The Perks of Being a Lazy Composter

Every green person knows that compost is awesome. It's beautiful and dark and crumbly and.....well..... earthy. It's pretty much the best stuff for the garden; it nourishes and conditions the soil, it feeds the plants and it puts to good use waste that would normally be taken to landfill.
Good compost has a nice carbon-nitrogen balance, keeping the bacteria and microorganisms that break it all down happy and working hard. Good compost gets nice and hot; hot enough to kill weed seeds and some plant pathogens. And when it's all finished, good compost smells sweet and moist.
It's not hard to make good compost. But it requires a bit effort. It requires having certain ingredients available to you. And, most frustrating of all, it requires time. Those of you who know me know that patience and I don't get together too often ;) I want results and I want them now! 

So I build a pile in the usual way; a bit of this a bit of that. We have guinea pigs and a rabbit and their manure keeps up the nitrogen content, along with horse manure (Indi goes horse riding once a week) and we've just acquired some pigeons, so that mess gets chucked in too. I usually give the guineas some pea straw or sugar cane mulch for bedding, so that gets chucked in when it's spent, adding a bit of carbon to the equation. Add the odd newspaper, clumps of seaweed, vacuum cleaner stuff, occasional grass clippings and weeds pulled up from the garden ... etc etc.

Then I leave it. It starts to warm up a bit, and I might even turn it once if I'm feeling energetic. After about 4 weeks it usually settles and shrinks to about two thirds of the size. This is the point where I should probably turn it and allow it to heat back up and finish the job. Alas, this is the point where I decide it's DONE and start shovelling it onto the garden as mulch. The way I see it, half-cooked compost has multiple benefits (besides me not having to wait another month or two):

More soil critters: spreading compost over the garden at this stage brings the worms up for the feast. Worms coming up from the deep ground aerate and loosen the soil, help to munch down the organic matter and then poop it all out, leaving wonderful rich castings. Especially useful when starting a new garden; the busy little soil critters do the hard work of breaking up the ground for me :)

Heat: Because it's still working, breaking down, heat is being generated. I find this especially beneficial when planting out before the ground has really warmed up, as it helps to spur my seedlings on.

Volunteers: By far my most favourite side effect! Plants popping up here there and everywhere from seeds that haven't broken down in the composting process ...

A cucumber wandering its way around the dwarf beans

A beautiful avocado seedling, one of 9 that have sprouted so far! 

A delight to my eyes ... a tangle of of volunteer pumpkins and tomatoes growing among the corn. 

I may not have neat piles of deep, dark, rich humus waiting to spread over my garden, but I do have lots of warm soil, lots of life within the ground and best of all, lots of healthy plants. 

Powdery Mildew

I've not had much luck with zucchinis this year. Snails and slugs devoured the first, second and third lot I planted, and now that I've finally got a few going (in a different garden that the snails obviously didn't smell out), they've been hit with powdery mildew.

Powdery mildew shows up every year on all the cucurbits, but it never seems to get out of control or weaken the plants too much, so I've never bothered doing anything about it. This year though the zukes have really taken a hit. They took off quickly, growing strongly and producing lots of fruit but then went downhill just as fast. Even the leaf stems were covered.

A quick visit to Dr Google came up with this basic spray; a tablespoon of bi-carb soda, a tablespoon of oil and a few drops of washing up liquid all mixed up in a litre of water. It seems to have done the trick. I sprayed them weekly for three weeks and I think I've beat it, or at least got it under control. Although they look a bit bare where I've pulled off all the damaged leaves the new growth seems unaffected and there are lots of new shoots ...

... Hopefully to be followed by lots of yummy zukes :)

Lammas

Lammas has been and gone, and I've really not bothered too much acknowledging this sabbat :(

This is the time of first harvest; the turn from summer to autumn. The period of growth and abundance begins to slow and withdraw; as the strength of the Sun begins to wane, the Elderly Lord slowly prepares to be one with the earth again.
(Interestingly, this coincides with 'back-to-school' which to me usually seems like the end of summer and fun holiday time, where everyone falls back into the hum-drum routine of daily life. )

But I'm just not feeling it.

