Merewether Life

Australian Red Cedar

2011-10-12T09:25:00.002+11:00

Here are some progress images of my Australian Red Cedar saplings.

Toona austalis - Australian Red Cedar it has become my favourite tree

I planted this particular Australian Red Cedar seedling in 2010 and it has grown really well with dappled shade in a southerly aspect. It is growing in a coastal sub tropical valley in Merewether, Newcastle (my backyard).

Particularly proud of how vigorous and strong the growth is for the first full spring season in the ground. Have been trying to get some more seedlings to plant as I reclaim the over growth from lantana and weeds, although am having some supply problems. Anyone know a reliable source for Australian Red Cedar seedlings in tubes? love to know your thoughts on this.

Note the purplish new growth of the Australian Red Cedar - it is a remarkably quick grower.

I have planted four in total in line with the water runoff from my roof and they love the damp, well drained conditions. Plus as much cow manure and general granulated fertilizer.

Treehouses

2011-09-09T18:52:00.000+10:00

Spring is such a fresh, rebuilding time of year and with today's gentle rain the garden looks shiny green and new. New shoots on top of the bare stalks of the red cedars, the lime spears of the new kentia fronds, and the curled bronze furry fingers of the tree ferns. The plants are emerging from the doldrums of August (and my writing hiatus is over) and you can almost hear the crackling, slurping noise of the leaves growing.

The back track is taking shape with the gravel path, and the final part of the backyard stairs has been laid out with some great recycled sandstone pieces. I have cut out the treads and placed the stones in the spaces to work the best arrangement. It is still wonky to walk on but when I get hold of a cement mixer I will be able to bed them down more permanently.

Treehouse is the next stage of planning, as we are putting the girls Christmas money towards building a tree house instead of more and more plastic toys. Have been scoping for sites to build the house and have settled on a eucalypt in the backyard. Just have to get access to it at a safe height, it is about six metres off the ground.

The Taming of the Chickens

2011-08-05T20:56:00.001+10:00

Feeding time in the morning is always a pleasure with the Egg Team busy and keen for breakfast. There's usually a couple of kilos of kitchen waste and a kilo or so of pellets for the girls to share. (Although I am pretty sure that there are a couple of roosters just about to bloom - don't forget the black Australorps were bought as unsexed day old chicks).

The girls all crowd around to share the food and we sprinkle it around so the pecking order is upset or simply doesn't apply. The black chickens, which all share the names blackie or spotty, are quite tame and appear to enjoy being handled - or at least they just sit there with a look of compliant defeat on their faces. The red chickens (which are all called ruby), are a bit more flighty having been bought later on at 16 weeks.

The birds are very resilient when it comes to being caught by the wing, the leg, the tail or the neck and quickly shuffle around in the embrace of the my daughters to get comfortable. The youngest daughter likes to look inside the chickens beak and see the tongue at least once each morning.

This is ruby, a rhode island red who is just getting used to being handled...

The birds have accepted that feeding time is also handling time and are patient when picked up for a pet ad taken away from the morning food. It is remarkable how well turned over the turf gets from sprinkling the feed at different locations around the property.
I have deliberately tried not to have a designated feed area as it becomes bare, hard and muddy and is not good for growing anything. By moving the feed site around I can target weed spots and put the feed there and after a few days of scratch and peck the weeds are cleared and we are ready to move onto the next feed site.

Isla takes some time out with ruby o the new steps - I carted down a metre and a half of gravel in little 8 litre buckets last Tuesday - it was a good workout foe my calves and hands. But the gravel works well to give a great dry section some grip where was once a damp watercourse. I have gone for a dry creek bed look with big sandstone rocks along the edges, buried with concrete to stop the gravel spreading when walked on over time. Love the sound of gravel, it is another layer of experience to hear your footfall scrunch scrunch scrunch as you walk along the path.

Some images of the chicken catching team. Have realised that it is far easier to time the return of the birds to the coop than to try and get them in whilst it is still broad daylight. On dusk the birds are orderly and calm and trot in a line to their perches, all I have to do is close the door and screw the latches.

This beautiful winter weather has been a great chance to steal some time building sandcastles at the beach, and feel the sand between our toes.

Chickens, Chickens, Chickens

2011-07-30T19:46:00.001+10:00

Here's a great resource for chickens.

Have a read, is comprehensive.

Our 10 girls are going great guns, they are all nearing full size and very comfortable free ranging across our backyard and four neighbouring properties. Luckily fencing is a four letter word around these parts so the birds have access all areas and can forage into the bush reserve at the back of the property.

Have been busy building some more stairs - this time gravel steps underneath the tree ferns - they make a lovely scrunch sound when you walk on them. Plus the texture is shiny/glossy when wet and makes for a great contrast with the dark brows of the humus and mulch. The gravel acts as a rock mulch so will aid water flow away from the walking areas towards the growing areas.

Also working clearing some overgrown undergrowth - if that makes sense(?) and stumbled upon a small SCORPION - I could not believe it, it is definitely a scorpion and I have caught it and it is scuttling around in a plastic cube as I write this. Will take some shots and post soon.

Plenty of frogs also found amongst the leaf litter - was a real treat for the chickens who came in after and cleaned up all the thrips and little critters amongst the leaves. I am planting some raspberries in this space tomorrow I hope.

OK, more soon...

Eating Local

2011-07-25T22:07:00.000+10:00

Silverbeet seedling

Can you hear that? The almost imperceptible hum in the background? That's the garden farm rousing from winter slumber and tingling it's roots and wriggling it's leaves. Coming back to fecund production. Which is all quite delightful, but we are going further into the sustainable jigsaw and taking steps towards eating locally. This means we will wean ourselves off ultra processed franchise foods, lessen our dependence on corporate food staples, and importantly, sustain this buying ethic from here on.

Here's some revolutionary inspiration from Tom Hodgkinson.

"It seems obvious that if we could just extinguish consumer desires and stop shopping, we would get a lot closer to everyday liberty, simply because we wouldn't have to do so much work. This is not to say that one can't enjoy luxuries, it's just that we shouldn't take them seriously as a kind of goal in life. Don't make luxury into a meaning."

The interconnectedness of rejecting corporate food, being able to support yourself, and having more time to just be is really so obvious to me. It is as simple as if you don't update the SUV, you won't have to work weekends, and then you can spend that time with your daughter, so she will grow up feeling valued and loved. By disentangling ourselves from debt and financial instruments, I will be self determining and that is so empowering. So, back to the garden and food.

The first step was establishing our garden farm as much as we could to be productive for table food. Growing your own food can only go so far realistically on a suburban block. Sure, I have fruit trees, chickens and herbs and vegetables, but eating local is a major step.

So how do we actually go about this?

The first step is a mind set. Cut Franchise Food to Zero. The whole rationale behind the franchise is to replicate systems so that the end product is identical across the entire territory, which is great for corporate measurement, graphs, percentages and reducing the complexity of a small business to a single figure. This sameness and homogeneity across the brand brings to mind images of chickens pecking at little beige pellets on conveyor belts. It presents us with no choice so we come to fear the unknown or things that are simply different. Not good.

So everything from the stationery to the flour to the staff recruitment is managed off site, deals are on a grand national scale and handshakes made by people thousands of miles away from the kitchen, most likely in suits with percentages and margins uppermost in their minds. The actual couple who run the franchise at the frontline are managers with debt equity in the business, harried by "regional impressive title" reps to maintain standards.

Not much talk of food or flavour going on, let alone where it is farmed, or how it is farmed, or the farm methods. So we are saying no the McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. Any franchise that presents reheated ultra processed food has got to go. Just like going sober and giving up alcohol, I'm quite sure this will be a slow burn, but have major lifestyle impacts on my life. Let alone the health benefits of not putting that crap into my body.

But I don't want to specifically head off in the direction of health food exactly, not just yet. What I am saying is when you are out and about and you have the children with you, don't go to a franchise outlet, but instead go to the local burger joint, local charcoal chicken joint or sandwich bar.

This way, you are not supporting the multi-layered faceless corporate edifice, but instead supporting the local most likely husband and wife business, who make their own decisions on buying the food, choosing their suppliers based on local relationships, and are living independently of a franchise system monitoring their business behaviour. See where I'm heading?

This way, you are supporting a travelling sales rep who visits the stores in his territory, supporting a local property investor who leases the building, supporting local employment that is not part of some huge human resources department, but is based on real face to face negotiation. The local business negotiates with a local supplier and creates local connections and jobs - all miles away from the wheeling and dealing of the city.

Eating local is the next step. I'm coming up to that soon, just have to let these thoughts percolate for now.

Sustainable Timber Bamboo

2011-07-19T21:48:00.001+10:00

Sustainable Bamboo

We all know bamboo grows fast, right? And is light, easy to cut, and very strong? So it makes the perfect sustainable garden resource - growing your own timber products each season is now possible once you plant bamboo! But isn't it invasive and just generally a complete no no for the suburban garden? Not when you use a clumping variety of bamboo, like I have planted, which has all the positives of bamboo without the invasive growth habit. In short, bamboo is the perfect short term harvest timber product. Here's how I used last summer's growth in my garden this weekend just gone.

Timor Black's Bambusa lako glossy black canes - dramatic against the greens of the garden

Introducing Timor Black, my preferred bamboo for its deep black colouration and well, just because I like it the most of all the varieties. It cost me around $80 for a 12 inch pot with the tallest cane about 6 foot high. I planted it in a well drained sandy soil with a great northerly aspect, improved with plenty of well rotted cow manure and chicken manure.

Harvest your clump each year for control - this area is small 3m x 1m

For the first growing season I watered it weekly, and it grew well, having about five or six green canes emerging from the base which were the width of my thumb. They coloured to black over the winter and for the second season the canes were thicker until the fourth summer just gone the canes were 4 to 6 inches diameter and just screaming out to be used for some building project in the backyard.

You may be familiar with the terraced vegetable garden and citrus orchard I have built at Merewether Life, and in preparation for the fast approaching spring I did some tidying up and strengthened the walls holding the terraces. Now I'm not one for too much concrete and bricks around the growing vege patch, so I have used bamboo to build the retaining walls, which are more like 18 inch holds so the soil does not wash down the hill in a storm.

Build the terrace, reminds me of my days volunteering in Thailand

So the bamboo made a perfect fit for the job. Easy to hammer into the soil with a sledgehammer, and resilient enough to last a couple of seasons before I replace it with some new canes. And totally recyclable and chemical free.

Some people lacquer the canes and put them indoors as an interior design display - I don't.

I recommend clumping bamboo to gardener's who aren't afraid of a little mess, as the bamboo after all is just a giant grass so does have some leaf fall that needs to be swept up every now and then (thanks KC). Further, this makes a great easy to compost additive for mulches and once in place it dries and sits light and loose. I use it around established trees and as a base in all my planting holes for some extra organic matter. Another thing about bamboo is it's height, up to ten metres which sounds high but is really handy for a quick growing screen to obscure inquisitive neighbours or to deflect heat from west facing brick walls (our reason). The bamboo loves the heat and will appreciate some extra water across Feb and early March, otherwise it will retire some leaves early to save on transpiration losses (more sweeping, thanks kc!).

