Absolutely terrifying......

This is the storm we are just getting over!  It rolled in about 5pm here yesterday, power has been out since then, came back on 25 hours later. The sky turned pitch black and then blood red.....almost biblical in effects!

Never in the 50 years that I have lived in this region have I ever seen anything like it!

Winds were well over the 100km's an hour, and the dust?....you had to see it to believe it, I am still trying to get it all out, it covered absolutely everything....and that was with every window closed...

Our side fence metal posts have been bent over so the fence is on a lean, we lost 3 sheets of tin from our double storey workshops and the flame tree in the very back of the yard split in half, other than that we were very lucky, others fared much worse poor things.

Massive trees just like this one looked as though they had just been effortlessly plucked from the ground, and they were everywhere.

Most Aussies would know what trees I am talking about when I call them "Widowmakers"...the ghost gums. Never, I mean NEVER plant one of those on your property unless it is miles away from any buildings, those things snap limbs off whenever they choose, and believe me, after my drive around our community today I am betting we see nearly all of them removed. I lost count of how many were on top of houses!

The power came back on about 6pm today thank heavens, it was so humid I spent the day spritzing myself every 5 minutes, I truly don't cope well with heat and spent most of last night sitting outside in the dark just to try and find some breeze....remember, no power=no aircon!

When the power went down we covered our freezer with a large heavy blanket, after 25 hours I am pleased to say all we lost was the icecream and some ice. One thing I had forgotten was to have at least 8 litres of ice ready to put into the fridge to keep it cool, however because we didn't open it everything survived there too.

And as the power returned, life settled back into routine.........and I thought about Queensland and their floods and how easy we had just got off, how relatively minor we had suffered in comparison....

I hope your weekends were a little less eventful :)

And time marches on......

Good grief time can fly can't it?  Time here has been taken with family, work and the dreaded renovations, gardening has come a sorry last for the last couple of months sadly.

The bathroom renos are underway, everything has been ripped out, floor sorted, new shower unit put in, now I am waiting for the flooring ppl to come put the floor covering down. Hubby has to complete the walling where the old shower was removed, then the plumbers back to put in the pedestal handbasin and the loo..........only then can I get the cabinet maker in to put in a room length vanity unit....after that the painter!

To top it all off, with all these tradeys running around we have had roof leaks that we haven't had before. Upon getting a few to check we have had each of them say the same thing, the old cement tiles have had it, as has all the cement etc up there............there goes $19,000.00!

On the bright side, by the time I retire there will be nothing left to do on the house and I can sit back and relax a little LOL

The heat here is just horrid. Friday they are forecasting 44C.....ugh!! Thankfully I am on long service leave that day, you can bet it's garden at 5am and hibernation from 9am onwards!

The yellow cherry guavas have got the most enormous crops on them, if you haven't tried them, buy a plant, they don't mind light frosts and are very drought hardy........and the taste is delicious:)

My mango finally bit the dust. That horrendous run of 19 frosts last winter was just too much, no matter how much I nursed it it did not help. I will try another though, only this time in winter the shadecloth will come out!

The white sapote is going crazy, the black ones are doing it a little tough, will be interesting to see how they all end up.

The variety of berries are slowly taking off, there is a mix of boysenberries, youngberries, elderberries, silvanberries etc, they will eventually cover the fence on one side of the property.

The dragonfruits, both pink & yellow are also beginning to throw some wonderful growth.

We are training these over one side of the shed, not only will it look lovely it will cool the shed too.

Five red panama passionfruit are beginning to trail across the fenceline on the other side of the yard, this will not only provide us with a little more privacy (not that I mind really, we have a lovely couple next door) but will also provide more shade to the garden bed.........and in this heat you can bet it's needed lol.

The four grapevines are also putting on a display of grapes, albeit a limited crop as they are only a couple of years old. The birds have already found them of course, I am trying to decide if I should bag or net........any thoughts?

The strawberries were burning so badly that I have had to cover them with shadecloth, this of course has reduced the fruiting to some degree, however, given they are only new plants I would rather they grow and send out runners (which they are doing) for next year, by then we will have a permanent, lighter shade cover over that area.

I am hoping to get some amaranth in this weekend, I just love that grain, especially toasted (it pops like corn only the grain is miniscule), leaves a soft nutty taste, try it over your salads.....scrumptious, brilliant in almost any dish you can think of!

Well, that's it from me tonight, age must be creeping up, 10pm and I am ready for bed and a book lol.

Take care of you and yours:)

Rain Water.......

I simply adore the sound of the pitter-patter of rain on any hard surface. That water flowing down the gutters and into the storm drain is a valuable resource.

