Someone had to. ;)

Now .. Today I went to work and just as I was arriving at the boss’ place @ 6 AM There were blue and red flashing lights.. I’d only just passed him getting out of his car to talk to another driver about a kilometre back and suddenly he was up my rear wanting me to stop. I asked what’s the go? he said random breath test. I said well it is 6 AM and I haven’t had a beer since yesterday. However he poked his machine in my face then said This indicates that I’ve got to arrest you and take you to the station.. I was compliant because it never is smart to argue with police.. So we gets down to the cop shop and he plugs me into his computer the reading came back as 00.00. So I said thanks for making me late for work and you’d better remember to either cancel off the last reading on your mobile breath analyser or toss it out and get a new one.
Then I arrived at work 40 minutes late only to find that it was too wet to safely work(irrigated). Boss said we’ll go to the other farm and trim those big stocks for budding using these long handled secateurs.. The big stocks are three year old Poncirus trifoliata with spikes over 100 mm long.. the bis secateurs were blunt.. So I said by now I’m a bit pissed off that I’ve had a big day in the first hour of a day when most are still asleep so bugger it, I’m going home to play in my own garden…

roughbarked said:

Someone had to. ;)

Now .. Today I went to work and just as I was arriving at the boss’ place @ 6 AM There were blue and red flashing lights.. I’d only just passed him getting out of his car to talk to another driver about a kilometre back and suddenly he was up my rear wanting me to stop. I asked what’s the go? he said random breath test. I said well it is 6 AM and I haven’t had a beer since yesterday. However he poked his machine in my face then said This indicates that I’ve got to arrest you and take you to the station.. I was compliant because it never is smart to argue with police.. So we gets down to the cop shop and he plugs me into his computer the reading came back as 00.00. So I said thanks for making me late for work and you’d better remember to either cancel off the last reading on your mobile breath analyser or toss it out and get a new one.
Then I arrived at work 40 minutes late only to find that it was too wet to safely work(irrigated). Boss said we’ll go to the other farm and trim those big stocks for budding using these long handled secateurs.. The big stocks are three year old Poncirus trifoliata with spikes over 100 mm long.. the bis secateurs were blunt.. So I said by now I’m a bit pissed off that I’ve had a big day in the first hour of a day when most are still asleep so bugger it, I’m going home to play in my own garden…

You shouldn’t have to work on New Years Day anyway. Start your new year tomorrow.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Someone had to. ;)

Now .. Today I went to work and just as I was arriving at the boss’ place @ 6 AM There were blue and red flashing lights.. I’d only just passed him getting out of his car to talk to another driver about a kilometre back and suddenly he was up my rear wanting me to stop. I asked what’s the go? he said random breath test. I said well it is 6 AM and I haven’t had a beer since yesterday. However he poked his machine in my face then said This indicates that I’ve got to arrest you and take you to the station.. I was compliant because it never is smart to argue with police.. So we gets down to the cop shop and he plugs me into his computer the reading came back as 00.00. So I said thanks for making me late for work and you’d better remember to either cancel off the last reading on your mobile breath analyser or toss it out and get a new one.
Then I arrived at work 40 minutes late only to find that it was too wet to safely work(irrigated). Boss said we’ll go to the other farm and trim those big stocks for budding using these long handled secateurs.. The big stocks are three year old Poncirus trifoliata with spikes over 100 mm long.. the bis secateurs were blunt.. So I said by now I’m a bit pissed off that I’ve had a big day in the first hour of a day when most are still asleep so bugger it, I’m going home to play in my own garden…

You shouldn’t have to work on New Years Day anyway. Start your new year tomorrow.

Probably should go back to bed.. SWMBO is sleeping like a log there.

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Someone had to. ;)

Now .. Today I went to work and just as I was arriving at the boss’ place @ 6 AM There were blue and red flashing lights.. I’d only just passed him getting out of his car to talk to another driver about a kilometre back and suddenly he was up my rear wanting me to stop. I asked what’s the go? he said random breath test. I said well it is 6 AM and I haven’t had a beer since yesterday. However he poked his machine in my face then said This indicates that I’ve got to arrest you and take you to the station.. I was compliant because it never is smart to argue with police.. So we gets down to the cop shop and he plugs me into his computer the reading came back as 00.00. So I said thanks for making me late for work and you’d better remember to either cancel off the last reading on your mobile breath analyser or toss it out and get a new one.
Then I arrived at work 40 minutes late only to find that it was too wet to safely work(irrigated). Boss said we’ll go to the other farm and trim those big stocks for budding using these long handled secateurs.. The big stocks are three year old Poncirus trifoliata with spikes over 100 mm long.. the bis secateurs were blunt.. So I said by now I’m a bit pissed off that I’ve had a big day in the first hour of a day when most are still asleep so bugger it, I’m going home to play in my own garden…

You shouldn’t have to work on New Years Day anyway. Start your new year tomorrow.

Probably should go back to bed.. SWMBO is sleeping like a log there.

what the heck is a SWMBO?

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

You shouldn’t have to work on New Years Day anyway. Start your new year tomorrow.

Probably should go back to bed.. SWMBO is sleeping like a log there.

what the heck is a SWMBO?

She Who Must Be Obeyed..

and I have to believe it..

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Probably should go back to bed.. SWMBO is sleeping like a log there.

what the heck is a SWMBO?

She Who Must Be Obeyed..

and I have to believe it..

Got ‘cha. I’ve got to side with her on principal.

I’m off to have coffee in the courtyard. L8r RB.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

what the heck is a SWMBO?

She Who Must Be Obeyed..

and I have to believe it..

Got ‘cha. I’ve got to side with her on principal.

She’s only a special education learning difficulties type teacher.. not a principal.

Planting beans and corn.. not that I expect any rainy stuff.

Morning all.
I’m tired and smell like firecracker smoke, even after a shower, but the fireworks were fantastic to watch live :) I didn’t hang around long afterwards, give the boy and his gf a big new years hug and met hubby with the car and straight home. I’m paranoid about foxes getting to my chooks and I swear I’ll be sleeping outside next. Not that I could catch a fox to kill it, but Max would, but the problem with that though is he won’t be away from my side. He sleeps where I sleep.

Gees RB, not a good start to the day alright. Going back to bed sounds a good idea.

Re no water for growing things, would wicking beds help?

roughbarked said:

Someone had to. ;)

Now .. Today I went to work and just as I was arriving at the boss’ place @ 6 AM There were blue and red flashing lights.. I’d only just passed him getting out of his car to talk to another driver about a kilometre back and suddenly he was up my rear wanting me to stop. I asked what’s the go? he said random breath test. I said well it is 6 AM and I haven’t had a beer since yesterday. However he poked his machine in my face then said This indicates that I’ve got to arrest you and take you to the station.. I was compliant because it never is smart to argue with police.. So we gets down to the cop shop and he plugs me into his computer the reading came back as 00.00. So I said thanks for making me late for work and you’d better remember to either cancel off the last reading on your mobile breath analyser or toss it out and get a new one.
Then I arrived at work 40 minutes late only to find that it was too wet to safely work(irrigated). Boss said we’ll go to the other farm and trim those big stocks for budding using these long handled secateurs.. The big stocks are three year old Poncirus trifoliata with spikes over 100 mm long.. the bis secateurs were blunt.. So I said by now I’m a bit pissed off that I’ve had a big day in the first hour of a day when most are still asleep so bugger it, I’m going home to play in my own garden…

not a good start to the year. hope you have fun playing in your own garden.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Someone had to. ;)

Now .. Today I went to work and just as I was arriving at the boss’ place @ 6 AM There were blue and red flashing lights.. I’d only just passed him getting out of his car to talk to another driver about a kilometre back and suddenly he was up my rear wanting me to stop. I asked what’s the go? he said random breath test. I said well it is 6 AM and I haven’t had a beer since yesterday. However he poked his machine in my face then said This indicates that I’ve got to arrest you and take you to the station.. I was compliant because it never is smart to argue with police.. So we gets down to the cop shop and he plugs me into his computer the reading came back as 00.00. So I said thanks for making me late for work and you’d better remember to either cancel off the last reading on your mobile breath analyser or toss it out and get a new one.
Then I arrived at work 40 minutes late only to find that it was too wet to safely work(irrigated). Boss said we’ll go to the other farm and trim those big stocks for budding using these long handled secateurs.. The big stocks are three year old Poncirus trifoliata with spikes over 100 mm long.. the bis secateurs were blunt.. So I said by now I’m a bit pissed off that I’ve had a big day in the first hour of a day when most are still asleep so bugger it, I’m going home to play in my own garden…

not a good start to the year. hope you have fun playing in your own garden.

Would have been better if I’d have started gardening at 5:30 AM instead of getting in my car to go elsewhere..

The cops said> “we have never seen that before.” I said what? they said bringing in a person because the roadsoide test said alcohol and getting a 00.00 reading on the office machine. I said first time for everything.

I bet he puts in a requisition for a new hand held breath tester or tries to squirm out of why he didn’t cancel the last person’s reading before testing me.

Wow we’re in 2013 now. Oh have I said that already? Your copper was just doing his job RB. Up here, you can see your reading. I didn’t know they had to reset their breathalysers? So glad the cop shop machine was doing its’ job properly at least.

Well I think you’re wise, heading home away from those 100mm thorns with a blunt lopper/trimmer.

Maybe you could time the activity: 1 hour on the beans, 10 mins on the computer. I lost two hours yesterday just getting my “To Do” list for yesterday ready. Still valid for today so that’s good!

roughbarked said:

Would have been better if I’d have started gardening at 5:30 AM instead of getting in my car to go elsewhere..

The cops said> “we have never seen that before.” I said what? they said bringing in a person because the roadsoide test said alcohol and getting a 00.00 reading on the office machine. I said first time for everything.

I bet he puts in a requisition for a new hand held breath tester or tries to squirm out of why he didn’t cancel the last person’s reading before testing me.

Not good form on behalf of the constable. Bet he didn’t expect someone to be going to work at that time on NYD either! Did the previous guy get taken in too? If he was so quick to follow you it seems not, unless there were two of them working the road.

Dinetta said:

Wow we’re in 2013 now. Oh have I said that already? Your copper was just doing his job RB. Up here, you can see your reading. I didn’t know they had to reset their breathalysers? So glad the cop shop machine was doing its’ job properly at least.

Well I think you’re wise, heading home away from those 100mm thorns with a blunt lopper/trimmer.

Maybe you could time the activity: 1 hour on the beans, 10 mins on the computer. I lost two hours yesterday just getting my “To Do” list for yesterday ready. Still valid for today so that’s good!

Yes I know he was more than diligently doing hs job.. When I passed him just before a roundabout he was getting out of his car to give another person a breath test.. About a kilometre later he was up my arse wanting to test me.. I’m no mathematician but it doesn’t take much to work out that he must have singled me out of the two cars that passed him(both going in different directions) and broken the speed limits to do so, because I’m no slouch at staying below the speed limit. I’d have been more curt with him if he wasn’t wearing a uniform. Though I did give him raised eyebrows on all counts.

I asked him for the reading on the roadside machine.. he said it is only an indication.. That all NSW drivers get taken back to the station for a proper test because none of the handhelds are tested more than once in six months. The office machine purges and resets itself at every use.

I stay away from 100 mm thorns as much as is practicable ..

Yes I do do some gardening between most computer sessions.. any day.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Would have been better if I’d have started gardening at 5:30 AM instead of getting in my car to go elsewhere..

The cops said> “we have never seen that before.” I said what? they said bringing in a person because the roadsoide test said alcohol and getting a 00.00 reading on the office machine. I said first time for everything.

I bet he puts in a requisition for a new hand held breath tester or tries to squirm out of why he didn’t cancel the last person’s reading before testing me.

Not good form on behalf of the constable. Bet he didn’t expect someone to be going to work at that time on NYD either! Did the previous guy get taken in too? If he was so quick to follow you it seems not, unless there were two of them working the road.

I doubt he even tested the previous guy.. He couldn’t have had time unless he hit more than 100 kmph through suburban streets to chase me down. and.. I can assure you that I did nothing to attract his attention other than to be driving a farmers type ute to work.

Well it’s good morning from me.

Whinge out of the way first: my knee is dicky this AM, I think it’s from handling the whipper snipper yesterday. Also Manu used my verandah for a toilet, she has been peeing on a folded piece of shade cloth I have there. What gets me is I take ‘em down at 5:30 to 6:00, but nope, she does a pee and then comes back upstairs to do more toileting. So I have two anxious dogs: one because he’s on his 4th owner and the other …. well she’s just overly anxious.

So on to the good stuff: I got the floor mopped in record time last night. Keeping up with the barking dust bunnies. Today is nice and cloudy and does not look like it will get very hot (33C is mild). I hope to take the whipper snipper to J2 down the back, he will have flat screwdrivers and his own spectacles and will be able to lift the lid where the line goes, so I can fill ‘er up again.

