Wattle Day - September 1

Along the back fence are growing tall wattle trees. The bane of our lives once the seed pods begin to fall later in summer – and the tiny twigs and leaves are a constant problem in the filter which cleans the pool. The seeds spread everywhere – even between the paving tiles and tiny cracks wherever they can squeeze, only to sprout in abundance all through the year. They were planted by the water utility people after they reclaimed the land at the back of our place. They grow very tall, at least 30 to 35 feet, are not a particularly stable tree and only last perhaps up to 10 years before they topple over, they are a positive pain in the butt!

So why are they planted in the first place? Well I guess mainly because they grow quickly, and to boot, their yellow fluffy flower balls have become the national flower of Australia. It’s adoption as the national flower appears to be confirmed by its introduction into the design of the Australian armorial bearings in 1912. Although its popularity was evident for much of the 20th century, it wasn’t until 1988, the year of Australia’s bicentenary, that it was proclaimed as the national floral emblem. Wattles are always associated here with the coming of Spring and in 1992, the 1 September was formally declared ‘National Wattle Day.’

Australians representing their country in international sporting events usually wear the national colours of green and gold which is said to be based on wattle foliage and flower colour and they are also seen as being symbolic of Australia.

But despite it being 1st of September and therefore Wattle Day here ‘downunder,’ I was just thinking, it will be a great day in my back yard when these particular trees succumb to a really strong wind and turn their roots up towards the heavens!

It seemed like a good idea at the time – and it was!

It’s finished! I guess it hasn’t really taken that long when I look back. Probably about 3 weeks with a few rows done here and there. I’m happy with the way it’s turned out. To think that when I began it, I didn’t have any idea how it would finish.

I used 4 ply yarn and size 3mm knitting needles and cast on 3 stitches to begin. Increasing one stitch at the beginning of each row, I knitted stocking stitch until there were 300 stitches on the needle. Then I started decreasing 1 stitch at the beginning of each row until 3 remained. The little edging caused by the increasing and decreasing was quite acceptable and many would probably have left this baby blanket like that but I decided to finish it off with 3 rows of crochet stitching. The first 2 rows of just double crochet (I think in the US it may be known as single) and the 3rd rows I made a kind of fan by making 6 double crochet into one stitch, missing 2 dc and joining the ‘fan into the next. I think it has given the blanket a kind of ‘new baby’ look about it.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with it yet but since our family have all planned for no more babies, I might just put it away in a ‘hope drawer’ for the first great-grandbub! Oh yes, I realise it might be a good few years yet before that happens, but I was just thinking… maybe I mightn’t be capable of making a baby blanket by then!

The Lemon Tree

It was planted to fill a space where a kids play house had been removed. The previous owners of our house had built it and their kids had enjoyed many hours of pleasure playing in it – so had their dog. It was rotting by the time we purchased the house and decided it had to go. There was an area underneath the little house, which was also well used by the dog! We found an assortment of ‘stuff’ buried as well as several places which had been ‘rolled in’ constantly. Not sure what to do with it, I purchased a lemon tree. Well it seemed they grow pretty well anywhere, and take pretty harsh treatment, including being ‘watered’ on by humans who, in some areas of the outback, use their lemon trees as the ‘outside loo’ (or so I’ve been told).

So a lemon tree was planted. Can’t even remember the kind it was now but it wasn’t long after, that we decided to move overseas for three years. Our house was placed on the rental market and in moved a family with four kids – and their dog. When we too up residence in our house again after returning ‘downunder’ the lemon tree was still growing – but it had grown rather tall and gangly and seemed to be sulking and not producing anything much in the way of fruit. Not what I’d call a marvellous specimen of the citrus variety! I’ve heard that if you have a tree that isn’t growing well despite all the care you can give, just lean an axe up against the trunk and it will begin to do well out of fright! Well I think I went one better and decided to ‘do the deed’ The hedge clippers came out and I lopped furiously. It seemed to stop it’s sulking within a few weeks and began to produce lovely new leaves. The tree is about 11 years old now and I’ve kept it trimmed across the top. The trunk has grown thick and sturdy and the lemons, although still not the greatest, at least give quite a reasonable amount of juice. I don’t know how long lemon trees live? If anyone knows maybe they could let me have the info. (thanks)!

