The Cycad turning triffid at front entrance of Kalang River Moel

New growth on the cycad is amazing though you have to stand sideways to see this

The new challenge is gardening wih flowers

I have inherited a garden that has been loved. That has to be a bonus. Now is the time for me to learn to love gardening with flowers. And a bit about the micro climate here in Urunga.

Give Jackson Hollow's sourdough a name

Courtesy of @JacksonHollow super spy & chicken deliverer extraordinaire of Twitter She is also an organic farmer in her spare time.

1/2 tsp dry yeast, 1/2 c lukewarm water, 1 c bread flour. Feed weekly with 1/2 c water and 3/4 c flour

sourdough: should be the consistency of thick pancake batter/ muffin batter, not bread dough. consistency more important than measurements

sourdough: starter needs to "work" at least 3-5 days before use to attain real sourdough flavor, caused by the alcohol the starter produces

I love the idea of the live sourdough living on my counter :-) i may name it.

Sourdough starter can live indefinitely if fed, producing better flavor all the time.

You can say hello to Jacksonhollow at twitter @Jacksonhollow or her website which has the most beautiful photographs.

http://www.airstreamcomm.net/~brianandlaura/

Bush turkey 2 Wallaby 1 Chooks Zero

Moments like these I wish I was a better photographer. Here in the failing light the chooks were hassling me for food. Why because the bush turkey was eating theirs from their hopper in the chook tractor and the wallaby was eating the fruit I had left at their door.

It's all there but you've got to have go go gadget eyes to see .

Chooks tucked in for the night

The chooks are having their last little feed before roosting for the night. They are going to join my daughter's chooks while the removal is happening. The logistics of moving the chook tractor will be a story all of its own

My worm farm revisited

After many incarnations I find that the swag is the style of home worm farm that suits my 57 year old body. You don't need to lift to get either worm juice or castings. You just need to feed the worms at one side for a mass migration to occur. The worms are in for their favourite treat today as it poured overnight & some of the chook food got wet in their hopper. They just love laying pellets and seem to double in size overnight.

Nectar to the regent Bowerbird

Whenever these spine covered berries reach this size the regent bowerbird appears. He is stunning with his yellow and black striped plumage - but so shy I can never get a photograph

Native Bees in the Broccoli

I'll miss the native bees when my garden is no longer in the middle of the bush. I had heard of someone trying to do research promoting native bees - after all they don't sting. Wonder what happened to that.

The land mullet under the bridge.

This pair of fat and shiny black lizards have lived under my bridge for 7 years I know about. When I've tried to identify them I have come up with the name " land mullet" I'd love to know if that's what they really are. I've had many lizards in my gardens over the years - but never one like this before. Maybe somebody out there knows.

A magic spot

One of my favourite spots to unwind - the cafe at our local nursery .

Building Certificate Needed

I can't believe this house needs a building certificate from council before my sale can go through.

What do you think?

Egg hunt - first find the chicken

You can see how chickens started off in the jungle when you see how well camouflaged this chook is when sitting on her self appointed nest.

Spring is really here as the chicken's nest was raided by some wildlife yesterday. My own fault for not collecting the eggs straight away.

Wallaby

I took some cuttings of plants I wanted to take & put the polystyrene boxes out. The wallaby is checking them out & having the odd munch here & there.

Spot the kookaburra

The kookaburra is waiting to pounce in this early morning shot - I'm always amazed when they make a single swoop & dig something out from under the ground. How do they do that?

These pictures came in the opposite order to what I expected.

I have to find out how to publish reader's posts on my blog.

Amazing how kind people are. You have to look hard to find the kookaburra in this piccie.

Winter garden

Enjoy my winter veggie garden. I'm not really growing milk containers - They make great protection for baby plants till they find their feet. From left cauliflower, capsicum in milk container, self seeded tomatoes, staked with self seeded lettuce, silverbeet, blue kale, miniature capsicums another baby capsicum and baby artichoke.

Asparagus declares it is spring

This asparagus spear has snuck up on me - I've finally had it long enough that I can start to pick the asparagus and we've put the house on the market - I must have asparagused the whole of NSW. I'll need to pick this one today or it will turn into a fern. I can keep picking all the spears that emerge for a couple of months before I let any grow into ferns. Lady with an asparagus farm told me to cut new shoots under the ground. Now I've had this plant in for five years I can cut about as much as I want to.

So asparagus, silverbeet, broccoli, cauliflower, nasturtium, rocket and lettuce, capsicums and chillis, various herbs and a few varieties of lettuce.

Bon appetit

Baby Cauliflower

Minature cauliflower - guess it's time to pick it as the floweret is starting to open up. It's just so pretty - but soon it will be cream of cauliflower soup.

View from my computer

Love this tropical outlook - spoiled rotten really

Garden by Gaia - weeding by me

One of the reasons I love my garden is that the whole structure has been designed by mother nature - my only role has been to remove the rubbish and plant some ground covers.

