long-toothed hinterland dweller

A town painted red

I am visiting my old home town in South Australia, the place 'Where the Outback Meets the Sea'.  Visits always make me nostalgic because it's where I spent my entire childhood - and where my immediate family members have remained.

This visit, I was surprised to find myself looking at many familiar landmarks through rose-tinted glasses.  Since I was last here, many buildings in the old section of the town have changed their colour into a pretty shade of PINK! 

This is the facade of the Civic Building showing pink streaks from the iron ore powder which drifts across the city every day.  It comes from the loads of ore that are trucked in by road and rail from mines in the hinterland.

Roads, gutters, pavements and walls - they're all slowly becoming red toned as well.

The once blue window sills on the closed hotel opposite the court-house haven't been dusted in quite a while ...

It is easy to understand why red is the colour of choice for any new roof...

Paint anything brick red and you're one jump ahead!

That's no doubt why the formerly white-painted court house has been re-decorated of late.

On the foreshore this toilet block has a section of fresh new brick-work on the left - in clear contrast with the stained sections on either side.

Bushland adjacent to the industrial centre has become a dusky pink too.

This is a patch of salt-bush that would usually be grey.

I rather think that a clothes-line full of 'Persil white' washing might be a thing of the past.

No wonder that a growing number of local citizens are beginning to see red!

Modern-day Bo-Peeps

I went for my usual hair-cut today.  My trendy young hairdresser (but not too young or trendy I hasten to add) has long ago stopped suggesting I try something dramatic - or even different.

'Just the usual tidy-up, Jude?' she said, as I plonked myself in the chair.

As always, I had flicked through a couple of hairstyle magazines while I was waiting.  The magazines lying around in this salon are bursting with ideas to suit those aspiring to ultra-chicness.  Not me I'm afraid.

If there's one thing I can't handle it's hair in my eyes!  Not even a whisp of it.  The majority of the young things photographed in the English magazines I looked at had daring looking, cleverly cut fringes.  Yes, these weren't your ordinary, every-day fringes; they either covered one eye completely, or partially covered both eyes.

How ever do these girls manage to read ... or hang out the washing ... or drive their cars - with their vision so seriously impeded? 

How do they manage to go about their business seemingly oblivious to the itches and tickles ... the sheer distraction of having eyes full of hair?

My hairdresser gave a knowing smile but offered no answer.  But I notice that she wears her long tresses tightly bundled in a knot on top.

So you will realise by now that is not my new hairstyle, above.  Maybe similar in colour and length, but definitely without the hint of Mata Hari. 

Nor was I tempted to emulate Cleopatra, here on the right.  She wouldn't find it easy to locate her flock of missing sheep!

I'm just very glad that when you're sixty you can happily opt for comfort and convenience every time.

Mango mania

Every year in October the Brisbane Fruit and Vegetable Market hosts a unique event - the annual charity auction of the first tray of mangoes for the season.  Last year's winning bid was $35,000.  Not bad for something that usually wholesales for around $24!

Mangoes are a real Queensland thing - in fact the backyard mango tree was recently listed as one of the top ten icons of Queensland.

This is our tree, currently in full flower and with the promise (perhaps) of a real feast at Christmas.  I say 'perhaps', because in seven years it has so far never provided us with a single fruit we could enjoy.

I have to admit this is the one tree in our garden that we have totally neglected.  A stunted specimen that had been planted before our coming - behind the garage in indifferent soil right on the boundary of our property (that's the neighbour's garden shed right behind) - it has always remained out of sight and out of mind.  Too hard to water and not worth the bother of fertilising.

So I was surprised last year to see it had set a handful of reasonable fruit.

From time to time I checked on their progress.  Apparently our resident possum had been doing the same, because eventually all but one had disappeared.  When I visited again, hoping that it may be ripe, I found this freshly chewed stone lying under the tree.