I plan to rip the rotted shade cloth off my late mother’s bush house, save the little wires used for tying. This also means I will have to remove my cast-iron bed (in pieces) that the previous occupant put out into the weather on the top of the bush house, plus a very old wheel barrow that’s got an iron wheel (it was Dad’s) but no barrow, re-usable! Yay!.If the cast iron is too heavy for moving up and down the ladder I will have to conscript P when he comes out tomorrow.

roughbarked said:

I doubt he even tested the previous guy.. He couldn’t have had time unless he hit more than 100 kmph through suburban streets to chase me down. and.. I can assure you that I did nothing to attract his attention other than to be driving a farmers type ute to work.

Out here, they often go for the “farmers type ute” on principle, and tradies’ utes as well. No hard feelings, just on principle.

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

I doubt he even tested the previous guy.. He couldn’t have had time unless he hit more than 100 kmph through suburban streets to chase me down. and.. I can assure you that I did nothing to attract his attention other than to be driving a farmers type ute to work.

Out here, they often go for the “farmers type ute” on principle, and tradies’ utes as well. No hard feelings, just on principle.

Yeah. I have noticed that.. but then if you watch VB ads.. it looks like they all have a hard earned thirst.

Looking at the temps for everybody this week, I think hard-earned thirsts will be the “go” for the next few days…

chasing the only cars on the road down @ 6 AM New Years day can only be about one thing.. revenue raising and point scoring on the transfer application.

No cop wants to spend time out here.

Note.. The nomenclature hasn’t changed. it is still Random roadside Breath anaylsis.

To chase every car that is on the road implies a lack of adherence to the law. Speeding to do so and be willing to risk his own reputation .. simply points to point scoring on his get out of this farking hot place soon card.

>>chasing the only cars on the road down @ 6 AM New Years day can only be about one thing.. revenue raising and point scoring on the transfer application.<<

No. This morning is exactly the morning that they should be breathtesting. En masse.

Mr buffy did not have to attend a fatal accident during the night. Random breath testing at the appropriate times is part of the reason.

Mr buffy adds that he did attend a high speed rollover accident at 4.00am on Christmas Morning. Alcohol has not been ruled out.

This is the season for testing.

I’m doing a renovation on grandaughters fairy house and garden. It’s good that I have to do some more gluing because I am now aware of where the weaknesses lie. When I open my fairy garden factory I’ll have all the dos and don’ts sorted. lol.

Mmm, steamed new potatoes with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce for lunch.

:)

buffy said:

Mmm, steamed new potatoes with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce for lunch.

:)

I did something similar with the first of my home grown the other day. Topped with coleslaw, cheese, sour cream and fried bacon bits. Yum!

buffy said:

Mr buffy adds that he did attend a high speed rollover accident at 4.00am on Christmas Morning. Alcohol has not been ruled out.

This is the season for testing.

I don’t disagree with testing.. But I found it strange that he decided to chase me down and he would have really had to have been zippy about his intent because though I was obeying the traffic rules he obviously wasn’t. He would virtually have had to drop the progress of walking to the car he’d already pulled over and run back to his car turn around and chase off after me. It was no coincidence or random test. It would have been quicker to have gone after the car that was in front of me as it had to come to a give way sign earlier than me and involved less rerouting. I don’t have a record of driving offences nor drink driving offences.

Anyway the fact of the matter was 00.00 reading even though he said I must have an alcohol level according to his hand held device.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

You shouldn’t have to work on New Years Day anyway. Start your new year tomorrow.

Probably should go back to bed.. SWMBO is sleeping like a log there.

what the heck is a SWMBO?

also known as “her indoors”…

painmaster said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Probably should go back to bed.. SWMBO is sleeping like a log there.

what the heck is a SWMBO?

also known as “her indoors”…

the udder ‘alf?

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Someone had to. ;)

Now .. Today I went to work and just as I was arriving at the boss’ place @ 6 AM There were blue and red flashing lights.. I’d only just passed him getting out of his car to talk to another driver about a kilometre back and suddenly he was up my rear wanting me to stop. I asked what’s the go? he said random breath test. I said well it is 6 AM and I haven’t had a beer since yesterday. However he poked his machine in my face then said This indicates that I’ve got to arrest you and take you to the station.. I was compliant because it never is smart to argue with police.. So we gets down to the cop shop and he plugs me into his computer the reading came back as 00.00. So I said thanks for making me late for work and you’d better remember to either cancel off the last reading on your mobile breath analyser or toss it out and get a new one.
Then I arrived at work 40 minutes late only to find that it was too wet to safely work(irrigated). Boss said we’ll go to the other farm and trim those big stocks for budding using these long handled secateurs.. The big stocks are three year old Poncirus trifoliata with spikes over 100 mm long.. the bis secateurs were blunt.. So I said by now I’m a bit pissed off that I’ve had a big day in the first hour of a day when most are still asleep so bugger it, I’m going home to play in my own garden…

not a good start to the year. hope you have fun playing in your own garden.

Would have been better if I’d have started gardening at 5:30 AM instead of getting in my car to go elsewhere..

The cops said> “we have never seen that before.” I said what? they said bringing in a person because the roadsoide test said alcohol and getting a 00.00 reading on the office machine. I said first time for everything.

I bet he puts in a requisition for a new hand held breath tester or tries to squirm out of why he didn’t cancel the last person’s reading before testing me.

If he had not reset his machine prior to your breath test, then the guy who last blew, would have blown a positive reading and been taken down to the station like you were. But seeing as you said, you had only just passed the police officer not long before he raced up behind you then perhaps the previous testee blew a negative reading, for surely he would have spent some time going down to the station before catching up with you?

roughbarked said:

Anyway the fact of the matter was 00.00 reading even though he said I must have an alcohol level according to his hand held device.

Obviously his device needs recalibrating…maybe you just “looked” worth chasing?

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

not a good start to the year. hope you have fun playing in your own garden.

Would have been better if I’d have started gardening at 5:30 AM instead of getting in my car to go elsewhere..

The cops said> “we have never seen that before.” I said what? they said bringing in a person because the roadsoide test said alcohol and getting a 00.00 reading on the office machine. I said first time for everything.

I bet he puts in a requisition for a new hand held breath tester or tries to squirm out of why he didn’t cancel the last person’s reading before testing me.

If he had not reset his machine prior to your breath test, then the guy who last blew, would have blown a positive reading and been taken down to the station like you were. But seeing as you said, you had only just passed the police officer not long before he raced up behind you then perhaps the previous testee blew a negative reading, for surely he would have spent some time going down to the station before catching up with you?

True but for two things.. He had stopped one car prior to the one he was walking towards when I drove past and that car was still there two hours later. The second car he either didn’t test or was very quick about.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Would have been better if I’d have started gardening at 5:30 AM instead of getting in my car to go elsewhere..

The cops said> “we have never seen that before.” I said what? they said bringing in a person because the roadsoide test said alcohol and getting a 00.00 reading on the office machine. I said first time for everything.

I bet he puts in a requisition for a new hand held breath tester or tries to squirm out of why he didn’t cancel the last person’s reading before testing me.

Not good form on behalf of the constable. Bet he didn’t expect someone to be going to work at that time on NYD either! Did the previous guy get taken in too? If he was so quick to follow you it seems not, unless there were two of them working the road.

I doubt he even tested the previous guy.. He couldn’t have had time unless he hit more than 100 kmph through suburban streets to chase me down. and.. I can assure you that I did nothing to attract his attention other than to be driving a farmers type ute to work.

ok, that answers my question.

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Anyway the fact of the matter was 00.00 reading even though he said I must have an alcohol level according to his hand held device.

Obviously his device needs recalibrating…maybe you just “looked” worth chasing?

I think the latter was it.. a rough looking individual in a rough looking vehicle and a workers type ute as well.

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

Not good form on behalf of the constable. Bet he didn’t expect someone to be going to work at that time on NYD either! Did the previous guy get taken in too? If he was so quick to follow you it seems not, unless there were two of them working the road.

I doubt he even tested the previous guy.. He couldn’t have had time unless he hit more than 100 kmph through suburban streets to chase me down. and.. I can assure you that I did nothing to attract his attention other than to be driving a farmers type ute to work.

ok, that answers my question.

I wasn’t actually watching him in the rear view.. I just drove past on my way to work like any other day.

Dinetta said:

Well it’s good morning from me.

Whinge out of the way first: my knee is dicky this AM, I think it’s from handling the whipper snipper yesterday. Also Manu used my verandah for a toilet, she has been peeing on a folded piece of shade cloth I have there. What gets me is I take ‘em down at 5:30 to 6:00, but nope, she does a pee and then comes back upstairs to do more toileting. So I have two anxious dogs: one because he’s on his 4th owner and the other …. well she’s just overly anxious.

So on to the good stuff: I got the floor mopped in record time last night. Keeping up with the barking dust bunnies. Today is nice and cloudy and does not look like it will get very hot (33C is mild). I hope to take the whipper snipper to J2 down the back, he will have flat screwdrivers and his own spectacles and will be able to lift the lid where the line goes, so I can fill ‘er up again.

I plan to rip the rotted shade cloth off my late mother’s bush house, save the little wires used for tying. This also means I will have to remove my cast-iron bed (in pieces) that the previous occupant put out into the weather on the top of the bush house, plus a very old wheel barrow that’s got an iron wheel (it was Dad’s) but no barrow, re-usable! Yay!.If the cast iron is too heavy for moving up and down the ladder I will have to conscript P when he comes out tomorrow.

You sure your knee is not dicky from the speedy mop session? GF’s mother who is quite elderly, even compared to my good friends here on this ‘ere forum still gets down on her hands and knees and scrubs her tiled floor with a sponge and bucket. A few years ago, one of the daughters bought her a mop. She strained her back on the first attempt and threw the long handled angry stick out the door and went back to her bended knee and sponge.

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

I’ve probably got 10 or more cameras but only one of them works without film in it.

Since film is rare and expensive and nobody has ever paid me to use it.. technically I only have one camera.

Two of the Five I had on that day were film cameras.

So you actually still use film?

B&W?

and colour. 120 size film too, square shots. But my developer has closed shop, so now need to find someone I can post my film to.

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

Two of the Five I had on that day were film cameras.

So you actually still use film?

B&W?

and colour. 120 size film too, square shots. But my developer has closed shop, so now need to find someone I can post my film to.

Oh and I carry a Polaroid with me. The kids love it, they can’t believe a camera can spit out a photograph!

painmaster said:

Dinetta said:

Well it’s good morning from me.

Whinge out of the way first: my knee is dicky this AM, I think it’s from handling the whipper snipper yesterday. Also Manu used my verandah for a toilet, she has been peeing on a folded piece of shade cloth I have there. What gets me is I take ‘em down at 5:30 to 6:00, but nope, she does a pee and then comes back upstairs to do more toileting. So I have two anxious dogs: one because he’s on his 4th owner and the other …. well she’s just overly anxious.

So on to the good stuff: I got the floor mopped in record time last night. Keeping up with the barking dust bunnies. Today is nice and cloudy and does not look like it will get very hot (33C is mild). I hope to take the whipper snipper to J2 down the back, he will have flat screwdrivers and his own spectacles and will be able to lift the lid where the line goes, so I can fill ‘er up again.

I plan to rip the rotted shade cloth off my late mother’s bush house, save the little wires used for tying. This also means I will have to remove my cast-iron bed (in pieces) that the previous occupant put out into the weather on the top of the bush house, plus a very old wheel barrow that’s got an iron wheel (it was Dad’s) but no barrow, re-usable! Yay!.If the cast iron is too heavy for moving up and down the ladder I will have to conscript P when he comes out tomorrow.

You sure your knee is not dicky from the speedy mop session? GF’s mother who is quite elderly, even compared to my good friends here on this ‘ere forum still gets down on her hands and knees and scrubs her tiled floor with a sponge and bucket. A few years ago, one of the daughters bought her a mop. She strained her back on the first attempt and threw the long handled angry stick out the door and went back to her bended knee and sponge.

Was her name Sadie?

painmaster said:

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

So you actually still use film?

B&W?

and colour. 120 size film too, square shots. But my developer has closed shop, so now need to find someone I can post my film to.

Oh and I carry a Polaroid with me. The kids love it, they can’t believe a camera can spit out a photograph!

Polaroids always had their specific uses.

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

Two of the Five I had on that day were film cameras.

So you actually still use film?

B&W?

and colour. 120 size film too, square shots. But my developer has closed shop, so now need to find someone I can post my film to.

