it.

Anyway, this is my third year of bee herding....(or is it my fourth?) . So I am still a beginner - although I guess you always are.......and I love it.

Bee Crazy

2011-10-09T21:40:00.000+11:00

OK so it wasn't quite the weather for it, but I snuck a look in both the bee hives today and popped another box on each. Both colonies have come through winter very strongly. What different operations those girls have going. Queen Malina on the Front Deck has used up all the honey I left her - I am glad I left that extra box of honey on for winter. It is all cleaned out and hopefully ready for a bit of a spring nectar flow. There are a few gum trees coming into flower - some iron barks and a couple of boxes....so fingers crossed we will get some more of the sweet stuff soon. her hive is mostly well organized with neat combs that follow the frames making having a look see and harvesting a breeze.

So now to Queen Aprilia - what a MESS. I left them some stickies from Queen Malina's hive in autumn....which they have cleaned up....and they are way ahead starting to build lots of lovely new comb already this season .....but they are building it across the frames - CRAZY comb! The bees don't give a shit, but it does make it more exciting to harvest as it is impossible to pull out combs individually without making a huge mess..... hee hee. I like their anarchic style!

Here is Queen Aprilia's hive with the lid off - the girls are building in the lid cavity....AGAIN.

And here is the top box with the hive mat taken off - you can see how the combs are being build across the frames..... I need to think about how I deal with this - whether I take this box away, clean it out and start again......or leave them to make a big heaving mess......

Happy swarm season!

Nashi Rompy Pompy

2011-09-23T17:58:00.000+10:00

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.

Duck on the Waydeeow

2011-09-19T16:43:00.003+10:00

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 that link isnt working very well - it is stopping before the end...so you could try the 11:40 interview from today's Bush Tellie)

AND, if you are interested, you can watch the roll out of City to Soil in Armidale HERE!

All gone

2011-09-18T07:23:00.000+10:00

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!

Mt Mountains, My ONC

2011-09-11T19:30:00.000+10:00

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.

Ruth Stout is my SUPERHERO

2011-09-05T14:13:00.000+10:00

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.

Things are happening!

2011-08-30T18:34:00.001+10:00

Firstly, WELCOME Angel Peach flowers. Welcome.

And it is not just the Angel peach - everyone is getting into the act. Here we have the Duck Central orchard - well, part of it anyway. Like I always say, if you want a food forest, you don't need a lot of space, just a lot of trees! Just out of shot is a nectarine, three pears, then two flat peaches, then a peachcot, then another Angel peach, then an apricot, and then Mr Bacon.

So how IS Mr Bacon going? Well, lets just say that -8 frost was a little traumatic for him, but he is going to be OK!

And look - we have wolf peach lift off. Ever since I found out that lycopersicum meant "wolf peach", I love them even more. Actually those front trays are eggplants....but anyway, this year I am growing:

Indeterminate:

Marzano
Black Russian
Black Krim
Wapsipicon Peach

Determinant:

Siberian
Roma

Plus a few others from the Burkes Backyard winter tomato packet.

On the eggplant scence we have prosperosa and lunga - both from the Italian Gardener.
And in the capsicum department we have little topepo and cherry time. These are both small, red, sweet ones that only get to about 5 cm.....which might work better in our short summer.

Down at the community garden I have something special - this is an elephant garlic that was given to me by my gardening buddy Anthony. It came from his nanna - Elizabeth Tibbet. She bought it with her when she moved to Australia from England many decades ago, and it has been divided every year and grown continuously since then. And now it is mine too!

Here is the rest of the garlic - this is all Glenlarge.

I like spring.

None of us is as stupid as all of us.

2011-08-23T09:46:00.001+10:00

One just can't help oneself........ Rather than feel hopeless and despairing, one must take refuge in humor.Even if it is old humor.

sheesh. old but still painfully relevant.

Carbon Price - lets just get the $^@* on with it.

2011-08-22T12:41:00.001+10:00

I'm a Climate Scientist

2011-08-22T12:32:00.003+10:00

Current events necessitate the re-posting of this little beauty.

A few things

2011-08-21T19:59:00.000+10:00

I don't have much to add to the world today. Leunig as usual knows exactly what to say.

We return once again to the question of why are there humans.

Anyhoo, in other exciting news, folks everywhere it seems are chatting about establishing a city farm / sustainability hub / lets grow more of our food right here in the ONC and looky the nice people at COGS are holding a forum to bring it all together. Bless you. $@^#ing bless you.

And in less happy news, my beloved Mr Kiwi got wet feed, mostly because I left the washing machine hose on him for too long during winter....and I think he has a terrible disease and I think he might be dying. He is OOZING ectoplasm like something from the ghostbusters. And I think one of the Mrs Kiwi's might have the same thing, but not so bad. I feel GUTTED. My lovely gorgeous coddled 8 year old kiwis that shade our house, keep us cool and shower us with buckets and buckets of kiwis every year.

I think I need a moment.

I am grateful for my lovely neighborhood. My girlie friends. Today was lets order from the Eden seed cattle dog day. So I went next door for Sue to add her things to the list. Then pedaled up to Eileen's while she added things to the list. Then pedaled home with 2 glasses of shiraz in me (well, I AM grieving about the kiwis) and them made the order. I like that.

Can I just say, to those stupid truck drivers, that you don't speak for me. Just to be clear. And just to be SUPER clear, I want you to consider, just briefly, that if most young folks think that 1) climate change is probably probable enough that it might be prudent to shift our economic trajectory away from coal and towards renewables, and 2) a carbon tax - while perhaps clunky - is one way to do this and 3) lets just have a cup of harden the #@%&^ up and get on with it, and finally, why/how can you put your selfish individualistic, short term, greedy, blinkered, moronic scarcity consciousness nastiness above the needs of the rest of the planet, your children, your children's children and the planet they will inherit FROM YOU and the planet you will leave them.

I am just saying.

Daphne

2011-08-07T17:44:00.001+10:00

Actually, this is my latest beanie. Beanie #6478920. Alpaca thank you - the yarn of duck herding choice. I am liking that ribbing so much I have started another one that is all alternating front and back post treble thingies. And it is looking pretty good. Super thick, variegated and squidgy. I decided a clever way to do the increases was to do two front post trebles around one post, and then on the next row, when you get to those two front post trebles, add a back post treble into the second one before you add a front post treble into the same one....which gets you back into a front back front back alternating pattern.....if that makes sence.....hmmm, better wait untill there is a picky.

anyhoo. The DAPHNE is flowering like crazy and the house is full vases oozing that gorgeous kinda froot loop smell which I love so much and which is like a special special gift of colour and scent in the dead of winter. Yay for Daphne.

peak oil - bring it on!

2011-07-31T21:26:00.002+10:00

Today I am especially looking forward to peak oil because:

a) I just saw a cool documentary about Cuba and urban agriculture and it would appear that life without cars and pesticides and herbicides and agricultural chemicals is going to be awesome. Decentralized, local, organic and fresh for all!

b) The average Cuban lost 20 pounds as a result of eating less and better food, walking more and riding bikes.

c) sooner the oil runs out, sooner I can get a donkey.

Lacuna Sabbath

2011-07-29T19:31:00.001+10:00

OK, so I am not just being a sook, back me up fellow ONCians - it was COLD this morning. There was still frost on the ground at 11:00am.

This cold weather makes me crave sweeties! So I hauled out the magic bread maker and knocked out some lovely organic spelt dough to make date & cinnamon scrolls. Mr Duck and I managed to get through quite a few of these today.

Once the sun comes out a nice place to dilly dally is in the glass house. Here are some salad veggies (and some native grass babies for some reason) going along nicely.

I like the autopots because they are an Australian invention - they don't require a pump and the plants can grow in soil or perlite or a combination or whatever. I have had them for a few years now. The reservoir for water/nutrient is actually outside the glass house, on the chook house.

So cute. Widdle lettuces.

And on the other side of the glass house are these little babies - baby sparrow grass. These are a year old. I hoicked them outside in the frost for a few weeks to get them to die back, thinned them out and given half to Sue next door. But back in the glass house they just started shooting again strait away. I think I will let them stay in the broccoli box for another season and plant them out next winter next to my main Sparrow Grass plot down at the community garden. They will be two year old crowns then. Growing asparagus from seed is easy and cheap - you just need some time and a place to keep your broccoli box where you wont let it dry out. These are a french variety. From the Italian Gardener.

Oh, so the raised garden bet project is progressing. I have taken Mr BVVFs advise and am turning this second bed into a PROPER wicking bed. Hopefully.

Here in the top left hand corner is what I hope will be the overflow pipe. The plan is to direct the overflow into the raspberries and golden kiwi fruit, and of course, Sue's plum tree next door.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

2011-07-28T14:14:00.000+10:00

OK, so I am interested in what people think about bike bells and bell etiquette.

On the one hand, my understanding is that it is right and proper to let people know you are riding up behind them with a confident BRING BRING.

Sounds simple.......BUT

WHEN exactly does one do this?
WHAT if you inadvertently frighten the CRAP out of someone.
WHY isn't there an agreement about what this loud announcement requires of someone walking along a bike path/path?

And HOW I cringe when I see people JUMP at the sound of the bell and LEAP right off the path as if I am going to MOW THEM DOWN instead of pass them sedately on the right.

And then there is the issue of ringing one's bell too soon because to ring it too CLOSE might be LOUD and FRIGHTENING - which means that people might not hear.......or you think they have heard, and for a little while you are HAPPY they they have heard the bell, not panicked and are waiting for you to pass them on the right - no fuss, no bother, see, humans can co-exist in the same world - easy ...... which all comes tumbling down when they LEAP up in the air with FRIGHT as you come up behind them..........yelling "why don't you use your BELL!!!!!?"

