Where there is no sun...

We have seen a deluge over the last week, all on ground already saturated.

It has been terribly sad to see the disaster this has caused for other Queenslanders in places like Rockhampton, Emerald and now, closer to home in Toowoombah. My thoughts go out to all those who have been effected and this weekend I'll be gathering items I can spare from around our home to send to the flood appeals (blankets and the sort).

In my own small part of the world, the rains haven't caused more than a bit of misery and a large pile of laundry waiting for the return of sunny days.

But where there is no sun I still have sunflowers.

Sunflowers in the rain. I dashed out with camera primed to snap this shot.
It's the closest I've been able to appreciate my sunflowers as it's been raining since they bloomed.

Patience Paid-Off

One thing I have gleaned about gardening is that it requires a bit of patience, especially if you grow things from seed as I have been doing.

There is no instant gratification for the work and care you've given and often the 'slings and arrows of fortune' take away the prize leaving you miserably staring at a dead plant.

"Sometimes you break absolutely everything - your back, your heart, your nails. The whole experience hurts. This is not the Summer I signed up for."
Alys Fowler (on a storm which demolishes her garden)- The Edible Garden.

The hope of every gardener is that the fruits of their labor (literally and figuratively!) and the patience of waiting for germination, growth and then flowering/fruiting will pay off.

This week in losing one zucchini to the constant soggy weather in the last week (bad mould spores on both sides of the leaves) I have felt more keenly the satisfaction in and blessing of those things that have gone right.

Like my cornflowers (aka bachelor's buttons).

I planted the seeds back in late April, in seedling trays which sat on my kitchen bench. Each morning I watered and observed and marvelled as they sprouted out of the ground.

I then moved them to an area I thought they would be safe from kittens - ontop of the washing machine. But I found one morning that Fuu had yanked a number of them up, not to eat but rather just for fun.

So I moved the remaining fellows into my sewing room only to have Willow knock the tray onto the ground when I was lax at closing the door. With less than half of my seedlings left, I moved the tray outside, only to lose another half of that lot to sudden changes of temperature and sun.

There were 6 seedlings left. I planted three with the oregano in the back yard and the other three in the front garden.

Then I watered.

And waited.

And watched.

And waited.

And eventually I was rewarded with the gorgeous, delicate blossoms in the vivacious blue known as cornflower blue.

First one....



Then a few and now a great number at once. They are so beautiful I cannot resist photographing them over and over.


For the last three months I have had cornflowers gracing my garden and I am thankful.

Little Things

Because I've been doing so many text-heavy posts lately and because this song inspires me...

There's so many things that we miss in our everyday lives.
We're so busy hustling, bustling, chasing far-away dreams
that we forget the little things
like blue skies, green eyes and our babies growing,
like rainbows, fresh snow and the smell of Summer.
We forget to live.

Lavender growing beside my front steps

Give us eyes like children so we live each day as our last.
We're so sure we know so much that we forget to listen.
Then we want the fickle things;
Like cheap thrills, fast fuel and constant consumption,
Like TV, CDs and cars that speak our names.
We forget to live.

Passionfruit curd - delicious warmed up and served on icecream.

There's so many things that we miss in our everyday lives.
We're so busy hustling, bustling, chasing far-away dreams
That we forget the little things.
Like blue skies, green eyes and our babies growing.
Like rainbows, fresh snow and the smell of Summer.....

Winter Mulberries in my garden

We forget to live.
(lyrics by Lamb - Little Things)

Diet and Sustainability

This evening on the way home from the train station I listened to a seminar broadcast on ABC National Radio. It was hosted by the University of Technology Sydney and the topic was 'Diet, Food and Sustainability'.

It never fails to amaze me how points of matter that arise in discussion of sustainability, frugal living, simple living etc. hit home in one of those light-bulb 'of COURSE' moments.... but are, at the same time, embarrassingly simple.

Some of the points that I found interesting or light-bulb moments were:

1. Bottled water is bad mmmkay. Why? Because millions upon millions of those bottles end up in landfill.
2. People in today's society have become so 'precious' (the presenter's choice of phrase) that we import navel oranges from California in our Summer when we have no shortage of valencia oranges grown locally. In taste testing sessions people have almost exclusively preferred the taste of the valencia oranges but they don't sell as well as the imported navel oranges... Why? Because navel oranges don't have pips. Because of pips! *facepalm*
3. Meat in our daily diet causes a strain on the sustainability of our food supply. Why? Because it takes some very large amount of grain to produce one kilo of meat - which is then often exported from Australia anyway adding a big fat, heavy carbon footprint.
   

It was interesting to think about how our daily choices of food make a difference. It made me consider the things I do (or have started doing recently) to lessen the impact of my household on the environment and to be more sustainable.

I buy my green groceries from our local farmers' market. The market boasts that it is the only one in our local area that restricts sellers to local producers or produced food only. I am not sure how true this is but I'm going with it. It is less distance for me to drive to than other local markets I previously tried out - a lower carbon footprint for me and the sellers.

I have a vegetable garden started (that is... a hole in our turf waiting for soil, mulch and seeds!) and plan to own chickens, both with the aim to be more self sufficient and sustainable.

I drink tap water both at home and at work. Bottled water is a no-no.

I have bought a worm farm - as yet empty of it's squiggly occupants, not yet bought, and plan to pick up a cheap compost bin from the council this week (yay Compost Awareness week!). I plan to use both of these, as ways to reduce the amount of household waste going to the tip and therefore landfill.