This years challenge is to air layer some cuttings from the bamboo as I have so many requests for cuttings and I think it would make a real treat for a Christmas present for all of those who have asked. But that's another post...

The Simple Life Crossroads

2011-07-14T10:56:00.002+10:00

Taking the road less travelled has had its moments. Both Good and Bad. Right now I'm on the cusp of a major change, but the fear has me momentarily frozen.

When I dropped out of law school and rejected what I saw as the meaningless culture of networking and career climbing, I knew it would be more challenging than following the herd into the safety of the corporate cage. I was taking a risk, forsaking the chubby comfort of a safe if predictable career path and taking a punt backing myself. Whilst this has worked spectacularly well most of the time, there are, of course, times when things go awry and I need to re-align my life direction. Like now.

But in saying that, there is a distinct difference between us and our friends, who are rushing off on trips and knocking down walls to remodel their houses. But also working seven day weeks and having their children in care most days of the week.
Whilst it can be odd at times, I value the long weekday mornings spent with my children and pottering around in the chicken house after breakfast. We have a mortgage still, but we love this big old house and the big garden is such a great way to share time.
So keeping it simple is working for us, even if it does not have the instantly recognizable status of a new SUV or bragging rights of a holiday to the snowfields.

Our financial expectations have changed in the last couple of years - with two children, our dream house and our business humming along, I have reached a point where I am ready to take the next risky step beyond my comfort zone. Only the question is - which way should I leap?

My research has offered my so many options I am frozen with anticipation and possibility - should I do this or this or this? And making a decision to commit myself wholeheartedly towards a particular path is not the end of the world, but it is the end of the decision process. So I guess I am indulgently basking in the glow of opportunities, and it is indulgent, imagining being one thing one week, then another the very next day. So, I will keep thinking for a bit longer, and going on long walks alone to the beach to discover exactly what it is I am meant to choose.

The Spit Roast Story part 1

2011-07-11T13:11:00.000+10:00

Two chickens and three ducks - sounds like the beginning of a bad joke? Or like you are reading a menu? I'll go for the latter, plus a nice shoulder of pork, spit roasted slowly over the morning just in time for a satisfying lunch. Throw in some afternoon napping and just generally laying about, and then picking the leftovers for dinner after the day cools to evening. What a great highlight to an otherwise wind-chilled weekend in a secret valley just outside Wollombi.

The Residence - had great proportions so was never crowded
when shared with four couples with eight kids in total.

Tying the shoulder of pork - we used fencing wire as the flesh can fall apart as it cooks and make a mess.

All Trussed up, and nowhere to go.

It was ~~strangely erotic~~ quite interesting amongst all that naked flesh and pinkness.

Can't live without them, simple, fluffy potatoes with a crispy baked edge.

Some rustic colour made for sweetness

His beguiling smile made the meal all the more enjoyable.

And they just went round and round, with the smell of rendering fat and sizzle noises.

The secret to crisp crackling is drying the fat as much as possible and salting it.

His hands moved swiftly, whilst we made slurping noises lisping saliva from our lips.

The Spit Roast is a handmade stainless steel beastie that travels well and makes get together an event. Was a great weekend and thanks to everyone for being good company - is back to reality for now.

Roadside Stall and Free Range Chickens

2011-07-07T19:04:00.000+10:00

There's something about the down home honesty of a road side stall. The handwritten signs, the corrugated iron, the cash, the hand made products. Evokes memories of a simpler time, when big service stations and their fluorescent lighting and eftpos hadn't priced out the local guys. But at least they are open...

Yeah it's closed, but there are directions so you can get your tomatoes -
but midwinter I'd guess they are not fresh, but pickles relish and other preserves.

This is the biggest chicken house I have seen so far
great simple design ad room for plenty of birds.

The birds seemed happy and were curious, approaching the fence to see.

Is a lovely coastal area, although there is a slight problem with overhead noise -
these machines are deafening up close and just plain anxiety-inducing in the distance.

This is not Air Force security, but is a pastoral.

Morning Light

2011-07-02T09:06:00.000+10:00

This is the view from our bedroom verandah, looking East. I have planted tree ferns right up against the verandah and in the fifth year they are thick and thriving.

The bedroom verandah again, this time looking out over the mist. See the smooth gums that provide the tall cover for the garden, a dappled light that is not too harsh in the middle of summer.

The lomandra longifolia I planted to out compete the weeds. This is the steepest part of the property and instead of a formal terrace arrangement (which is too much work and too much money) the grasses will thicken and act as a natural soil holder. The thick cover of mulch is from the trees above. You can see the stumps of some dead trees i cut down and other stumps of noxious weed trees.

Looking southwest, you can see all the ferns in place - note how the southerly aspect makes for a naturally protected and damp micro-climate, this is ideal for the ferns. Plus, there is something rich and timeless about tree ferns - they are lush ad soft and vibrant green when so may other Australian native plants are dull greys and olives.

Looking south, you can see where the 'garden' ends and the bush reserve starts. I have made steady progress taking out the lantana and bitou bush, although it is a frustratingly slow process doing it alone. I hope that once the tree ferns are established for a decade or so they will be the understory, with us walking amongst them like umbrellas over our heads.

This is a boulder! Duh! The backyard is littered with boulders like this, made from a conglomerate of sandstone and green with moss and lichen. The chickens have made great progress eating their way through the weeds so that the rocks are now visible - it wasn't long ago that they were more like big lumps of green.

This is the mulch we are planting in. You can see that it is loose and airy and made of big pieces of organic material. Over time it breaks down especially when layered with chicken manure.

Here is the top of the cliff, the fall is about five meters. The rocks make a distinct line between the house and the top garden and the bottom fern garden. The chickens do not come up past the rock cliff, which is great because many chicken owners have to deal with walking the poo through their house.

Antartic tree ferns - these were slow to get started as bare trunks, especially in the middle of a drought, but they have thickened up nicely. I just hope the chickens aren't too fastidious around the base because they might fall over.

I love Kentia Palms, they are almost mathematical in their structure and once established look like they have been there for ages. Here is a detail of a new frond emerging behind.

This is the postcard for our bed and breakfast promotion. Wouldn't it be great if we could rent our place out whilst we are away on holiday so someone could help with the chooks?

Something about pictures and a thousand words? In the early morning half light I took some images and they are very descriptive of where the garden is at in midwinter.

Mini Citrus Orchard Planting

2011-07-01T09:22:00.001+10:00

Oranges, lemons, limes and mandarins - how's that for a little suburban orchard? Have bought a four citrus over the last week and planted most of them in the backyard - in a sunny, sloping position which was otherwise covered in weeds. You might recall I planted native grasses all through the weeds to establish and outcompete the weeds, now I am adding an understory of citrus.

This is the Meyer Lemon, full of buds, I think I should remove most of these for the first season so it concentrates on getting good root growth instead of impressing us with fruit then falling over.

The Joppa Orange Citrus x aurantium Joppa is, (according to the label), a Californian juicy variety that has a fine flesh and a rich flavour. Fruiting mid season, it grows well in coastal areas into a beautiful small tree 3m - 6m. This is the discount plant a season old, looks like it has been moulting, should be right for spring.

The citrus will be productive because there is so much sun from the northerly aspect, but also because they will be growing in what has been a green waste dump for the past few decades. So the soil is a deep dark organic humus crawling with life and especially legless lizards!

Can you see the three citrus? Maybe not yet, but they are there, this is the space I want thick with citrus in the next few years so we can make jams and swap recipes etc like in the olden days.

It is a real shame to cut them up with a shovel, so I am making just one slice of the shovel, then working the soil with my hands to open it up. The citrus just plop into the hole and then I cover the space with some of the bamboo mulch that I have everywhere.

The citrus I have planted includes a tahitian lime, a mandarin, a joppa orange and a meyer lemon. I have my eye on some exhausted grafted citrus at a local nursery from last years stock, they are less than half price at $15, but bedraggled and a bit ugly with not many leaves. But at least they are hardened to local conditions, and not green from being in a greenhouse.
Update: Have been back and bought another mandarin and another orange, this one a washington navel.

Newcastle Livesites Fire

2011-06-26T15:17:00.002+10:00

Bush TV. That's what they call sitting around a campfire, watching the tendrils of flame curl and flick as the wood slowly crumbles to ash.

Newcastle Live Sites

The art installation burned slowly, with people six deep around it soaking in the warmth.

Tree stumps split down the centre burned from within

Makes for a mesmerising meditation, with the heat reddening your cheeks and the eucalyptus smell in your hair. Just silently watching the flames - or tonight listening to a string quartet play the theme to Romeo + Juliet.

I was standing next to one of the people with a logo on his polo shirt, and overhead him talking about the installation, but I did not linger to note something to repeat here. It reminded me to do an interview next time I get the opportunity.

The Pirate's Aft launching the lanterns

An almost balmy evening crowded with children and music and flames - makes for a worthwhile event on the local calendar. Last year we wandered around Pacific Park with some mulled wine, this year we made floating lanterns and set them free on Civic Fountain Pond.

Rhode Island Red x New Hampshire

2011-06-24T15:46:00.001+10:00

Ordering two chickens over the phone became five chickens in person when I saw them all crowded into their cages on the back of a truck this morning. Then, once I saw them in the chicken run, I realized they were jailbirds - caged birds. So it is satisfying to offer them a life pecking around the Merewether Life backyard. Just hope everyone can get along now there are 10 birds in all.

Free at last, just have to pick up this scratch scratch peck dance

The big chicken truck had cages stacked six high (I didn't have my camera so no images) filled with feathers, red, brown and black. The chickens were silent and almost motionless, just tilting their heads and blinking from inside their cages. Even the cage with a few big roosters was still, with just one swivelling his head to clean a feather on his shoulder.

They stayed together like they were still in a cage

There were a dozen or so people lined up and the old bloke in front of me told me he was getting four birds. The four he had at home were getting old and laying less.
"So I chop their heads off and throw 'em in the garbage" he said.

Once I got back to Merewether Life, I put the box in the chicken run and opened the flaps. Nothing. I lifted the edge of the box and they stayed put, so I lifted it even more and could feel the weight shift as they slid out onto the ground. They fell together and just stayed there, blinking in the sunlight. So I moved towards them and they fluttered up with a wing flap or two, then fell down and landed on their sides, awkwardly. It was obvious they were not used to being on the ground, or having the space for flapping their wings. You can see the tail feathers are all frayed from the cage.

You can see the frayed tail feathers on this big red bird

Will be interesting to see how the Rhode Island Red / New Hampshires adapt to the new living arrangements and settle into the pecking order with the Black Australorps.

Windy Weather not Merewether

2011-06-21T12:33:00.003+10:00

As the days start to lengthen, so too does the wind strengthen

As I write this the wind has turned from fresh southerly to strong dry westerly, and it is bending the bamboo. The backyard fills with a tangle of sticks and dead branches after storms, so makes for another thick layer on the compost heap.

Yesterday morning woke to find a large eucalypt leaning against the next door property - it had gently lurched over a few metres with no visible damage except a dented gutter and downpipe. All night the winds had buffeted our homes, but didn't really hear anything that would suggest a tree falling over. Before I had time to take an image the aborists had come and dismantled the tree to a pile of firewood.