I guess it doesn't help that we have been experiencing gorgeous 38+ degree days, and the plants around me are literally growing before my eyes. Seeds are still sprouting like crazy and as I type this from my back verandah I am deafened by the sound of rain on the roof, which I'm certain is only going to spur the garden onward and upward.
It probably doesn't help that my kids don't go to school either, so we just keep on keeping on with the 'swim until 10:30 at night' holiday lifestyle!

BUT MOST OF ALL, I think I'm just realising that the traditional northern hemisphere Wheel of the Year just doesn't quite sit with our wicked Australian climate.
I've spent the last few months quietly trawling the online world for more info about the indigenous seasons (probably not the best way to find it, I know) and spending that bit of time up in Tropical Queensland last year was really really informative and inspiring.
I just feel like there is something missing ... something deeper in this great southern land that I'm not connecting with ...

So I'm not saying goodbye to the ancient ways, just looking for a deeper and more relevant path to follow :)

I'm halfway through writing two blog posts but ...

My stepson is in Townsville

If anyone reading this blog isn't aware of the humongous cyclone that is hitting the far north coast of Queensland, click here

Please be safe Scott xoxoxoxoxoxo

Another Trip Around The Sun

My little boy turns two today :) 

Such a beautiful, kind, gentle little soul.

Happy Birthday Baby! 

Tiny Winged Creatures ...

Or at least they will be in a few more weeks :)

Check them out, destroying a lime tree

These fantastic little creatures are Papilio aegeus, caterpillars of the Citrus Swallowtail Butterfly. We discovered them on a lime tree that's been sitting out the front for months (I sort of forgot to plant it and it got shoved into the corner behind some other pots).
The one on the right in the top photo has just begun to pupate. Apparently they take anywhere from one to six months to emerge, so you'll have to wait a bit longer for those pictures!
We remodelled Indi's butterfly enclosure to contain them, which we made from a camping mosquito net.

Notice the lack of leaves on the poor old lime tree LOL!
This butterfly house has been loads of fun for us this summer. Mostly we've just hatched cabbage white butterflies because there are so many of the hungry little buggers hanging around the cabbages!

Indi also made this little booklet about the life cycle of the butterfly

She has also added words like 'pupae' and 'proboscis' to her vocabulary :)
If you want to see a picture of these butterflies, this website here is excellent. We use it all the time to identify creepers that we find about the garden.

Indi's Place

My cool little pixie living down the back

Hot summer days mean lots of swimming around here. They also mean that by late morning, we need to seek out some shade else we turn into lobsters. 

Lucky for me, there's a little elfin child who welcomes us into her cottage down the back.

She makes us lunch ... mmmm avocado and vegemite sandwiches

Then takes us on a tour of her garden

Sometimes we even get to sample some fresh produce

After all that we like to go back inside as relax in the comfy corner (note the authentic crocheted rag rug, made by yours truly ;) ) until the sun passes enough that we can head back out to the pool. 

Oh how I luuuurve summer! 

Sew Cheap!

I've once again dragged out the sewing machines in the name of 'upcycling'.
After much hinting, harassment and outright threats my mother FINALLY cleared out the ten-years-worth-of-crap that was clogging up her wardrobe leaving me with a veritable gold mine of material in the form of old clothes. After I dragged them all downstairs I decided it was time to hit that towering 'clothes-to-refashion' pile. Waste not, want not! :)

These shorts came from an old pair of jeans with various scrappy odds and ends making up the appliqued tree on the leg. The top is actually for Indi and was made from an old singlet top of my sisters. I'm incredibly impatient and lazy so I made the whole lot on the overlocker, except for the stitching around the applique.

These shorts were once a button-up shirt belonging to my brother. I actually stuffed them up a bit making them too low-rise but my good friend Karisma suggested just taking the waistband off and replacing it with a thick band of ribbing. Great idea me thinks! They are really light and cool so I think with a soft ribbed waist they'll make great pyjama pants. The top was an old white t-shirt. Again, all on the overlocker. Even the neck hole and arm holes have a rolled edge to save me having to concentrate too much in sewing a proper hem!

These shorts were a pair of women's stretchy brown pants. The singlet is a combination of a long-sleeved top, a couple of old sheets and a scrap of brown corduroy I found in the remnants bin at Spotlight  a few months ago (ok, so this one isn't ENTIRELY recycled ;)). I love love love the way it turned out!