SO of course I apologize. Profusely. Imagine - apologizing for RIDING ONES BIKE OUT IN THE WORLD IN PUBLIC....... SORRY for not taking my car.....SORRY for being PART OF THE SOLUTION......SORRY for being in public space.......SORRY we haven't found a way to co - exist on these multipurpose paths.....SORRY our %$#^&head government thinks that shared paths that pit cyclists, poodles and pedestrians against each other or cyclists and speeding trucks together on the same infrastructure constitutes excellent cycling infrastructure.... SORRY but MOSTLY I am just sorry you got a fright and that you are perhaps stressed, angry, unhappy or sad about other things but you are choosing to TAKE IT OUT ON ME so I can hopefully smile and shrug and transform your unhappiness into love and light and acceptance........because I REFUSE to take your misery and PASS IT ON.........or something.

Anyhoo today, I was taking Queenie to Phillip for her very first service........and knowing the Hindmarsh / Melrose Dr intersection is all dug up with the bike and foot paths closed...I swapped over to the other side of the road and rode along the foot path.

Two people were walking along in front of me. I rang the bell, and then, when they didn't move over, slowed down and slowly passed them on the right........they were on the path - I was on the dirt - and said thank you.....and in reply I received a very cranky "Why don't you ride on the road or use the BIKE path... that's what it is for!"

My little heart sank for a moment - I was having such a lovely morning my defenses were not up at all so this angry barb got right in and dented my little heart........and I didn't know what or if to reply - I mean they didn't get a fright, they didn't have to stop or move off the path and there was room for me to pass and I did so at a very slow pace and in the end I just asked sweetly "Are you too selfish to share?" as I pedaled off..........

One of the reasons I am not a HUGE fan of humans......is that it can be quite tumultuous careering from the highs of happy, positive lovely random human experiences down into the clunky bruised wondering of what to do when the sad ones perpetrate their misery and unhappiness all over you.

Humans. I choose ducks any day.

As for the bell issue - I continue to be a student on this topic..........

winter stars & rocket

2011-07-27T19:38:00.000+10:00

Riding home from the gym tonight on queenie, groceries in my basket, I fell in love all over again with my velvety green fur trimmed hooded parka. Toasty warm head, neck and ears. Except when I turned my head to check for cars and well, just ended up seeing inside the hood.....not quite what was required of the situation.

Anyhoo it is another crispy clear ONCian night. The STARS. Just amazing. Quiet roads. No cars. Riding as slow as possible, standing up on the pedals, gazing up at the stars, enjoying the wide quiet streets, the dark, the solitude, the stars, the night.

Warm ears. Sneaky cold air biting the gap between my socks and my leggings.....warm hands from yummy gloves.

Winter in the ONC.

Speaking of winter in the ONC - never forget rocket. ARUGULA if you please. Friend of sliced pears, parmesan, olive oil and balsamic vinegar - caramelised if you can get it.

Close rellies of HRH Queenie & the BEAST arrive on our shores

2011-07-25T19:24:00.001+10:00

Swoon all of ye. Swoon all of ye and WEEP. (with JOY of course)

While Queenie will always be my first and only love, those amongst us who are not silly/obsessed/crazy enough to order their beautiful forever bikes unseen and un-tried directly from Workcycles in Amsterdam may wish to visit Emmi at Dutch Cargo Bikes (electronically or otherwise) to git yourselves something special. And Azor Oma.drool. drool drool.

Emmi is importing these NOW. For YOU. To LOVE FOREVER.

I do feel quite strongly that if one is going to ride a bike every day rain hail or shine, frost or sleet, one really really shouldn't be judged for going for FORM AND FUNCTION AND STURDY ELEGANT BEAUTY.

bthring bthring !!!!!

Coming along nicely

2011-07-15T17:38:00.000+10:00

Today was so sunny and warm. Well, it was after a -5 morning. Anyhoo, it seemed sensible to ignore the phone and head on out to the ~~farm~~ back yard.

Things are progressing nicely with the raised garden bed project.

The chooks are making sure not a single worm is left in my beautiful soil by the time I am ready to put it into the beds.

And I just noticed how dirty those windows are on the greenhouse.......

A Different Kind of Luxury

2011-07-13T14:40:00.001+10:00

Yesterday I pulled out one of my favorite books to lend to a friend. I am very grateful to the weekend farmer for introducing me to this book: "A Different Kind of Luxury - Japanese Lessons in Simple Living and Inner Abundance"

Anyway. It is a beautiful book. Flicking through it again I found lots of little underlines and scrawls in the margins from my last reading. (Yes, I am one of THOSE people that likes to have a written dialogue with my books)

For example:

"If you have time, a lot of things are enjoyable. Making this kind of wood block, or collecting the wood for the fire, or even cleaning things - it's all enjoyable and satisfying if you give yourself time." Osamu Nakamura, (p70)

"Sometimes just to touch the ground is enough for me, even if not a single thing grows from what I plant. Often I'll go outside and just place my hands on the soil, even if there's no work to do on it. When I am filled with worries, I do that and I can feel the energy of the mountain and of the trees"Wakako Oe, p201

"It is important to me to be someone who has time...There's a term we have in Japanese, furyu: the characters are "wind" and "flow". Someone with furyu has time to write haiku, or can appreciate flowers, and they have space in their emotions to look at the moon or the stars. They're not too busy working or making money. Those people who don't have furyu are not full people." Gufu Watanabe, p245

"...the large external universe and the universe inside each person are not separate: they are the same. Thus dreams that jumans see are actually also the dreams of the universe. I don't feel that an individual human's origins and destiny are different from that of the universe as a whole." Masanori Oe, p285.

Its good instantly calming and centering and connecting-you-back-into-the-good-stuff stuff. May your lives be full of furyu.

Beanie #12

2011-07-06T08:24:00.002+10:00

Lucky one can not DIE of cuteness. It is ratty weather lately. But a new beanie always makes things better. One MUST have means to keep ones ears warm if one is to eck out any kind of existence in the ONC. I am testing out the patterns we will be using on the CRAZY ABOUT CROCHET course which starts this Saturday. There is still room if any other ONCians would like to come along. I really like the little trim on this beanie. And that gorgeous blossom brooch - pattern courtesy of the lovely, divine Crochetroo.

Well, I am off to make a pot of tea because, as the very wise Bernard - Paul Heroux (whoever he may be) once said:

"There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea"

And i believe he is quite right.

Dirt Girl World

2011-07-03T18:53:00.001+10:00

Heehee. I was just visiting Aussiemumbec - a new blog I found whilst meandering about the internets and HOW DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT DIRT GIRL? (well, being firmly Gen X, I only knew about tank girl....)

upcycling a down dog yoga mat

2011-07-03T18:33:00.001+10:00

So like the other night on the way back from cyd - ann - ee I just happened to be at my dear friend Rose's house around the time I was due to have a VIPC*. Anyhoo, I got to sit up at ~~the flight deck~~ Rose's office space with my phone, (not the scary phone), some pens, my note book and a BFGoS** and my giddy aunt - above me was the most clever home made pin board a duck has ever seen.

So of course I had to make one just like it....but red. Rose you see is outrageously artistic and stylish and her place is full of up cycled and re purposed amazingness.

So, if you have a dead yoga mat lying around....you just need a cheap white canvas and a $2 bottle of kiddies red acrylic paint. Paint the canvas. Try not to let the chickens walk on it while it is drying. (trust me). Paint it again once you have wiped off the the dirty chicken foot prints. Cut up the yoga mat to fit and glue it on the back and voila! Ok, perhaps in retrospect you might glue the mat onto the canvas first.

Anyhoo, I LOVE the colour. FORM and FUNCTION and COLOUR. My favorite.

* Very Important Phone Call
** Big Fat Glass of Shiraz

Dealing with new technology

2011-07-02T16:28:00.003+10:00

Some of you know that I outsource all grown up IT related thingies to Mr Duck. So how does one cope on one's own with a seemingly complex, impenetrable scary new and spangly dangly pet phone that seems to be able to do far too many things for its own good?

There. Much better.

Hard to be scared of THAT.

Taking Stock

2011-06-30T20:46:00.001+10:00

One of the things I truly rooly love about working from home is being able make soup for lunch. Charmaine Solomon has taught me to cook lentils with a stick of celery, a carrot, and some home grown garlic, onion and a few bay leaves. Once this has ~~had the crap cooked out of it~~ simmered gently during the morning I take out the stock veggies add what ever other veggies are handy - pumpkin, taties, more carrots, just picked parsnips, salt, pepper, spices, herbs from the garden, perhaps some stock, mushies....what ever I feel like eating that day and then let it finish cooking for about half an hour. How healthy and simple and easy is that?

It also means that if someone pops in, there is usually something to feed them too.

On the other hand I do struggle sometimes with getting the balance right. Sometimes I wake up early and get into work - on Monday I started at 4:30am.....and I was still focused on the computer and the phone and my notes and still in my PJs at 1:30pm when I finally stopped long enough to have a shower. Hopeless.

Sometimes I am a bit like a terrier with a bone. Anyway, making soup, remembering to have a shower and get dressed, getting out for a walk or going to the gym, or riding Queenie down to tend my plots at the community garden, or even just going out to feed the ducks in the winter sunshine........all these things are just golden and important and remind me how lucky I am and how gorgeous life is. I tend to work in fits and starts - full on for a day or so where I plow through everything interspersed with days that my brain refuses to focus and I am exhausted or just plain need a break from the mobile/email/'puter/humans.

Anyway, all this gorgeous alpaca yarn arrived this week. Just lovely. I wasn't sure if the rainbow colored yarns would be self striping....it turns out no - the way they are dyed means short colors and a total kaleidoscope thing happening.

Ziva wasnt really putting much energy into helping me work out what to make first......
She really loves the pink chair.

And here is another project. My home veggie bed is becoming increasingly shaded and invaded by roots from various plum trees and naughty chickens. Its hard to come up with something that keep chickens out but lets us in. Anyway, I have had the girls in there cleaning all the summer crops up and now I am ready to do something AMAZING. I picked up a full days work yesterday which was enough to cover the cost of some very very very very trendy raised garden beds and netting structures which should give my beds more sun and less abuse from roots, shade and feathered friends. Stay tuned! Watch this space.......

My Mountains

2011-06-26T10:43:00.001+10:00

My Brindabellas. 8:00am. Mt Stromlo. enroute for coffee and a hamandcheesecroisant @ SCOPE

Learn to Crochet from a Duck!

