Archive for July, 2008
July 27th, 2008 -- Posted in Musings, garden, history |
Today was a sad day for me, and for many other Aussie gardeners, I’m sure.
Peter Cundall, the host of Gardening Australia since it began many, many years ago, has retired from the show. For many years I have watched GA, and been inspired by Pete’s enthusiasm for all things gardening. His passion is infectious, and I’ll miss my weekly dose of it.
One of the things I love best about his style of gardening is his relaxed attitude towards planting, pruning, and all other gardening tasks! He just makes everything so simple, and manages to allay the fear that I might be doing something wrong. There is so much you can learn about how to garden ‘properly’ - knowing your nutrients, soil composition, companion planting… etc. But when it comes down to is, all you really need to do is dig a hole, bung in the plant, and Bob’s yer uncle.
So, farewell Pete - I’ll miss you!
July 22nd, 2008 -- Posted in food, garden |
Okay, my mushroom kit is finally growing!
I followed the instructions on the box… which meant I didn’t open up the casing for a few weeks. I was supposed to wait until the compost turned white, but I got impatient!
So, I spread the casing over the compost, and preceded to spray it every day or two with water, as instructed. I have been spraying for weeks… and finally, some baby mushies are appearing!
I shall photograph and share with you all in the next few days. But I am really looking forward to some fresh mushrooms fried in butter. Mmmm. So unhealthy, but so tasty!
July 18th, 2008 -- Posted in photography |
Hi all!
Here is the latest in my photograph series. I love the backdrop of the blue sky, highlighting the silver/grey trunk and branches of this tree. And the time of day, as the sun was setting, gives it a lovely light/shadow contrast…
Enjoy 
Nick’s coming home this weekend - finally!!! So that, combined with a big family dinner tomorrow (which will take half a day to prepare - it is a traditional American roast meal, after all) and my general exhaustion after a mammoth week of work, will probably mean my posts will be a tad light on the ground for the next little while.
I’m still waiting in anticipation for my mushrooms to appear… among other things! A garden update is definitely on the cards.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
July 15th, 2008 -- Posted in Musings |
The last few weeks I have been keeping myself very busy. So busy, in fact, that I have been neglecting things like caring for the garden and making myself healthy meals from scratch. It’s got me thinking - what does it really mean to try to live a sustainable life?
I guess the sustainability and simple living movements get quite entwined. But there are no doubt many people who try to reduce their impact on the environment who still work high-stress jobs, and don’t live what most would call a ’simple’ life.
I, for example, don’t make my own clothes, or bake my own bread. I try to cook fresh food, but as often as not I’ll just grab something that is pre-prepared in some way - especially while I’ve been on my own. I get home from work at about 9pm, and it can be hard to motivate myself to cook a proper meal for just one person! My fall-back is often some low-GI bread and tinned soup, or an omelette with some frozen vegies and left-over meat thrown in!
Perhaps I’m trying to do too much at once
I really enjoy my online pursuits, and I am aiming to build a business of my own so that I can eventually work from home, support myself, and be able to devote more time to my home and garden. But it’s going to take a lot of work!
I’m thinking I need to conciously program some ‘relaxation’ time into my life - time where I just read a book, meditate, go for a walk, play with my cat. Because, while I’m trying to reduce my impact on the envrionment, I’m doing a pretty good job of heaping more and more upon myself!
So - what does sustainability mean to you? Do you come from a simple living perspective as well? And should we try to combine reducing our impact on the envrionment with a more relaxed and slower-paced life?
July 13th, 2008 -- Posted in Water Saving, garden |
Check out this video! John Patrick shows you how to build a garden that takes water straight off the roof… and it’s a really great idea. Lots of other videos to watch there, too…
A ‘Rain Garden’
July 13th, 2008 -- Posted in garden |
Due to the inordinate amount of time I’ve been spending online lately, I have to admit that I have been neglecting my garden.
I walk past it when I go out, and the little plants have seemed to be looking at me forlornly, wondering why I have been neglecting them.
Well, no more. I went for a nice long walk this afternoon, and when I got home I got stuck into the garden. I’ve now planted out a few of my cherry tomato seedlings into the big caged garden bed, as well as a whole lot of sugar snap pea seeds and my nasturtium, which had been starting to look a little sad in its pot.
It felt really good to be digging around in the dirt! It made me long for a place of my own, where I will be able to really get into it and make a proper garden in the ground. Pots are great, and my collection of potted plants has become somewhat mind-boggling… but it doesn’t compare to the ability to just dig in the ground and transform a piece of the earth.
So, my need to garden has been assuaged, for now…
P.S. Apologies if you had any trouble accessing the site yesterday - my host was doing maintenance.
July 12th, 2008 -- Posted in science snippets |
Biofuels have developed a bad name recently. As the food crisis seems to worsen, the wisdom of taking up great swathes of land to grow edible plants like corn - and then just turning them into fuel - is now seriously questioned.
Luckily, we ever-creative humans have come up with an alternative. Second-generation biofuels are being made from inedible plant material - both the ‘waste’ materials from food crops and crops gown on land not suitable for food.
A stumbling-block in the way of this new technology is the fact that it costs up to 50% more to make these fuels, as the need to extract the cellulose from the plant makes the process more complicated. The best way to do this, from current research, is to harness the power of nature - by taking micro-organisms and genetically modifying them to do the job for us. Some researchers suggest trialling the use of the gut bacteria from termites, which has been helping to break down wood for millennia! (NewScientist, Vol198 No2661).
So, things are looking up for the biofuels industry. Lets hope those brilliant researchers receive the funding and support they need to make it a viable reality in this time of rapidly-depleting oil stocks.
To read more about cellulosic ethanol, check out the Wikipedia article here.
July 11th, 2008 -- Posted in Uncategorized |
What would it take to re-model a normal suburban home into a sustainable eco-home?
That’s what this new page is dedicated to exploring. I am going to be researching all of the modifications that can be made to a regular home - and detailing them here - complete with products, pricing, and discussion.
Why? For two reasons. One - I want to undertake this project myself when I buy my own home, so why not do the research now, so that I’m ready to go when that time comes? Two - to share what I find with others and become a useful resource for others who want to do the same!
I’d love for you to get involved! How? By telling us what you would want in your dream sustainable home, and telling us about the changes you have made, how they have worked, and how much they cost/save!
Check back regularly for updates - this is an ongoing project, folks!
The Ideal Sustainable Suburban Home
To begin… our list of desirable modifications…
- Solar Hot Water
- Solar Power
- Tanks
- Greywater System
- Toilet-top Sink
- Compost Chute? (is there such a thing…
- Insulation
- Contained Fireplace
- Eco Light Bulbs
Keep updated on the page I’ve created!!
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