We not only depend on water, we also pay for it. So, why not put that rainwater to use?

A few posts ago I spoke of our receiving just a little rain, a blessing considering we are in drought mode. It got me thinking about my comment that plants tend to thrive so much better on rainwater...........why?

My research shows a few considerations. Rain may contain a variety of nutrients: phosphorus, sulfur, ammonium, nitrate, even metals like iron and manganese.

Fresh normal rainwater is naturally mildly acidic, because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and makes a weak carbonic acid solution.

My understanding is that the acidity of rain varies quite a bit, depending on the season as well as geography, but it is always at least mildly acidic.

Electric charges from thunderstorms also dissolve a small amount of nitrogen into the rainwater in the form of nitrates

Most plants are better able to take up nutrients when the pH is between 6.0-7.2, so it does seem logical that when you've got fresh rain saturated soils, the plants are able to take up more nitrogen and other nutrients than they are when watered with tap water.

The other factor that makes rainwater different from tap water is the hardness, which is a measurement of minerals in the water.

Rain is "soft" water, in that there are no minerals deposited in it, while the ground water from rivers, lakes and reservoirs that becomes our tap water absorbs some of the calcium and magnesium in our soils, and is "hard" water.

These calcium deposits raise the pH (making our soil more alkaline), which makes it harder for the plants to take up certain nutrients.

In addition, rainwater doesn't contain chlorine, fluoride and other salts that have been added to tap water.

These added chemicals affect the soil flora which have an effect on soil fertility.

Nearly any homeowner can collect rainwater, since the roof and gutters do most of the work.

Furthermore, they can harvest huge volumes. An inch of rain, falling on a 2,000-square-foot roof, produces 1,200 gallons of runoff, which is enough to supply a family of four for about two weeks.

Assuming homeowners are allowed to collect it, there are a slew of benefits that come with the purity of rainwater.

Plants prefer it, especially if tap water has been treated with softening salts, which dampen plant growth.

The lack of minerals in rainwater make it more effective for washing hair or doing the dishes.

Furthermore, reducing or eliminating mineral deposits in pipes and water heaters can extend their life, requiring less maintenance and associated costs.

Using rainwater has obvious budgetary benefits, but there are reasons to do it besides putting a dent in the water bill.

With countries around the world anticipating water shortages within the next five years, this may become an attractive option for many

In some places, collecting rainwater is a crime.

Colorado and other western states in America have water rights dating back to the 1800s that give priority to decades-old properties for water access.

Under these restrictions, any captured rainwater is considered stolen from those who own the waterways into which that water would have flowed had it not been collected. Who would believe they would still allow such a moronic law to exist in an age where the lack of water for ever burgeoning populations is a constant threat
 
Resolution? Get as many water collectors (rain water tanks) around your home as you can, use them with soaker hoses, solar pumps etc. Build swales where you can hold the water for longer periods, allowing it to spread deeper across your land.
 
Don't waste a drop.....

WE ARE ALL CITIZENS OF A PROFOUNDLY DISTURBED PLANET..

This video, full of simple home truths is well worth watching. It very clearly explains we are well past the "fix-it" stage and suggests a way forward that is simple, managable but to my mind not enough........see what you think....

Holiday Activities....

It was wonderful to take some time off over the Christmas/New Year period. I got stuck into the garden..albeit in the early hours of the mornings, the days have been scorchers!

The first area to be cleaned up was around the dragonfruits. The border had come adrift in some places, some cement and a hubby later and all ready to have a fresh layer of composting materials.

The herb garden was the next job. I pulled out all the herbs that were finished, saving seed as I went. The soil had a great load of chook manure spread over it and some mulched branches from a host of various trees I had been pruning.

I picked the last of the onions and leeks, keeping enough fresh for the week and dehydrated the rest, the same with the last of the silverbeet. Seed saving was done with those too.

The welsh onions are getting ready to harvest, I love those things! Grow some Welsh onions and you need never be without an onion. This non-bulbous perennial, the so-called everlasting onion, keeps on increasing. So long as the whole clump isn’t gathered, the few remaining onions will continue to produce more stems. Each clump looks something like a bunch of spring onions about 12 ins in height

Bunching or multiplier onions (also called green onion, Welsh onion, Japanese onion and scallions) produce continuous clusters of small pearl type onions. To grow them from seed, plant in late winter to early spring for an early summer harvest, and in fall for late winter, early spring harvest. Sets should be planted in the fall. Once you have established some clumps, simply harvest as needed

Onions will store better if they are dried for several days outdoors, away from direct sunlight. Leave tops on bulbs during drying. After drying, cut tops within an inch of bulb.