2011-06-24T15:24:00.001+10:00

OK my feathered friends. This is PRETTY COOL. Remember I went on an adventure to Alpaca Magic to ~~huggle llamas~~ buy BEAUTIFUL ALPACA YARN? Well, the gorgeous Glynda has ASKED ME TO RUN A CRAZY ABOUT CROCHET course for folks wanting to learn crocheting ~~from a Duck~~, I mean, of fine things perhaps with lovely Alpaca yarn. Imagine learning to crochet and huggling Llamas all on the same day? Times 3!

If you are a fellow ONCian who thinks they might just like to learn the gentle art of CROCHET, then I would love to met you! It would be SUCH FUN!

We are still working out the fine details,and Glynda is still to update the website but at this stage, we are looking at holding a series of 3 workshops on:

Saturday the 9th, 16th and 23rd of July
From 1:30pm - 4:30pm
At Alpaca Magic, 2771 Sutton Rd, Sutton.

Session 1 will cover the basic stitches, reading crochet recipes, yarns and basic Llama hugging techniques.
Session 2 will have you all ready to start on a lovely project of your choosing - perhaps a nice beanie or noodley spiral scarf.
Session 3 will see us finishing up our projects, leaning another new stitch and going 3D into the world of crochet flowers.

Cost will be $160 for the whole three days including a cuppa, lots of support and giggles and fun, enchanted encounters with the llamas and alpacas, course notes, your very own crochet hook and some practice yarn.

EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER HELD A CROCHET HOOK BEFORE AND ARE ESPECIALLY SCARED you are very very welcome. You will be able to buy beautiful yarn made from the fleeces of the alpacas that live at the farm - home grown fleece! Of course you are welcome to use other yarns of your choosing because THIS IS ABOUT CROCHET LOVE.

What do you think? Prospective Gentleman Crocheters are very welcome - CROCHET IS NOT FOR SISSIES you know.

Enrollment forms are available from the Alpaca Magic website. Is this a nice thing to do?

Lordie I am so excited.

THIS is what living a post project existence is ALL ABOUT.

Mountain Beast

2011-06-19T19:33:00.000+10:00

We had fun today. We took The Beast all the way up Mt Stromlo and had lunch at SCOPE It has taken 8 years but finally there is a cafe at the top of the mountain again. Yay! It was pretty fun riding up the hill and SUPER fun riding down. Lunch was pretty good too.

Queen of the Sun

2011-06-18T15:04:00.001+10:00

Lacuna Sabbath

2011-06-17T19:12:00.000+10:00

Ok so last week I went on an adventure to Alpaca Magic near Sutton. My golly. I got to huggle some marvelous Llamas and bury my nose in beautiful soft gorgeous Alpaca yarns. I can not tell you how blissful it was/is to be surrounded by Mama Llamas and their little ones, feeding out the chopped up carrots I bought out 'specially. I was made to feel so welcome by the humans and by the llamas. What a lucky duck I was that day!

Mr Duck had been quite specific. He said he wanted a beanie with three grey stripes. So here it is. Hmmmm, that yarn. Alpaca is my new forever favorite. These are all natural colors - can you believe that?

And here are Mr & Mrs King Parrot - back again for winter.

And here is one of my loves for winter - parsley. Super.

Stay warm ya'll

Winter Harvest - kiwifruit

2011-06-06T16:10:00.000+10:00

June is all about kiwi and lemons. I know, every year I DO GO ON about how wonderful home grown kiwi fruit are. I know. I know. But they ARE. The best thing about home grown kiwifruit is that you can leave them on the vine until well into winter and they just get sweeter and sweeter and sweeter. They need GOOD HARD FROSTS to make them sweet I reckon. They don't ripen until you pick them - even then it can be days or weeks until they soften. But they are SWEET. Nothing like those tart sour yuckballs you buy in the super market. IMHO commercial kiwifruit are picked WAY too early.

How do you get the best out of your kiwis? Well, most of the Vitamin C is in the skin....so I reckon the best and easiest way to prepare them is to gently scrub all the fur off with a scourer - and then the skin is soft and not fury. And they are easy to cut up - not messy - or you can just eat them like an apple. How wonderful to be able to pick fresh, delicious fruit in the dead of winter.

From my desk, I can see cold spoilt chickens wanting to come in.

Kiwifruit. Get into it.

Forgive me Bruce for I have sinned.

2011-06-05T18:14:00.000+10:00

There has been a %#@load of airyplane travel lately. ONC - Tas, ONC to Armidale and now ONC to Sydney all in the one month. I am not sure how to fit destroying the planet through plane travel into my efforts to help shift the current trajectory of the universe. Efforts to not have a job seem to have fallen by the wayside. The good news is the universe completely supports (and indeed is DEMANDING) that one commits totally to diversion of organics from landfill (yay!) and helping folks get their composting processes all sorted out. I love my job(s).The duck even found herself at a FEEDLOT if you can imagine. My what endless possibilities for composting there are there. Its like heaven. But without the sad cows of course. Who would have thought all that work and study in anthropology and other human related fields would land one so knee deep in photosynthetic bacteria........best not to dwell on it.

Anyway, here is where the pink chair is currently parked. In my office. Facing the hug window. Separated from my desk by a book case. Perfect for reading and thinking and drinking tea and cushioning sleeping cats. Having a good workspace is reaping its rewards one hundred fold. I have managed to solve the whole preference for having one's back to the wall while facing the window quite nicely thank you.

So now there is actually a floor in the office/cat room/hooch room. And no hole in the floor.

Here is a cat.

And here are the bees. Queen Malina on the Front Deck. All packed down for winter. Enjoying the sun. Hooray for deciduous trees.

Queen Malina one last look

2011-05-28T19:52:00.001+10:00

Today was sunny and a little bit warm, so I took the opportunity to pack Queen Malina's hive down for the winter. Blogger won't let me upload portrait photos at the moment - so we are missing some nice before and after shots. But instead, here is one of Queen Malina's workers dancing on the frames.

And this one is for Mr BVVF if he is watching.....some CRAZY COMB just for you. I gave the girls some stickies earlier in the year to clean out - and never got around to removing them, and then there was a big honey flow, and the girls filled that box up with crazy comb. This box was above the clearer board, so there were no bees in there, but there was CAPPED HONEY, so I managed to harvest about 4 frames.

And this photo shows how it is meant to be done - perfectly perfect comb built on foundation-less frames. Easy to inspect, pull out and harvest. clever girls.

The frames on this box were all more or less half filled with capped honey. I will leave them this one to help get them through the winter. There is enough room to store a bit more honey if a winter nectar flow happens. There are a few gum trees threatening to flower this winter - so you never know. The Red Ironbarks flowered beautifully last winter, but they may miss this one......

Clever beautiful bees.

Lacuna Sabbath

2011-05-28T15:55:00.000+10:00

Yesterday we celebrated the Lacuna Sabbath in the usual moochy way.

We admired the lisbon lemons - almost ripe.

Queenie and I went down to the community garden The soil is so dry - it has been a dry autumn. So we watered some stuff. This is saffron. No flowers yet - perhaps they will not flower until next year....I am not sure.

The garlic is going well (three rows in the center), as are the onions growing in the tomato tunnel. There is rocket and silver beet, a few cabbages, lots of parsley. A gazzilion Jerusalem artichokes. We won't starve......

The other week we batched up a huge pile of compost. This will ferment away during winter and hopefully be ready in Spring.

I need to get around to cutting back the Asparagus - but it looks so pretty with those little red berries.

Here is Queen Aprilia. She has made it to her new location in the bee garden. She had some trouble with ants, and is going into winter a little depleted. I may have to feed her a little over winter. Not sure yet.

Later we had visits from friends. There was much dancing on the roof.

That is all.

Faithful Teacosy Friends

2011-05-27T18:00:00.002+10:00

While there is nothing better than finding excellent appreciative homes for one's wilder teacosies, and also, nothing much better than crocheting away with a special tea drinking friend in mind, some teacosies never leave home and instead become part of the stable stable.

For instance, in winter, Miss Scallopini does a superbly functional job at keeping one's tea warm for an extended period of time. The pattern is available for FREE from Crochetroo. It takes a TONNE of yarn, but it is worth it for a super insulating teacosy.

And here are teacosies #1, #2 and #10 all in a huggle. Patterns for #1 and #2 also from the lovely Crochetroo. Here is the link here for the Crochetroo etsy site.

Teacosy #6 was until recently gainfully employed at the Pasha Bulka, more formally known as the big shipping container, but actually the Queanbeyan Government Service Center where a certain duck once kept a hot desk. (AGAIN, a crochetroo tea cosy base)

She is quite lovely from left and from right me thinks.

Knitted Wonder

2011-05-27T13:31:00.000+10:00

So, with some delight I signed up for Down to Earth's latest dish cloth swap. I got teamed up with Esther from KENTUCKY! How cool is that. And how lovely lovely lovely are my new marbled green dishcloths. This was so much fun. I really enjoyed crocheting Esther's dishcloths, but I LOVED receiving some in exchange.

Thank you Esther.

And here is a much better photo of my precious!

Tasmania - the crochet isle

2011-05-26T12:02:00.001+10:00

Sometimes you go to a City and you just fit in. I mean, REALLY, just look at these dainty sweetly knitted bike racks in South Hobart.

This isnt a great pic, but it is where my sister and I had coffee.
You can see Mount Wellington covered in cloud in the back ground.

South Hobart is just so lovely. It is like a little village. I made friends instantly. People liked my new scarf.

Yes, this is my latest creation. It is BABY ALPACA. I really like crocheting in alpaca. It is so nice and soft to wear too.

The last time I was in Tasmania, I was a baby 19 year old hitch hiking around with my BFATT* having a marvelous adventure on just $8 a day. Folks are just as friendly 22 years later, and the food is just a delicious.

Everyone thinks Hobart is cold, but it is warmer and milder at night than the ONC.
I could live here very easily.