Now for the hard part, lugging the wood away from the house into the bush where it can rot. Made a nice flat area for the chickens and the girls to stretch their wings and legs.

2011-06-20T13:27:00.003+10:00

Amazing how long you can look at a hill of weeds and think the problem is too big. And by just getting started and breaking the work into separate three hour tasks, how simple it can become. This post is about getting in and tackling the hard tasks that appear overwhelming, and are tempting to ignore. But once you get in and start work it is great to get a result.

Firstly, I marked out the area where I would plant the grasses, and estimated I needed about 16 plants for a dense planting. I had been stumped as to what to plant on the slope, so I had left the weeds and cut it back, or raked it into balls and tried to mulch it every now and then. But it would grow back within a season and I would have to do it all over again.
My new approach is to use the permaculture principle of creating multiple islands of grasses that eventually join up to create a large weed free space like a patchwork.

I dug up grasses from my front yard which I had planted three years ago to fix nitrogen in a weed overgrown garden bed. The grasses have grown thick at the base and have worked really well, so instead of buying more I uprooted them with a fork and split the thicket into individual plants, with roots attached. I cut off the long leaves so reduce stress and planted them directly in amongst the weeds out the backyard.

Third, I dug a hole in the weedmat with a single shovel strike, and pushed the grass into the pocket of soil, then closed it back again.

This aspect is south facing with deep shade and canopy of tall trees. The planting site has a steep slope, loose mulch cover, and rich black compost underneath as it was a dump for grass cuttings and garden waste for years - plus a few frogs! See my left index finger? I reckon this is a pretty big frog - they are usually tiny ones the size of your thumbnail.

It is great to finally make some progress on a difficult site! It is part of the reason we bought the property - or more importantly - why no one else wanted the property, with the steep slope bisecting the backyard. But with some creative garden planting and attention to permaculture, I'm confident I can turn it into a productive space.

Hunter Region Botanic Gardens

2011-06-12T02:32:00.002+10:00

Four Bucks for parking - and we're in the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. A grey Saturday with soaking rain, it was perfect for the girls to try out their new umbrellas. So we headed off in the direction of the arrows and just explored our way around. One thing you know about the HRBG - there are plenty of signs and maps and arrows around the place, so there is no chance of getting lost.

A typical garden room scene

the tree fern room

the grasses have colonised after the lantana was removed

the cacti garden is huge, (in mid winter during rain)

the bromeliad greenhouse

The Botanic Gardens is sited in 140ha just north of Newcastle on the Tomago sandbeds, with wetlands to the north and south. The soil is sandy and supports an open dry forest, which is planted under with various themed rooms. Celebrating 21 years in 2011, the Garden is proudly maintained entirely by volunteers, who have regenerated the native forest from lantana infestation.

As far an attractions go, the Gardens might lack a slick marketing budget, plastic merchandise and over priced entry tickets, but I'm sure that's not the volunteers aspire to. What is in abundance is space, wide walking paths, thick old trees and wildlife. You can't go past feeling the genuine care and effort that the volunteers put into the gardens.

Pasha Bulker Storm Fours Years On

2011-06-08T12:53:00.002+10:00

Four years ago a storm pushed the Pasha Bulker onto Nobbys Beach. It was a bright cold day in June, and we were completely distracted with our pink, wriggling three week old baby girl.

Having just moved house in February, the garden was a tangle of weeds with the storm flattening all but the thickest saplings, and trees.

A total contrast to today - brisk, breezy and blindingly sunny - with the clouds blown out of the sky.

See the sparks flying...

Here's some images from south Bar Beach, could see a whale spraying out the back but couldn't get it on the lens I had with me. Nothing better than when it's offshore.

In 2007 I was stuck at work overnight, I remember the roads were impassable and cars were piled on top of each other from the force of the water.

Our house was damaged and we got a new courtyard out of it through insurance. But the sound of the wind was unforgettable.

What is This plant?

Here's a question - have been feeding the chickens this green food and they love it - it grows easily and fast and i have some inkling that it is a native.

Planting Grasses the Permaculture Way

2011-06-06T11:06:00.005+10:00

Weeds - gotta love em for their resilience and sheer ability to completely dominate land. I have been reading through about permaculture basic principles and one of ideas is to plant small establishment species first amongst the weeds with as little disturbance as possible. This way the hardy, small, numerous establishment plants get a toehold and effectively create pockets of non weed invaded space. Once these non weed dominated spaces link up and grow, then eventually there is a large space of non weed area and the weed areas have been grown out. As compared with going in and removing all the weeds by hand and then replanting over the top, only for the weeds to just a quickly re-invade and dominate again. So by making minimal earth disturbance there is minimal weed seed germination, or breaking of weeds and cutting transplanting.

This is how the bush looks at chicken height - there is plenty of mulch from leaves and sticks and bark, plus the native ferns, but you can see the tangle of lantana and the wandering jew on the edges.

Here is where the backyard meets the edge of the bushland reserve. Even though it looks cleared, the lantana to the left of the tree takes only a few weeks in growing season to reclaim the ground. This is where the native grasses will go so they can compete with the lantana as they grow.

This is keeping the lantana controlled with cutting back and pushing it back down the slope. But instead of having the lantana infestation, the wandering jew has simply filled the gap, with a thick moist carpet of growth that prevents all but the hardiest of natives seedlings emerging through it. I am going to plant the native grasses in amongst the wandering jew carpet and see how they survive.

Can you identify this plant?

These beautiful native ferns emerge when the wandering jew is raking up or cleared. They have a rough leaf with two or three fronds from the rhizome. I have transplanted some to other parts of the garden years ago and they survived and are growing well.

Will be testing the idea with a area I have cleared and have variously mowed/raked to clear the weeds, and in another area where I will be sticking closely to the plant amongst the weeds idea.

Lomandra longifolia

Here is an example of a successful native grass (Lomandra longifolia) growing on a nearby property. This means it would most likely grow on my property, and I just happen to have a few dozen established specimens in the front yard acting as wind and sun breaks. So I have dug them and up divided the base of the grasses, using the sustainable idea of using what is available and limiting new inputs. You can see how the grass is mowed up to the edge of this plant and it still survives. The Lomandra is virtually indestructible, has few local pests and is definitely preferable to any weeds! There is plenty of shelter and habitat in the grass thicket for native wildlife and chicken food sources.

Tradescantia albiflora

This is how bad it gets when left undisturbed for several seasons, (possibly years.) The wandering jew seems to just grow over itself and almost cannibalises itself for nutrients. The carpet can be rolled up in a single piece so that it makes for easy disposal, but there are millions of micro rootlets and break-off bits to seed the next infestation.

By planting big individual plants directly in amongst the wandering jew, they certainly thrive, but the layer of weeds is a distraction. Other gardeners take one look and think that the garden needs so much maintenance and upkeep because of the weeds, but if left alone and accepted that the weeds are there, you can see past it and get on with growing other plants.

Once the new plantings plants take hold, they give me a reason to go and tend them and at the same time remove a few more of the weeds. Over time this is effective and results in a weed-free-oasis where I can plant other desirable species, and so the weeds lose a little more ground. It is a slow process, but it is a process nonetheless and progress is being made.

A Shovel width swale

Here is a swale I made by simply digging with a trenching shovel and placing the dug soil to the downward slope side of the trench, then moving along. It is about eight metres long and follows a contour of the property, and after about a year, like this one, it fills with deep mulch and acts as a water re-directing device away from a run off area towards plantings.

This is a future project - I have identified the micro climate as strong morning sun year round, very protected from winds, and with the two boulders to stop erosion/retain heat. I am proposing a citrus orchard of 4 - 6 trees planted amongst the undergrowth. I appreciate there is a lot of bracken, weeds and old mulch there. I have not done any work to this part of the property, as it always looked like simply an overwhelming job to get in and clear it and then have to quickly replant it with desirable species.
So using simple permaculture ideas, I am not going to disturb the existing plants much at all, just plant a two lemons, two limes, two mandarins and two oranges amongst it all. The weeds will act as a mulch and over time i will get to replace them with something more productive.
This was a real revelation when I read this - about how conventional thinking of clearing, preparation and planting such a huge workload that no one would even attempt it except on a huge budget - hence the spot has remained left to weeds for decades. But permaculture says go right in, asses the spot for its strengths and just plant what would grow there, and once it is growing the plants will actually change the micro climate themselves.

Here's the first worm the chickens found - I was fooling around down the back and heard a big commotion in the chicken run. The birds where whirring round and round, like they were being chased by something.
Immediately, like all new chicken owners, I thought the worst and had images of a dog or something. But no, it was a fat worm, twisting in the beak of a chicken and the other four chasing after her. You can make out the worm here - it was a major distraction and it took a dozen or shots trying to get the right image.

The Down and Dirty with Chickens

2011-05-31T13:52:00.004+10:00

Scruffy magpies. That's our nine week old chickens. Scruffy magpies peep peeping around the chicken house, or scratching around the chicken yard. Now the chicken house is finally finished, I can imagine the chickens would be pleased to be exploring outdoors, but missing the heat of the bathroom lights.

"So once I get the wire in place, you've got yourself a chicken house - simple!"

For some reason it seemed apt to make everything for the chickens from recycled or reused materials. So the chicken house is made from a pallet shelving unit, placed on its side. And as a feature, I tried to make the unit easy to clean. Overall, this first week has been a rewarding experience of frigid overnight temperatures and getting used to the routine of chicken husbandry.

The birds are Black Australorps, which is an Australian variety derived from the Orpington. From my research the birds are great layers, with one reported to have laid 350 odd eggs in 365 days, although some sources dispute this. Others note that Australorps have a great tolerance for cold weather, which has certainly been tested this first week outside.

"And if you hold them nice and tight, they go very, very quiet..."

At nine weeks the pullets are smart enough to scratch twice and then peck, and they mimic each other doing this. They move in a flock group and react to a foreign sound (like a galah or cockatoo) by hunching their necks, then darting back into the chicken house. When one strays from the flock, and realises it is alone, it makes a shrill 'shew shew shew shew' call until it locates the rest of the flock.

For food, we are relying on fine chicken pellets and have added bread rolls and some scraps form our kitchen. It is amazing how the birds peck at the tiny grass seeds the girls harvest from all around the reserve at the back of the yard. Pretzels from a party we had left over, some baked pumpkin left over and some rice from sushi rolls too.

"That damn earring has to be here somewhere!"

The birds are making their fledgling attempts at flight and can extend their wings for about four or five flaps, going about three metres or so. I'm not sure about clipping their wings yet, so will be doing some more reading and asking a few chicken people how it's done. Something about not cutting the feathers down to the blood vessel.

Making the chicken house was as simple as assembling the shelving unit and placing it on its side. Since the shelving unit was 1800mm long, it was convenient to just use steel fence panels pre cut to this length and wrap them around the unit. Once screwed in place, I left the rear wall panel loose at the base so that it can be lifted and the floor hosed out. The trick is having this easy - wash flap secure so that predators can't use it for access too.

Now, the next thing is to have some drainage so the waste can be directed out of the chicken yard. The plan is to lay drain pipe with gravel and direct the flow to a natural depression where it can be harvested for fertilising the garden.