If a decent crop sets this year it may be worth netting the tree, because even if the possum doesn't finish them off, it is very possible that the roving flocks of fruit bats could take a fancy to them.

I had never tasted a mango until I was in my twenties, and then I wasn't at all impressed.  Someone had once remarked that they have an after-taste of kerosene and I had to agree.  I also knew a couple of people who were highly allergic to the fruit (I have read that as many as one in fifty people may be allergic to mangoes) and that too, put me off.  But many years later when two of my children developed a passion for the fruit, I tried one again - and was pleasantly surprised. 

Now I am hooked. 

Back yard musings

One of the advantages of having a good-sized back yard is being able to make a bonfire to burn off any woody garden rubbish. 

In recent years many urban councils have banned back yard fires - even the use of incinerators - but here we are still lucky enough to be able to light open fires in our back yard.   (This is, of course, excepting in the exceptionally hot and dry summer-time when fire bans are in place.)

With a number of mature eucalypts and other native trees on our block and the adjoining land, we have a never-ending supply of dead branches and heavy woody prunings to dispose of. 

This bonfire is ready to go, but it's too windy to risk lighting a fire today.  In the photo you can see the results of the last fire that got away - the burnt trunk on the melaleuca behind the wheel-barrow.  That was quite a heart-stopping event as I was in the garden alone and needed to fetch a couple of long hoses to bring water from the house in a hurry.  Most of the leaves in the bush around here are highly flammable and this patch of bush could have gone up within minutes.  Our use of dry sugar-cane tops as mulch adds to the risk, as this material is also highly combustible.

But, despite the risk, I must say it is satisfying to be able to stand out the back and poke at a bonfire - and then later scoop up all the cold ash to use as needed on plants.

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While talking of back yards ... I've just finished reading a fascinating new book called Australia's Quarter Acre, by Tasmanian, Peter Timms.  He traces the history of the Aussie house block and its changing use over the years.  Every reader will recognise some of the iconic features he recalls from yards in the past.

The author looks at different attitudes towards weeds and weeding: To the Romantic, weeds are a symbol of wildness and freedom.... To those of a practical bent ... they suggest disorder and decline - the triumph of wild nature over culture - which makes eradicating them a civilising mission. 

He finds weeding his own garden a meditative and immensely satisfying task.  But he draws attention to the more serious environmental weed problem and urges all gardeners to be responsible about disposing of unwanted plant material, and not allowing exotic species to escape into the bush.

Perhaps I should I be eradicating this healthy clump of mother-in-law tongues growing just outside our star picket back fence!

They must have been planted in our garden in the past, and now, having jumped the fence, they are happily established among several of the other more conventional 'weeds'.

With single plants just the same as these selling in the local nursery for around $15, perhaps I could be digging them up potting them for gifts or for sale.

Looking ahead

We took a deep breath and planted a Jakfruit in our front garden this week.  As with many of the other trees we are planting, it's rather a long-term view for 60 and 70-yr olds to be taking.  And particularly ambitious regarding this tree, which is going to be a monster.

Our tree has been given a very good start in life; firstly a large hole was dug and filled with all kinds of goodies for the roots to feast on, then the top was pruned to a single strong trunk and tethered to a pair of light stakes.  A liberal covering of mulch went on all around.  Already it's grown two new, pale green leaves!

The Jakfruit or Jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia, A heterophyllus) can grow to be enormous - up to 75 feet - and it bears the largest fruit of any tree, each one weighing 20 kg or more.  There is a photo of a bigg'n in Florida here,

Elsewhere we are told: "This is the world’s largest tree fruit, and can weigh up to 40 kilograms. The flesh is golden yellow, very sweet and juicy and tastes like banana bubblegum. You eat the segments inside. Watch out for the seed, which can also be boiled and eaten. In India this fruit is picked green and eaten as a vegetable in curries."   