*boy friend at the time

Back soon I promise

2011-05-23T18:27:00.000+10:00

Hello dear internets

I am just about to jump on a plane to Hobart to ~~buy more Tasmanian Devil Teacosys~~ visit my dear sister. I have been absent - mostly mostly because my camera died and I have had much to show but not much to tell as there are lots of unformed words but no sentences or even dot points as yet. BUT I preempted an invoice being paid and VOILA I have purchased me a new camera thingy. It is TINY.

If I do not lose it in the next few days I promise some kind of normal broadcasting will resume shortly.

THANK YOU oh gorgeous well wishers and bloggy friends for your hellos and comments and sweet words about tea cosies and post project existence (ppe) . It is all good. There is much to tell.

Well, I am away to undo some good carbon sequestering works by gittin' in an airyplane.

AMEN.

Totally Cool

2011-05-14T20:30:00.000+10:00

Hee hee. My dear sister has moved to Hobart. She found these hand knitted Tasmanian Devil teacosys at the Salamanca Markets. A little bit of each purchase goes to the Save the Tassie Devil fund. Being a fabulous sister n all, she naturally bought one and sent it up to me for my birthday. I wish I could find our camera - my stinky phone camera just doesnt do it justice AT ALL. It is TRULY REMARKABLE.

And look, there is the PINK CHAIR just peaking out in the background.

across the finish line

2011-04-19T11:08:00.000+10:00

The duck has landed. I have finished. I am gainfully ~~underemployed~~ between contracts. Cars, the work mobile, E-tags, security passes and other trinkets and baubles have been returned.

Significant quantities of cider, red wine, mountain air, wild brumby schnapps, port, pots of tea, time with dear friends and fine food have been devoured.

My cold has returned. I am shnuggled in bed with a cat and a cup of tea. I am ignoring my mobile - because after-all, what are they going to do, SACK ME? hee hee.

My plans for the day involve nothing more that getting on the bike and going to the gym. At some stage.

There are threats of new work, new opportunities, new jobs and new projects, There may even be a PhD proposal...if I don't come to my senses first but at the moment, in this space, I am being just here, in the present, determined for this space of nothingness and unfurling, destressing shoulders to extend as long as it needs/wants/can.

Who I am if I don't have a job?
How the #@&$ would I know?
But I am deliciously excited about finding out.

In other news, a series of delightful events led to the arrival of Charmaine Solomon's COMPLETE vegetarian cookbook. I am not sure if it is free, or if I need to reimburse the friend of a friend the $2 they paid for it at a second hand book stall. My vague recollection from a rather raucous girls night in dinner/birthday party was that I may have cheekily offered $1.80 for it but no money has as yet changed hands, but I have the book! What an awesome book. Its the 1996 edition and I am in love already.

Tonight we are having Armenian Potatoes and Lentil Salad.

Well, regular communications should commence shortly - subject to me working out how to coax the camera back into working order.

Remember orstraylian folks - its ANZAC DAY on the 25th and that means PLANT YOUR GARLIC.

That is all.

.

Seriously cool

2011-03-26T14:51:00.002+11:00

Today when I put Queenie back into the shed, I noticed my dear beloved faithful but neglected MTB in the next rack. My dear sweet girl - I reckon it's time to get out those cleats, pump up those tires, check the pressure in your gorgeous shocks and get on out there once more.

And then I saw this. And I'm in.

A lot can happen in a week

2011-03-26T14:35:00.000+11:00

Well, round 3 goes to Queen Malina.

I went back to put the clearer board under that second box of honey in anticipation of another warm day tomorrow - perfect for another honey harvest.

Its been a long wet week. Long enough for the girls to relocate most of the honey down into the lower regions of the hive and OUT OF MY REACH.

Clever girls.

Clever clever.

Oklahomians in Duck Herder Country

2011-03-23T19:39:00.001+11:00

Breaking news my Oklahomian friends. It would appear that your homeland is indeedily doodilly represented at the Bendoura Arboretum after all - plot 4 to be exact. That them there, 8th column across and 4th row down.

A stand of LOBLOLLY pine trees. (you couldn't even make that up could you) Pinus Taeda to be exact.

Now I THINK these may grow wild in Oklahoma.......is this true? Could it be so?

But WAIT - there is MORE - pinus ponderosa!

I feel so close to y'all!!

The Beast Rides Again

2011-03-23T18:59:00.001+11:00

A crazy bunch of endurance junkie mountainbiking triathlon loving high VO2 Max speed skating cross country skiing champions descended from the mountains and landed upon duck central last weekend.

Something about a mountain bike race or something.

Anyhoo, you wouldn't be a half dutch family without going for a spin on the BEAST would you?

Apart form the pink sunnies, I think this counts as Bike Clobber, wouldn't you say Mr Slow PRM?

A good day at the office

2011-03-14T00:46:00.006+11:00

Things went very well indeed with the honey harvest yesterday. Queen Malina of the front deck and her team were numerous but placid. The smoker was perfectly behaved. After removing the box of honey a little away from the hive, I worked calmly and methodically to lift each frame, gently brush the girls off with a bee brush, and cut the honey comb out straight into a bucket. Each frame then went back into the box while I started on the next one. Once we were all done and I had two buckets of comb honey, the box full of stickies went straight back onto the hive.

Before I closed the hive up, I rearranged things a bit to pull another full box of honey up to the almost top of the hive and put the stickies box, and the new box below this full box so that it is easier to get to next time. There is one more box full of crazy comb - which I moved to the top while I work out what to do with it before winter. It is a bit of a mess, with unripe honey and unfilled comb in all crazy directions. I think I will need to cut this up and probably feed it back to the girls, but I will wait until they have had the chance to rebuild some comb on the stickies and new frames.

That sounds like a lot of boxes I know! - but I use manley sized supers, which really should be called "girly" sized supers, which are just over half the depth of normal ones. I will need to consolidate things before the cold weather sets in - the full box will come off and stay off, as will the crazy comb box, and probably the new box we well.

The girls were in my face, but not angry or aggressive. There was a lot of deep breathing and calm, slow, methodical movements. We all coped very well.

The brittle gums, of which there are many in Holder, are starting to flower (eucalyptus maniferi) which the girls are working hard so hopefully there will be a bit of a nectar flow this autumn and I can get away with harvesting the second box without leaving the girls short for winter.

Here is the very high tech way to get the honey out of the comb - squish it all up, turn it upside down over a mesh strainer over a big bucket and as kirkobeeo from Backwards Beekeepers says; "wait for gravity to do it's thing".

Kirk has a great video of him harvesting honey using this method. All the Backwards Beekeeping vids and resources are great. If you want to know how I get away without using chemically infused foundation in the hives and needing a spinner to harvest honey, you can read all about it on their blog. This method of bee herding is very low tech, low intervention, zero chemical, minimal work and low cost. I think our Northern Hemisphere folks are a bit ahead on natural beekeeping - mostly because they have very quickly had to rediscover bee herding in a post varroa mite and colony collapse disorder world.

Backwards is the new forwards.

lessons from the bees

2011-03-12T18:29:00.008+11:00

Sometimes folks think (wrongly) I am very brave for beeing a keeper of the bees. Sometimes I get very scared and very overwhelmed. Usually this happens when I have the hive dismantled, the smoker has gone out and there are shitty amazons buzzing in my face, their shitty sisters have filled every nook, cranny and lid space with honey and crazy comb which I have broken getting the hive apart, which has dripped honey everywhere and innocent victims are stuck fast in stickiness and I have murdered zillions of their sisterfolk because a heavy box full of honey slipped and squished everyone who was dancing on the rim of the box below instead of being down eating honey where they would have been if the smoker hadn't gone out again and there is sweat dripping in my eyes and my heart is pounding ............................

Lessons from today:

The idea that a hive mat will prevent bees from building comb up inside the lid is complete rubbish.
Bee tending can be scary
Those boxes full of honey are &%#%ing heavy.
Bee tending is a DEEP INTENSE opportunity for spiritual practice - for staying calm when things are quickly turning to chaos and angry stingy custard all at once - it demands PRESENCE and deep calm breaths but not on the bees right NOW or you will completely %^&#* it up and be stung a zillion times.
bee keeping brings you to your knees with the amazing majestic beautifulness and forgivingness of nature.
I mourn every inadvertent death from my clumsiness and lack of skill and strength.
I am humbled because many girls died today, and I didn't get stung once in retaliation, even-though I throughly deserved it.
Sometimes I think I am too chicken to be a bee herder.

So, I managed to move a full box of honey to the top of the hive, insert a clearer board, put in an extra box and make some steps towards getting all the crazy comb out from under the lid.

Hopefully all the bees will have moved down through the clearer board overnight, and I can go back in tomorrow and take off that top box of honey..........

Day in the Mountains

2011-03-06T16:06:00.009+11:00

How can it be beanie weather again already?

Today Mr Duck and I went up into the mountains for a walk and a picnic. Some might say it is a long way to go to read the papers. But I don't mind.

We went to visit the Bendoura Aboretum, which is about 70 years old, up along the Brindabella Range in the Namadji National Park. Its only about 40 minutes from Duck Central. About 1500 meters above sea level. positively giddy!

My what long licorice legs you have my darling.

Cool. Different. Weird. There are lots of different types of pine trees. Mostly from different parts of America. I looked for Oklahomian ones, but there were none that I could see. It was arboreta like this one that helps stupid Australians decide to decimate native forests and replace them with pinus ratiata plantations. sigh.

There was bribery. Here is Mr Duck offering chocolate if I walk up this hill.

Here is Mr Duck, helping to make lunch at Bulls Head Picnic Area.

cuppa?

Triumphantalism

2011-03-05T14:47:00.005+11:00

I don't mean to boast. Well, OK. I guess that is a lie.

HFS & JFC the Holder Community Garden cleaned up at the Royal Horticultural Society of Canberra Autumn Flower Show. Yup, we done won best veggie display everything.

Naturally we were MOST PLEASED to beat our arch rivals from the Cook Community Garden.

Awesome. Awesome smug awesomeness, in a humble non competitive zen budhist kind of way. Kinda.

Those are my capsicums and garlic and some of my eggplants btw.