So there is plenty going on and everything is evolving at a steady pace. More soon.

Another Simple Birthday at The Park

2011-05-25T15:46:00.003+10:00

Nine children, morning sun and two freshly smoked trout - what more could you want for a lovely fourth birthday celebration?

"And the HR chick said ultimately it was up to us if we were going to make this team work"

After sharing the obligatory pass the parcel, there was plenty of room to run about and use the swings. Then a pinata without anyone getting hit in the face with a baseball bat made the morning a thorough success.

"And if you look closely you can see an image of Jesus near the middle white flower..."

The birthday cake was a success and of course enjoyed by all the little guests.

Blogging about Blogging Part 23

2011-05-17T13:22:00.002+10:00

So you're going about your life and suddenly you're hit with this great idea for a blog post, and you smile contentedly and nod, "That'll go right over there in my short term memory, so after I have finished work and get home, then go through all the daily de-briefing with wife, children and associates; once I finally sit in the study with a half hour spare I will be able to commit to words the exact mental picture and accompanying funny aside so as to make a memorable, meaningful and with a little luck, oft-quoted blog post."

Never happens - right? And all this guff about writing a blog post from a blackberry whilst commuting - are you serious? - I mean who commutes in what is basically a regional city with no public transport system?

Sometimes it just feels like most of those little gem moments and reflections are either shared with the person you are with at that instant in time - or that they are lost to civilization for eternity.

So if you happen to be a disability case worker, out on the job, your little gem is most likely shared with someone with an intellectual disability who will completely not get it. Or even more disturbed - your little gem will be shared with a fellow disability worker and she will look back at you, blinking, in total confusion - "Was he trying to be funny or was he sexually harassing me?"

So yeah, back to the blogging about blogging,- I have been considering buying a dictaphone or whatever they are called now(?), so I can walk along the beach or be driving the service vehicle and discreetly press play and record my thoughts as they percolate through my brain and out through my mouth.

Then it is a win-win for everyone, (least of all civilization!) and those shelves and shelves of unrecorded quips, observations and comments I can more easily access, collate and massage into blog posts.

So if you see a guy pushing a wheelchair, talking into a dictaphone (or whatever they're called), with a disability client lolling in front oblivious to the monologue - yeah, it's probably me. Just don't interrupt, I'll take it all down and be up late at night trying to make it into something for Merewether-Life.

Isla Turns Two

2011-05-08T08:41:00.001+10:00

So it's a happy birthday to Isla May, who turned Two a couple of days ago.

She has been a big fan of the Iggle Piggle Crew and it was fitting her mother made the characters a feature of her birthday cake.

It was her first time blowing out candles so she was a little unsure of positioning and the correct way to do it.

But once the smoke had cleared, she liked the green yoghurt flavoured icing on the banana cake.

It's good to share birthday cake with your sisters too, they also enjoy some!

After a few bites, Isla lost interest and was ready to get up and dance.

A quick cuddle photo opportunity and it was time to start dancing!

Although I'm two, I still have to wear nappies, but I'm going Okay with my toilet training - will update you as developments come to hand.

Pumpkin Soup For the Soul

2011-05-08T08:28:00.001+10:00

As we have finished with the summer pumpkin crop and all the tendrils are fading and going brown, we picked all the pumpkins and sorted through all the weeds that had grown through the vines. There were 8 pumpkins in all (not bad for the first try), most scattered all over the place - it is surprising how far the tendrils will run of they are not cut at all. So we brought all the pumpkins in and let them fully mature on the top shelf of the kitchen.

We also picked what watermelons we could, but they were far less productive, with the smaller variety producing a few cannonball sized fruit (when was the last time you saw a cannonball? - but you get the picture) and just two large traditional shaped watermelons.

Anyway, I was at the Markets buying up heaps of fresh fruit for our Mother's Day Promotion and I couldn't resist buying some more pumpkins - they were so cheap and looked so tempting - I also grabbed a bag of large brown onions - you can't have too many onions in a any recipe I always say.

So we got straight to work and made some pumpkin soup.

These are using the pumpkins we grew in the back yard, so you can see the tiny seeds still in the flesh. I have saved the seeds ad will replant these next year so we can start cultivating out own strain of pumpkins. Anyway, that's the plan.

Here's the pumpkins with some potato, and we add a good teaspoon of Thai curry paste so there is a bit of buzz flavour too.

Tastes great and is a hearty warming meal for a day or two with crusty bread rolls - or is an easy work meal in a mug just re heat in the microwave. More coming soon.

The Chicken Coop - Using Metal Shelves!

2011-04-30T05:28:00.001+10:00

Have spent the past week thinking about how to make the actual chicken coop for the birds to lay and rest in and was really stumped about what to do.
Since I'm not much of a carpenter, I was reluctant to go out and buy all the gear and tools and wood to put together what would basically be a poor example of a chicken coop.
And the other option, of asking for help - shit, I am so over that I had to find a way of doing this, (to quote mt three year old) "ALL BY MYSELF!"

So, whilst I worked at our warehouse, I actually stumbled upon some spare pallet racking lying up the back and thought it would be just perfect for the job! The shelving is solid, supports a ton of weight, is made of steel so it won't rot, and I have all the bits and pieces so that I can put it together. And it should be easy to cover the open sides to give some shelter when it is put together.

Backyard Chickens In Merewether

2011-04-27T13:03:00.002+10:00

Here's how I spent the few free days I had over the Easter long weekend. There was a fair bit of rain and the soil was soft, so digging the footings wasn't so hard, more that it just had to be done. So, with a skirt of chicken wire extending out from the coop by about 500mm, it should be quite a strong defence against the foxes.

Then the wire sits buried under 300mm of trench, backfilled with bricks, and then covered with finer wire and then filled in with concrete. It looks very solid and I hope it cures properly with all the sporadic rain and showers.

The corner posts are a bit messy, but whilst i was putting it together I thought it was more about function and security as opposed to form and design. For sure, the brick work isn't the tidiest or neatest, but it holds the wire in place wll so will be a firm deterrent to marauding foxes.

The chicken coop has a gentle downward slope away from the house so the waste has a clear run off. I initially planned on making the coop a third of its final size, and you can see the original trench I had dug across - it was stopped by thick tree roots from the eucalypts. I'm not sure if having the big tree inside the coop was such a good idea.

Anyway, more refinements and improvements as time goes on, am getting anxious to have some actual birds in the coop laying eggs for us!

Afternoon at Bar Beach

2011-04-14T17:26:00.001+10:00

Spent a glorious day at the beach on Sunday, was particularly keen to get some sun as we recognize it is nearing the end of sunny days.

Was a beautiful day and we flirted with the storm clouds, running over the rocks and exploring through the pools until near dusk. Once we were home and in steaming showers we heard the first of the big raindrops plopping on the roof.
Nothing better than standing on the verandah with hot-shower-skin watching the rain splash off the steaming road.

Pansies are for Colour

2011-03-28T11:12:00.002+11:00

Pansy Seedlings Ready to Plant

Little Helper Ready for Gardening

Another Little Helper in the garden

Took some time over the weekend to re invigorate the fallow garden bed at the front door. Over summer we had some great marigolds working as insect repellent and offering the opportunity to make numerous marigold bud daisy chain necklaces. (Anyone remember New Years Day at Gregson with the marigold necklaces?)

This time we have chosen pansies as they should adapt well to the cooler mornings and less intense sunlight. Here we prepared the soil with some rotted manure and fertiliser and then spaced out the seedlings so they would sit right across the garden bed.

Here's hoping the overdose of fertiliser that pone of the little helpers sprinkled all over the garden bed has seeped into the soil and it is no longer a toxic chemical mix - it was a premature end for the marigolds when the fertliser made the soil too salty and they literally withered in a couple of days.

Just put a sprinkle of snail pellets around the seedlings and it started to rain again so they haven't needed any haqnd watering so far.

Seagulls on a Windy Day

2011-03-07T11:37:00.003+11:00

Spent a blustery Saturday afternoon flying the new kite. Made for a mini comparison next to the big boys with their actual hanggliders.

Camels in Hunter Street Mall?

2011-02-27T16:38:00.001+11:00

Such a great tip to hear Silas Moss in ABC1233 Newcastle Radio this morning recommend a free children's event in Newcastle's Hunter Street Mall. And we were promised CAMELS!

Loved watching them chew the cud with an insolent middle eastern air. Big blinking eyes and wide pad feet too.

Merewether Garden Ideas

2011-02-26T18:04:00.002+11:00

Have been finishing off the backyard stairs, and took out some time for some shots of the blooming garden. As you know I love tree ferns - here are some images of the emerging unfurling fronds uncurling...

See the defensive hairs on the frond? Who would think this will be three meters across in a few weeks?

This is what I think is the rough tree fern - it has a rougher leaf structure and is definitely different to the cyathea cooperi.

Almost embryonic - can you see the arms and legs on this little guy?

Last swim for the summer?

2011-02-21T13:09:00.003+11:00

Perhaps today was the last swim of the summer?

Australia Day 2011 Merewether Baths

2011-01-26T13:34:00.005+11:00

Australia Day is a morning off and relax at the Beach. This morning we woke to find the Morgan Street valley cloaked in thick fog, so dense we could not see past our trees. Immediately we thought it was an ominous sign, considering we have heard the weather forecast predicting temperatures approaching 40C.

Australia Day 2011 Merewether Baths

Australia Day In Merewether

At the baths we could not see past the pool edge - adding a new dimension to the concept of infinity edge pools. Still, it was fun and clearly the most well attended day since the bustle of Boxing Day.

And that's where I started thinking - what is it with all these collapsible tent things that people put up blocking a clear view of the water? And how can you fit under it anyway?
Whats wrong with a traditional umbrella?

The thing that irks regular beach users is that these tents act as barriers and block line of sight access to children, the water and just the general environment, let alone the way they inhibit social interactions.
And they do not let the air flow through, regardless of how many flaps and extensions you move, so you will find most tent users are rarely, if ever, actually sitting inside it, sweltering in the sticky breezelessness.
My recent experiences have been some overly enthusiastic beach goers plonking their tent right in front of our beach access and thinking nothing of it. Ooops!

For my Australia Day wish, I propose we get rid of these beach tents and return to the glorious days of billowing umbrellas and being able to see one another and our children at the beach, and feeling the sea breeze. No more of this claiming beachfront land with a tent and then never actually sitting under it.
Whaddaya reckon?

Backyard Stairs Project - Part Two

2011-01-23T16:10:00.001+11:00

The efforts over the past week have made some significant advances towards completing the project! As you can see from the photos we have made substantial progress and clarified exactly what further needs to be done as we move towards completion.

The view from the top of the stairs is enticing and with dense plantings will lead your eye to the garden and hopefully encourage you to explore further.
You can see the stair rails (not painted black yet) and the treads in place, plus the steel bar at the top which is fixed into the sandstone.
It was tricky getting the rails to sit straight and with some help from our neighbor, who saw us grunting and pointing, we managed to get things right.

From the side you can appreciate just how steep the incline is and how the stairs will sit well above the ground, giving a great viewpoint over the garden.
The airflow will help keep the moisture, moss and mould at bay so the treads should be safe to walk on for years.
Next job will be building some stainless wire to go in between the rails to stop toddlers falling through!