Home sweet home

Tell your friends - my home is waiting to be adopted by a loving family
Looking pretty good - hope someone falls in love with my place

Family cleaning recipes

Start with a plastic spray bottle from the supermarket - fill with water and add one ingredient to each bottle :

Lavender oil; half teaspoonful - general cleaner - great for inside the car, inside cupboards

Clove oil; about ten drops - kills mould - inside wooden cupboards seem to like it too.

Tea-tree oil; about half teaspoonful - antifungal as well as antiseptic - spray round toilet - foot and wound spray

Vinegar; 2 tablespoonsful - great for glass -

I've been having fun with these recipes and just realized the plastic spray bottles were taking over my cupboards - they've been sneaking up on me one at a time.

Bicarb soda - buy it in bulk from the produce store or the health food store.

Cooking salt - coarser - antiseptic abrasive.

Long and winding road

I can't believe the way you feel a million miles from care walking up my driveway
And who knows what you will see - native ginger, cordylines. Got to start letting go - hope to find someone who will love this place.

A time for every purpose under heaven

Poor little neglected bloglet. Changes - changes everywhere. My parents wedding in June 1950 some things change - some things stay the same .Trying to come to grips with putting my slice of paradise up for sale. Letting go - my garden watered with my tears.

Rainbow's end

I really do live at the end of the rainbow.

Lemon Grass in Seed

This lemongrass plant was only put in about 6 months ago and has seeds - never had that happen to me before. The seed heads are a kind of reddish colour. I guess I'll try to germinate the seeds to see if they are viable. I did learn a new use for lemon grass last night - the stalks did an excellent job of tying the roasting chicken's legs together. Lemon grass as the new thread.

Freeranging with Grandma

Early morning chickens

The chickens waiting to be let out of their chook tractor.

I was too late this morning so I ended up with a dirty egg. Sigh. But I did move the chook pen, so pastures new for them tonight.

Mutant oak leaf lettuce

These lettuces planted themselves and some came up in a pot plant, and one beween the pavers.

Love self seeded plants - one less job - plus you know it was worth getting non-hybrid seeds to start with.

My pet worms

My worms just about all have names. I bought them for $10 back in 1983 and have populated half of Australia with their offspring. I've taken with me through change of house and have never had to replace them. In return for this they've disposed of my garbage, provided me with fertilizer and conditioned my soil. A perfect pet.

My back door

Wonder if this is suitable territory for a goat.

Broccoli Bug

This broccoli looks perfect doesn't it. And I've told you all about the turmeric leaves & coffee grounds ( now cunningly hidden) under its winter coat of newspaper & straw.

But when I wore my glasses in the garden I saw these horrid bugs in the middle of my first baby broccoli floweret.

I seem to remember same thing last year, but what did I do to fix it? Hence the blog. Any and all eco friendly suggestions gratefully accepted.

Will a goat help me here?

I've been clearing a path to the septic tank and wondering whether a goat wuld help me out here. I'll send this link to a few people and see wat they say. I don't want to spoil the native rainforest vegetation, the wild gingers, the cordylines, the baby palms and the tree ferns.

Is it cheating to get rid of the vines that create the dense canopy and give me deep shade?

WordPress or Blogger That is the question

Driveway to rainbow's end

Family Recipe : Egg & Bacon Slice

Ingredients:

Stale bread : enough to cover base of dish

Grated cheese 3/4 cup

Bacon Rashers about 3

Eggs 6 to 8

Milk about 3 cups

Mayonnaise 2 Tablespoons

Worcestershire Sauce 1 Teaspoon

Mustard 2 teaspoons dried

Mixed herbs to taste or whatever's fresh

Shallots to taste

Capsicum green Capsicum red half of each

Variations on a theme are endless with this dish if you have stale bread and chooks are laying. Use whatever is growing or substitute, fetta, spinach, siverbeet, mushrooms, grated zuccini.

I always feel so virtuous when I make this dish as it costs so little to make. It's better when left till next day so it's a great dish for making you feel organised.

Cook the bacon & drain it. Then layer all dry ingredients in casserole dish starting with bread obviously. Start wet ingredients wiith the mayo, mustard and worcestershire blend well and add eggs one at a time so you don't get any glumpy bits, then add milk and herbs and pour over the bread mixture. Cover, refrigerate overnight. Preheat moderate oven and bake uncovered for 50 minutes to one hour until it puffs up.

Wet Chickens in Midwinter

Poor wet chooks. Winter solstice isn't supposed to be like this. But the chooks are shut in for this longest night.

Mud pies

Leeches 3 humans nil. Transplanted a wheelbarrow load of moses in the cradle but couldn't see any difference .Almost as bad as Microsoft upgrading me so I couldn't finish editing the blog . Cookies all gone = no Adsense.