While we were collecting last year's corflute covers and drainage discs down in last year's Big Gully planting, we found the young trees mostly well grown, a few bowled over by wombats, a few being chewed on by insects - those I'm hoping will provide food and attract birds in the future. The thistles were... Continue Reading →
FUN WITH BARBED WIRE
Bloom of rust on an old disc I love the texture of old rusty iron, the subtle ripples of its surface where air has nibbled it away over decades. I love the red-orange colour which is earthy and natural, a far cry from primary colours and shiny galvanized silver of new metal. I have quite... Continue Reading →
FIRST TREES
After months of weed control, plus stripping tree covers among the Stinking Roger and Saffron Thistle, we’re finally into the planting season, despite being still surrounded by the post-drought thistles. My mini-forest sits outside our bedroom door reminding me to keep it watered and fed. Mini forest The retrieved covers are stacked high in the... Continue Reading →
SURROUNDED
Living at the farm, I’m often reminded that we are surrounded by other life that insists we make way for them. Hundreds of cockatoos have been screeching at the bottom of the garden for weeks, while they strip the walnut and olive trees. Moths beat at the windows at night, flies do the same by... Continue Reading →
PICK UP STICKS
Since the drought broke, we've had lots of rain and most of it was gentle enough to soak into the ground without causing flooding. The most recent lot, though, was a reminder of what it's like when the river and creek both swell and take over the land around them. A reminder of how the... Continue Reading →
LOST IN THE GRASS
After the drought ended in February last year we were so excited to see the green tinge creeping across the landscape. But of course, a lot of that was weeds that had been allowed to germinate in bare ground – left bare by the drought. Because the ground cover was still fragile, it was necessary... Continue Reading →
TAKING STOCK
Since the end of the drought there has been a spate of sheep and cattle thefts ("duffing") particularly by thieves using empty caravans to stuff suddenly valuable animals into. It's suspicious if an apparent grey nomad has a trailer that bleats or moos. That's not the sort of stock-taking I'm doing. With my mother's death,... Continue Reading →
A FAREWELL
In May, during the Covid lockdown, my mother Barbara Hamer, died. While she was much luckier than many others have been at this time, (a painless fade, with family to support her), it is still a loss. She was always busy, tending to rush full tilt at life expecting it to get out of the... Continue Reading →
EARTH DAY
When the whole world is sharing a pandemic, I thought it would be nice to share some of the beauty we're "locked down" with, including the dragon's breath sunset above. Our friends George and Rosie from Berkeley also gave us some wonderful long lens photos of birds and kangaroos, stars and sunsets. And of course,... Continue Reading →
TURTLE IN THE HEADLIGHTS
There's not much competition between a long-necked turtle shell and a heavy duty truck on a gravel road. Sadly the turtles (chelodina longicollis) don't know that, and set off as soon as the rains came looking for romance in alternate ponds and dams. This one I saw after dodging dozens of excited frogs flaunting themselves... Continue Reading →
RAIN GREED
We got 40mm, plus a few beetles, in our rain gauge. It’s not enough. While we were getting monthly rainfall in the single digits, I found myself begging the clouds for a single millimetre to take the edge off the damage from the heat, and maybe keep a few things going that would otherwise die. ... Continue Reading →
WATCHING THE RADAR
I'd given up watching the local radar loop for rain. It's been a long time since we had water falling out of the sky. This year's lambs will be very confused when it happens. The land around us is dimmed by the smoke haze from the fires on the coast and to the south. Jessie... Continue Reading →
NIGHT LAUGHTER
After sunset, most birds are prepared to get some sleep. The volatile sulphur-crested cockatoos cease their screeching, the galahs "zip-zip" their way to bed, and even the restless flycatchers actually take a rest. But the Masked Lapwings (vanellus miles) are always on guard, giving out alarm calls day and night. That’s because they live and... Continue Reading →
VISITING OUR WEEDS
Thistles and brooms, ryegrass and goosegrass and vetch. The more I learn about the weeds that infest our paddocks, the more I find myself spotting them when we travel. Fancy names, multiple names, "Great Mullein", "Salvation Jane", "Horehound" and "Pellitory of the Wall". Some are clearly at home, well controlled by the climate, or insects... Continue Reading →
TERMITE INSPECTION
A scratch at the door. The dog knows to come around to the laundry. Another scratch at the door. Finally I get up to take a look. It's the termite inspector. I know there are many types of termites all around us, just waiting to have a little chew on the timber parts of the... Continue Reading →
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
Having a river in your backyard is a lovely idea, not always so pleasant in reality, as fences and dead animals go swirling past in a flood, or when you find out that a city upstream is putting something in the water that shouldn't be there. Waterwatch has been a great way to find out... Continue Reading →
DONE, BUT DUSTY
Amazingly, we're done with our main project for 2018! After the bitter weather on our big planting a few weeks ago, I was worried we'd never get our whole Glossy Black Cockatoo project finished. Thankfully, Darren Menachemson and a wonderful crew from ThinkPlace plus a Greening Australia "Adopt a Plot" team came to our rescue.... Continue Reading →
UNTHINKABLE WEATHER
After months of flu last year, I was very excited when Ben Hanrahan from Greening Australia offered help with planting our new Glossy Black Cockatoo area on the steep gully behind the house. It's been a dry year so far, with only scattered amounts of rain making the soil just moist enough for planting. Mostly... Continue Reading →
WHERE DO ALL THE OLD TREE GUARDS GO?
It's an embarrassment that when I see litter in our paddocks. That's because it's usually my own: one of my tree guards that has blown off and landed in the creek, or among the ti-tree, or strung up against a barbed-wire fence. But collecting them again is the easy part. The problem is what to... Continue Reading →
SPRING SURPRISES
One of the things I love about gardening is the unexpected arrivals. After being away for three weeks we had a predictable explosion of spring weeds - sticky weed, nettles and grasses especially. Many of them arrived with the sheep manure dug up from under the woolshed a few months ago. Also expected were the... Continue Reading →