Relish the Relish

2011-02-28T02:08:00.004+11:00

Finally and with much gratitude/relief there are enough tomatoes to start making up batches of relish. My natural inclination is to covet and hoard this stuff - it scores high on the barter value scale. So I need to make at least 4 batches each season to last the coming year plus enough for all those folks who love it and want it and will never know that when I say "sorry that's it", what I REALLY mean is "sorry thats the last your gittin'" cause if I give you another jar, there wont be enough to get Mr Duck and I through until next year. Once you have the perfect relish recipe it spoils you for any other. Replacements and substitutes will not be tolerated.

We made it through the year with 2 huge bottles to spare. Nice going.

This is the second batch. Yes, those are 500ml jars. We take relish very seriously around here.

In other news, the Pretty Boy syndrome is spreading through the local wild cockie population. Small groups of cockies now sit in trees calling each other PRETTY BOY. It is very cute. When I was little, a tame cockie joined the wild flock around the farm I grew up on which resulted in all cockies renaming themselves Henry. The end product was cockies perched in big old Yellow Box trees across the huge valley yelling out "HELLO HENRY!" to each other, and responding the same.

Riding down to visit Ma and Pa Duck Herder today I passed under a casurina tree full of left handed Cockies eating the little nut cone thingies. They were still being left handed on the way back. There have been some SPURIOUS and QUESTIONABLE claims that right handed cockies might exist. May I remind new comers that chain of evidence is important, and one should be getting out there in the REAL WORLD looking at actual cockies in the wild, rather than searching google images for photos of prisoner cockies forced to live in cages and that even I know how to reverse an image. Just because you saw it on the internets doesn't mean it is true. Just sayin'.

Its a funny year for veggies this year. Despite significant preparations and planning, there won't be enough tomatos to do much bottling. I was lamenting this a little bit while I was batching up huge vats of fresh pesto for the freezer when I realized you just have to surrender to what ever is happening and the swings and round abouts of the season. A freezer full of pesto is pretty wonderful. And we have bottles of tomatoes left over from last year.......and there is still a little bit of time before the first frost, so who knows.

Well, thats it. I woke up at 2:00am with monkey mind, but I think I can go back to bed now. Anyway, its hard to type with a cat curled up on my arms while I type. At least she has stopped batting my fingers, and is now just practicing being a dead weight.

If anyone has any delicious ways to preserve eggplant, I would love to hear. Its a sucky year for marties, but great for aubergine.

nighty night.

Urban Homestead

2011-02-21T17:35:00.005+11:00

Jumping on the Urban Homesteading Band Wagon............

Urban Homestead. There, I said it AGAIN. Nerny Nerny. But according to the Dervaese Institute, the use of the term "urban homestead" or "urban homesteading" is infringing on their trademark. Guess what fellow Earthings - these folks have trademarked th e words some of us use to describe all that stuff our Nannas taught us! How did the Oklahomians ever allow this? hfs! Things are getting a little bit jerrabomberra over there.

Naturally, folks are not amused.

And this:

Nashi

2011-02-20T13:05:00.003+11:00

The nashis on the "kosui" tree are ripe. And luscious. And beautiful. And juicy. And sweet. And full of nashi flavour. And crisp. And beautiful. And perfect. And they make me very very happy.

The last two years we have had beautiful fruit. When the trees were very young, we had some trouble with bud jump, but they seem to have outgrown that.

Kosui's sister tree "Hosui" is struggling. If we were in a county that had fire blight, I would say that she had fire blight.......but we aren't so it isn't. Hosui is stunted and her leaves are dead, but with tiny new shoots trying to make a new start......and some weird flowers. They came from the same nursery about 4 or 5 years ago (Daley's) have exactly the same growing conditions. I need her to LIVE because she also has beautiful fruit, but more importantly, she is the pollinator for Kosui. Daley's is currently propagating more Hosui's. I may need to replace her......... poor darling.

Swings and round abouts in the food forest.

pretty boy

2011-02-15T18:34:00.005+11:00

Now I have posted about bastard cockies before, but this may be something new.

There are not many universal truths, but one universal truth is that cockies, and I mean sulphur crested cockatoos, corellas, yellow tailed black cockatoos and all the big 'uns, well they are all LEFT HANDED. I can not tell you how appealing I find this fact, given I am a lefty n all. Yup, it has become a bit of an obsession. For the first few years my research was a little private joy, but as the evidence mounted, and all cockies sighted in the past decade were seen to be eating with their little left hands I have become more jubilant and publicly outspoken about this fact and now I am declaring it to the internets. I DEFY you to spot a cockie putting something up to his little mouth with anything other than his left hand.

Does it make me feel better that they eat my house left handed....? Perhaps.

Anyhoo, the other thing they can do is talk. Right now exactly 6573 cockies are outside screeching and yelling and carrying on because it is sunset and they want to get the last of it off their chests before they start yelling again just before dawn. Screaming incoherently, except for Pretty Boy. Pretty Boy, who flies with the wild flock but is obviously an "escapee" yells out "PRETTY BOY!" at the top of his little lungs with a cute little upward inflection at the end, and quickly follows it up with a screech.

Pretty Boy indeed.

A little bit more from the Pink Chair adventure. It really does look like I don't have much to occupy my time doesn't it.

return of the pink chair

2011-02-15T08:27:00.002+11:00

What do you think?

me like.

City to Soil - become part of the solution!

2011-02-10T14:47:00.002+11:00

Duck Herder Day Job

2011-02-09T19:38:00.004+11:00

Hello there lovelies. Things are quite busy - racing through the last 7 weeks of this project. My chair is all finished and waiting for me out at Good Hope......but alas there has not been a big enough window of time to drive out there to pick it up.

Goodness I have a lot to write! In case anyone out there is interested in what a herder of ducks gets up to during the week.......we have a FILM! It has just been finished. It will be on youtube once it gets cut in half so it can fit into the 15 minute limit. (sheesh - 17 minutes, just 2 minutes over.....).....but in the meantime, if you don't mind downloading a 171 megabitey thingy file......here is a link to the Groundswell blog and the City to Soil - become part of the solution film link. Enjoy......or stay tuned for the youtube upload.

If you do download the film, let me know what you think ok?

Duckie.

hot hot hot

2011-01-30T21:11:00.000+11:00

hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot

wilted duck.

Lacuna Sabbath

2011-01-21T18:12:00.005+11:00

WELL that was a bit hopeless. While I did very much enjoy all the attention from you lovely things out there in the internets, and WELCOME all you new folks from Marla's gratuitous vacuous and obvious slow day at the farm gaping hole of content, it's not like you were very helpful in helping a decision to be made. Whoever says internet polling is the rising star of social research has rocks in their head. In the end we had 7 votes for green and 7 votes for pink/deer/zebras/birds and one mutinous vote with the cat for the status quo. (Thats YOU Jonesy)

So we go for PRICE, which then makes the decision very easy, because the Echino fabric is somehow 1/4 of the price of the Surface Art fabric. So I ordered it on Wednesday night and it arrived TODAY and it is more lovely than I could ever imagine and there is enough to make me a skirt or perhaps even a frock or a bag or something lovely because Ms Duck, one only apparently needs 2 1/2 meters to cover a chair, NOT FOUR.

And darling Rhonda, may I ASSURE you the deer and the bird are dear friends, and the bird is either:

a) a wee bit tired while traveling in the same direction as dear deer, so is buming a lift (thats FUNNY, get it?) and dear deer is just saying "of COURSE my dearest friend, hop on board"

b) The dear bird is busy eating fleas and lice straight off dear friend deer's derrière, for which he (lets call him Bambi) is truly grateful.

Thats my story and I'm stickin' to it.

In other news, the Wild Plum Melomel is kind out of control at the moment too. I came home from work yesterday a bit hot and frazzled but a buzzy sneaky peaky glass of this stuff soothed my ruffled feathers just nicely.

Its almost time to take the fruit out methinks.

Thank you so much for visiting my silly blog. It is a worry, because I was / am a middle child and well, am / was completely STARVED of attention growing up so ANY attention turns me into a monster and well, I is just tellin' ya.

Duckie xx

help from the internets

2011-01-18T17:38:00.011+11:00

Hello my lovelies - I was wondering if I might be able to borrow some style advise..
You know how I am looking for a new office chair, well of course, the beautiful universe provided me with a new old free office READING chair instead. (who am I to question?)

Anyhoo, here is the old chair - just a little moldy but it is super comfy and small and wont take up very much room at all.

But I can't decide which fabric to cover it with.......

This:(I have a skirt in the same fabric, so I could read camouflaged)

or this:
Preferences?

stupid inane cutness

2011-01-18T03:51:00.009+11:00

Look who has been dancing on the roof lately.

This is where I live. But I only just fit.

Its not just that this little mama possum is stupid cute, its the fact she lets us pat her. And she has the sweetest little paws. And her baby is very cute.

Thoughts on peace and the (r)evoluton

2011-01-16T13:29:00.007+11:00

Last night we had walnut loaf for dinner. Everyone loves this recipe. You don't even need to be a big fat smelly hippy. I discovered this recipe after my dear friend Pickle North made it for us one time. Even Mr Duck the meat eater likes it and asks me to make it again often.

It is simple and cheap and apparently planet friendly and also delicious hot or cold but especially with home made relish.

The original recipe is from "Diet for a Small Planet" but Frances Moore Lappe. I haven't read the original book, though I am very familiar with its concepts. I like the general premise that it isnt a lack of food that causes hunger, its a lack of democracy.

The recipe is here, although I don't add the caraway seeds, and I don't use so much cheese, I just use 2 onions etc etc etc.

Anyhoo, cruising the internets for recipes of a similar ilk, I came across this:

7 principles for a climate friendly diet which kinda sums up how I like to eat in a neat little small blue green planet loving package. Here are the principles here - only slightly reconstituted by the duck.