Unfortunately I burned all my darkroom stuff in my infamous shed fire that also wiped out my extensive stocks of Aussie red cedar.. :(

However, it isn’t difficult to process your own and if you are being paid for the work the expense (which is considerable) can be compensated for.

painmaster said:

You sure your knee is not dicky from the speedy mop session? GF’s mother who is quite elderly, even compared to my good friends here on this ‘ere forum still gets down on her hands and knees and scrubs her tiled floor with a sponge and bucket. A few years ago, one of the daughters bought her a mop. She strained her back on the first attempt and threw the long handled angry stick out the door and went back to her bended knee and sponge.

Whipper snipper I think…

Dinetta said:

painmaster said:

You sure your knee is not dicky from the speedy mop session? GF’s mother who is quite elderly, even compared to my good friends here on this ‘ere forum still gets down on her hands and knees and scrubs her tiled floor with a sponge and bucket. A few years ago, one of the daughters bought her a mop. She strained her back on the first attempt and threw the long handled angry stick out the door and went back to her bended knee and sponge.

Whipper snipper I think…

I’ve been walking around with a kneecap that is split in half for about 9 years now. It is extremely sensitive to touch and has never rejoined.

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

Dinetta said:

Well it’s good morning from me.

Whinge out of the way first: my knee is dicky this AM, I think it’s from handling the whipper snipper yesterday. Also Manu used my verandah for a toilet, she has been peeing on a folded piece of shade cloth I have there. What gets me is I take ‘em down at 5:30 to 6:00, but nope, she does a pee and then comes back upstairs to do more toileting. So I have two anxious dogs: one because he’s on his 4th owner and the other …. well she’s just overly anxious.

So on to the good stuff: I got the floor mopped in record time last night. Keeping up with the barking dust bunnies. Today is nice and cloudy and does not look like it will get very hot (33C is mild). I hope to take the whipper snipper to J2 down the back, he will have flat screwdrivers and his own spectacles and will be able to lift the lid where the line goes, so I can fill ‘er up again.

I plan to rip the rotted shade cloth off my late mother’s bush house, save the little wires used for tying. This also means I will have to remove my cast-iron bed (in pieces) that the previous occupant put out into the weather on the top of the bush house, plus a very old wheel barrow that’s got an iron wheel (it was Dad’s) but no barrow, re-usable! Yay!.If the cast iron is too heavy for moving up and down the ladder I will have to conscript P when he comes out tomorrow.

You sure your knee is not dicky from the speedy mop session? GF’s mother who is quite elderly, even compared to my good friends here on this ‘ere forum still gets down on her hands and knees and scrubs her tiled floor with a sponge and bucket. A few years ago, one of the daughters bought her a mop. She strained her back on the first attempt and threw the long handled angry stick out the door and went back to her bended knee and sponge.

Was her name Sadie?

no, but we think her daily ritual of cleaning on bended knee is one reason why she maintains her flexibility?

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

So you actually still use film?

B&W?

and colour. 120 size film too, square shots. But my developer has closed shop, so now need to find someone I can post my film to.

Unfortunately I burned all my darkroom stuff in my infamous shed fire that also wiped out my extensive stocks of Aussie red cedar.. :(

However, it isn’t difficult to process your own and if you are being paid for the work the expense (which is considerable) can be compensated for.

Perhaps one day…

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

and colour. 120 size film too, square shots. But my developer has closed shop, so now need to find someone I can post my film to.

Unfortunately I burned all my darkroom stuff in my infamous shed fire that also wiped out my extensive stocks of Aussie red cedar.. :(

However, it isn’t difficult to process your own and if you are being paid for the work the expense (which is considerable) can be compensated for.

Perhaps one day…

Got a Canon SLR?

I have a beautiful As New still in box, never used set of Canon Bellows.

painmaster said:

but we think her daily ritual of cleaning on bended knee is one reason why she maintains her flexibility?

I would agree 100%

Chap at Uni used to convert his bedroom into a dark room…I was invited in to watch the process by the friend of a friend…it was fascinating and more rewarding than Photoshopping…

Dinetta said:

Chap at Uni used to convert his bedroom into a dark room…I was invited in to watch the process by the friend of a friend…it was fascinating and more rewarding than Photoshopping…

Indeed it is very fascinating and rewarding though the chemical fumes aren’t good for you without good ventilation..

>>But I found it strange that he decided to chase me down<<

I doubt that he did.

>>I wasn’t actually watching him in the rear view.. I just drove past on my way to work like any other day.<<

I expect it was another copper. Over Christmas a lot more patrols are being done. And especially this morning. It’s a high risk morning.

painmaster said:

Dinetta said:

Well it’s good morning from me.

Whinge out of the way first: my knee is dicky this AM, I think it’s from handling the whipper snipper yesterday. Also Manu used my verandah for a toilet, she has been peeing on a folded piece of shade cloth I have there. What gets me is I take ‘em down at 5:30 to 6:00, but nope, she does a pee and then comes back upstairs to do more toileting. So I have two anxious dogs: one because he’s on his 4th owner and the other …. well she’s just overly anxious.

So on to the good stuff: I got the floor mopped in record time last night. Keeping up with the barking dust bunnies. Today is nice and cloudy and does not look like it will get very hot (33C is mild). I hope to take the whipper snipper to J2 down the back, he will have flat screwdrivers and his own spectacles and will be able to lift the lid where the line goes, so I can fill ‘er up again.

I plan to rip the rotted shade cloth off my late mother’s bush house, save the little wires used for tying. This also means I will have to remove my cast-iron bed (in pieces) that the previous occupant put out into the weather on the top of the bush house, plus a very old wheel barrow that’s got an iron wheel (it was Dad’s) but no barrow, re-usable! Yay!.If the cast iron is too heavy for moving up and down the ladder I will have to conscript P when he comes out tomorrow.

You sure your knee is not dicky from the speedy mop session? GF’s mother who is quite elderly, even compared to my good friends here on this ‘ere forum still gets down on her hands and knees and scrubs her tiled floor with a sponge and bucket. A few years ago, one of the daughters bought her a mop. She strained her back on the first attempt and threw the long handled angry stick out the door and went back to her bended knee and sponge.

They don’t make them like they used to. People I mean. I don’t think I have ever gotten down on my knees to scrub a floor. ‘Cept maybe the shower recess. Then I only do it when I can’t stand the look at it any more.

What am I going to make for dinner? Can’t someone else make the decision?

I’m making sausage rolls. With bought frozen pastry. To be etten with salad.

pomolo said:

They don’t make them like they used to. People I mean. I don’t think I have ever gotten down on my knees to scrub a floor. ‘Cept maybe the shower recess. Then I only do it when I can’t stand the look at it any more.

I can’t get on my hands and knees, but I do a form of squatting when polishing my floors…no I’m not fussy, this is a type of vinyl that looks continually grubby if not kept polished…mind you I just do it about once a month

pomolo said:

What am I going to make for dinner? Can’t someone else make the decision?

Has the Christmas Ham finished already?

buffy said:

>>But I found it strange that he decided to chase me down<<

I doubt that he did.

>>I wasn’t actually watching him in the rear view.. I just drove past on my way to work like any other day.<<

I expect it was another copper. Over Christmas a lot more patrols are being done. And especially this morning. It’s a high risk morning.

Nope. He said it was him our recollection of events was the same except he didn’t tell me whether he had stopped long enough to test the driver he was walking towards.

pomolo said:

What am I going to make for dinner? Can’t someone else make the decision?

I’m having a small piece of pork medallion, some chat potatoes tossed in mint sauce, parsley and a bit of mayo and a bit of salad.

Arfterrrrnooon. A hard days work, in the house, and the garden. And I did scrub floors but I haveta sorta squat on one knee as the other kneecap slipped years ago and it gets painful if I kneel on it. The work doesn’t stop though.
My mushrooms growing in the horse poo pile turnout to be coprinus. I thought def’ not edible, but when I told my mushie friends they said they were coming over in the morn, early, and to leave the gate open, lol. They love them! They do smell strongly of mushrooms, as I know them.

I’ve tidied tomato plants and removed some fruitless leaves to allow more air circulation. Picked some more too and they are going in tonights salad, with some chilli chicken wings for the man.
Filled another bag with strawberries and into the freezer. Waterered everything in sight. There’s no rain on the horizon so right now I appreciate town water.
I checked the pumpkin plants and overnight many male flowers have opened, so I rushed about pollinating the fem flowers. I can see the next flush of blooms will be female, and no males, so I’ve picked a couple male flowers and popped them in a jar and put it into the crisper drawer of the fridge.

And I’ll be taking Max back to the vet. He jumped off my bed and yelped then limped off to hide in a corner. He was sitting there shaking. Bloody hell, always on a public holiday. Or a Sunday. I gave him a dog pain tablet and after an hour or so he slowly got up to walk outside for a wee. He’s too old to be jumping off the bed, and it is a high bed, but nothing will stop him, so I’m making him a step. I got a square storage crate and stuffed it will old pillows and sat it at the end of the bed on the floor, with a non slip mat underneath.
That should do it. Poor ole fing.

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

Unfortunately I burned all my darkroom stuff in my infamous shed fire that also wiped out my extensive stocks of Aussie red cedar.. :(

However, it isn’t difficult to process your own and if you are being paid for the work the expense (which is considerable) can be compensated for.

Perhaps one day…

Got a Canon SLR?

I have a beautiful As New still in box, never used set of Canon Bellows.

My Father does and it is a nice camera to use. Borrowed it 20 years ago on my lap of the Long White Clod.

pomolo said:

What am I going to make for dinner? Can’t someone else make the decision?

Roast Chook.

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

What am I going to make for dinner? Can’t someone else make the decision?

Has the Christmas Ham finished already?

Never had ham this year. Had a Christmas Ddinner with the family on Christmas eve. Roast pork with all the trimmings and Chrissy pudding.

Happy Potter said:

Arfterrrrnooon. A hard days work, in the house, and the garden. And I did scrub floors but I haveta sorta squat on one knee as the other kneecap slipped years ago and it gets painful if I kneel on it. The work doesn’t stop though.
My mushrooms growing in the horse poo pile turnout to be coprinus. I thought def’ not edible, but when I told my mushie friends they said they were coming over in the morn, early, and to leave the gate open, lol. They love them! They do smell strongly of mushrooms, as I know them.

I’ve tidied tomato plants and removed some fruitless leaves to allow more air circulation. Picked some more too and they are going in tonights salad, with some chilli chicken wings for the man.
Filled another bag with strawberries and into the freezer. Waterered everything in sight. There’s no rain on the horizon so right now I appreciate town water.
I checked the pumpkin plants and overnight many male flowers have opened, so I rushed about pollinating the fem flowers. I can see the next flush of blooms will be female, and no males, so I’ve picked a couple male flowers and popped them in a jar and put it into the crisper drawer of the fridge.

And I’ll be taking Max back to the vet. He jumped off my bed and yelped then limped off to hide in a corner. He was sitting there shaking. Bloody hell, always on a public holiday. Or a Sunday. I gave him a dog pain tablet and after an hour or so he slowly got up to walk outside for a wee. He’s too old to be jumping off the bed, and it is a high bed, but nothing will stop him, so I’m making him a step. I got a square storage crate and stuffed it will old pillows and sat it at the end of the bed on the floor, with a non slip mat underneath.
That should do it. Poor ole fing.

Poor Max.

painmaster said:

pomolo said:

What am I going to make for dinner? Can’t someone else make the decision?

Roast Chook.

We did have chook too but it wasn’t roasted.

pomolo said:

painmaster said:

pomolo said:

What am I going to make for dinner? Can’t someone else make the decision?

Roast Chook.

We did have chook too but it wasn’t roasted.

Ours was beeeyootiful!

bluegreen said:

just the right age to start breaking everything. ;)

Off to work.. Hope I get a better start today.

bluegreen said:

Gosh he’s grown into a real little boy.

roughbarked said:

Off to work.. Hope I get a better start today.

We’re with you RB.

bluegreen said:

A in a Onsie! ….Rrrrr…Where the Wild Things Are!

Took the dogs down the back for their constitutionals…2 are OK, the Kelpie has issues this visit and I have to take her down a couple times a day…J1 is there in her yard and I didn’t see her…dressed in big loose bloomer-trousers, big loose shirt and big floppy hat…I get up the stairs and look down and she’s trying to shoo something away, gets the hose and starts syringing…quick head count and I call Shadow…he comes up but Puta decides this looks like fun and she goes and has a bark through the fence as well…so I call her up and shut the back yard gate…The dogs’ point of view: strange being in yard next door. J1’s point of view: I’m in my own yard and the mongrel dogs are barking at me.

Hope trouble is not brewing…

:(

pomolo said:

bluegreen said:

Gosh he’s grown into a real little boy.

Open the door mum!
lol

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Off to work.. Hope I get a better start today.

We’re with you RB.