We may not be around to enjoy the fruits of our labour, but hopefully one day someone will.  And if they're interested in the tree's medicinal uses, well, there are a few:

"In China, the pulp of nangka (Jakfruit) is considered useful in suppressing alcohol in the body. The roasted seeds are used as an aphrodisiac.  Root extract is used for asthma, fever and diarrhea. The bark has sedative properties."

But I'll be happy enough with just a taste of that banana bubblegum.

The new green is red

Our enthusiasm here for 'having a go' at growing any interesting edible crop that is likely to suit our sub-tropical climate, means that the garden is usually producing a such a variety of greens that there are usually more than just the two of us can manage to consume.  This is particularly so when taking into account the number of plants that are grown for other purposes, but which also have edible raw leaves.

For example, a green salad here always begins with a leaf or two from several varieties of open lettuces (the climate doesn't suit the hearted kind) and some rocket (either cultivated or the wild variety). Then it's a poke around for whatever else can be added.  So many of the common and uncommon culinary herbs can be used - but always in small quantities as the flavour of some can be overpowering. At this time of the year I usually include coriander, sorrel, dill, nasturtium (leaves and flowers), tarragon, perilla, purslane ( the weed) and lovage.

Others I have used are angelica, anise hyssop and arrowroot shoots - and that's only the ones that begin with A.  Then there's basil, bergamot and borage ... and calendula, chrysanthemum, chervil, chicory, caraway and catnip!

But let me tell you about my latest favourite.  Going by the name Basella or Ceylon spinach, it could have been included above in either the B or the C list.  A hardy and vigorous climber that's bothered by few pests or diseases, it can be eaten raw but also used as a spinach subsitute or added to soups and stir-fries.

Basella leaves are oval and fleshy, adding a pleasant crunch to salads, and the stems and new shoots are edible too.  Following its small white flowers, this plant sports deep purple-black berries and these produce a rich red natural food colouring suitable for use in cakes and sweets.  So versatile! 

What I also like about this plant is that it is a perennial - albeit short-lived - and easily propagated from cuttings or seed.

One of my Ceylon spinach plants - Basella alba.

This one is happy to climb the trunk of a cumquat tree.  I can water and fertilise them both at the same time.  And when the basella starts twining through the branches, it's a reminder that some ought to be picked.

There is another variety of basella, Basella alba 'Rubra', that has stems and leaves of a reddish purple and flowers that are pink as opposed to white.

The red variety makes a fresh salad look rather spiffy, but otherwise tastes the same and turns green anyway once cooked.

Basella thrives best in a sub-tropical climate with warmth, water and good soil, but will also survive in temperate regions if protected from frosts.

With a suitable support, it is a twiner reaching up to 2 metres high.  Otherwise it will happily creep or sprawl along the ground, or even hang from a basket.

My red leafed basella on a wire trellis with nasturtiums nearby.

Siezing the day

The grandchildren descended last weekend.  The day started out sunny, but clouds soon gathered and the weather became quite threatening.

A good excuse for 'Grumpy' to drag out the old dragon kite - the one we bought in Tiananmen Square ten years ago.

The gusty day was just right for a kite...  as was the vacant land beside the shopping centre that the developers haven't moved in on yet.

The heavy cloud cover didn't make for good pictures, but at least it didn't rain - and no-one had to worry about trying to keep a hat on.

The string is attached to an old fishing line which makes it easy to reel it in - and more difficult to accidentally let go.  Grumpy's invention!

Meanwhile, the fast-growing, littlest grand-baby is such a joy to watch as he begins the lifelong task of assimilating what there is to know about the world around him. 

He has been starting small with the musical toys that dangle above, and of course the various family faces that hover nearby.

Something a grandma can cherish - the first smile of recognition from someone who has been in the family for only 8 weeks!

*  [TIP FOR GARDENING GRANDPARENTS: the absorbent filling from wet disposable nappies - 'diapers' in other parts of the world - makes an excellent additive to garden soil, holding large amounts of moisture for long periods.