Here's the tricky part - although the stairs were originally fabricated to reach the first floor in an industrial warehouse, the treads do not sit true unless we support them to this height (at left).
To resolve this we will put together a timber landing, and off the landing a few more steps to reach the ground.
Note how wonky the bricks look - and yes, it is a temporary measure.

To keep the treads at a level or slightly raised incline for safe footfall and easy stair climbing, we decided to use washers for additional height.
Using the washers saved building an unreasonably high landing for the base of the stairs.

When we first worked through the idea, the stair railing was sitting nearly two meters in the air!

The old track. For the past four years, ever since moving to the property, I have fumbled up and down this loose stone 'path' wary of falling over.
It was quite an achievement to carry 500+ bricks down the backyard 6 at a time on this track last summer.

New Updates next weekend.

The Backyard Stairs Project

2011-01-17T15:22:00.001+11:00

Here's the current situation - we live on a ridge and the property features a large rock boulder that cuts the backyard in half. On the high side there is a stretch of grass, then the boulder drops off by 4.5 metres to the rest of the backyard. The rest of the backyard has been effectively cut off from access since day one and as a result grew neglected into a tangle noxious weeds and trees.

We have worked over the past three years to cut down and remove camphor laurel, wandering jew and lantana, and replanted with native Australian plants with a goal of having a lush subtropical feel. It is finally coming together and becoming a place you might like to spend some time. So the first thing is to improve the access, no more lugging tools and equipment down the rock face.

The stairs are made from steel with tallow wood treads, I gave the treads two coats of decking oil so they will cope with the damp conditions.

With the help of Dave and Geoff, we carried down one of the stair sides and tried placing it against the rock and adjusted how it would sit so that the stairs would sit right.

Next, we chalked out where the bolts would have to sit on the rock, and with hammer drill we bored into the rock. Once we got through the outer surface of the rock, which looked like a crumbly sandstone, the rock was actually quite solid and hard.

We put bolts into the rock and tried to align the stair so it would sit straight. The stair side sat right but stuck out into the air at about 6' off the ground. To keep it this way would mean having some high piers at the base and then almost another set of stairs.

So we manipulated the stair side around and tried to make some other option workable.

The stair side weighs a couple of hundred kilograms so it was challenging to juggle it around.

Here is the stair side held in place on its side. You can see the tread angles that will cradle the the wooden treads.

Mindful of keeping the treads at level or even slightly over horizontal so the steps would be safe, it was put forward that we use washers for extra height on the treads.

As you can appreciate, there is a substantial drop to the lower garden and the stairs will make a real impact on our outdoor experience.

Will keep updates as we complete the project.

The Middle of Summer

2011-01-13T15:31:00.002+11:00

Enjoying a damp summer with milder days and still the chance to spend time at the beach. Here is a selection of images from the past few weeks. Have been going daily down to Merewether and Bar Beach for a bit of variety. Here the girls are at the end of a marathon swimming and running session - they have simply exhausted themselves. It was the last shot I took before we packed up for home.


The End of a Long Day at Bar Beach

At the beginning of October we planted a handful of butternut Pumpkin seeds, and when we saw how quickly they sprouted and spread, we sought out some watermelon seeds and put them in alongside. The site is this waste ground at the back of our house where grass clippings and garden waste has been dumped for decades (since the house was built in the seventies) and just weeds have been growing.

I had struggled with weeding it or whether to poison and never really got on top of it, until we thought of the idea of planting some rambling pumpkins and watermelons! The idea was that the melons would out compete the weeds of we planted them right and we might also grow some worthwhile fresh veggies as well.


A watermelon or (pumpkin?) seedling day three.

It didn't take long for the plants to thrive and they have covered the whole area quite thickly, and the sail-like leaves of the pumpkin meshes neatly with the frilled leaves of the watermelon. They have greened the whole sloping site, roughly half a tennis court, and we are eagerly anticipating the bulging pumpkins and melons as they swell with all the rain

Watermelon leaves have this pinnate structure

So I have finally relented and purchased a digital SLR camera and am now taking much more control over the images I produce. Only problem is the images are so large and slow to load on blogs etc. The wife has decided to do a SLR course at WEA so it will be great for shooting products not just learning by trial and error.

Native Violets in the front Garden

OK, will be posting a bit more often now we are all back in work mode...

Red Lantern Markets Newcastle

2010-11-27T21:20:00.004+11:00

Red Lantern Markets Newcastle

Family walk along from Newcastle Beach down through the mall to the Red Lantern Markets, which operate from 4pm to 10pm on Saturday Nights. Very impressed with the atmosphere and numbers of family people milling past the many stalls and food vendors. Weather-wise a breezy Nor-Easter kept skirts billowing and the little side streets cool. No summer humidity here!

Atmosphere was Relaxed Christmas Markets - Cool!

Bounced around through the old side alleys that were converted for the previous markets venture - it was busy but bearable and people smiled at us as we weaved the Phil and Teds' through the crowd. Can't complain, it was shoulder to shoulder across the food stalls, so long in fact that we meandered on by and settled for a pistachio gelato from a side stall.

Red Lantern Food Markets Newcastle

Wife really disappointed not to order a spinach and cheese Golzeme(?) from the friendly ladies who weave their magic. But little H had her heart set on something...

Kiyoko Bag from Fugu Fashion

And she bought it for AU$10. It is a funky little slip shoulder bag for a three year old. My wife lifes it too. The Fugu Fashion bag sits neat o her 3 yr old hip and holds a few coins too!

More Designs at Red Lantern Markets Newcastle

A neat evening out for the family, with some great music, street theatre (especially the shadow puppetry) and smells of market fresh foods. Look forward to next visit. Let's Know if you have an experience at the Red Lantern Markets...

Backyard Chickens in Merewether

2010-11-24T17:35:00.006+11:00

Have been researching about keeping a few chickens in the backyard. It is such an attractive option for us to make some use of the vast amounts of kitchen waste we throw out into landfill. And it would provide us with some eggs, which we are currently eating at a 5 eggs per breakfast scrambled eggs! The girls just love what they call "eggies" (scrambled).

Our New Adorable Egg Producer?

So, as you would expect, round a few beers I put it to the neighbors for feedback. Unsurprisingly, they were completely sold on the idea at the mere mention of it. We discussed plans and sourced a site and even worked out how and when to get the materials. We decided on two chickens per family - six chickens in all.

We have placed the chicken coop out near the rear of the house where it will get some afternoon sun and be sheltered from the prevailing southerly. It will sit atop an old sandpit that was generously built by my father in law, but has sadly been neglected and is no longer a feature on the girls play calendar.

The Chicken Coop Palace

Now, we were at Taronga Zoo on the weekend, and we observed in the Asia section a fantastic chicken coop, complete with spotted deer and pheasants. What we noted for the structure was plenty of food bins and solid fence posts supporting thick gauge chicken wire. It was open plan with a lovely shaded section but most of all plenty of room for birds to scratch and forage.

It would be perfect backing onto our reserve, but I will have to consult with the neighbors, as it would involve a bit further walking to service the chooks.

Will keep posting as things develop. Bukark!!

Dixon Park Beach and Merewether Beach

2010-11-19T18:15:00.001+11:00

Dixon Park has some creative street art on the side of the old kiosk, much like Kurri is known for it's street art. Larger than life depictions of local scenes on the side of buildings usually. These two figures are side by side and overlook the children's playground. Both perhaps of Mark Richards - or at least they are riding boards with his logo.

The Backyard Rainforest

2010-11-15T13:16:00.003+11:00

Our backyard Rainforest is thriving during the heavy rainfalls we have experienced this Spring. Here are some of the images we took recently.

This is a Red Cedar. We planted three saplings last autumn so they could grow along a natural water flow line. They have well and truly established and are showing great inter-nodal length. I have kept up cow manure, chicken manure and all purpose fertilizer granules along with generous mulching.

These are the rough tree ferns, which I planted in a circle around a emergent Eucalypt. They too have established and handle the heat and dry spells with a thick layer of rotting mulch.

This is the King Tree Fern, I planted another half dozen of these around another damp spot. They are surprisingly resilient too, given the foliage looks very delicate.

A Crows Nest, I have planted dozens of these and they are doing OK, except for having to compete with grass weeds and wandering jew.

The Dickson Tree Fern has new emergent fronds, it is a slow old grower but does reward with lush green growth.

Will keep you updated with the latest developments in the vege garden next post. Plus, the plans for the chooks....

Lonely Planet Ranks Newcastle Ninth Best City

2010-10-31T18:36:00.001+11:00

Lonely Planet ranks Newcastle as an entirely liveable city. See here

Save Laman Street Figs

2010-10-29T17:07:00.002+11:00

The Laman Street Figs are in a state of flux - they are scheduled to be cut down, mulched and some sort of concrete "plaza" installed in their place!

It is outrageous that some Newcastle Councillors have voted to cut the trees down!

Share your thoughts with these individuals directly >

John Tate
Aaron Buman
Brad Luke
Scott Sharpe
Graham Boyd
Mike King
Bob Cook

Sign the online petition at saveourfigs.wordpress.com

This is a fight we cannot afford to lose.

The First Day on The Bike Solo

2010-09-26T20:46:00.000+10:00

"First day on the bike all by myself!" Such a remarkable achievement to ride with training wheels for the first time.

Little H rode and quickly followed by Littlle L running - indeed she has only just picked up the running thing in the last few weeks.

Great to catch some afternoon sun and the cool breeze as the day drifts into evening. BBQ lifestyle suits us well, we are anticipating many more outdoor cooks. Even sharing the idea that we sell the home barbie and just eat at parks all the time. Anyone else agree?

Clumsy Weekend Fumbling...

2010-08-16T19:40:00.000+10:00

Spent the weekend fumbling around children's parties and pointing at koalas.
Wonderful experience if it were without the elders and opinionated onlookers.
Imagine if I had a worthless contract for a wage job. OMGQ!

Turning the Tide - End Of Winter Fat

2010-08-13T18:46:00.002+10:00

It has been a glorious and depressing winter to eat my way into a 12 kilo weight gain.

Unashamedly, I now wallow in my wobbly gut and drooping jowls whilst I fear my first Spring workout.

Already I can imagine my new personal trainer snorting at my pathetic push up count.

> Well this time , I'm gonna get even! I got meself a gun and a packet of knives and .... wait a minute, only JOKING - yeah, I have already begun the pre-gym sign up fasting process. I heard some other guys call it ramadan. It is a tricky bandwagon to get on but I'm doing my half assed best so far...

Plastic Container lids in the back corner of the Kitchen Cupboard - WTF?

2010-08-11T19:27:00.001+10:00

Sometimes it feels good (or is absolutely necessary) to bring a little order into an otherwise chaotic life. With this in mind I just resolved to tackle that terrifying, hard-to-reach corner of my kitchen cupboards that houses my collection of plastic food receptacles. These range from worth-their-weight-in-gold Tupperware (all vanished) containers to bulk-purchased cheap-arsed plastic takeaway boxes of all shapes and sizes.

What I found was absolutely mystifying. When I finally managed to exit the cupboard on hands and knees and survey my stash I found that I had precisely 55 lids and precisely 11 containers. Of those lids and containers I had precisely 3 matches.