OK. My first actual days work since the fall I had on Christmas day. A lot of bending work. I was there alone as the old man was off to the funeral of his son in law. So had to remove large weeds(mainly fleabane) and cut off stocks that either hadn’t been successfully budded or those which were overtaking the grafted oranges. Now these are three year old stocks so the thorns are big. All this so I could find where to place the stake. The hot weather has already baked the soil which was wet and slippery yesterday. Luckily I welded up a special tool last night to assist in pushing the stakes in. However My back did nothing but complain. So I did six hours, went to town, got the torn tyre replaced $193 (ouch). Stopped at Bunnings to look at rainwater tanks and somebody pranged into my car in the carpark, no note saying who did it!
Came home drank one beer and collapsed on the lounge.. Just woke up feeling like a truck ran over the lower half of my body and a motorbike did the same to my neck.

Thankfully, daughter sent me this to cheer me up. They are holidaying at Old Bar.

roughbarked said:

Thankfully, daughter sent me this to cheer me up. They are holidaying at Old Bar.

thank God for that! It is just not going your way, is it? I hope things get better real soon.

Sprung on the River

Wow RoughBarked, you are in the Wars…I feel sorry for the old fellow, even tho’ I don’t know him, burying a son in law…I like to park way out to billyo at the big car parks, the extra walk does me good and there’s less chance of an anonymous bump…

Lovely shot of mother and daughter…obviously Evelyn has not become a camera tart just yet…

Dinetta said:

Lovely shot of mother and daughter…obviously Evelyn has not become a camera tart just yet…

Think she’s getting blase´´about cameras and she’s never seen a beach before.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

Lovely shot of mother and daughter…obviously Evelyn has not become a camera tart just yet…

Think she’s getting blase´´about cameras and she’s never seen a beach before.

Gosh yes, I recall my fascination with sand (as in sandy creek beds) as early as 3 y o…

Not that I am counting or anything, but Monday week I pick up my Pug baby……we just gave the breeder his name, and it is likely he will incorporate that into the kennel name. And I’ve got his diet sheet.

buffy said:

Not that I am counting or anything, but Monday week I pick up my Pug baby……we just gave the breeder his name, and it is likely he will incorporate that into the kennel name. And I’ve got his diet sheet.

:D

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Off to work.. Hope I get a better start today.

We’re with you RB.

OK. My first actual days work since the fall I had on Christmas day. A lot of bending work. I was there alone as the old man was off to the funeral of his son in law. So had to remove large weeds(mainly fleabane) and cut off stocks that either hadn’t been successfully budded or those which were overtaking the grafted oranges. Now these are three year old stocks so the thorns are big. All this so I could find where to place the stake. The hot weather has already baked the soil which was wet and slippery yesterday. Luckily I welded up a special tool last night to assist in pushing the stakes in. However My back did nothing but complain. So I did six hours, went to town, got the torn tyre replaced $193 (ouch). Stopped at Bunnings to look at rainwater tanks and somebody pranged into my car in the carpark, no note saying who did it!
Came home drank one beer and collapsed on the lounge.. Just woke up feeling like a truck ran over the lower half of my body and a motorbike did the same to my neck.

Thankfully, daughter sent me this to cheer me up. They are holidaying at Old Bar.

OK. Not to be outdone. Tomorrow we try again.

Thank heavens for family photos.

buffy said:

Not that I am counting or anything, but Monday week I pick up my Pug baby……we just gave the breeder his name, and it is likely he will incorporate that into the kennel name. And I’ve got his diet sheet.

Monday…including tonight, that’s 5 sleeps…

A little bit longer….Monday week.

:)

12 sleeps?

I guess so. One of them in Melbourne. As the pup is at Pyalong, we are not going to try to drive there and back in a day. We used to do that once, but it’s easier not to. So we will go to Melbourne on Sunday week, have our normal Chinese meal in China Town, and then go to Pyalong and home on the Monday.

buffy said:

Not that I am counting or anything, but Monday week I pick up my Pug baby……we just gave the breeder his name, and it is likely he will incorporate that into the kennel name. And I’ve got his diet sheet.

:D

RB, I’ll never complain again.

I’ve 6 klios of plum sauce on the boil. I’ll turn it off soon and let it sit overnight, reheat and bottle it in the morn. I got a call, would I like some plums? You bet I would! :) I’ll be too hot tomorrow to boil for 2 hours.
5 trees loaded with plums still to pick.. What plum variety ripens now, has dark purple skin and yellow flesh, and football shaped? Because that’s what they are.

Max has a stretched tendon problem in his left foreleg. All I can do is what we’ve done, make it easier to get up on the bed with a step, and give a painkiller when he hurts it. He doesn’t need any meds full time. He is heaps better today, no limp.

Happy Potter said:

What plum variety ripens now, has dark purple skin and yellow flesh, and football shaped? Because that’s what they are.

“Italian is an oval plum that has yellowish flesh and purple-blackish skin. When the flesh of the Italian is cooked, it turns red. “

from http://www.ehow.com/list_7537520_different-varieties-plums.html

Happy Potter said:

RB, I’ll never complain again.

about what? ;)

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

What plum variety ripens now, has dark purple skin and yellow flesh, and football shaped? Because that’s what they are.

“Italian is an oval plum that has yellowish flesh and purple-blackish skin. When the flesh of the Italian is cooked, it turns red. “

from http://www.ehow.com/list_7537520_different-varieties-plums.html

over simplistic view of plums.. has e.how

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

What plum variety ripens now, has dark purple skin and yellow flesh, and football shaped? Because that’s what they are.

“Italian is an oval plum that has yellowish flesh and purple-blackish skin. When the flesh of the Italian is cooked, it turns red. “

from http://www.ehow.com/list_7537520_different-varieties-plums.html

over simplistic view of plums.. has e.how

Thank you muchly BG!
Yes Roughy, but it’s a start and I needed a general name to point me in the right directon, and yes they’re Italian Plums. We has prunes! I wonder how I’d go drying some. I’m having baked prunes for brekky! http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Italian_Prune_Plums_7483.php#Recipes

I got up, got jars ready and looked at the plum sauce and whoa, it’s turned red..looks gorgeous. I think I might do a hamper pack for the lovely plum tree lady with some eggs and tomatoes, strawberries and leeks and a couple jars of the sauce nestled in an overflowing bed of silverbeet and herbs, and recipes.
I will get some more bags of the plums today :D

Good morning Gardeners. Nice and cool at the moment, but looking nasty and nastier tomorrow for heat.

HP, it’s a bit early for the European plums yet. According to Louis Glowinski’s book they ripen about a month after the Japanese (which includes the blood plums). My cherry plums are just ripening, and they come in first, then the Japanese, then the Europeans (which includes the prunes). There are Japanese ones with dark skin and yellow flesh…Santa Rosa (which would be my guess, although early) would be the main contender as it seems to be one widely grown in Victoria. Have you stewed up cherry plums? They go a lovely pink colour when stewed too, even though the flesh is yellowish. I’ve made icecream with cherry plum pulp and it’s rather yummy.

If you don’t know it, my bible of fruit is “The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia” by Louis Glowinski. Best book ever. I bought a copy, even though it’s not a cheap book and the information in there is just jam packed.

Happy Potter said:

I’ve 6 klios of plum sauce on the boil. I’ll turn it off soon and let it sit overnight, reheat and bottle it in the morn. I got a call, would I like some plums? You bet I would! :) I’ll be too hot tomorrow to boil for 2 hours.
5 trees loaded with plums still to pick.. What plum variety ripens now, has dark purple skin and yellow flesh, and football shaped? Because that’s what they are.

Max has a stretched tendon problem in his left foreleg. All I can do is what we’ve done, make it easier to get up on the bed with a step, and give a painkiller when he hurts it. He doesn’t need any meds full time. He is heaps better today, no limp.

My aged and limited knowledge of stone fruit, it sounds like an Angelina. I did say limited.

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

“Italian is an oval plum that has yellowish flesh and purple-blackish skin. When the flesh of the Italian is cooked, it turns red. “

from http://www.ehow.com/list_7537520_different-varieties-plums.html

over simplistic view of plums.. has e.how

Thank you muchly BG!
Yes Roughy, but it’s a start and I needed a general name to point me in the right directon, and yes they’re Italian Plums. We has prunes! I wonder how I’d go drying some. I’m having baked prunes for brekky! http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Italian_Prune_Plums_7483.php#Recipes

I got up, got jars ready and looked at the plum sauce and whoa, it’s turned red..looks gorgeous. I think I might do a hamper pack for the lovely plum tree lady with some eggs and tomatoes, strawberries and leeks and a couple jars of the sauce nestled in an overflowing bed of silverbeet and herbs, and recipes.
I will get some more bags of the plums today :D

I;m going to have a look around at what I can offer to you for cooking up just so I can get one of you ‘thank you’ packages.

buffy said:

Good morning Gardeners. Nice and cool at the moment, but looking nasty and nastier tomorrow for heat.

HP, it’s a bit early for the European plums yet. According to Louis Glowinski’s book they ripen about a month after the Japanese (which includes the blood plums). My cherry plums are just ripening, and they come in first, then the Japanese, then the Europeans (which includes the prunes). There are Japanese ones with dark skin and yellow flesh…Santa Rosa (which would be my guess, although early) would be the main contender as it seems to be one widely grown in Victoria. Have you stewed up cherry plums? They go a lovely pink colour when stewed too, even though the flesh is yellowish. I’ve made icecream with cherry plum pulp and it’s rather yummy.

If you don’t know it, my bible of fruit is “The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia” by Louis Glowinski. Best book ever. I bought a copy, even though it’s not a cheap book and the information in there is just jam packed.

jam packed. lol

buffy said:

Good morning Gardeners. Nice and cool at the moment, but looking nasty and nastier tomorrow for heat.

HP, it’s a bit early for the European plums yet. According to Louis Glowinski’s book they ripen about a month after the Japanese (which includes the blood plums). My cherry plums are just ripening, and they come in first, then the Japanese, then the Europeans (which includes the prunes). There are Japanese ones with dark skin and yellow flesh…Santa Rosa (which would be my guess, although early) would be the main contender as it seems to be one widely grown in Victoria. Have you stewed up cherry plums? They go a lovely pink colour when stewed too, even though the flesh is yellowish. I’ve made icecream with cherry plum pulp and it’s rather yummy.

If you don’t know it, my bible of fruit is “The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia” by Louis Glowinski. Best book ever. I bought a copy, even though it’s not a cheap book and the information in there is just jam packed.

I don’t have a clue about plums, so that book would be a great reference. I’ll see where I can get it. Thankyou :)

pomolo said:

Happy Potter said:

I’ve 6 klios of plum sauce on the boil. I’ll turn it off soon and let it sit overnight, reheat and bottle it in the morn. I got a call, would I like some plums? You bet I would! :) I’ll be too hot tomorrow to boil for 2 hours.
5 trees loaded with plums still to pick.. What plum variety ripens now, has dark purple skin and yellow flesh, and football shaped? Because that’s what they are.

Max has a stretched tendon problem in his left foreleg. All I can do is what we’ve done, make it easier to get up on the bed with a step, and give a painkiller when he hurts it. He doesn’t need any meds full time. He is heaps better today, no limp.

My aged and limited knowledge of stone fruit, it sounds like an Angelina. I did say limited.

Spot on Pom. My elderly orchard friend popped around with a big bag of greens for the chooks, and asked me ‘where’d ya get the angelina plums?’, lol. They are freestone and very sweet.

pomolo said:

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

over simplistic view of plums.. has e.how

Thank you muchly BG!
Yes Roughy, but it’s a start and I needed a general name to point me in the right directon, and yes they’re Italian Plums. We has prunes! I wonder how I’d go drying some. I’m having baked prunes for brekky! http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Italian_Prune_Plums_7483.php#Recipes

I got up, got jars ready and looked at the plum sauce and whoa, it’s turned red..looks gorgeous. I think I might do a hamper pack for the lovely plum tree lady with some eggs and tomatoes, strawberries and leeks and a couple jars of the sauce nestled in an overflowing bed of silverbeet and herbs, and recipes.
I will get some more bags of the plums today :D

I;m going to have a look around at what I can offer to you for cooking up just so I can get one of you ‘thank you’ packages.

Passionfruit!!!!????
I was thinkin about what to do with the hamper baskets I got from Xmas..so many and they will clutter the shed because they’re cute and I don’t want to throw them..one is a minature version of a tin laundry carrier with handles… well refill them with home grown goodies and pass about. With a note to reuse me.

Hello Gardeners.

I prefer blood plums myself, to the European ones. If it is Angelina, it is very early with its fruit. But I guess it is each tree to itself!!

http://www.fruit-trees-australia.com/plum-tree-angelina-burdett-p-69.html

buffy said:

Hello Gardeners.