Fresh sweet onions can be stored for several weeks in a cool, dark place. They can be stored in the refrigerator, but do not put them in plastic bags. This will inhibit air circulation.

Storage onions should be dried for a longer period of 10 to 14 days. After cured, the tops can be removed and onions stored in mesh bags, or dried tops can be braided into a string of onions. Depending on the variety, storage onions will remain firm and flavorful if kept in a cool, dry place (32 to 45°F) for 3 to 6 months or more.



The pond is becoming more productive, check out the size of the bullrushes above! Water lilies are edible a number of different ways as a cooked vegetable, the seeds can be ground into flour, the buds can be cooked, and as a cooked green in soup.

The roots of some varieties when they are released from the mud at the bottom of a pond float to the surface and can be eaten like potatoes.

The marron (fresh water crayfish) are growing steadily, we won't be eating them though for a couple of years to allow them to build in numbers.

We have kingfishers, magpies, doves, 28's (parrots) and all sorts of other birds visting the pond, some to sit under one of the waterfalls, the kingfishers to steal the minnows and water scorpions and yet others such as the cranes from the river to wade and see what they can garnish!

 I hope the New Year ahead brings each of you all you need along with much happiness:)

FOOD STORAGE IS MADNESS?

I don't think so! For those of us who homestead, and that of course includes having storage.......we will be miles in front. Why? Let me tell you with this article in todays local news.......

Western Australian consumers can expect to pay much higher prices for fruit and vegetables in the coming months due to the floods in Queensland and Carnarvon.
Flooding has destroyed crops in three key food growing regions of Queensland and John Cummings from the National Association of Retail Grocers says WA growers will struggle to meet national demand.

Mr Cummings says pumpkin prices have more than doubled this week and he is expecting more pressure on the prices of other fruit and vegetables.

"Local tomatoes will be travelling over to Queensland so if we want to buy local tomatoes we've got to pay more for it because they can get a higher price in the eastern states," he said.

Prices for mangoes, bananas, tomatoes and capsicums are expected to cost four times their normal price within days.

Mr Cummings expects the prices to remain high for months while farmers come to grips with the damage.

"It's a 10 to 20 billion dollar industry that we're talking about here and a big section of that has been wiped out. (source)

Now admittedly my fruits and veggies are home dried, purchased & stored or home canned, but it does mean I won't go without or pay a ludicrous price because of the old "supply & demand" law.
 
Yet another example of why it pays to play the ant and not the grasshopper:)

PEAK OIL? THINK PEAK WATER...........

If you think peak oil is going to be a problem, then there's an even bigger one facing us in many regions of Aussie............Peak Water!

2010 hottest and second driest for Perth

The city recorded 503 mm of rain in 2010, well below the average of 868. The Water Corporation says WA's dam levels are very low.  About 13-billion litres of water flowed into the state's dams in 2010, compared to 100-billion litres in past years.
The corporation's Clair Lugar says it is the worst it has been since 1913.
"Dam levels at the moment are at around 30 per cent full. So they are about 110 billion litres of water less in them then we had at this same day last year," she said.

Nadine Baillard from the weather bureau says temperatures also soared.
"That was an average of just over 25 degrees and that ranges from a hot 42.9 to a cool 13.3 over the year," she said.
credit: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/31/3104550.htm

State Agriculture Minister Terry Redman says the state's grain sector is losing $250 million a week because of a lack of rainfall.

The Wheatbelt has a Mediterranean climate characterised by hot dry summers and cool wet winters. The western part of the Wheatbelt is generally wetter than the eastern Wheatbelt.

In the south-west of the state, climate changes include an increase of average temperature by 0.8 oC since 1910, with temperature increases, and a decrease in the average daily range. Rainfall in the south-west has decreased by 10-20 per cent since 1975.

A predicted drying of the eastern Wheatbelt will heighten the importance of cereal producing areas in the west of the region, which are also under the greatest pressure to accommodate non-agricultural land uses. In particular, the shires of Toodyay, Northam, York and Wandering may come under pressure for further non-agricultural land use.

I remember as a child in winter it would rain at least 3 times a week in this region, if not daily. We had crazy summer storms that brought heavy rain.......I haven't seen weather like that for years.

The importance of recycling every drop of water we can and placing  rainwater tanks onto our properties cannot be stressed enough, at least that way we have some control over our pottable water in the future.

And the New Year is upon us. I wish an amazing year ahead for each and every one of you, may it bring all you need with lots of joy:)


The year ahead for me is going to be simpler and slower. More time in the garden and more time with friends and family...........can't get much simpler than that:)