1: EAT REAL FOOD (processed, packaged, GM foods are from the devil)

2: EAT PLANTS

3: FAVOUR ORGANIC FOODS (certified or otherwise)

4: FAVOUR LOCALLY GROWN FOODS (support local food production and local farmers)

5: GROW WHAT YOU CAN, BUY WHAT YOU NEED, COMPOST AND RETURN TO SOIL WHAT YOU DON"T USE. (Sending organic waste to landfill is the path of the devil)

6: REFUSE OVER PACKAGED FOODS OR PACKAGING THAT CAN"T BE COMPOSTED OR REUSED

7: GET YA ARSE BACK INTO THE KITCHEN (and the garden - learn to grow, cook and preserve food)

Anyway, I thought this was nice.

I also especially liked this little quote from the same author:

Hope is not what we find in evidence. Hope is what we become in action

. Frances Moore Lappé

In other delicious lovely news Queenie and I set off at dusk last night to travel up river to pick wild plums. I have had my eye on this little copse of trees for some time, and they are just about perfect. I picked and picked and picked and then loaded up Queenie with about 20kg of plums. Really, I just had to stop because it was dark. The trees are laden and I suspect I may be the only urban hunter gatherer to know and love these particular trees. You do have to be a bike rider or avid runner, because bike path along the Molonglo River Corridor is the only way to get there. There, now you all know.

I gave special thanks to Queenie's ultra stable front rack, kickstand and steering stabilization spring as I set off by moonlight on the long dawdle home.

There are really only two things to do with such a wonderful harvest. Split the load in two. Put half into some melomel, and deliver the other half to the girls next door for value adding. I have no doubt I will be presented with an array of delicious and interesting concoctions in the coming days.

Thats about it.

Oh, I also found this little gem out there in the internets as well.

We must not believe in hope we must become hope, we must not believe in love we must become love, we must not believe in forgiveness we must become forgiveness, we must not believe in peace we must become peace...

Tony Angastiniotis Night Eagle

May there be peace on earth and may it begin with us. Amen.

A beastly experience

2011-01-15T16:30:00.004+11:00

Mr Duck and I met some friends down at the yacht club for lunch today. It sounds posh, but there is a hole in the wall fish and chip place. We traveled by Beast, of course. (because we can, and because I can't keep up with that long legged drake.)

Vicki and Rob rode there too, but from the opposite side of town. Here we are splattered about on the grass, bikes in the back ground.

A jolly good time was had by all. And then we rode home.

Amen.

Precious Cargo

2011-01-13T20:24:00.006+11:00

My what a big basket you have Queenie.

The truth is, I only really use the basket when I am going down to the community garden, or shopping, or to the farmer's market. It is attached to the nifty signature workcycles front carrier which is easily removable - it all just slides up and out. Less than a second.

The REALLY cool thing is that unlike every other front rack or basket I have ever seen, this one is mounted onto the down tube of the FRAME which means there is no connection between what ever ungainly weight might be in the basket, and the front wheel, the steering or the general stability of the bike. It is amazing. And, it is one of the MANY reasons I chose to IMPORT my beautiful, beloved, super useful, supremely ridable, ultra practical, joy inducing workcycles secret service bike, rather than some of the other almost as good but not quite as amazing city style bikes available in Australia.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my bike?

So what is in the basket?

The first ever Vista Bella apples.

Precious cargo indeed.

So I et one.

Inane Cute Stuff

2011-01-12T20:28:00.007+11:00

Well, after that last ranty post I did promise some inane cute stuff and well lookie here. Julia emerged from her secret nest today with four widdle babies.

now this is seriously cute.

Wouldn't you agree?
told you.

Big Fat Whinge (rant warning)

2011-01-12T19:31:00.004+11:00

So, like, I am getting organised and finally putting a floor in what was the bike / cat room and is now my office / special projects (wine, melomel, seed raising)/ cat room. We are even filling in the hole in the floor that the cats have been using to access the house for the past 7 years. (have we really had a hole in the floor for 7 years......)

Anyhoo, I need a better chair. Currently I just use a dining chair, but it really isn't the best for long hours at the 'puter......

I have no need for NEW office furniture - so far everything else is second hand, so it REALLY SHAT ME that second hand office chairs from the Ex Government Furniture place are AT LEAST $20 MORE THAN BRAND NEW BETTER QUALITY OFFICE CHAIRS FROM OFFICE WORKS.

I kid you not. The very bold young fellow at the counter said that if I paid him cash, he would only charge me $100 instead of $120.

HOW THE $%#@ DOES THAT WORK?

Is it any wonder the planet is FULL OF CRAP?

I am fully taking the Office Works brochure into the Ex Govvie place tomorrow. %&#^ers.

there, rant over.

I do apologise.

Normal broadcasting about inane cute stuff will resume shortly.

big love

2011-01-11T21:10:00.003+11:00

It might be the last bottle of peach melomel from last year thats doing it, but no, really, its just life. I am just in love with life. (stupid hippy)

This afternoon my dear friend Rosemary and I rode through the windless misty rain to the lake and then around to the Oak Brasserie for lunch. Do you know it is bike path ALL THE WAY. We were soaking wet, but it was warm and beautiful and lovely. Me on Queenie of course, and Rose on her cute as a button stylish single speed. The Oak Brasserie is located near the lake, among heaps of huge trees. In summer it is green and lush and overhung with big shady trees and all that stuff. They have huge brollies, which was good because it helped keep the rain off us.

This was our first business meeting. We did some visioning (we both want to have an early well funded retirement), some goal setting (lets score a coupla awesome overpaid projects in a very meaningful area and each make $120,000 this year without working too hard), and organised an incentives scheme (see that gorgeous, amazing, red, incredible, huge urny water feature thingy at the Yarrolumla Nursery discounted from $1450 to $1250, well, if we make $100,000 then as a reward, we can each have one of those in our garden).

Business development has never been so much fun.

But seriously folks, the duck is in the last 10 weeks of her big project and underemployment is looming post March and I couldn't be happier. Rose and I are keen to pool resources and work together if any biggish projects come up but we are both free to keep working on our own or with our own contacts.

There have been some tentative offers of work, a few people sniffing around, but I have total faith that Bruce, the universe, the big kahuna will look after me just fine. Its taken over 12 years of project work but finally I trust completely that I kinda just need to breath and be present and still and that Bruce will sort everything out and bring me in contact with the people I need to know to do the work I need to do.

And thats why I love being alive so much.

But what about the frog? Well, here in the ONC, it definitely ISNT tree frog land, but here he is, hanging on the water tanks. I saw this big dark blob coming back from moving Queen Aprillia exactly 1 meter to the south and on closer inspection, it was this big fat cutie pie.

My heart goes out to everyone and everything who is suffering in Queensland in the floods, but it is so strange, La Nina is always so damply kind to us down here, where normally we would be parched. Welcome brother frog!

Hooch Report

2011-01-10T21:25:00.003+11:00

Things were getting a little crazy on the Cherry Melomel front.

It looked like it was getting on time to get all those cherries out. But first, I squished and crushed them so that all the juice and color could go into the melomel. After another day, I removed the cherries and drained everything into a new carboy, and closed it up and popped in an airlock. In total, the cherries were in the honey water for only 5 days.

There was still a lot of juiciness left in the cherries, so I squished them up some more in some fresh honey water, and got another 5 liters out. This didn't happen before they had sat around for another couple of days, so I have kept this lot separate in a 5 liter hooch bottle just in case it turns to cherry vinegar before we have had time to drink it. This lot we will drink first.

Both containers are bubbling away nicely, and noisily. Thats 30 liters of Cherry Melomel on its way.

Crochet Bag

2011-01-04T21:14:00.005+11:00

Instead of going back to work I have been mooching and getting funky with the hook. No matter how frugal one might be, one can never really have too many handbags yes? Behold the newest edition to the crochet stable - a big fat purple bag loosely based on this pattern here.

Basically I used three strands of different yarns, crocheting in the ends after each color change as I went along. I used up lots of balls in the wool box mixing up sock yarn, alpaca wool and various tea cosy colours.

Instead of separate straps, I marked the center front and back, and then continued in two sections, decreasing two stitches each row until I got to 10 stitches where I just continued on until the handle got to a comfortable length, and then stitched the two sections together. It is roomy and strong and thick and sits nicely over my hip. I guess mostly one might see this sort of handle style on a dilly bag with a circle base, but I wanted the option of carrying an A4 workbook if necessary. (Or the paper!) I am most pleased.

purdy colors.

Hot Nights, Wild Yeasts, Tame New Year & Yummy Peachcots

2011-01-01T21:27:00.007+11:00

What a stinker it was today! There has been lots of microbial activity happening in the special projects room. Behold the bubbly wild yeast status of the cherry melomel this morning:

And this evening:

Go you little good things.

And here are the first and last peachcots of the season from our young tree. Yep, thats the entire crop. Lucky there were two - no fighting. They sort of tasted more apricotty than peachy.....and they look pretty apricotty too...except for the give away peach fuzz. Anyhoo, whatever they were /are - they were delicious.

Oh yeah, happy new year to y'all. Mr Duck and I rode the tandem up to the top of Duffy to watch the 9:00pm fireworks. My friend Eileen from the garden came too (not on the tandem) - we shared a bottle of my cyser from last year and munched on her homegrown silvan berries. Then it was down hill all the way home which was the really fun bit. Amen.

First Hooch of Summer - Cherry Melomel

2010-12-31T08:27:00.007+11:00

Cherry Melomel - Duck Style

20 liters of rain water

12 liters of cherries

5 liters of honey (this equals 7 1/2 kg honey)

Hooch making is like life - there are some basic principles that are helpful, but really, you just make it up as you go along, using what you have at hand. My recipe today is, as usual, an adaptation from the beautiful "Wild Fermentation" bible of all things fermented and good.

The basic recipe is 1 cup of honey for every liter of water. In terms of fruit, try of at least 1 cup of fruit for every liter of water. If you are adding fruit juice (ie apple or pear juice for cyser or perri) I would go for not more than half juice half honey water - but thats just me, and REAL cider is just apple juice, not apple juice and honey water.

There is a lot of fruit in this batch.....so I might be able to dilute it with more honey water in a week or so once it is time to take the fruit out.

Where did all those cherries come from?