To prove that I really do Shit You Not, I took a photo, and here it is. Actually, I took 2 and here they both are.

How. Does. This. Happen?

I can understand the occasional container being sacrificed to the Gods of Playdough, Roughhousing and Occasional Microwave Disasters, but for the love of all that is decent, how did 44 containers vanish? Perhaps (thinking outside the square here) they didn't vanish at all, but never existed, and there's some strange lid-breeding program going on in my cupboard resulting in multiple births of new and exciting container-less lids?

Whatever it is, I want my containers back. Or my lids gone. Or more matches. Or at the VERY least - a scientific explanation.

STxxx

Big Beach Challenge

2010-08-07T22:17:00.003+10:00

Imagine setting yourself a walking goal of bettering your own existing record...

This event has been a long time coming but has the potential to become a classic sand running/walking event in Australia. The event was trialed by a group of enthusiastic ladies (see pics below) in 2009 (their record was 7 hours and 48 minutes) and this year we are opening the event to the general running and walking public. The event will happen in 2010 and will include a run/walk course starting from Birubi Beach in Port Stephens and finishing at Stockton Beach. This is 32kms of sand. There will also be a 16km out and back walk from Stockton Beach for those who think 32km is too far. This is called the Sight the Sygna 16 and will head 8km out to the Sygna ship wreck and back. Also not for the faint hearted.

Each year we plan to change the direction of the event, heading in 2011 from Stockton to Birubi.

Our official charity for the event is the Harry Meyn Foundation, who have just established Harry's House in Stockton. Harry's House has been established to allow families of sick children who need to travel to Hunter based medical facilities the opportunity to stay close to treatment and or seek a retreat to enjoy the beautiful Stockton beaches and township. Competitors in the event will be encouraged to seek sponsorship for Harry's House over their Big Beach Challenge.

The Big Beach Challenge will be held on Saturday, 21 August 2010.

Mojitos and Sexy Cocktails at the CLARENDON Hotel

2010-08-07T22:13:00.001+10:00

It is so good. Walking along Honeysuckle and Sharing dinner.

The Droll End Of Days - Some Call it August...

2010-08-04T20:22:00.000+10:00

Have been existing through the droll end of winter days - some people call it August. I get the idea of GUST but Au should really be AWWW!

Still, we have managed to make it to the beach most days, walking along the Merewether to Bar stretch every other day for the last fortnight. Unfortunately, the weather has shown us the full spectrum from rainbows and perfect curling offshore swell to swirling storms and running for cover from the top of Cliff to Dixon Park.

Even though August in Merewether has been damp and cold and makes me want to chase my neighbour up north to Noosa, we holdfast and clean and de-clutter and recycle like crazy.

Oh and we saw a new idea for a business AUSSIE CAVIAR >>

Cellito's and Treachery Beach in Winter

2010-07-12T17:23:00.001+10:00

Walked through the littoral rainforest to Cellitos and spent a sunny mid-winter afternoon picking over the rockpools. Found starfish and some crabs and anemones.
Then to Treachery - no longer a light-camping twenty-something - this time trudging through the dunes with some small fairies in tow.
Again, a memorable day and the beach/farmstay contrast makes the nature experience ideal.

Perhaps best summed up when Hazel began to cry once we arrived home "I want to go back to my holiday!"

Beaumont Street

2010-07-12T16:31:00.000+10:00

Just love the gritty diversity of Beaumont Street. Especially recommend the 'baby' Piddas up the other end near the Oasis section, but not actually in the oasis section.
Go along a little further to Cappodocia and you can get the best value for your Pidda dollar, they go for $6 each during the day. For some reason they are called baby but they are enough for one to eat for lunch and be satisfied.

Merewether-life

Whale Tales at Merewether Beach

2010-07-03T14:07:00.002+10:00

Shared the Bar the Merewether walk with some friends this morning. Bracing the breeze, and quite surprised at the number of fellow walker out and about.

Outdoor-Music-Newcastle-Livesites

2010-06-25T20:23:00.000+10:00

Admittedly perhaps not a Newcastle performance although quite deservedly so for this audience, please welcome the merewether-life our good friends, Radiohead.

The haunting beauty of this ode to self loathing has timeless appeal.

Dixon-Park-Webcam

2010-06-25T17:37:00.000+10:00

Here's the live webcam of Dixon Park Beach next to Merewether.
It's so good there on a winter's afternoon with the chill wind and the slanting sun whilst the girls play on the playground equipment.

A Birthday Party

2010-06-20T23:22:00.000+10:00

The girls had their joint birthday party at the railway sheds at Newcastle Foreshore. A lovely morning shared with some friends and family and here we'll share some pics with you.

Funny story - my wife baked the two birthday cakes the day before and as is the process we had bought some of the ingredients from the local shop, which I argue is supporting local business instead of getting everything from the major supermarkets. But the butter was two months out of date. And the cakes tasted terrible.

So we had to start again and they turned out just fine, as you can see. Our friend rates herself as a face painter and we agree it makes for a great experience for the kids. Her offers of face painting ranged from fairies to spiderman. A lovely sunny day.

Rolador Cafe, Beaumont Street, Hamilton

2010-06-20T22:38:00.003+10:00

The Place > Had a delightful experience at Rolador Cafe at the Northern end of Hamilton's Beaumont Street. Shared breakfast with my wife and ate in the weekday morning sun.

The Meal > Ordered coffees and one plate each. Loving the organic beans and generous portions of condiments.

Overall > Has a funky, art haus vibe with an eclectic jumble of furniture in gaudy clashing colours, recycled industrial reels and what appears to be stuff they have sourced from the side of the road on clean up days. But the patrons love it and as I commute daily past this creative little space, it is always busy with customers.
Realistic pricing and spare unfettered service makes for a functional experience. Recommended.

Would like a review of your business on merewether-life blog?
Let us know, we can review with images.

Newcastle-Livesites-World-Cup-Australia-v-Ghana

2010-06-20T00:19:00.000+10:00

What a magical night am writing this as we have surged ahead by a goal in the twelfth minute. Go Australia and go Civic Park Livesites.

How-to-go-grocery-shopping-in-Newcastle.

2010-06-13T17:16:00.000+10:00

Grocery shopping can be such a chore. Here are three useful ideas for making the healthy food choice that is right for you when you are grocery shopping.
Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognise as food.
Like powders, or things like flavour enhancers - just what is with that?

Shop at the farmers' or growers' market - it's all fresh food straight from the grower.
Easy, just take along a basket to carry the stuff you buy. Cool and cute.

Stay out of the middle of the supermarket - meat, fish, dairy products, fruit and vegetables are all on the outside aisle of every supermarket. The processed stuff is in the centre.
A revelation. Another rule, less packaging, more nutrition.

Thank-You-Birthday-Gift-Basket-Hampers-champion-Australia-best-

2010-06-13T03:00:00.001+10:00

Birthday-Gift-Basket-Hampers-champion-Australia-best- Thank You Gift Chance.
Andn being....

Yesterday they Buried a Whale

2010-06-08T14:50:00.003+10:00

Heard on 1233 Radio that a whale has washed up on the beach. Dead. Thought it might be an opportunity for the girls to see some of the cycle of life.

We tried to arrange our day so that we would be able to get by the beach and show the girls by early afternoon. Everything was going to plan and we were headed to the beach when we heard that the council had dug a four meter deep hole and pushed the whale carcass into it.

By the time we arrived and walked along the cliff top, there was nothing to see except the creases in the sand left by the excavator, and some disturbed sand where we guessed the whale lay.

Still, with the bulging waves and sharp wind, it was an atmospheric moment

Keeping it All Together

2010-06-05T21:13:00.000+10:00

It is a real story of survival and endurance that we have made it this far, and I feel we must share this particular story.
Not long ago we were cursed with a particular tenant who left our rental/investment in a deplorable state and we were forced to repair and clean her mistakes and damage out of our own pockets.
Now this has been a long and exhausting affair of dealing with contractors and tradies and real estate suits and of course the lawyers have out their hand up for some cash too.
It has been disheartening and a total experience.

What have I Achieved Today?

2010-06-01T14:12:00.000+10:00

Not much positive. Pretty bloody damn awful actually.
1 - Had a property we were selling fall over, so the sale is still up in the air.
2 - Delivered a Gift Basket and it was apparently a few hours late (1pm is still same day - sometimes peoples are impossible to please..)
3 - Have been biting my nails so my left index and right thumb are too bloody short and are throbbing!!

All in all a great day to have stayed on bed..

Let me know some pleasant, inspiring things please....

Attracting Readers to your Blog

2010-05-29T13:21:00.002+10:00

Here's something I found in the blogcatalog.com newsletter. I thought it was worth passing on. Hope you get some value from it. My comments are in italics.

1. Pick a Sweet Title – Picking a great title is one of the most basic ways to attract more readers to your blog. Even though it is only a few words, the title can entice viewers to continue reading and ultimately subscribe! Remember, pick a title that is catchy. Like Hampers if you sell Hampers. This is extremely important for drawing traffic from sites like Digg.com or del.icio.us.

2. Improve SEO – Improving your blog’s search engine friendliness is vital for attracting more readers. In order to do this, one should change their permalink structure and even tailor their title to Google’s needs.With a few simple steps, search engines can vastly increase the audience who views your blog.

3. Marketing – Word of mouth is one of the most basic but useful ways to increase the number of readers for your blog. Have a facebook? Create a fan page encouraging your friends to read your blog. They might just pass it on to more people if they find something they like. Have a Twitter? Post your blog’s link. Any type of advertisement will be helpful!

4. Write Original Content – When you write content that has already been blogged about, the chances are readers won’t come back for more because they’ve already encountered something similar. The solution – put a new spin on whatever subject you’re writing about! Quality blogs all have subject matter that is new and inspiring. (OK OK, I guess I fudged this when I copy and paste articles but this is worthwhile) Readers will always keep checking your blog if this is skillfully done.

5. Comment On Other Blogs Posting – Giving feedback on other writer’s blogs is an extremely easy way to get the attention of other bloggers and their readers. It’s very important, however, that you don’t look like you’re spamming. Make sure you read the article, and then simply advertise your own blog in a discrete way. I have spent hours doing this and even though there are plenty of knockbacks, it is still worthwhile getting out there and seeing what everyone else is up to.

6. Guest Blog – Guest blogging on a similar blog is an effective way to get even more traffic to your site. Some bloggers have greatly increased their own amount of viewers by simply writing one entry for a very popular site. Even though it is hard to get your guest entry posted, it is certainly not impossible. If you succeed, your traffic will surely increase greatly.

7. Run a Contest – Running a contest is a great way to generate buzz in the online community. With a type of sweepstakes, readers will regularly check your blog for an update on the winner, while also telling their friends about their hopes of winning. Find something that is related to your blog that readers would enjoy winning. After your contest is over, publicize the winner. Participants will continue to read your blog even after the contest is over!

8. Link To Other Blogs – Don’t worry, you won’t lose traffic! Bloggers who link to other blogs usually see their efforts reciprocated. This friendly relationship allows writers to share a common audience. By networking with other writers, your blog’s traffic will inevitably increase. GREAT IDEA!! Want to share a link? I have a Love me and I'll Love You Back Policy at Merewether-Life which means you add me or follow me and I will return the favour.