I prefer blood plums myself, to the European ones. If it is Angelina, it is very early with its fruit. But I guess it is each tree to itself!!

http://www.fruit-trees-australia.com/plum-tree-angelina-burdett-p-69.html

I like all plums. I did make cherry jam once, long time ago, and blood plum. These trees are indeed early. There’s a king billy plum tree with 4 angelinas. Obviously love the backyard they’re in.

Gone into the 30s here now, winds are starting to gust a bit (around 30km/hr, so not too bad) and the relative humidity is plummeting (now under 20%)

This afternoon I will be staying inside. Well, there are a few patients expecting to see me anyway, so I will have to stay inside, won’t I?!

buffy said:

Hello Gardeners.

I prefer blood plums myself, to the European ones. If it is Angelina, it is very early with its fruit. But I guess it is each tree to itself!!

http://www.fruit-trees-australia.com/plum-tree-angelina-burdett-p-69.html

I was thinking about this, and I have noticed trees, 50 metres apart, flowering 6 weeks apart…at the old place, the jacaranda on the dam would be 6 – 8 weeks ahead of mine, but the upside was I still had a purple carpet in the New Year. The Dam and the old place being what, 10 – 15 miles apart? same latitude…

Dinetta said:

buffy said:

Hello Gardeners.

I prefer blood plums myself, to the European ones. If it is Angelina, it is very early with its fruit. But I guess it is each tree to itself!!

http://www.fruit-trees-australia.com/plum-tree-angelina-burdett-p-69.html

I was thinking about this, and I have noticed trees, 50 metres apart, flowering 6 weeks apart…at the old place, the jacaranda on the dam would be 6 – 8 weeks ahead of mine, but the upside was I still had a purple carpet in the New Year. The Dam and the old place being what, 10 – 15 miles apart? same latitude…

micro climates can account for differences I think.

Thee’s garden was always about a month ahead of my old one and she was only 10 mins drive away.

bluegreen said:

micro climates can account for differences I think.

Thee’s garden was always about a month ahead of my old one and she was only 10 mins drive away.

OK, I’ll wear micro climate for the old house and the Dam, but 50 metres on the same street???

Dinetta said:

bluegreen said:

micro climates can account for differences I think.

Thee’s garden was always about a month ahead of my old one and she was only 10 mins drive away.

OK, I’ll wear micro climate for the old house and the Dam, but 50 metres on the same street???

you can have different micro climates on the same block of land but in the end I am sure there is a typical range that trees will produce in and like anything else, there will always be an exception!

bluegreen said:

you can have different micro climates on the same block of land but in the end I am sure there is a typical range that trees will produce in and like anything else, there will always be an exception!

My frangipani was here first! The others are 30 years younger…

I’m back. My scarlet runner beans are extremely unimpressed with today’s 38 degrees and 40km/hr wind gusts and relative humidity plummetting to 12%…..one could say they are showing their Englishness.

But I’ve watered the edible bits of the garden. Now have the soaker on under the prop line for 20 minutes and then will do 20 minutes across the front/North of the house.

Need to fit a shower in there too, as I want to watch The Hour at 9.00pm.

roughbarked said:

Off to work.. Hope I get a better start today.

I got breath(alized) yesterday.

:( :(
today was too hot, and the next 3 or 4 days are going to be even hotter.
Peter Pan broke into the vege bed again today. Goodbye capsicum, kale, cabbage, beans. He heavily trimmed the perennial leeks and the remaining potatoes. Didn’t touch the Warrigal Spinach though, or the tomatoes or pumpkin. Something else has been eating the immature pumpkins, some sort of rodent.

On the up side I had my first peaches today. Very yummy.

bluegreen said:

:( :(
today was too hot, and the next 3 or 4 days are going to be even hotter.
Peter Pan broke into the vege bed again today. Goodbye capsicum, kale, cabbage, beans. He heavily trimmed the perennial leeks and the remaining potatoes. Didn’t touch the Warrigal Spinach though, or the tomatoes or pumpkin. Something else has been eating the immature pumpkins, some sort of rodent.

On the up side I had my first peaches today. Very yummy.

Mmmm..lamb chops with tomato sauce.

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

:( :(
today was too hot, and the next 3 or 4 days are going to be even hotter.
Peter Pan broke into the vege bed again today. Goodbye capsicum, kale, cabbage, beans. He heavily trimmed the perennial leeks and the remaining potatoes. Didn’t touch the Warrigal Spinach though, or the tomatoes or pumpkin. Something else has been eating the immature pumpkins, some sort of rodent.

On the up side I had my first peaches today. Very yummy.

Mmmm..lamb chops with tomato sauce.

been thinking the same, but I’ll hold on the tomato sauce thanks.

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

:( :(
today was too hot, and the next 3 or 4 days are going to be even hotter.
Peter Pan broke into the vege bed again today. Goodbye capsicum, kale, cabbage, beans. He heavily trimmed the perennial leeks and the remaining potatoes. Didn’t touch the Warrigal Spinach though, or the tomatoes or pumpkin. Something else has been eating the immature pumpkins, some sort of rodent.

On the up side I had my first peaches today. Very yummy.

Mmmm..lamb chops with tomato sauce.

been thinking the same, but I’ll hold on the tomato sauce thanks.

Mint sauce? :)
I’m picking peaches tomorrow, and apricots, but very early morn about 7 am before the heat hits.

bluegreen said:

:( :(
today was too hot, and the next 3 or 4 days are going to be even hotter.
Peter Pan broke into the vege bed again today. Goodbye capsicum, kale, cabbage, beans. He heavily trimmed the perennial leeks and the remaining potatoes. Didn’t touch the Warrigal Spinach though, or the tomatoes or pumpkin. Something else has been eating the immature pumpkins, some sort of rodent.

On the up side I had my first peaches today. Very yummy.

Good thing he can’t climb trees then… or use a ladder?

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

Mmmm..lamb chops with tomato sauce.

been thinking the same, but I’ll hold on the tomato sauce thanks.

Mint sauce? :)
I’m picking peaches tomorrow, and apricots, but very early morn about 7 am before the heat hits.

Pete’s prolly already eaten the mint.

Good morning Gardeners. I’ve just had a quiet word with my garden and told it to do as best it can. It is presently 22degrees, but we are forecast over 40 today, with some wind. I’ve topped up the fire buckets along the verandah. Mr buffy will be home. I’m off to work shortly, where I will be comfy in the airconditioning.

Ooh, but I see there is some reprieve for us tomorrow with a forecast of 28.

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

Off to work.. Hope I get a better start today.

I got breath(alized) yesterday.

The local Sergeant likes to breathalyze folk right outside my place…Friday and Saturday nights I have Party Lights in the street! lol

Happy Potter said:

Mmmm..lamb chops with tomato sauce.

Not keen on tomato sauce with lamb…all the other things that go so well with it…

Hooray that’s my main bin emptied for the week…

painmaster said:

bluegreen said:

:( :(
today was too hot, and the next 3 or 4 days are going to be even hotter.
Peter Pan broke into the vege bed again today. Goodbye capsicum, kale, cabbage, beans. He heavily trimmed the perennial leeks and the remaining potatoes. Didn’t touch the Warrigal Spinach though, or the tomatoes or pumpkin. Something else has been eating the immature pumpkins, some sort of rodent.

On the up side I had my first peaches today. Very yummy.

Good thing he can’t climb trees then… or use a ladder?

the trees are all stripped as far as he can reach and I have seen him rear up to reach further! but thankfully he can only reach so far. He did get one apricot though. I wrapped them all in frost cover to protect them from the birds, and one had been sucked out making a small hole and leaving dried juices behind! lol!

I’ve had Max to the vet, again! He was acting weird, weird enough for me to be concerned. Scared and shaking in a corner, not eating or drinking, and wants to lay down flat in the dark walk-in -robe and not come when called. The house is cool inside so left him there to snooze, but the vet said to bring him in. He flinched a few times when his abdoment was prodded, and again along his spine. Bloods were taken and I’ll see them tomorrow. If nothings found then they will do an ultrasound.
On the way to the vet he wouldn’t sit in the back seat and sat huddled in the footspace of the passenger seat. I thumbed at him, ‘hey you, in the back’ and with that he full on dived on my lap and I swerved the car. He has never done that before. Scared the crap out of me. I got a harness seatbelt for him.

Just now I was out hosing the chickens and he came out and I gave him a gentle spray with the hose. He loves that. Only this time instead of darting all over the yard, as is usual, he was still and when he went to start the great dog head to tail shake to get the water off, he stopped and he stood there dripping.
I wish they could just talk and tell you where it hurts.

bluegreen said:

the trees are all stripped as far as he can reach and I have seen him rear up to reach further! but thankfully he can only reach so far. He did get one apricot though. I wrapped them all in frost cover to protect them from the birds, and one had been sucked out making a small hole and leaving dried juices behind! lol!

Bit of a trick!

Happy Potter said:

I’ve had Max to the vet, again! …
I wish they could just talk and tell you where it hurts.

poor Max. hope he feels better soon.

Happy Potter said:

I wish they could just talk and tell you where it hurts.

Sounds like it could be spinal…with a bit of luck it might be “just” a pulled ligament or other tissue damage…

bluegreen said:

painmaster said:

bluegreen said:

:( :(
today was too hot, and the next 3 or 4 days are going to be even hotter.
Peter Pan broke into the vege bed again today. Goodbye capsicum, kale, cabbage, beans. He heavily trimmed the perennial leeks and the remaining potatoes. Didn’t touch the Warrigal Spinach though, or the tomatoes or pumpkin. Something else has been eating the immature pumpkins, some sort of rodent.

On the up side I had my first peaches today. Very yummy.

Good thing he can’t climb trees then… or use a ladder?

the trees are all stripped as far as he can reach and I have seen him rear up to reach further! but thankfully he can only reach so far. He did get one apricot though. I wrapped them all in frost cover to protect them from the birds, and one had been sucked out making a small hole and leaving dried juices behind! lol!

then don’t show him where you store your ladder.

Happy Potter said:

I’ve had Max to the vet, again! He was acting weird, weird enough for me to be concerned. Scared and shaking in a corner, not eating or drinking, and wants to lay down flat in the dark walk-in -robe and not come when called. The house is cool inside so left him there to snooze, but the vet said to bring him in. He flinched a few times when his abdoment was prodded, and again along his spine. Bloods were taken and I’ll see them tomorrow. If nothings found then they will do an ultrasound.
On the way to the vet he wouldn’t sit in the back seat and sat huddled in the footspace of the passenger seat. I thumbed at him, ‘hey you, in the back’ and with that he full on dived on my lap and I swerved the car. He has never done that before. Scared the crap out of me. I got a harness seatbelt for him.

Just now I was out hosing the chickens and he came out and I gave him a gentle spray with the hose. He loves that. Only this time instead of darting all over the yard, as is usual, he was still and when he went to start the great dog head to tail shake to get the water off, he stopped and he stood there dripping.
I wish they could just talk and tell you where it hurts.

:(

Good morning. It did cool down overnight. Now up to 22 again though and the sun has chased me inside as I am starting to drip with sweat. It was lovely at 7.00am when I went for a ride though. Although my legs don’t seem to be enthusiastic at present..They have no excuse, I took them into the airconditioned comfort with me yesterday!

Someone in the Holiday Forum put up this link to an ABC bird quiz. Some of you might like to try it.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/games/quizzes/2012/AussieBirds/

buffy said:

Someone in the Holiday Forum put up this link to an ABC bird quiz. Some of you might like to try it.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/games/quizzes/2012/AussieBirds/

I knew about teh sheepdogs.. I didn’t know about the dolphins.

You mean you thought dolphins had been trained?

buffy said:

You mean you thought dolphins had been trained?

No.. by skim reading.. I missed the word, false.

LIke you all want to know this, my new washing machine is installed…I was aghast to find there was no inlet for the hot water, but apparently the cold water can be warmed up inside the washing machine…it is a Simpson 7kg front end loader, has the delicates and synthetics cycles so that’s good…

Sonny Jim will be taking les chiens back either tomorrow or the next day, he’s to let me know so I can have Manu bathed…apparently nobody else cares to bath her as she hates it…only dog I’ve ever seen try to climb walls (to get out of bath)…she has been eating chicken feed…again…so she’s a bit clogged at the moment…about to take them for a walk to get the sheet out of them…

Cooked a rolled roast earlier thinking it was a pork rolled roast…oh well first time for everything…it came out OK…this is bribery so that Sonny Jim will come and finish the chooken yard …. will make a pudding next time…

I think I have identified the beetle/weevil things swarming in the garden last night. I reckon they are Plague Soldier Beetles. I can’t remember seeing them before, but I may have just forgotten.

http://museumvictoria.com.au/about/mv-blog/?tag=chauliognathus%20lugubris

Still, I guess they are less of a problem than the ubiquitous Harlequin Bugs!

buffy said:

Still, I guess they are less of a problem than the ubiquitous Harlequin Bugs!