I was just thinking… when it comes to gardening, my thumb is definitely not even a dull green but if chopping the top off the lemon tree has encouraged it to grow and produce, maybe I could just get the hedge clippers out and lean them up against that tiboucina shrub that seems to be having a sulk!

Wild birds

Having a built in ‘outdoor-not-enclosed-aviary’ in my back yard has given me hours of watching pleasure over the past few years and I had determined that I wasn’t going to be boring and blog about them but I can’t resist. I seem to learn something new each time these little birds visit and these small creatures amaze me at times. Sydney is well known for having masses of parrots of different kinds which inhabit anywhere there are areas of bush or large trees. Because we are right on the edge of a treed neighbourhood, they have not come here in large numbers however we do have a few Lorikeets who turn up for water or bread when the weather is very hot and food is scarce. Last summer we had about a dozen who came almost every day to share the bread scraps I threw out and to cool down in the water I left out for them.

Once autumn made an appearance the visits of the main bunch got less, but two persisted and became quite tame, perching themselves up on the shade sail and peering down, chirping and calling, even coming right up to the kitchen window to let us know they were ‘waiting’ on their handout.

These two have continued to come right through the winter – I presumed they had nested somewhere close by. One day they brought their babies to feed on the bread and honey I’d placed out for them. Wheezily sqwarking, they were identical to their parents except for very dark coloured beaks instead of the vibrant red of mum and dad. Very wary at first, they became regulars most days flying down and even perching outside the window on a box of wood I had kept there to feed the wood fire on these cold days. They’d been coming for weeks when one day I heard loud screeches eminating from one bird a few yards away from 3 already feeding at the bread. I was more than surprised to see it was ‘Father Bird’ keeping one of the youngsters at bay. He was literally being frightened away from the family. This behaviour continued for a number of days until the baby didn’t come at all. In the past week, baby number 2, who had been kept with the family, has been attending the ‘feed in’ less and less, but lovey-dovey Father Bird has been making moves towards Mother Bird – it is coming up Spring in our part of the world after all. Obviously Father Bird had inbuilt knowledge of this information and in shooing the male youngster away from the family group, has ensured himself to be the only suitor in his family. I understand these colourful little creatures mate for life so every possibility that he and his ‘Mrs’ will be back in a few months time with another generation of babies. Hopefully in a few months time, the ‘grown up and outed’ baby may turn up with his new ‘family.’ I’ll be watching for the new arrivals!

It seemed like a good idea at the time continued

The knitted square (I can now see it will be a square) is going well. I’m into the last corner and on the homeward stretch. Two more balls of yarn purchased (making seven so far) – it will definitely be OK for a baby!

Beautiful Saturday

Woke early today and it was so warm. Here ‘downunder’ we are still officially in our winter with Spring traditionally being ’sprung’ on 1st September. This winter has been particularly cold for some reason - or is it that I’m just getting older and feeling it more? Well whichever - today was unseasonably warm with the top temperature predicted to be 25 (about 76F) The washing (laundry) went out on to the clothes line super quick in brilliant sunshine - even had to come indoors and take off the jacket I was wearing, having put it on to brace myself for the coolness I expected, despite the outdoor thermometer showing it wasn’t and because it-can’t-possibly-be-that-warm-at this time of the year!
Well it was that warm! And the temperature even got to the predicted 25 degrees, despite the really strong wind which blew the washing dry in no time. How good to be able to bring it indoors after it being on the clothes line for only a few hours and have it dry enough to fold and put away without it going through the dryer to ‘finish it off.’ I even got to finish a long overdue painting job (in the house woodwork kind of painting) before fixing lunch, and finished off the afternoon having coffee with a friend, making a tuna casserole for tomorrow’s ‘pot luck’ at church and prepared our pizza for a nice quick laid-back, casual Saturday night dinner.
Altogether a great day, plenty of blessings, lots to be thankful for - Thank You Lord!