Gratuitous 'gorgeous baby' shot ;)  

Forehead slap moment

Picture this scene, if you will ...

End of the week, food running low. Pay day just a few more sleeps and, more to the point, just can't be arsed going to the shops because I have to go Christmas Eve anyway so may as well stretch it out until then.

So what's for dinner?

Quiche? Nope, ran out of cheese with the avocado toasties for lunch.

Pasta? Again, no cheese :(

Brown rice salad? Yeah! Grab a handful of beans from the garden and a few shallots; if only I had some corn ...

'Whatcha doin mum?'

(Rummaging through the pantry muttering to myself) 'Looking for a tin of corn. I'm sure I had one in here.'

'What for?'

'For dinner.' More muttering ...

'Why? What's for dinner?'

'Bloody rice salad! Now help me find some corn or bugger off!'

'FINE I WILL!'

At this point I turn around to see my spectacularly serendipitous daughter stomp out of the kitchen; but not before she threw this completely ravaged corn cob on to the bench. This corn cob that she picked from the garden. Which is one of a shitload floating about the garden at the moment. And here I am, tearing the pantry apart to find corn.

Chook house

Ok, so here is stage one of the 'getting chickens' plan.
My darling man and our uber cool friend Steve spent all weekend--in 35 degree heat, 99% humidity, and pouring rain no less--dismantling, moving, and rebuilding this cubby-come-chook-house for me.

 

Craig and his step-dad built it about fifteen years ago when the boys were little. It's huge; probably a bit of overkill for a couple of chooks. I could house about 10 in there, but I don't have that much grazing area at the moment, so we might just start with two or three.  We've sat it so it backs onto the little vegie patch. I think I'll grow a passion fruit vine over it. Or maybe some Jasmine ... mmmmm. Not edible but oh-so-sweet in the moonlight!   Or maybe a choko vine. Then the chooks can eat the fallen chokos.
We still need to build a wire run for them, and add some nesting boxes. Hopefully we can get that started next weekend.

 

Being Valentines day, monkey-man here thought he might pinch a flower from the neighbour's garden for me while he was bolting the roof down. Such a sweety xoxo

Some beachy crochet

A little beach bag, just big enough for the car keys and a good book. This is crocheted from old bed sheets torn into strips. 

 

Some barefoot sandals ... these are quite beachy too, don't you think? I've already got an order for another pair!

Things we haven't done this week ...

... Wash dirty nappies!

Before Keanu was born, we decided that we would try a 'no nappy' approach to his elimination needs.
I'd read a little about elimination communication a few years ago on parenting forums, but Indi was too old by then for it to be of much relevance. Once we found out Keanu was on the way, I hit up google and read as much as I could find. He was born in the warmest month, which made it easier because we didn't have to worry about keeping him rugged up all the time. He spent his first few months in either a singlet or nothing. The first couple of weeks I just put a folded nappy under him when I fed him, and kept a close eye on him watching for any signals as to when he was going to go. Then I started to hold him over a bucket when I fed him, as I noticed that he liked to pee (and usually poo) when he was drinking. It's funny how excited we all got every time we caught a wee or poo in the bucket!

Keanu lived in the sling for the first few months, so it was easy to pick up on his need to go. He very rarely peed on us while he was in there; whenever he needed to go he would squirm about and use his knees to push his body away from whoever was carrying him. We really only put a nappy on him at night. By this time, we were totally hooked on EC and just amazed at how much he could communicate to us at such a young age. Sometimes I would just take him without even thinking; sometimes I would be on the other side of the room and yell out 'wee!' a few seconds before whoever was holding him copped it on the lap!
Once he decided to leave the sling and crawl, however, we discovered the beauty of linoleum floors! I don't think that we were missing the signs, more that he was so intrigued and fascinated by the world that he didn't realise he needed to go until he was wet! Some days we were perfectly in tune, others I spent the whole time mopping the floor.

When he hit about eight months, I decided to try him overnight without a nappy. I prepared myself for a night of no sleep, expecting to be up three or four times taking him to pee, waking up like a cranky grizzly bear ...
Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong! Just like in the daytime, he didn't pee while he was sleeping. Wow, I wish I'd tried it sooner! As long as I wake up when he does in the morning--which most mornings is not until around eight--and take him for a pee, we can say that, for the most part, we are night dry.