I just spat the dummy and sprayed 400,000 slaters with surface spray because they walked from the other side of the yard to munch on zucchini beans tomatoes and potatoes etc.. while there was a truckload of straw for them to eat inbetween.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

Still, I guess they are less of a problem than the ubiquitous Harlequin Bugs!

I just spat the dummy and sprayed 400,000 slaters with surface spray because they walked from the other side of the yard to munch on zucchini beans tomatoes and potatoes etc.. while there was a truckload of straw for them to eat inbetween.

sometimes enough is enough!

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

Still, I guess they are less of a problem than the ubiquitous Harlequin Bugs!

I just spat the dummy and sprayed 400,000 slaters with surface spray because they walked from the other side of the yard to munch on zucchini beans tomatoes and potatoes etc.. while there was a truckload of straw for them to eat inbetween.

sometimes enough is enough!

Agreed! I let the chooks clean them up, but if I didn’t have chooks I think I’d be spraying them too.

Busy day.. I’ve a kitchen full of bags of fruit. Apricot’s, spanish peaches, you name it. Plenty more in the garden I got it from and will go back to when more as they ripen. Some over ripe will go to the chooks as tomorrow is grand daughters christening, and I don’t have a coolroom. The garden is owned by a woman who couldn’t care less about it and is happy for me and a friend or two to go and pick whenever it suits us. I’ve never seen so many fruit trees in a back yard. Granted, it’s easily twice the size of my backyard, but there’s so many varieties. There’s a huge granny smith tree I have dibs on.
Even throw in a GS drama. The man is with him atm and they’re cleaning his flat. Some wanker reported him a drug dealer and the police went in and scared the crap out of him and turned the place upside down. The kid won’t even take prescribed pills let along anything illegal. They found nothing and apologised and left. All’s good now.

Max has elevated liver enzymes. More tests to come. Poss’ a biopsy.

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

I just spat the dummy and sprayed 400,000 slaters with surface spray because they walked from the other side of the yard to munch on zucchini beans tomatoes and potatoes etc.. while there was a truckload of straw for them to eat inbetween.

sometimes enough is enough!

Agreed! I let the chooks clean them up, but if I didn’t have chooks I think I’d be spraying them too.

I used to have chooks and they loved following me around the garden cleaning up whatever I disturbed. My problem was I didn’t know what to do with all the eggs. I was raised on eggs as a child and though I occasionally enjoy them still, mostly I don’t. These days I’m happy to allow the magpies to help but a family of magpies isn’t enough for a billion slaters. I have a meat ant colony that covers hectares yet they aren’t enough to control the slaters. Between slaters and fruit fly I’m just wasting water feeding them and not myself.

Good morning Gardeners. We have 11 degrees, gusty wind. The high clouds are moving like no get out. I think we are looking to a low thirties today. So I’ll drink my banana egg flip and head out to finish off the watering. I’ve had the low pressure sprinklers going for about half an hour now, so they have started the job for me.

Ooh, but the overnights look good, around 11 degrees or so each night.

:)

I’ve been on granny duties for a day or so but I’m back now.

So sorry for all you people suffering in that dreadful heat. Specially for the poor folk caught up in bushfires. We are headed for the hot days next week apparently. This morning we have had a little rainy shower already. Supposed to be the same tomorrow. Be better if it could put a bit of oomph into it though.

Snake beans are nearly ready for picking. Can’t wait. Picking heaps of egg tomatoes. Growing some funny corn though. You may remember I had corn queries last year. This time we have corn grains formed in the middle of a flower stalk. Only four have this. Others are normal in every way. I wondered if birds had striped the husk from around a forming cob but why the flowers all around the cob. It’s no biggie, just a blot on the copybook.

Anniversary today so we are going out for lunch at the local Coffee House. We rarely celebrate our anniversary because it follows on so closely to Christmas and New Year that everybody is over celebrating…..period. But I can’t ignore the 45th. It’s a milestone.

pomolo said:

I’ve been on granny duties for a day or so but I’m back now.

So sorry for all you people suffering in that dreadful heat. Specially for the poor folk caught up in bushfires. We are headed for the hot days next week apparently. This morning we have had a little rainy shower already. Supposed to be the same tomorrow. Be better if it could put a bit of oomph into it though.

Snake beans are nearly ready for picking. Can’t wait. Picking heaps of egg tomatoes. Growing some funny corn though. You may remember I had corn queries last year. This time we have corn grains formed in the middle of a flower stalk. Only four have this. Others are normal in every way. I wondered if birds had striped the husk from around a forming cob but why the flowers all around the cob. It’s no biggie, just a blot on the copybook.

Anniversary today so we are going out for lunch at the local Coffee House. We rarely celebrate our anniversary because it follows on so closely to Christmas and New Year that everybody is over celebrating…..period. But I can’t ignore the 45th. It’s a milestone.

Happy Anniversary Mr Pom and Mrs Pom :D

buffy said:

Ooh, but the overnights look good, around 11 degrees or so each night.

:)

I love that :) It was cool-ish last night and I slept like a log.

pomolo said:

Anniversary today so we are going out for lunch at the local Coffee House. We rarely celebrate our anniversary because it follows on so closely to Christmas and New Year that everybody is over celebrating…..period. But I can’t ignore the 45th. It’s a milestone.

a milestone indeed. Happy Anniversary :)

Happy Potter said:

Busy day.. I’ve a kitchen full of bags of fruit. Apricot’s, spanish peaches, you name it. Plenty more in the garden I got it from and will go back to when more as they ripen. Some over ripe will go to the chooks as tomorrow is grand daughters christening, and I don’t have a coolroom. The garden is owned by a woman who couldn’t care less about it and is happy for me and a friend or two to go and pick whenever it suits us. I’ve never seen so many fruit trees in a back yard. Granted, it’s easily twice the size of my backyard, but there’s so many varieties. There’s a huge granny smith tree I have dibs on.
Even throw in a GS drama. The man is with him atm and they’re cleaning his flat. Some wanker reported him a drug dealer and the police went in and scared the crap out of him and turned the place upside down. The kid won’t even take prescribed pills let along anything illegal. They found nothing and apologised and left. All’s good now.

Max has elevated liver enzymes. More tests to come. Poss’ a biopsy.

Hope today’s as productive in the kitchen for you as it looks it’s going to be…well at least the police know GS where he is now, any more nuisance reports like that probably won’t create such an extreme reaction? Bummer all round when people make nuisance complaints…at least GS is getting a thoroughly cleaned-up flat, tis’ the time of the year for it…

pomolo said:

Anniversary today so we are going out for lunch at the local Coffee House. We rarely celebrate our anniversary because it follows on so closely to Christmas and New Year that everybody is over celebrating…..period. But I can’t ignore the 45th. It’s a milestone.

Can’t ignore the 45th indeed…lovely for you…hope the lunch is a good one…

Got blackberry jam on the go here. Picked the blackberries in the last hour. They will be jam very shortly. Just waiting for the consistency to go from running off the spoon to glooping…..

:)

Evening. The granddaughters Christening was beautiful, many people filling pews for this very special and very much loved little girl. Then we partied :)

It was great too, to catch up with people we’d met at the youngings wedding, but not seen since. Then we partied more :D

I think it’s gunna be an early night for this Nanna and Poppa. The sweet little girl grabbed my face and tried to grab my glasses off. They always go for the glasses!

Had our Anniversary lunch and mine was garnished with a sprig of lemon geranium. Geranium crispum. I nicked it with intentions of planting it and when the owner found out, she gave me the rest of her sprigs to plant as well. Lovely lunch BTW. Much praise went their way after we’d eaten. We must go back there more regularly.

pomolo said:

Had our Anniversary lunch and mine was garnished with a sprig of lemon geranium. Geranium crispum. I nicked it with intentions of planting it and when the owner found out, she gave me the rest of her sprigs to plant as well. Lovely lunch BTW. Much praise went their way after we’d eaten. We must go back there more regularly.

glad you had a nice lunch, and nice of the owner to share her sprigs :)

Good morning Gardeners. Positively chilly here this morning at about 12 degrees and blustery. A light fog has blown in in the last half an hour. And a flock of corellas has camped overnight in our backyard gumtrees. Noisy beggars!! We had flocks of hundreds years ago when we lived at Hawkesdale….this mob is just a village of 40 or so by the look (and sound) of it.

buffy said:

Good morning Gardeners. Positively chilly here this morning at about 12 degrees and blustery. A light fog has blown in in the last half an hour. And a flock of corellas has camped overnight in our backyard gumtrees. Noisy beggars!! We had flocks of hundreds years ago when we lived at Hawkesdale….this mob is just a village of 40 or so by the look (and sound) of it.

fog! you must have moisture! 30.8 ^o C at 9.43 with a humidity of 11.7%. Dry heat might be easier to cope with but it sucks the life out of everything if it goes on for too long.

Yep, just checked the BOM observations and it seems we had 99% humidity for a while overnight. Not to fear, back down under 50% now……

Then again, we went all the way down to 8% on the 4th….

buffy said:

Yep, just checked the BOM observations and it seems we had 99% humidity for a while overnight. Not to fear, back down under 50% now……

Then again, we went all the way down to 8% on the 4th….

Often 10% or less here.

bluegreen said:

buffy said:

Good morning Gardeners. Positively chilly here this morning at about 12 degrees and blustery. A light fog has blown in in the last half an hour. And a flock of corellas has camped overnight in our backyard gumtrees. Noisy beggars!! We had flocks of hundreds years ago when we lived at Hawkesdale….this mob is just a village of 40 or so by the look (and sound) of it.

fog! you must have moisture! 30.8 ^o C at 9.43 with a humidity of 11.7%. Dry heat might be easier to cope with but it sucks the life out of everything if it goes on for too long.

most likely thin smoke has blown in?

painmaster said:

bluegreen said:

buffy said:

Good morning Gardeners. Positively chilly here this morning at about 12 degrees and blustery. A light fog has blown in in the last half an hour. And a flock of corellas has camped overnight in our backyard gumtrees. Noisy beggars!! We had flocks of hundreds years ago when we lived at Hawkesdale….this mob is just a village of 40 or so by the look (and sound) of it.

fog! you must have moisture! 30.8 ^o C at 9.43 with a humidity of 11.7%. Dry heat might be easier to cope with but it sucks the life out of everything if it goes on for too long.

most likely thin smoke has blown in?

thin smoke slips in?

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

bluegreen said:

fog! you must have moisture! 30.8 ^o C at 9.43 with a humidity of 11.7%. Dry heat might be easier to cope with but it sucks the life out of everything if it goes on for too long.

most likely thin smoke has blown in?

thin smoke slips in?

could do that I guess.

>>most likely thin smoke has blown in?<<

I’ve been expecting to get smoke from down Portland way, but this morning it was a light fog.

:)

Arvo all. Been busy preserving fruits. We shan’t go hungry that’s for sure. I think I’ve been living on apricots white nectarines and spanish peaches for about 3 days now. They’re so nice.

ID request :)
Does anyone know what this little vine is please. Pot worthy or pest? It came up in my fernery.

Happy Potter said:

Arvo all. Been busy preserving fruits. We shan’t go hungry that’s for sure. I think I’ve been living on apricots white nectarines and spanish peaches for about 3 days now. They’re so nice.

ID request :)
Does anyone know what this little vine is please. Pot worthy or pest? It came up in my fernery.

looks like a bean…. but then again, there’s a few morning glory kinda plants that start off a lot like this….

painmaster said:

Happy Potter said:

Arvo all. Been busy preserving fruits. We shan’t go hungry that’s for sure. I think I’ve been living on apricots white nectarines and spanish peaches for about 3 days now. They’re so nice.

ID request :)
Does anyone know what this little vine is please. Pot worthy or pest? It came up in my fernery.

looks like a bean…. but then again, there’s a few morning glory kinda plants that start off a lot like this….

size of leaves?

I’d be going for Buckwheat. which is a problematic weed.

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

Happy Potter said:

Arvo all. Been busy preserving fruits. We shan’t go hungry that’s for sure. I think I’ve been living on apricots white nectarines and spanish peaches for about 3 days now. They’re so nice.

ID request :)
Does anyone know what this little vine is please. Pot worthy or pest? It came up in my fernery.

looks like a bean…. but then again, there’s a few morning glory kinda plants that start off a lot like this….

size of leaves?

I’d be going for Buckwheat. which is a problematic weed.

something in the chook feed?

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

looks like a bean…. but then again, there’s a few morning glory kinda plants that start off a lot like this….

size of leaves?

I’d be going for Buckwheat. which is a problematic weed.

something in the chook feed?

Yep.

three sources.. Birdseed, chookfood and hippie sprouts.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

size of leaves?

I’d be going for Buckwheat. which is a problematic weed.

something in the chook feed?