Mr Duck and I have just spent the last few days eating drinking and laughing with the Ukrainians at Orange. We stayed HERE at the Borrodell Winery / Orchard/ Trufflery in a little cottage hidden in the orchard overlooking a dam and within view of Mt Canobolas.

In case you are wondering, we didn't arrive by helicopter, and we didn't stay in those posh cider houses.....we always rent the Chardonnay Cottage because it is so cute and has such a lovely view.

Last time we stayed here it was winter, and the apples, cherries and grapes were bare. It was SNOWING.

All this rain means that the Cherries are all split. Our lovely hosts suggested we help our selves, so we did, and here they are, in a new vat of Cherry Melomel.

Thats the thing about making your own cider / wine / hooch / mead - its all those lovely words.

Melomel.

Demijohn.

Perri

need I go on.

Anyway I had forgotten how beautiful and fragrant hooch making is. All I need to do now is remember to stir and coo over these two big carboys for the next 5 days or so, waiting for the wild yeasts in the air and on the fruit to really get things going. Then I take the fruit out, put the lid on and pop in an airlock and just leave everything to ferment away for a few weeks. At some stage, once a bit of sedimentation has happened, it might be good to transfer the melomel to a new carboy and leave the lees behind. This produces a clearer wine, and prevents any funny taste that might eventuate because of the sediment. And at some stage, when fermentation has slowed, its time to bottle and get those little babies under the house.

Even after just one night I can see little white bubbles forming on the surface. And the SMELL - it is so lovely.

In other news, yesterday was our first hot day - perhaps 32 degrees? The girls on the front deck were hanging out on their own front porch after a hard day.

Finally it is warm enough to get in there and see how the honey situation is going. I will keep you posted.

That is all.

Tea Cosy #10

2010-12-26T12:10:00.001+11:00

Well, here he is folks. Another Owlly. This time, made a bit bigger to fit my new blue tea pot.

Nice.

Lotions and Potions

2010-12-22T20:32:00.005+11:00

Last night I made another batch of beautiful moisturizer. You see, I WAS going to nick some of Queen Malina on the Front Deck's honey for Christmas pressies, but the weather hasn't been quite right for gettin' in there and mucking about.

Sooo, I worked up 2.5 liters of the good stuff. I have blogged about this before, but here is it again, just because I always forget how easy it is to make, and how SUPERIOR and SUBLIME the end product is.

The key principle is 1 part oil to 4 parts water plus 5% total volume in vegetable emulsifying wax, which is added to the oil part. Both components are heated separately but concurrently to 75 degrees Celsius, then the water part is poured into the oil part while stirring. Too easy!

Basically this is what I do:

Ingredients:

4 parts water or rose water
1 part your favorite base oils (eg olive, macadamia nut, apricot kernel oil or a mixture)
5% vegetable emulsyfying wax from here (ie if you have a combined oil and water total of 100mls, then use 5gms vegetable emulsifying wax)

Whatchadoo:

Place wax in saucepan and melt gently. Add rest of oils.
Add water in separate saucepan
Heat contents of both saucepans to 75 degreees c
Add water into oil pan, whisking gently. Continue to whisk untill mixed.
Turn off heat. leave to cool, stiring accaisionally.
When mix is below 45 degrees add essential oils and preservative if you want to use it.
Poor into clean jars

Most recipes say to do this in double boilers, but I don't bother. In terms of preservative, I now use a combination of citric acid and potassium sorbate. From what I have read, potassium sorbate is an excellent non toxic, safe mold and yeast inhibitor, but it needs a lower PH (thus the citric acid) to work best. I really don't use very much (perhaps 2 teaspoons of citric acid in 2.5 liters of moisturizer, plus 1 teaspoon of potassium sorbate. Both are available from brewing supply shops.

If you are not using herbal teas in your moisturizer, you probably don't need to use any preservative. This time, I infused the oil in fresh chopped comfrey leaves for a few days, so I added the preservative just in case.

Well thats it - suddenly I have jars and jars of beautiful luscious moisturizer for Christmas Pressies.

In other news, and speaking of potions, the Cougar came for dinner last night and left us with TWO bottles of Wild Brumby Schnapps - so I am studiously working my way through the Pear William one first. Hopefully there will still be some of this left for Christmas, otherwise we will need to get started on the Butterscotch one. For those of you who do not know, this is the BEST SCHNAPPS in the WHOLE UNIVERSE. Get your self some now. Over the internets.

The Cougar did disappear on Queenie for a while. The race report was - "THOSE GEARS - they shift like butter." And he would be right.

that is all.

Mind over Matter

2010-12-20T11:46:00.005+11:00

Yesterday I spent the WHOLE DAY IN BED. Once upon a time I would just push through my tiredness, but now I try and take a more enlightened approach. I don't want to be one of those people that when asked how they are, always replies "Tired".

At work, people wrongly assume I am super miss extrovert. But I am not. Basically I find humans EXHAUSTING, and frankly you have to pay me to spend much time with them being delightful. Its not that I don't enjoy my work, or LOVE the people I work with, its just that they are exhausting, and I need to pace myself.

So, after a few days on the road running lots of meetings and humans and mediocre food, my body says rest. And so I did.

It's taken a long time to stop pushing. I have a strong will and a strong mind, and I can bully my body into doing just about anything. It just comes at a cost.

This photo is me in a solo 24 hour mountain bike race in 2003. Once I could even bully my body into racing for 24 hours straight. I could even trick myself into thinking it is fun. But I don't do that any more. I get tired just thinking about the training and pain and pushing required to compete in endurance racing.*

Which makes riding Queenie in skirts and nice shoes at a sedate and dignified pace to get somewhere, not just riding for its own sake just so much more delightful. Queenie is the oposite of mountain-biking.

And sitting in bed taking phone calls from friends, working on tea cosy #10, drinking tea, reading the papers and generally mooching is fun. I want to be that person that listens to her body - who doesn't bully herself. Who is kind and loving and generous to herself as well as others.

the end.

*You do get to eat a lot of cake though, which is definitely a plus.

coming home

2010-12-17T20:00:00.005+11:00

Thank you so much for all your warm fuzzies about Owlly. He really is so cute - I think I am going to make another - just for some more attention......

Just got back from two days in the Central West - Condobolin, West Whyalong and Temora. The Lachlan is in full swing. Everything is wet and lovely. We didn't get to go through Grenfell, because the roads are still flooded at Forbes, which means I didn't get to check on my FAVORITE wild peach tree, but from the looks of things there will be heaps of wild apples, peaches and nectarines this year......which means lots of wine and cyder. BRING IT ON.

On the way back we stopped in Murrumburrah, and in the Which Craft shop, which is a cool funky community owned cafe and craft place and I found THIS:

Happy Christmas to ME. I can't work out how it is made - sort of felted knitted, but somehow the layers are think or rolled, but it is so soft and luxurious, I need to work out how to do it in crochet........Anyway, while I work out how to replicate the effect, I can still use it as my new favorite tote bag.

In other news, these Sturmer apples are lookin' pretty sexy:

And did I mention how much I love Queenie?

Well, thats it for a Friday. Imagine having to WORK on a Friday. Unthinkable.

But I think I will get over it.

Must be time for a cuppa.

The end.

Tea Cosy #9

2010-12-15T17:50:00.002+11:00

There are no words.

Except BIG LOVE to the Grand Purl Baa for the recipe for the famous Australian owl tea cosy. Owlly, I have searched for your DNA pattern for many years, and how fitting that Loani brought you to me.

He is made out of OWLpacca wool - get it?

Queenie on the go

2010-12-15T17:43:00.005+11:00

Today was our first seriously warm day. I have FINISHED my two big reports, so as a big fat reward, I took Queenie into Civic for a meeting and some shopping. Here is the view from above. If I was good, I would have taken the work car and given it to the little men to clean, wash, vacuum, de-mud with instructions to do something about the enduing food waste / compost smell from my work gear, gum boots and tools.

But I didn't. I took Queenie. Gliiidie Riiiiidie Queenie

And here is Queenie by the lake. Sans basket today. Plus cute pannier/shopping bag.

nice.

The Bee Dance

2010-12-14T15:37:00.002+11:00

There is a lot of bee dancing going on around here. Some of it is this lovely stuff above - where the girls dance on the vertical surface of the comb letting everyone know how to get to the motherload they just found. This is cool........the angle of straight part of her dance through the center of her figure 8 in relation to the vertical, is the angle the girls have to fly relative to the position of the sun. So the dance about the same blossoming tree would change during the day as the position of the sun shifted. What wouldn't change is the number of bum waggles, which indicate distance. Cool huh.

The other kind of bee dancing is the solitary, crazy, freaked out head slapping jig I tend to do when a guard bee happens to get stuck in my long hair and starts hysterically buzzing and moving inevitably towards my skull as she frantically tries to escape.

Its a race to see who can kill who first.

Quick visit to the garden

2010-12-13T20:17:00.008+11:00

Moving right along.....

Things are going well in the tomato mahals........

I can't get over how gorgeous the flowers are on what I am now calling the "multi-pea". Yup, when they are young they are snow peas, when they are older they are sugar snaps, and then they are pea peas, and then they are dried peas for soup. The multi-pea, also known as a field pea, $1.20 / kg from the produce store.

And here are a few of my favorite things, all in one photo......my gorgeous bike, Queen Aprilia, my white nectarine tree (on the right), a compost pile, and the community garden in the back ground.

Queen Aprilia is on the move. She needs to end up over here:

Thats over 20 meters away. I can only mover her 1 meter at a time, otherwise everyone gets lost. And I can only move her after dark, when everyone is inside. So me and my secret service gal are going back down there soon, to do the second shift....

this is not for you

2010-12-12T07:27:00.004+11:00

Dear Bloggy Friends.

This post is not for you.

Dear Bloggy Hater

While I am actually delighted to be thought of as "irresponsible", I realize this is because you do not know me. I do wish you however, lots of love and kindness and perhaps a more generous spirit, and hope that Santa can bring you a nice little box of "sense of humor", a bag of "perspective", and perhaps, the insight to be able to determine that while this silly, light hearted, personal blog is chocker full of excellent tomatoes, beautiful bikes and luscious home made tea cosys, it may also contain exaggeration (for comic purposes only).

sheesh.