We still use nappies on occasions--even 'disposable' ones sometimes-- but generally our little boy just gets around in little training pants. As long as we are aware and in tune with him, we can help him to do his business with a bit of dignity.

Things we've done this week

 

Snooze on the beach ...

enjoy the best summer fruit ever ...

 

take care of some important business calls (see, boys really can multi-task)

practice our 'bick flaps' with dad

beading (pretty sure this one ticks a few homeschool boxes too ... pattern recognition?)

and start planting some seeds in the garden. 

If it takes a village ...

... to raise a child, then we're in trouble because my little village seems to be getting smaller and smaller!
Aunty S and her boyfriend have gone on a holiday to QLD for two weeks; Uncle J and Granny have basketball every weeknight and haven't been getting home until 10pm, and Craig was away four nights last week with work. Oh, how I miss all those spare pairs of arms!

Of course, all this has to coincide with Miss 4's 'question time' phase of childhood. If I had a dollar for every time I heard the words 'Hey mum, why does ...'  this week, well ... I'd have a shitload of dollars.

What a draining week. Now my little man is sick (well, not sick sick, but he has a high temperature), which is really a blessing in disguise because it gives me an excuse to slow down and not stress so much about what isn't getting done. After spending today just pottering around with him stuck to my side, I've realised just how inattentive I've been lately to both his and Indi's needs. No wonder she has spent the last few days acting like a defiant little so-and-so; all she has heard from me this week is 'In a minute ...' and 'I can't right now ...' and 'NO!'   
*Sigh* Let's hope next week brings some quiet mindful moments!

Our new caravan

Well after months of searching and researching, we found a nice little van for ourselves.
It goes from this ... 

to this ...

 

with a minimal amount of effort. Well, about the same amount of effort as it took to set up the tent. 

It's very roomy inside,with a double bed at each end, a U-shaped lounge (that converts to another bed) and seats and a table for four (that also convert to another bed!). It also has a 90L fridge, sink and a two burner gas stove. 

We need to do a few things to it; firstly we want it to be self-sufficient power-wise, so that we aren't reliant on powered sites at caravan parks. It has a small 12v system at the moment, just enough to run the two internal lights and a maybe a portable dvd player but we are looking at getting a bigger battery and wiring the whole thing to charge off the alternator. 

Our first real trip will be up the coast in the April school holidays. After that we will do a month long trip; all the way up to Darwin to visit stepson #2 in the army, then across to Townsville to visit stepson #1 and back home down the coast. 

Oh I can hardly wait! Meanwhile, I'm having lots of fun setting it up inside like a little home, scrounging around the thrift shops for bits and pieces of kitchenware, and lurking around 4WD and camping websites and forums online.

Happy Birthday Baby!

One year ago ...

 

Sink into that warm, deep water. Take a deep breath, close my eyes. Draw down the power of the Goddess and feel the energy rise as a new life enters the room ...

Bliss

Happy 1st birthday my darling little boy xoxo

Op shopping

For all my friends who complain that I buy all the good stuff from the op shops before they get there ... you are going to hate me more for this one ...

 What a score! I can sit here and watch Indi in the pool now.

Playing with literacy

Indi has been showing lots of interest in letters and words lately. Here are some of the things we have been doing together.

The chalkboard has been getting a workout. She likes to draw a picture, then I write the word for her to copy. A few backwards letter in this one!

Again, a few letters around the wrong way, but certainly a good attempt.

This is one we have been doing for a long time ... writing letters in the sand with chopsticks. She has been having trouble with 'e', until we realised it was like a spiral (one of her favourite things to draw).

Other games she likes include wetting a little broom in the pool and painting letters and numbers on the pavers with water, and spraying 'words' on the fence with a water spray bottle.
She has also been playing starfall again. I signed up for the free trial of the Reading Eggs program, but she doesn't seem to be getting into it much. She is more interested in the games they have while loading the next lesson! Having said that, I've noticed a few little things she has done that have come from the lessons, so she is obviously picking something up from it.