9. Be Controversial, It’s Okay! – There are many bloggers all over the world. Not many bloggers, however, will write about a controversial subject. Don’t be offensive, but distance yourself from those other ordinary blogs. The online community will definitely take notice if you continue to push the envelope. OK, Here's something controversial - No more tents or sun shades at the beach check out Australia Day 2011!

10. Just Wait! – While all of these tips can help you attract more readers to your blog, it still takes time! Do not become frustrated! The longer your blog is thriving, the sooner you will see a heavy increase in traffic. Don’t be upset if you only have a few readers! In time you’ll have a popular site that everyone is reading! Yeah right. It is like screaming at the top of your lungs into an empty barrell and just hearing your own echo sometimes. But what a lovely echo it is, if I do say so myself...

Why Pet Fish Never Get Eaten

2010-05-27T20:52:00.001+10:00

Thanks to my new found friend at meblogin.blogspot.com/

A redneck was stopped by a game warden in Central Mississippi recently with two ice chests full of fish. He was leavin' a cove well-known for its fishing.

The game warden asked the man, 'Do you have a license to catch those fish?' 'Naw, sir', replied the redneck. 'I ain't got none of them there licenses. You must understand, these here are my pet fish.'
'Pet fish?'
'Yeah. Every night, I take these here fish down to the lake and let 'em swim 'round for awhile. Then, when I whistle, they jump right back into these here ice chests and I take 'em home.'

'That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that.'

The redneck looked at the warden for a moment and then said, 'It's the truth Mr. Government Man. I'll show ya. It really works.'
'O. K.', said the warden. 'I've got to see this!'
The redneck poured the fish into the lake and stood and waited. After several minutes, the warden says, 'Well?"

'Well, what?,' says the redneck.
The warden says, 'When are you going to call them back?'
'Call who back?'
'The FISH,' cries the warden.

'What fish?,' replied the redneck....

Resourceful response under pressure. These pet fish love being fed, just click once on the pond once to give them three flakes of fish food or maybe some more...

Gorgeous Blog

2010-05-27T19:22:00.000+10:00

Some inner city life living at marmunia#disqus_thread

Another thrilling walk - try this with your family

2010-05-27T17:06:00.000+10:00

This walk is called the fat burner. Downhill 75metres

Morning Exercise Route - Is it far enough?

2010-05-27T15:21:00.000+10:00

Here is our morning walk, just wondering if you think it is far enough? it takes about 25 mins to walk/jug and up to 40 mins to just walk.

Birthday Parties at Newcastle Foreshore

2010-05-24T16:33:00.000+10:00

With the forecast predicting rain and cloud, we hastily re-scheduled the Birthday Party from the balmy but exposed Dixon Park Beach to the relatively sheltered Railway Sheds off Foreshore Park. And what a masterstroke it was! Excepting a band of fervent Star Wars re-enactmentors, the site was spacious, quiet and offered plenty of room for running, cycling and face painting.

Merewether Zen Life

2010-05-13T20:11:00.000+10:00

Experiencing Without Attachment
Accept the moment for what it is. Don’t try to turn it into yesterday; that moment’s gone. Don’t plot about how you can make the moment last forever. Just seep into the moment and enjoy it because it will eventually pass. Nothing is permanent. Fighting that reality will only cause you pain.

Believe now is enough. It’s true—tomorrow may not look the same as today, no matter how much you try to control it. A relationship might end. You might have to move. You’ll deal with those moments when they come. All you need right now is to appreciate and enjoy what you have. It’s enough.

Call yourself out. Learn what it looks like to grasp at people, things, or circumstances so you can redirect your thoughts when they veer toward attachment. When you dwell on keeping, controlling, manipulating, or losing something instead of simply experiencing it.

Define yourself in fluid terms. We are all constantly evolving and growing. Define yourself in terms that can withstand change. Defining yourself by possessions, roles, and relationships breeds attachment because loss entails losing not just what you have, but also who you are.

Enjoy now fully. No matter how much time you have in an experience or with someone you love, it will never feel like enough. So don’t think about it in terms of quantity—aim for quality, instead. Attach to the idea of living well moment-to-moment. That’s an attachment that can do you no harm.

Letting Go of Attachment to People
Friend yourself. It will be harder to let people go when necessary if you depend on them for your sense of worth. Believe you’re worthy whether someone else tells you or not. This way, you relate to people—not just how they make you feel about yourself.

Go it alone sometimes. Take time to foster your own interests, ones that nothing and no one can take away. Don’t let them hinge on anyone or anything other than your values and passion.

Hold lightly. This one isn’t just about releasing attachments—it’s also about maintaining healthy relationships. Contrary to romantic notions, you are not someone’s other half. You’re separate and whole. You can still hold someone to close to your heart; just remember, if you squeeze too tightly, you’ll both be suffocated.

Interact with lots of people. If you limit yourself to one or two relationships they will seem like your lifelines. Everyone needs people, and there are billions on the planet. Stay open to new connections. Accept the possibility your future involves a lot of love whether you cling to a select few people or not.

Justify less. I can’t let him go—I’ll be miserable without him. I’d die if I lost her—she’s all that I have. These thoughts reinforce beliefs that are not fact, even if they feel like it. The only way to let go and feel less pain is to believe you’re strong enough to carry on if and when things change.

Letting Go of Attachment to the Past
Know you can’t change the past. Even if you think about over and over again. Even if you punish yourself. Even if you refuse to accept it. It’s done. The only way to relieve your pain about what happened is to give yourself relief. No one and nothing else can create peace in your head for you.

Love instead of fearing. When you hold onto the past, it often has to do with fear: fear you messed up your chance at happiness, or fear you’ll never know such happiness again. Focus on what you love and you’ll create happiness instead of worrying about it.

Make now count. Instead of thinking of what you did or didn’t do, the type of person you were or weren’t, do something worthwhile now. Be someone worthwhile now. Take a class. Join a group. Help someone who needs it. Make today so full and meaningful there’s no room to dwell on yesterday.

Narrate calmly. How we experience the world is largely a result of how we internalize it. Instead of telling yourself dramatic stories about the past—how hurt you were or how hard it was—challenge your emotions and focus on lessons learned. That’s all you really need from yesterday.

Open your mind. We often cling to things, situations or people because we’re comfortable with them. We know how they’ll make us feel, whether it’s happy or safe. Consider that new things, situations and people may affect you the same. The only way to find out is to let go of what’s come and gone.

Letting Go of Attachment to Outcomes
Practice letting things be. That doesn’t mean you can’t actively work to create a different tomorrow. It just means you make peace with the moment as it is, without worrying that something’s wrong with you or your life, and then operate from a place of acceptance.

Question your attachment. If you’re attached to a specific outcome—a dream job, the perfect relationship—you may be indulging an illusion about some day when everything will be lined up for happiness. No moment will ever be worthier of your joy than now because that’s all there ever is.

Release the need to know. Life entails uncertainty, no matter how strong your intention. Obsessing about tomorrow wastes your life because there will always be a tomorrow on the horizon. There are no guarantees about how it will play out. Just know it hinges on how well you live today.

Serve your purpose now. You don’t need to have x-amount of money in the bank to live a meaningful life right now. Figure out what matters to you, and fill pockets of time indulging it. Audition for community theater. Volunteer with animals. Whatever you love, do it. Don’t wait—do it now.

Teach others. It’s human nature to hope for things in the future. Even the most enlightened people fall into the habit from time to time. Remind yourself to stay open to possibilities by sharing the idea with other people. Blog about it. Talk about it. Tweet about it. Opening up helps keep you open.

Letting Go of Attachment to Feelings
Understand that pain is unavoidable. No matter how well you do everything on this list, or on your own short list for peace, you will lose things that matter and feel some level of pain. But it doesn’t have to be as bad as you think. As the saying goes, pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

Vocalize your feelings. Feel them, acknowledge them, express them, and then let them naturally transform. Even if you want to dwell in anger, sadness or frustration—especially if you feel like dwelling—save yourself the pain and commit to working through them.

Write it down. Then toss it out. You won’t always have the opportunity to express your feelings to the people who inspired them. That doesn’t mean you need to swallow them. Write in a journal. Write a letter and burn it. Anything that helps you let go.

Xie Xie. It means thank you in Chinese. Fully embrace your happy moments—love with abandon; be so passionate it’s contagious. If a darker moment follows, remember: it will teach you something, and soon enough you’ll be in another happy moment to appreciate. Everything is cyclical.

Yield to peace. The ultimate desire is to feel happy and peaceful. Even if you think you want to stay angry, what you really want is to be at peace with what happened or will happen. It takes a conscious choice. Make it.

Zen your now. Experience, appreciate, enjoy, and let go to welcome another experience.

It won’t always be easy. Sometimes you’ll feel compelled to attach yourself physically and mentally to people and ideas—as if it gives you some sense of control or security. You may even strongly believe you’ll be happy if you struggle to hold onto what you have. That’s OK. It’s human nature.

Just know you have the power to choose from moment to moment how you experience things you enjoy: with a sense of ownership, anxiety, and fear, or with a sense of freedom, peace and love.

The most important question: what do you choose right now?

Great Blog to spend some time browsing

2010-05-05T17:15:00.001+10:00

Check out this blog, it is engrossing
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Gift Ideas from The Us of A

2010-04-28T21:18:00.001+10:00

Ultimate-Gift-You-Tube

2010-04-28T21:13:00.000+10:00

Hey wooah check this out!!

Self-Esteem-Is-The-Key

2010-04-28T20:54:00.000+10:00

The greatest Gift you can share with your child is healthy self-esteem. Children who feel valuable, and who trust themselves have positive self esteem. You can help your child feel valuable by spending quality time, playing games, reading stories, or by simply listening.
Help your children feel valuable by helping children discover and become the person they want to be. Success follows people who genuinely like who they are.

But Happiness is more than just being successful. Helping your child gain the self-trust needed to deal with the failure, shame, loss, defeat and difficulty of life is as important than being best or coming first.

Gourmet Hampers Australia: Gift-Basket-Lover-Elton-John-Rocks!

2010-04-27T08:43:00.000+10:00

Gourmet Hampers Australia: Gift-Basket-Lover-Elton-John-Rocks!

Get Crafty Today

2010-04-27T07:11:00.000+10:00

Please welcome a posting from a fellow blogger at http://toneko-therapy-centre.net
Crafts are more popular than ever. But some people shy away from taking up a crafty hobby because they don’t think they have enough time to learn something new and don’t really know where to start. You could always spend some time at the library reading about your chosen field, or you could do it the easy way. Pick up a craft kit and start crafting right away.

If you’re looking to learn a new skill or take up a new hobby, a craft kit is a great first step. You get to test the waters so to speak without investing a lot of time and money in something that might not be fro you. If you decide that you don’t like your new hobby, no big deal. You won’t end up with lots of money invested and a garage full of equipment you’ll never use again.