** [Used nursing pads can be recycled too.  The little flat disk shapes fit nicely into the base of a plant pot.]

Coffee and chicory

We were all tea drinkers in our house when I was a child.  We kids began drinking tea out of our Bunnykins cups at around 4 years of age. 

The only coffee we ever saw was the bottle of coffee essence that came from the grocer.  It was coffee with chicory - Bickfords brand.  Coffee was considered an exotic drink, but there was no art to the brewing - we just stirred the essence with some sugar into hot milk.

Now I have my own pretty flowering coffee bushes growing ...

... and the chicory too.

There are no plans at this stage to process our own coffee.

They're just handsome trees to have around; and the birds enjoy the red berries..

Looking forward

After battling for a frustrating two hours with the previous post - and eventually giving up on ever sorting out the font size and formatting, I've decided to move on.

This is something I DID enjoy today.  Checking all the fruit trees for spring blossom - even though it is still officially winter here.  It's hard to believe when daytime temperatures are consistently around 20C.

The oranges, lemons, limes and cumquats are all in flower.  There was a fat bee busy at work on this espaliered lemonade tree. 

As long as we can provide enough water, there should be a bumper crop this year.  There are already some egg-sized fruit at top left.  And only last week I picked the last of the previous season's fruit.

This was the tree last year when it cropped for the first time.  In front are chilli and sweet basil plants.

                        

The fruit-fly traps with their attractant of May oil are are a real success.  The bottles are full of both dead and live insects.

The recycled plastic bottles each have a band of yellow tape around their lids.  It is the yellow colour as well as the scent of the oil that attracts these little fruit-sucking critters.

         

There. Now I feel better!

Books

I have been tagged by Pat the Chooks with the latest book meme.  Other people seem to dash these things off without much effort, but I tend to find myself agonising for ages trying to work out my answers.  Is it because I am not good at analyzing -- or just because I find it hard to make choices?

After a couple of days' ponderance, I've still not thought of answers for every question.  This is as far as I got.

1: One book that changed your life.

Probably 'Two thousand tongues to go; the story of the Wycliffe Bible translators' - by Ethel Wallis and Mary Angela Bennett.  The compelling story of a group of missionaries and the hardship (and martyrdom) they suffered in South America, it made a lasting impression when I read it as a 15 year-old school-girl.  Three years later I found myself in Papua New Guinea where I spent the next 14 years working as a teacher and a community worker.

2: One book you have read more than once.

Since my reading preference is for reference books, there are plenty.  One I've dipped into over and over again is Jenny Allen's Paradise in Your Garden.  My copy is a few years old and I see that the latest edition has been retitled 'Smart Permaculture Design', which doesn't sound nearly so appealing.

3: One book you would want on a desert island.

Being practical, I reckon The Compact Oxford Dictionary with its 2,416 pages, could be spun out over quite a long time.  I am fascinated by words too.  Pat the Chooks is always coming up with interesting old Scottish words I've never heard before.

4: One book that made you laugh?

The most recent - In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson.

5: One book you wish had been written?

Pass on that one.  There are still a million or so books out there I haven't read - more than enough to satisfy my many passions and interests.

6: One book you wish had never had been written?

Mmm - can't think.  Although I may not like or appreciate a particular book, it may hold great meaning for someone else - if only its author.

7: One book that made you cry?

Ruth Cracknell's memoir, 'Journey From Venice'.

8: One book you are currently reading?

'Australia's Quarter Acre' by Peter Timms.

9: One book you have been meaning to read?

'The Art of Happiness,' by the Dalia Lama.  I received it as a gift several years ago, and surprisingly, I couldn't get past the second chapter.  I found it uninspiring - deadly boring in fact.  But because it had come highly recommended, I feel I ought make another effort.

10: Now tag five people  I won't be tagging anyone.  This one seems to have been pretty well done by everyone now.