Yep.

three sources.. Birdseed, chookfood and hippie sprouts.

damn those hippies!

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

something in the chook feed?

Yep.

three sources.. Birdseed, chookfood and hippie sprouts.

damn those hippies!

Main source is from grain crops. I’s a weed and often finds its way into budgie food etc..

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

roughbarked said:

Yep.

three sources.. Birdseed, chookfood and hippie sprouts.

damn those hippies!

Main source is from grain crops. I’s a weed and often finds its way into budgie food etc..

Thanks. Oh dear, yes would be dropped from hens grain. I will rip it out then

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

damn those hippies!

Main source is from grain crops. I’s a weed and often finds its way into budgie food etc..

The seed is edible and nutritious but it is a prolific seeder and a choking climber.

Thanks. Oh dear, yes would be dropped from hens grain. I will rip it out then

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

Main source is from grain crops. I’s a weed and often finds its way into budgie food etc..

The seed is edible and nutritious but it is a prolific seeder and a choking climber.

Thanks. Oh dear, yes would be dropped from hens grain. I will rip it out then

Well I don’t need that.. thanks, I do appreciate yours and eveyones advice :)

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

Happy Potter said:

Arvo all. Been busy preserving fruits. We shan’t go hungry that’s for sure. I think I’ve been living on apricots white nectarines and spanish peaches for about 3 days now. They’re so nice.

ID request :)
Does anyone know what this little vine is please. Pot worthy or pest? It came up in my fernery.

looks like a bean…. but then again, there’s a few morning glory kinda plants that start off a lot like this….

size of leaves?

I’d be going for Buckwheat. which is a problematic weed.

Oh, size of leaves barley an inch across

just spotted my first snake – by the back porch light it was small, about 60-80cm long, about 1cm thick, light brown with darker bands. Probably a young one. No doubt after mice.

Also got a small black bunny that’s been hanging around my garden. What would be the best bait to use to trap it?

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

painmaster said:

looks like a bean…. but then again, there’s a few morning glory kinda plants that start off a lot like this….

size of leaves?

I’d be going for Buckwheat. which is a problematic weed.

Oh, size of leaves barley an inch across

Yes. I thought after posting that.. Dumbass!.. look at the size of the straw in the image..

Yes Buckwheat has small heart shaped leaves and is quite inconspicuous until it suddenly appears at the top of cornstalks or whatever you have growing. It is a vigorous climber that acts like a python on anything you have that it can climb.

bluegreen said:

just spotted my first snake – by the back porch light it was small, about 60-80cm long, about 1cm thick, light brown with darker bands. Probably a young one. No doubt after mice.

Also got a small black bunny that’s been hanging around my garden. What would be the best bait to use to trap it?

lettuce in water or anything fresh and green.

Yes a juvenile eastern brown by the sounds of it. Yes. great mouser..

bluegreen said:

just spotted my first snake – by the back porch light it was small, about 60-80cm long, about 1cm thick, light brown with darker bands. Probably a young one. No doubt after mice.

possibly a juvenile Eastern Brown Snake

I saturated myself clothes and all when I came home from work by turning on the sprinkler to water things that were going to go crispy if I didn’t. I did work like pulling the Wonga vine off the dry shed walls, under the sprinkler. I just thought that it is so selfish of me to use water like this on a day that was 42˚C, in the shade. Hence I attempted to share the very fact that without water, I couldn’t be here.

roughbarked said:

Yes a juvenile eastern brown by the sounds of it. Yes. great mouser..

my deduction also. I hope the rest of the family are elsewhere! I will have to make sure I am wearing closed shoes outside now.

bluegreen said:

bluegreen said:

just spotted my first snake – by the back porch light it was small, about 60-80cm long, about 1cm thick, light brown with darker bands. Probably a young one. No doubt after mice.

possibly a juvenile Eastern Brown Snake

You can see the relationship between the eastern brown and the WA dugite.. in that shot.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Yes a juvenile eastern brown by the sounds of it. Yes. great mouser..

my deduction also. I hope the rest of the family are elsewhere! I will have to make sure I am wearing closed shoes outside now.

walk heavily.. don’t sneak about and.. carry a torch at night. Put some water for it.. way down at the back of your yard, well away from the house.

If you are sure it is buckwheat….it’s not a declared weed:

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weedspeciesindex.pl?id=701&startLetter=B&IndexBy=comname

dinner tonight – cold baked beans and mushy overripe peaches straight off the tree. Went to a 70th celebration for lunch and didn’t feel the need to do much tonight. Too hot to prepare anything.

From the DPI:

>>Buckwheat and alyssum are two plants known to support beneficial insects including parasitoids of lightbrown apple moth. Buckwheat can also suppress weeds through competition and allelopathy, and is the subject of ongoing research aimed at fine-tuning the use of habitat management for pest control. It is certainly worthy of local evaluation for this purpose in cooler-climate vineyards. For more information on buckwheat production, see Farm Diversification Information Service (2000). Also see Wratten and Tylianakis (2003), and Wratten (2003) for examples of the use of buckwheat to improve farm biodiversity and vineyard pest management.<<

Looks like it can be quite useful, although I don’t think I want to grow it myself.

buffy said:

If you are sure it is buckwheat….it’s not a declared weed:

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weedspeciesindex.pl?id=701&startLetter=B&IndexBy=comname

perhaps not in all quarters but grain growers of NSW know it is. Contamination problems would be the main reason.

buffy said:

From the DPI:

>>Buckwheat and alyssum are two plants known to support beneficial insects including parasitoids of lightbrown apple moth. Buckwheat can also suppress weeds through competition and allelopathy, and is the subject of ongoing research aimed at fine-tuning the use of habitat management for pest control. It is certainly worthy of local evaluation for this purpose in cooler-climate vineyards. For more information on buckwheat production, see Farm Diversification Information Service (2000). Also see Wratten and Tylianakis (2003), and Wratten (2003) for examples of the use of buckwheat to improve farm biodiversity and vineyard pest management.<<

Looks like it can be quite useful, although I don’t think I want to grow it myself.

I’ve seen reports that list it as a contaminant in grain harvests. Hence an undesirable.

Not hard to control in gardens because it will only be small breakouts from stuff like budgie food. The problem is that it usually isn’t observed easily in jungle type beds that I grow until it has already set seed..

I do like to allow things to happen they way they can without too much intervention.. Which is also a bit like yards where nobody does any gardening.

Looks like it’s also used as a cover crop for weed suppression in some of the winegrowing areas:

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:yHRSoqZO-psJ:www.gwrdc.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/2012-06-FS-Cover-Crops-Weed-Suppression.pdf+buckwheat+weed+status+Australia&hl=en&gl=au&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiCa-RK-bLbJ9k1B8R1xhstR2yYmX9FosPfG0aaI2iWUI8NeB1DWKVS3_gPy6DCUoCKHSVSEAd4M-PwDtCnhgYPoqQrtYAchch-7pTnFmQS1TPyCn2WncC5-NgSUMH6R0kLq5sd&sig=AHIEtbSmaOmPwvHQepyZwKkAt5ijGMCozA

(Not sure about that link, but if it works, on the third page, down on the bottom right hand side)

Seems to work from here.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

If you are sure it is buckwheat….it’s not a declared weed:

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weedspeciesindex.pl?id=701&startLetter=B&IndexBy=comname

perhaps not in all quarters but grain growers of NSW know it is. Contamination problems would be the main reason.

probably considered an agricultural weed as opposed to an environmental weed.

It is capable of suppressing weeds, yes.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

If you are sure it is buckwheat….it’s not a declared weed:

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weedspeciesindex.pl?id=701&startLetter=B&IndexBy=comname

perhaps not in all quarters but grain growers of NSW know it is. Contamination problems would be the main reason.

probably considered an agricultural weed as opposed to an environmental weed.

Yes.. much of Australia is too dry for it though it is quite hardy.

Oh, I’ll just leave a question here. Does anyone here have experience of getting cuttings of mulberry to grow? I have access to a tree with good fruit. And the owner had trimmed it and left the bits on the ground, which now appear to be wanting to shoot. I’ve grabbed 5 bits. I wonder if they will take. I’m thinking Autumn cuttings would probably be better (I have permission to take them too) but I think I’ll give these ones a go as they seem to be trying anyway.

buffy said:

Oh, I’ll just leave a question here. Does anyone here have experience of getting cuttings of mulberry to grow? I have access to a tree with good fruit. And the owner had trimmed it and left the bits on the ground, which now appear to be wanting to shoot. I’ve grabbed 5 bits. I wonder if they will take. I’m thinking Autumn cuttings would probably be better (I have permission to take them too) but I think I’ll give these ones a go as they seem to be trying anyway.

Mulberry are one of the easier ones. Yes, cuttings taken in winter and callused up before spring are the best way. Though if you have a shady milder climate and no shortage of water, you can do tip cuttings now.

roughbarked said:

buffy said:

From the DPI:

>>Buckwheat and alyssum are two plants known to support beneficial insects including parasitoids of lightbrown apple moth. Buckwheat can also suppress weeds through competition and allelopathy, and is the subject of ongoing research aimed at fine-tuning the use of habitat management for pest control. It is certainly worthy of local evaluation for this purpose in cooler-climate vineyards. For more information on buckwheat production, see Farm Diversification Information Service (2000). Also see Wratten and Tylianakis (2003), and Wratten (2003) for examples of the use of buckwheat to improve farm biodiversity and vineyard pest management.<<

Looks like it can be quite useful, although I don’t think I want to grow it myself.

I’ve seen reports that list it as a contaminant in grain harvests. Hence an undesirable.

Not hard to control in gardens because it will only be small breakouts from stuff like budgie food. The problem is that it usually isn’t observed easily in jungle type beds that I grow until it has already set seed..

I do like to allow things to happen they way they can without too much intervention.. Which is also a bit like yards where nobody does any gardening.

I’m pretty sure yous are on the ball with buckwheat because it’s come up in the fernery that is completely covered, not even a fly or bug can get in there, certainly no birds can get in, and I’ve kept broody hens in here as it’s nice and cool and quiet.

buffy said:

Oh, I’ll just leave a question here. Does anyone here have experience of getting cuttings of mulberry to grow? I have access to a tree with good fruit. And the owner had trimmed it and left the bits on the ground, which now appear to be wanting to shoot. I’ve grabbed 5 bits. I wonder if they will take. I’m thinking Autumn cuttings would probably be better (I have permission to take them too) but I think I’ll give these ones a go as they seem to be trying anyway.

I have been told to put them as deep as you can in a pot. I struck a couple that way last year. Technically it is probably a too late but worth a try, mine were done late too.

Happy Potter said:

I’m pretty sure yous are on the ball with buckwheat because it’s come up in the fernery that is completely covered, not even a fly or bug can get in there, certainly no birds can get in, and I’ve kept broody hens in here as it’s nice and cool and quiet.

that was my thinking :)

roughbarked said:

I saturated myself clothes and all when I came home from work by turning on the sprinkler to water things that were going to go crispy if I didn’t. I did work like pulling the Wonga vine off the dry shed walls, under the sprinkler. I just thought that it is so selfish of me to use water like this on a day that was 42˚C, in the shade. Hence I attempted to share the very fact that without water, I couldn’t be here.

Too true.

Happy tuesday to you all. All’s quiet on our home front. ‘Cept for the hoses that is. Our dam is looking a bit light on with all the water we are taking from it.

Putting on a slow cooker dinner today. Probably the last chance that we will feel like eating. That hot weather that’s coming puts you off eating.

I finally got the Nastirtums planted in the bulb garden. Should cover a multitude of sins for me. Also planted a few in a pot for the centre of the new outdoor table. I can visualise them crawling down the sides of the pot and onto the table. Just like in a magazine………I wish.

Good morning Holidayers. I’ve managed to do things not On The List this morning. I did intend to pick blackberries at our friends. And we did that….I haven’t weighed them yet, but I think there might be three kilos or thereabouts. Now I have to pick them over and freeze the good ones and jam the rest. Then I had to have an ivy battle…..next door’s ivy was invading and I don’t want it wrapped around the wire netting fence. And then we noticed there were yet more sparrows in the cockatiel aviary so I had a really good look and found where they are getting in (but apparently not remembering how to get out again). I’ve blocked off the bit for now, but we will need to do some bolting of bits of wood when Mr buffy comes back from Hamilton. And then, of course, I noticed how many twigs and branches had accumulated on the roof of the aviary, so I had to reduce the load. And of course (again) one can’t waste good kindling wood so I had to get the kindling bag and bag it up.

Now I have remembered that I didn’t eat any breakfast in all that. So a slice of fruit cake will have to serve until lunchtime.

:)

Oh, and this morning we have bushfire smoke. Not badly. But enough to shroud Mt Rouse and make Gariwerd (the Grampians) invisible in the haze. Mt Rouse is only km away, but Gariwerd is 30km or so.