I doesn’t matter what craft you want to try out, chances are you’ll find a kit just for you. There are sewing kits, needlepoint, macramé, woodworking, candle making, ceramic kits, and more than I can go into here. What all the kits have in common, is that you get everything you need for a project. Kits not only include all the supplies you’ll need like cloth, thread, or patterns, but you’ll also get any special equipment you might need to complete your project. Depending on the kit, the tools you get may not be the highest quality, but until you decide to peruse your new hobby further, you may not want the best most expensive tools. The best part about crafting from a kit, is you get simple step by step instructions.

Even if you’re not looking to take up a new pastime, a craft kit can make addition to family nights. You hear so many people talking about never having enough family time these days. A kit you and your kids can work on together can be a great solution. Much better than sitting in front of the TV and not talking. The best part is you get to keep the finished product. Unlike a jigsaw puzzle that goes back into the box when you’re finished, you can keep your craft for years as a wonderful reminder of time spent with the ones you love. Craft kits are also a great way to keep kids occupied when they’re out of school.

Don’t forget about craft kits when it comes time to give gifts either. I’m not talking about just giving someone a kit, but using the kit yourself to make a handmade gift. Gifts you make yourself are incredibly personal and can show that special someone just how much you care. If you’re not exactly crafty but want to experience giving a handmade gift, just pick up a craft kit.

No more excuses, if you’ve been wanting to try out something new, pick up a craft kit today. You’ll find all kinds at your local craft store from starter kits to more complex kits. Find one that’s right for you and get crafty today.
Copyright 2007 Marge Snow

Newcastle Promotion Vision

2010-04-26T21:40:00.001+10:00

Is this enough? If it aint I guess you should GF?

or a not so successful us movie?

Your thoughts?
and another local favourite...

tell me what?
Here is the Newcastle Earthquake at 10.28am on 28 December? 5.5

Newcastle Fruit Baskets?
http://www.huntervalleyhampers.com.au/

Newcastle Musicians at Civic Theatre

2010-04-26T21:24:00.001+10:00

Inspirational, take a moment and a deep inhale..

and the utterly powerful

Where to do Yoga in Newcastle

2010-04-26T15:38:00.001+10:00

Here we have started a list of Yoga Practitioners in Newcastle. I just picked up a few flyers at Merewether Beach. Let us know if you want to be included on the list at merewether-life.

Yoga at The Beach with Maryann
http://www.yogamary.com.au/

Ashtanga Yoga Newcastle
http://www.ashtangayoganewcastle.com/

Yoga Bones - nice site
http://www.yogabones.org/

Hot Power Yoga
http://www.hotpoweryoga.com.au/
Also note the New Moon and the Full Moon
http://www.ashtangayoganewcastle.com/moondays.html/

Anzac Day Weekend

2010-04-26T15:30:00.000+10:00

Enjoyed a great outdoorsy Anzac Day long weekend. Saturday was 29C and we were fortunate to share an intimate Engagement Party at Dixon Park, lying on the grass as the sun set and drinking sparkling wine.
Sunday was raining, and after taking the time to acknowledge the Anzac fallen, we lounged around the house and indulged in an afternoon nap. Then to friends house for a lamb loin roast with red cabbage, carrots and potato bake, and a glass of cab-merlot.
Monday, off to walk the Fernleigh Track, a gentle incline from Bailey Street to well beyond the tunnel. Unfortunately no images to share as I left the camera at home recharging.
Back home to change and then down to Merewether park for frisbee, softball practice and a no-plates-bbq. Really relaxed and plenty of running and at times, falling over.
At time of writing the girls are sleeping and we have a mussaman beef curry in the slow cooker. The house reeks of that inviting curry aroma.
Followed a recipe from Slow Cooking, which has some great spice additives. Here it is

Mussaman Curry
800gm chuck steak, diced 2cm
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cardamon pods
5 cloves
2 tblspn mussaman curry paste
440ml can coconut milk
6-8 chat potatoes, halved
ginger 2cm peeled
60ml fish sauce
60gm palm sugar
cup roasted peanuts
3 tblspns tamarind puree

Add beef, cinnamon sticks, cardamon, cloves, curry paste, coconut milk, potato, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, peanuts (save some for garnish) and tamarind to the slow cooker.

Cook on low heat for 6 hours. Garnish with a few chopped peanuts, serve into bowls with a half cup of steamed rice in the base. Enjoy!

Successful Garage Sale Tips in Newcastle

2010-04-17T21:09:00.000+10:00

After hosting a successful Garage Sale in Newcastle today, at merewether-life we have learned some great tips and tricks to make your next garage sale or yard sale a success. On offer - a household full of clothes, furniture, electrical goods and various what-nots and bric-a-brac (don't you just love that term?) all with a distinct must-sell-today point. You see, an acquaintance has a tenant who suddenly abandoned the premises and left the house full of goods, with unpaid rent and assorted damages. The garage sale was the first way to recover costs.

3 Steps to Garage Sale Badda-Bing-Ka-Ching!
1. Location Location Location The Site of the Garage Sale
Hosting a successful garage sale is dependent on where you actually host the garage sale. Ideally, as we experienced today, plan your garage sale for a busy main road link to the CBD of the city. In today's case we are talking a major arterial road a kilometre or so from the CBD, ensuring guaranteed traffic, easy sign posting and convenient parking.

Now you have plenty of casual "maybe" visitors who most likely would not have dropped by if you had placed the sale in some suburban subdivision cul de sac.

Have some chocolate involved somewhere along the line, it always helps...

2. Money Handling and Price Points
Everyone wants to spend some cash and before you know it someone will be in front of you blinking
"So how much is the orange ashtray set?" You look around and gulp.
"Um, its nine dollars"
OR
"Um its one dollar"
And depending on how quickly you close the sale, or by the nodding silence and slinking away of the prospect, you will soon learn of the power of little stickers with $1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6 etc on them. By saving the punter the effort of enquiry, you will gain many a sale.
Oh, and have a bag that you regularly empty the cash from to a safe place - AND DON'T leave it out where someone will buy it for a buck.

3. An End Point
Be aware that the finest of garage sales does not ever lurch into twilight. Sooner you close the cash cow the sooner you can buy some sushi and have a shower and start counting the cash.
So hustle in the moring to avoid the bustle in the afternoon.

Any tips or comments - lets hear, there is so much to share,

Empire-Park-Skate-Park

2010-04-08T14:16:00.000+10:00

Skate Park to be excavated next to 3 km stretch of beach with strict timeframe otherwise funding expires.

"Lets rush it to approval regardless of the details, we need to develop our green parks"
OR
"Why the hurry? Lets have another six or eight years of consultation like cutting the railway to Newcastle, or building an Adamstown crossing."

Please submit your comment

Guest Post featuring a Hunter Valley boutique Beef Grower

2010-04-04T16:18:00.000+10:00

Stay tuned for an update and posting from our highly regarded local beef producer who manages these beasts for local organic beef consumption.

Gravlax-Atlantic-Salmon-Farmed-in-Tasmania

2010-04-04T15:55:00.000+10:00

Gravlax is a cured fresh fish eaten uncooked.

Home-Made-Gourmet-Pizza

2010-04-04T15:15:00.000+10:00

Home Made Gourmet Pizza with fresh ingredients and just-kneaded pizza dough is a simple pleasure and an easy weeknight meal once you master the art of making dough.

Here is one of our efforts topped with chrizo, caramelised capsicum and cheese. We had a glut of capsicum after having bought too many from the markets and had to find new ways to keep using them.

After prepping the capsicum they were roasted on a griddle for a few minutes so they caramelised and then made a sweet ingredient for the pizza.

Everyone loves Chorizo and a spray of fresh herbs (parsley and basil) made for a quick, simple meal that we ate outside on the deck.

Fig-Tree-at-the-Foreshore

2010-03-30T17:20:00.000+11:00

Just love this shot of Hazel up a tree on the foreshore.

Shared Fish and Chips although there is a story to the experience.
Fish and Chips #1. Nobbys Kiosk - ordered a seafood plate, a new idea with cutlery and soft shell crab among other things and we were disappointed to find most of the deep fried inclusions still cold in the centre! Even though it is not our style, we took the uneaten plate back to the service and collected a full refund.
Fish and Chips #2. Returned to Starfish Cafe at Queens Wharf and had our second seafood order. Shared fish and chips and the lightly battered fillets were divine. Especially enjoyed the aoli and the breezy atmosphere.
Ice Cream at Scratchleys. Perhaps a little languid with the service, but licking pink ice cream is an ideal accompaniment to a walk along the harbour foreshore.

Last Day of Summer?

2010-03-30T16:21:00.000+11:00

Spent the afternoon at Dixon Park for a change. Of course Merewether Baths are closed for cleaning on a Monday. Loved the thigh blaster walk through the dunes, and the total emptiness of the beach, just an older couple and two kids with their mother.
Dixon Park has that vast expanse where the weight loss monkeys plough through the dry sand, and if you lay down a certain way it is easy to imagine there is no civilisation nearby.
Amazed at my little 10 month old who crawls through the sand like a pink bulldozer. Once we put her down she is busy crawling knees and palms through the sand, oblivious to us until she gets a few metres away.
Similarly, the 34 month old runs to the middle distance without raising her head, engrossed in the meditation of jogging along the lines of the quad bikes.
Overcast, small surf, tepid water, empty beach with warm grey skies - perfect autumn day at the beach.

Crispy Green Prawns with Chinese Garlic from the Co-op

2010-03-28T20:34:00.001+11:00

This time of year there are green prawns to be bought from the local Fish Markets. As recently of last month it was not possible to buy local prawns "green" - instead they were flown in from South Australia. The unseasonable rain has flushed out a supply of medium green prawns that having been cooking well - moist, with succulent flesh and that al dente mouthfeel.

Living with my daughter humming the co-op radio ad can be a little embarrassing at times!! Fresh Fish from the Co-op, boom, boom, repeat and on it goes..

But the revelation that KC had sourced some local Hunter Valley green prawns "still wriggling" was a fantastic way to leave Bar Beach and wait patiently with snadpaper undies whilst the car idled outside the co-op.

Once we returned home we shelled, and deveined the prawns. The process of deveining the prawn lends each 'little lobster' a delightful tendency to butterfly on the grill. And with the increased surface area available for flavour absorption and crispiness, we watched as the prawns made slow stretching arcs like yoga poses whilst they cooked. Room temperature Audrey Wilkinson Semillon made for a smart and crisp wine to sip on whilst the barbeque flamed and the prawns curved.

And here are the Hunter Valley Prawns - note the honey barbeque colour contrast with the clean alabaster of the deveined dorsal?

Simple, hands on eating with a fresh nor-easter and some clean semillon... enjoy.

Double Bar Beach Sunday

2010-03-28T20:18:00.002+11:00

Firstly, welcome to our Family Journal. Well sort of a family journal and also a way of sharing how we progress towards a sustainable, productive future using our limited funds based on an old house in Merewether.

We have two active young children and a thriving gourmet hamper business. We spend plenty of time at Bar Beach (at tea bag corner) and Merewether Baths (largest saltwater baths in southern hemisphere) with our girls and juggle government jobs with our love of gourmet food.

Lacking a photographer in the family, we have felt the obligation to share our photos and experiences in a lasting way through this blog.

Since we have regular exposure to the Newcastle Food and Wine Scene, and love participating in wine and food, we offer new experiences and images of our plate.