Mr Duck and the Beast

2010-12-11T18:34:00.002+11:00

Second tandem voyage today. Christmas is a great time to get a tandem - all those parties and afternoon teas. While I NEVER drink and drive, I can't say the same for drinking and riding.

I reckon we have clocked up 50km already.

the other eagle has landed

2010-12-10T11:26:00.005+11:00

Meet the BEAST. Last night was our maiden voyage on our new tandem. We rode to the City (about 12 km) to meet some friends for dinner. Later that night we rode home through the uni and then around the lake - it was beautiful. Some of you may be aware that the ONC is full of water at the moment. Scrivener Dam was amazing. It may have been the wine and vodka (respectively), but we felt sure that the barricades across the bike path where the Yarrolumla creek flows into the river were not for us.

Pretty soon the flooding water was up over the bike path......I got off and took my shoes off (because I was wearing a skirt and nice shoes that would be ruined if they got wet). Mr Duck kept pushing our bike, which was designed by a Mr Onderwater by the way, and pretty soon I noticed that the water was up over my knees, and up over the expensive 7 speed internal hub of the beast. Did you know that the internal hub generator on the front kept working even though it was underwater as well? So our giggling adventure remained illuminated throughout. My understanding is that these bikes are tough, built to last forever in all weather but riding in over a foot of water may perhaps be pushing their robust design to the limit......so we turned around.

I am not sure if we have done any damage to the hubs......I hope not. But she is fun to ride - big, fat, slow and lumbering but fun. She seems to cope with gutter jumping just fine. It is very companionable cruising along together in the dark, chatting, joking, or just being silent, along the lake, through the forest after a nice night and a few drinkies.

And, now this is the REALLY cool bit, she is an AZOR, which I think is the same factory that made my Workcycles Secret Service frame. So they are like sisters really.

rain from the north

2010-12-08T19:40:00.003+11:00

So like, it is raining again. I can not tell you how much I am enjoying this crazy wet spring. The tent is still out on the lawn from Mr Duck's big adventure. It is going to go MOULDY before it drys enough to put away. Just when it is dry enough to turn inside out, it rains again. How QUEENSLANDish. Not ONCian at all.

The season has moved on from cherries to mulberries to mulberries AND raspberries. Breakfast has never been so delightful. I am wondering if I need to turn the salad garden into an expanded raspberry garden because bloody hell they are yummy. Mr Duck and I have a bowlful each morning with yogurt, perhaps some banana (NOT from our backyard) and for little me with the delicate constitution, some nice whey powder to keep me beefed up.

I am enjoying watching the fruit on the trees expanding. Things are looking promising for the peaches and peachcots. There is a deep joy to be had from a maturing garden. Some of the trees and vines are into their 3rd and 4th and even 5th years, and it shows. We almost have the whole year covered for fruit - one tree ripening as another one finishes.

It starts with an early cherry (an amazing old huge and productive tree), then an slightly less early cherry, and then the mulberries, and then the raspberries. I can't remember who comes next, I think it is the apricots (only 2 this year), and then a flat peach......peach, peach-cot, nectarines....and then the wild plums should turn up, then plums from friends, then plums from the front garden. Late roadside peaches from Grenfell are next, then the nashis. Somewhere in there, for the first time, I should get some vista bella apples (very early). Later in the season should come the sturmer apples, and finally, in May, the kiwis. Lemons, mostly in winter with a few throughout the year. Then there is a little lean patch until the early cherry kicks in again.

The pears are the newest additions to the family - I don't expect them to fruit for a couple of years yet.

Thats my fruit forest. You don't need a lot of room. You just need a lot of plants. And most of these can grow on top of one another, in a forest, even with more than one tree in each hole (duo planting).

If you are just starting out, or adapting an existing garden, Jackie French has a similar approach with her "Wilderness" garden.

Tea Cosy #8 finito

2010-12-08T17:02:00.006+11:00

Well ladies, thank you for your very inspired suggestions. Feathers of course. However, then I started getting this picture of a big red rafflesia - you know, a CORPSE flower.

Like this:

See, this one:

And from the side:

I am not sure, but I am thinking it may be the first crocheted rafflesia in the blogosphere.........

Tea Cosy #8

2010-12-01T17:48:00.005+11:00

Dear bloggy friends. I need some help. I have been working on tea cosy #8. She is looking pretty nice. But what to put on top?

The body is made from the most beautiful alpaca wool from Grenfell.......it is just lovely to work with. Its only 5 ply, so I crochet two balls at once........

I can't seem to find my crocheted flower book. So then I was thinking some crocheted fruit. But perhaps she deserves / needs something more fluffy and in line with her current fluffiness............

ideas?

Epic Adventure - but not mine!

2010-11-29T08:43:00.003+11:00

Mr Duckherder decided to run to Blue Water Holes on Saturday. From our house. As the crow flies......well through the mountains anyway. This was an EPIC ADVENTURE up over huge mountain ranges and LOTS of wilderness and national park. Its only about 100 km!

A little welcoming committee drove for THREE HOURS in the rain to meet Mr Duck at Blue Water Holes camping area. Reedie ran out about 10km to meet him. After 13 hours, you can just see the two little specks coming down the valley. They had been challenged a little by a cranky brumby stallion just a little while ago, but there they are safe and sound.

Mr Duck put on a little burst of speed for the final hill up to our camp ground. Look at those little licorice legs.

They the rain settled in. We had a great night. Caught some trout. And only lost one car on the slippery climb out of the valley the next morning.

Here is the real story here:

Holder to Blue WaterHoles Run - Running - Spot

pedaling in the harvest

2010-11-29T08:39:00.003+11:00

I was a GREAT season for garlic this year. It took four trips in my Secret Service Gal to get all 100 globes back from the garden!

I don't meant to gloat, but last week we harvest our FIRST TOMATO. It is a "swift", sewn early under lights, planted out in what is locally known as "The Tomato Hilton". Mr Duck had this for his birthday.

food forest is go

2010-11-20T13:32:00.004+11:00

The Cherry tree out the front is going great this year - not a big crop, but enough for a handful of cherries each day. The REAL buzz is coming from the mulberries. Above is a photo of the White Shatoot. This is a dwarfish mulberry - with amazingly long super sweet white berries. They are so yummi. And below is the more conventional black shatoot. These are more mulberry flavor, but not as sweet. But still huge and fat and yum.

Both trees are still a bit frost sensitive - not sure why. They have lots of dead branches, but where they grow back, the fruit is excellent.

the eagle has landed

2010-11-20T13:21:00.004+11:00

As the UPS guy struggled through the gate with MY NEW BIKE he WAS heard to mutter "I'm guessing this isn't a racing bike" Ziva thinks that stuff from Amsterdam smells pretty good and set about trying to break her way into the box.

And look whats inside! My new Workcycles Secret Service bike. She is a big buxom beauty. I have been riding her all week. In my SKIRT! And cardigans. And nice shoes. No lycra. She is just too much fun. Pa Duck Herder has been in hospital all week, and I have been riding up there twice a day. Parking at the hospital is crazy but I can ride right on up and park just outside the door. I rode her to a business meeting yesterday. She is awesome.

She has a big rack at the front too. More photos to follow. Too much fun.

intuition

2010-11-02T20:14:00.003+11:00

I have to go to Gippsland for work this week. Some folks are happy to pay for my flights and accommodation and cups of tea n all in exchange for two days of "the world according to the duck". But Mr Duck and I kinda has this idea of doing a road trip down through Albury to see my gorgeous brother and his gorgeous family, and then adventuring through the Victorian Alps on the way. On paper it seemed like it would work, (as long as there was no washed out bridges or trees down on that mountain pass) but I was feeling unsettled and a bit stressed because I couldn't SEE in it my mind or imagine it happening.....and in the end I trusted my gut and booked a flight and promised my brother another weekend for a camping trip instead. And the unsettled feeling disappeared. Life is like that. You gotta trust your gut.

Just like waking up this morning KNOWING that even through So You Think is pretty and lovely, Americain was going to win the Melbourne Cup. Golly I wish I had put $100 on that feeling......13.8 to 1 odds.

You gotta trust your gut.

Things 'n stuff

2010-10-28T03:02:00.006+11:00

Ok, so I know its like 3:00am. But what the hey. The nice thing about being a grown up is that it is completely acceptable to wake up at 3:00am, make a pot of tea and play on the internets. After all, when one works from home, one can have a nana nap in the afternoon if one needs.

Anyhoo, I know it is a weed, and not so good for ponies, but I love Patterson's Curse. I found a patch of the most luminous light blue & pink ones sprinkles in amongst the usual lovely purple and red ones. Nature is groovy like that.

And here is the first poppy of the season. hmmmmmm. poppies.

Remember those tomato, eggplant and capsicum seedlings I started a couple of months ago inside, under some lights? Well, it was their big day yesterday.

I am pretty happy with how they went. I took a gamble and planted them out into the green houses down at my plot on Monday.

Welcome the Tomato Mahal.

And the Eggplant Emporium.

And here is something special and delightful. Knitted by my mama. A new tea cosy. FOR ME!

. Now I know how awesome it is to be given a handmade tea cosy made with love. me like.

cycle chic in australia

2010-10-25T14:48:00.003+11:00

I am still captured in the most delicious way by bicycle love. There are other lovely things happening - especially in the garden, but this is taking up lots of my head space. It could be linked to finally being happy here in the city and thinking muchly about how I make city living elegant and frugal and healthy and happy. Alternative transport - especially on ones deadly treadly is the way to go. I have sold my serious cyclo cross bike and am enjoying so much riding Selina up right in what ever I want to be wearing when I get there clothes. I feel liberated and free. I do not miss my lycra and my click on shoes that are unwearable off bike. This is all good because instead of a new car, I have a new bike (on order anyway). Mr Duck and I are determined to cope with just the one car and to go "car-lite" and far from being a drag its FUN and happy making.

Here is Mikael Colville-Anderson, founder of cycle chic, while he was in Australia last month. He says it better than me.

that is all for the moment.