It seemed like a good idea at the time

I had a couple of balls of knitting yarn which had been in my stash for a while so on the spur of the moment, in a weak moment, I decided to start knitting squares which would eventually be pieced together to make a baby blanket. (Not for anyone in particular you understand – just for something to keep my fingers busy). I began by casting on 3 stitches and increased at the end of every second row intending to stop when the square became about 6 inches across. I had made some squares a couple of years ago in this manner resulting in a reasonable knee rug from the squares I eventually completed. Once I had a couple of squares finished I thought I’d see whether to add different colours to them to make them more interesting and appealing. After knitting up to about the 6 inch across mark I thought I’d just keep going, adding the two stitches each couple of rows and see how far I got with the yarn I had. After using the two balls I already had, I now felt committed to the task and went out and purchased 3 more balls – that should do it! After increasing stitches until I could hardly hold the needles to knit, I got to 300 stitches in one row. “That’s it”, I thought! I need to call a halt to this madness!

I’ve now used nearly 5 balls of yarn and am at least on the homeward stretch by decreasing 2 stitches at the end of each second row. I still have no idea what size this ‘blanket’ will be on completion – it may never be big enough for a baby – but maybe somebody’s doll – or pet?? I’ve committed to it now so I’ll just have to keep going and finish – but for now, I need to go and buy more yarn! Shops, here I come!

Tub Gardening

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to visit family in the United States. Even though the weather was chilly, we still ate plenty of salads. Amongst the greens was baby spinach leaves which I had seen before but never actually acquired a taste for. I am a real ‘greens’ person and so I relished this ‘new’ taste treat. On arriving home I found my local supermarket had begun stocking cellophane packs of these but I felt the price was rather exhorbitant. I did purchase some and the pack was gone in no time over the next few days. Not to be outdone by the expense from the produce shelf, I found an old tub which had housed many different plants over the past few years, including geraniums, and filled it with fresh potting soil and manure and purchased a few seedling plants for the same price of a bag of the greens. They took off in no time, even though our weather by this time was quite cold. I’ve now planted a few seeds around the edge of the tub and although a different variety, they too are becoming little producers. I’ve never really had any success with vegetable gardening, mainly because I’ve never had the space or correct soil – oh, except for one time I did try to grow potatoes in a black plastic bag – but that’s another story – however, I now really feel I’d like to have a go at growing some of the other vegies that we use frequently. Guess I’ll never get the opportunity though, unless I grow them in tubs, as there really isn’t any place in our yard which would convert easily. Not unless I empty out the pool and convert that! Now there’s a thought! Shame we don’t have those lovely English ‘allotments’ here. That’d be the ticker!

Quilt Stash

It's ages since I quilted anything - I have a pile of fabrics which I've stashed away, some for years, intending to use sometime. I am an impulse buyer when it comes to quilting! I see something I like and have great plans to do something with it then eventually don't ever find just the right thing that matched the colour or pattern - or I find something that is just perfect but not the right size. It doesn't take long before my stash of bits and pieces has built up with all sorts of mismatched yardage!

I really feel I must do something with it all - even if it's a small project - just to use up all the bits I've gathered over the years. Either that - or I'll have to bundle it all up and take it to the op shop and ease my conscience - at least that way someone may get to use it and the charity makes a few cents out of it. Hmm... will give it a little more thought over the next few days and see whether I get a surge of inspiration at long last. Once I've dealt with my stash of fabrics, maybe I can have a go at my knitting yarn pile, oh and also my cross stitch bits and bobs! Then I'll concentrate more on my scrapbooking! Ho hum - decisions, decisions!

Can I really keep this up?

So long since I posted! So much water under the bridge of my life. Well they say try, try, try again so I'll give it another go. Wonder how long I can keep it going this time.