Flotsam Jetsam

Cleaning out my art studio after it flooded last Sunday. Blocked drain allowed the water to rise 10cm high, so grateful to Nnif for saving it all while I was interstate at a dear friend's wedding!

Happiness is a Baby Chicken (or two!)

Was driving back from a 3 day camping holiday at Wivenhoe Dam when I noticed the Sunday markets were on in a cute little town called Ferndale.

There was a amicable fella with a box cage of white n black chicks & pullets standing near the entrance. Well, not being able to resist baby chooks and already having discussed getting some with my partner, I figured I should take a closer look.

Said chap was selling his chickens unsexed for only $5 each. They were Light Sussex and as much as I wanted Wyndottes or Barnevelders, once I heard their chirps and hung with thenn for a moment, I couldn't resist.

I noticed one tiny chick in particular running from side to side with a lime green caterpillar. How she managed to find & eat that in a cage brimming with other hungry mouths showed great skill & tenacity, so I reached in and grabbed her. Another young chick who had more black feathers than its brethren was also popped in my box.

I was bursting with all the joy of a child being granted a new pet! Peep-peep-peep!

Water, Consciousness & Intent: Dr. Masaru Emoto

Soap Berries

Have just had my first experience with Soap Berries. While staying at a friend's in Melbourne, I was keen to wash, and was told to use this little bag of berries! The only difference being that I needed to soak them in warm-hot water for 5 mins before throwing them into the wash with everything else...

Hmmmm... sounds ok, but what about the rinse cycle?
Will the soap stay in the clothes?

This article (here) relieved my concerns, saying that a rinse cycle commonly uses cold water in which the soap is more inert. But as a cold water washer, does that mean the cold water won't work with them? This was suggested:

"The most typical method for cold water washes with soap nuts used traditionally is simply to concoct a soap nut "tea"... If you are using a top-loader just pour the tea and bag right into the basin. If you are using a front-loader, toss the bag in with your laundry and pour the tea into the liquid detergent compartment(s). This should work just fine, and it only takes a couple extra minutes to make the tea."

Will check it out when I get home!

Our garden

A few of our current harvests, the first round of roma tomatoes, chillies and green beans.

beagle bark

Had a lovely ride today down along the hidden valley beside the freeway to the edge of the Arnwood Place, crossing over at our favourite 'turtle park' bridge. Looking down we saw a large turtle seemingly kissing another in the water!
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Riding a little further around to Willis St, we came across a free bounty of yummy loquats, near a mulberry tree that we'd found previously that has the biggest berries I've ever had the pleasure of eating...

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loquat |ˈlōˌkwät
[ORIGIN early 19th cent.: from Chinese dialect luh kwat ‘rush orange.’] Eriobotrya japonica, family Rosaceae.
1. a small yellow egg-shaped acidic fruit.
2. the evergreen eastern Asian tree of the rose family that bears this fruit, cultivated in subtropical regions both for its fruit and as an ornamental. 

Organic Bush Lemon Cordial

Nnif just made the best organic bush lemon cordial ever! 
10 litres from 24 lemons - that's more than 2 per bottle right?

I made him this label to put on the bottles:

fast-moving feathered eggs with legs

I pushed my bike as Nnif and I made our way home from the dog park, in the fading light of day. All of a sudden we see a mother duck and a HUGE number of fledglings waddling en masse towards us along the footpath!

The ducklings were moving so quickly to keep up with mum, they were hard to count, but we think there were about 12! I'd never seen so many ducklings move together like that before! And yet, here they were - maybe only a day old - heading in a beeline for the dog park, where we had just seen dogs running unrestrained outside the enclosure. Flanked by the peak hour traffic,  whizzing by only metres away, it looked like an accident waiting to happen...

We decided to intervene and divert them down the quieter street which would take them towards the creek. They didn't seem to mind, and we herded/followed them excitedly. Along the way another dog approached, sniffing them out and attempting a closer inspection, but Nnif swiftly cut it off while I kept them moving.

At the next bend, on a busier strip, I walked along the curb with my bike between them and the oblivious traffic. Nearing the safety of the final block an iPodded jogger almost ran straight into them, just stopping before planting her foot right on top of them! She popped out her earphones, with a look that said, "What the ?"

At this point a few of the ducklings got confused and started lagging, one almost jumping out onto the road. Nnif & I stepped in and almost touched it, gently guiding it back towards the safety of it's mum, it's startled chirps beckoning her. And then we were off again, fluff-balls with furiously fast little legs travelling along the pavement like a huge morphing caterpillar...

We reached the park and off they went, travelling up along the creek bed under the cover of night. Wow - what an adventure! We returned home feeling a blissful awe at being able to enjoy the experience...

Food Fraud

It constantly amazes me how the food companies in this country get away with major fraud every day.

It seems that MSG and other ingredients are now no longer classified as flavouring or colouring.

Everybody's doing it...

Amazing how people seem to think they're invisible to others when they are driving their cars. Perhaps this is why people behave so badly on the roads, thinking they are somehow protected from the scrutiny of others, hiding behind their armours of metal and glass.

While I was waiting for the lights to go green, I watched in my rear-view as a young man pulled up behind me in his hotted up car. While sitting there behind me, obviously oblivious to observation, he poked his finger into his nostril... and then placed whatever he'd found up there straight into his mouth.

Not so cool now, matey! Eugh!!