Not supposed to be too hot today, but I bet they are not happy with this gusty West stuff down near Portland.

Well I spent the morning tying apple trees to stakes.. Now I’m sitting in the middle of a duststorm. It is 38˚C.

bluegreen said:

bluegreen said:

just spotted my first snake – by the back porch light it was small, about 60-80cm long, about 1cm thick, light brown with darker bands. Probably a young one. No doubt after mice.

possibly a juvenile Eastern Brown Snake

was gonna ask if you took that photo, because I am super jelly but now I see you ripped it off the aussie museum site. Still a great shot

buffy said:

Oh, I’ll just leave a question here. Does anyone here have experience of getting cuttings of mulberry to grow? I have access to a tree with good fruit. And the owner had trimmed it and left the bits on the ground, which now appear to be wanting to shoot. I’ve grabbed 5 bits. I wonder if they will take. I’m thinking Autumn cuttings would probably be better (I have permission to take them too) but I think I’ll give these ones a go as they seem to be trying anyway.

apparently my neighbours two trees are from cuttings just jabbed into the ground and they fruit very well and are tasty…. they hang over my fence and I pinch some from time to time.

painmaster said:

was gonna ask if you took that photo, because I am super jelly but now I see you ripped it off the aussie museum site. Still a great shot

sorry, should have credited it. Mine moved too quickly away for me to get a photo, and it was dark.

bluegreen said:

painmaster said:

was gonna ask if you took that photo, because I am super jelly but now I see you ripped it off the aussie museum site. Still a great shot

sorry, should have credited it. Mine moved too quickly away for me to get a photo, and it was dark.

anyone who does get a shot of a snake gets kudos from me. I generally prefer to not be looking through a viewfinder when a snake is close.

I took this one when I was younger and more agile..

my January so far..

Just heard from my sister. She is in Brogo north of Bega and there is a fire in Brogo currently. I rang this morning and she was just leaving as she wanted to get out early just in case. The wind has changed and her home is in no immediate danger so she has checked back home but will spend the nights in Bega until the fire is out.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

painmaster said:

was gonna ask if you took that photo, because I am super jelly but now I see you ripped it off the aussie museum site. Still a great shot

sorry, should have credited it. Mine moved too quickly away for me to get a photo, and it was dark.

anyone who does get a shot of a snake gets kudos from me. I generally prefer to not be looking through a viewfinder when a snake is close.

I took this one when I was younger and more agile..

I prefer not to see a snake through a lens or any other way.

Good evening Gardeners. Lovely and cool here now, even had a sprinkle of precipitation….although it didn’t show in the gauge. Tomorrow is not meant to be too hot, but I think it’s warming up again towards the end of the week.

>>apparently my neighbours two trees are from cuttings just jabbed into the ground<<

Thank you painmaster. I’ve shoved these bits into a pot of ordinary garden soil. I’ll see what happens.

buffy said:

Good evening Gardeners. Lovely and cool here now, even had a sprinkle of precipitation….although it didn’t show in the gauge. Tomorrow is not meant to be too hot, but I think it’s warming up again towards the end of the week.

>>apparently my neighbours two trees are from cuttings just jabbed into the ground<<

Thank you painmaster. I’ve shoved these bits into a pot of ordinary garden soil. I’ll see what happens.

Did you trim leaves?

Daughters facebook status:

‘White water rafting down the Barron river into lake Placid.. 1 croc, many bruises and just a lil blood shed, Awesome Fun!! — at Lake Placid’

And I’m more grey haired than I was yesty’.

The things I find on freecycle..4x Ikea wire basket drawer sets. 15 wire baskets.
I asked for them not knowing what size they are and thinking small and good for vegetable storage, but they’re large.

BG when are we visiting again next? lol.

Happy Potter said:

The things I find on freecycle..4x Ikea wire basket drawer sets. 15 wire baskets.
I asked for them not knowing what size they are and thinking small and good for vegetable storage, but they’re large.

BG when are we visiting again next? lol.

Ps 2 of these baskets one on top of the other and cable tied on one side for a hinge, make an excellent temporary chook transport crate :D

Dentist appt 11 am. Yikes! I will not make any sense for the rest of the day. Saveee meeeeeeeeeeeee!

I also picked up a mystery box from a freecycler and it contains 10 kg of parrafin wax blocks. What on earth am I do to with all that wax? Apart from make my cracked heels very very beautiful. Wax all my apple trees? lol.

What can I say. It’s B hot. Almost everything has been watered till it is floating but still the heat has them drooping. Nastirtum seedlings don’t look too well either. The ones in the pot are ok, for now.

The rest of the day will be spent inside in the air con I suppose. Strong winds blowing too. I pray no idiot lights a fire.

Been meaning to say that my brom flowers last well in water. If you were womdering.

Happy Potter said:

I also picked up a mystery box from a freecycler and it contains 10 kg of parrafin wax blocks. What on earth am I do to with all that wax? Apart from make my cracked heels very very beautiful. Wax all my apple trees? lol.

candles

pomolo said:

Been meaning to say that my brom flowers last well in water. If you were womdering.

I wasn’t wondering.

Some things are meant to survive on an application of water, other things need to be rooted into the water table.

pomolo said:

What can I say. It’s B hot. Almost everything has been watered till it is floating but still the heat has them drooping. . Strong winds blowing too. I pray no idiot lights a fire.

Yesterdays and tomorrows weather here.. today is a day of blessed reprieve.

roughbarked said:

I saturated myself clothes and all when I came home from work by turning on the sprinkler to water things that were going to go crispy if I didn’t. I did work like pulling the Wonga vine off the dry shed walls, under the sprinkler. I just thought that it is so selfish of me to use water like this on a day that was 42˚C, in the shade. Hence I attempted to share the very fact that without water, I couldn’t be here.

Nice, very nice!

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

my deduction also. I hope the rest of the family are elsewhere! I will have to make sure I am wearing closed shoes outside now.

walk heavily.. don’t sneak about and.. carry a torch at night. Put some water for it.. way down at the back of your yard, well away from the house.

What RB said…particularly the water…

pomolo said:

Been meaning to say that my brom flowers last well in water. If you were wondering.

I was indeed wondering…thanks for the update…

Went here for breakfast this morning. Won’t be needing lunch. Brought home a loaf of sourdough bread too.

http://www.visitsoutherngrampians.com.au/old-bakery-wild-plum-cafe-2

I can recommend it!

:)

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

Been meaning to say that my brom flowers last well in water. If you were womdering.

I wasn’t wondering.

Some things are meant to survive on an application of water, other things need to be rooted into the water table.

Why weren’t you wondering? It’s good information that everybody can carry and it doesn’t weigh much.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

Been meaning to say that my brom flowers last well in water. If you were womdering.

I wasn’t wondering.

Some things are meant to survive on an application of water, other things need to be rooted into the water table.

Why weren’t you wondering? It’s good information that everybody can carry and it doesn’t weigh much.

broms are water loving.

Happy Potter said:

The things I find on freecycle..4x Ikea wire basket drawer sets. 15 wire baskets.
I asked for them not knowing what size they are and thinking small and good for vegetable storage, but they’re large.

BG when are we visiting again next? lol.

you tell me ;)

Happy Potter said:

I also picked up a mystery box from a freecycler and it contains 10 kg of parrafin wax blocks. What on earth am I do to with all that wax? Apart from make my cracked heels very very beautiful. Wax all my apple trees? lol.

Seal your jams with it? Make candles?

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

my deduction also. I hope the rest of the family are elsewhere! I will have to make sure I am wearing closed shoes outside now.

walk heavily.. don’t sneak about and.. carry a torch at night. Put some water for it.. way down at the back of your yard, well away from the house.

What RB said…particularly the water…

there are already various water containers around the yard for the chooks and ducks, although it did seem to come out just after I watered the pots on the back porch so it may have been after water.

buffy said:

Went here for breakfast this morning. Won’t be needing lunch. Brought home a loaf of sourdough bread too.

http://www.visitsoutherngrampians.com.au/old-bakery-wild-plum-cafe-2

I can recommend it!

:)

a fellow sells his home made sourdough bread at the local market here, and you have to be early to get some because it sells fast!

been catering with the CWA today, for the funeral of a local. We were to make the sandwiches and friends and family brought cakes and slices. We were to cater for 200 and some reckoned there were 300 there, but everyone brought so much food there was quite a bit left over. I got to bring two supermarket bags home of scraps and leftover sandwiches for the chooks and ducks and there was heaps of cake etc. left over too. A lot of that will be used at another funeral tomorrow. My back aches and my feet are sore.

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

my deduction also. I hope the rest of the family are elsewhere! I will have to make sure I am wearing closed shoes outside now.

walk heavily.. don’t sneak about and.. carry a torch at night. Put some water for it.. way down at the back of your yard, well away from the house.

What RB said…particularly the water…

Can you explain to me about snakes drinking water RB? I know they must do it but I have never read or seen a photo or anything refering to a snake drinking. I won’t have a pond in our yard because they bring snakes but I only ever thought about a pond harbouring snake prey not that they used it for drinking. My education is sorely lacking.

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

Been meaning to say that my brom flowers last well in water. If you were wondering.

I was indeed wondering…thanks for the update…

I knew someone needed to know.

bluegreen said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

walk heavily.. don’t sneak about and.. carry a torch at night. Put some water for it.. way down at the back of your yard, well away from the house.

What RB said…particularly the water…

there are already various water containers around the yard for the chooks and ducks, although it did seem to come out just after I watered the pots on the back porch so it may have been after water.

Always the case that reptiles smell fresh water.

pomolo said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

walk heavily.. don’t sneak about and.. carry a torch at night. Put some water for it.. way down at the back of your yard, well away from the house.

What RB said…particularly the water…

Can you explain to me about snakes drinking water RB? I know they must do it but I have never read or seen a photo or anything refering to a snake drinking. I won’t have a pond in our yard because they bring snakes but I only ever thought about a pond harbouring snake prey not that they used it for drinking. My education is sorely lacking.

Just put your pond down at the snake warning level.

pomolo said:

Can you explain to me about snakes drinking water RB? I know they must do it but I have never read or seen a photo or anything refering to a snake drinking. I won’t have a pond in our yard because they bring snakes but I only ever thought about a pond harbouring snake prey not that they used it for drinking. My education is sorely lacking.

Well I went and googled it, I thought they lapped with their tongues…however they can also suck it up with their mouths…apparently…when it was really dry at the other place, I would keep a plastic rubbish bin lid on an old tyre over in the far corner of the yard, with a rock or two, and keep filled with water…the birds use it when the snakeys are not there…well I put it there to keep the snakeys away from the house if possible, anyway…

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

Dinetta said:

What RB said…particularly the water…

Can you explain to me about snakes drinking water RB? I know they must do it but I have never read or seen a photo or anything refering to a snake drinking. I won’t have a pond in our yard because they bring snakes but I only ever thought about a pond harbouring snake prey not that they used it for drinking. My education is sorely lacking.

Just put your pond down at the snake warning level.

I ain’t putting any pond in. No matter what level is appropriate. We have a dam and that draws enough red belly blacks to claim my bit for green Aus.

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

Can you explain to me about snakes drinking water RB? I know they must do it but I have never read or seen a photo or anything refering to a snake drinking. I won’t have a pond in our yard because they bring snakes but I only ever thought about a pond harbouring snake prey not that they used it for drinking. My education is sorely lacking.

Well I went and googled it, I thought they lapped with their tongues…however they can also suck it up with their mouths…apparently…when it was really dry at the other place, I would keep a plastic rubbish bin lid on an old tyre over in the far corner of the yard, with a rock or two, and keep filled with water…the birds use it when the snakeys are not there…well I put it there to keep the snakeys away from the house if possible, anyway…

We have a bird bath that is suffering from over use ATM. Have to fill it twice a day on some days.

pomolo said:

We have a bird bath that is suffering from over use ATM. Have to fill it twice a day on some days.

You’re a good woman…

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

The things I find on freecycle..4x Ikea wire basket drawer sets. 15 wire baskets.
I asked for them not knowing what size they are and thinking small and good for vegetable storage, but they’re large.

BG when are we visiting again next? lol.

you tell me ;)

They’ll be good here ‘till we can :)
Yu’now how I can’t blimmin count..well..4 frames each with 4 baskets, equals 16 baskets, lol.

Great day at the dentist :D I refused treatment.. yep..the sec I heard ‘root canal’ I got off the chair, lol.
I will go back, but I’ll go back when I’m ready. Read, doped up well, well beforehand. I also need to go to the dental hospital for a larger surgery. Yep. I’ve had a cracked jaw for years, thanks to a dentist way back when, during a difficult extraction, I got a hairline fracture in my jaw immediately below the area. I knew about it back then, but never bothered to go back.
This fellow picked it up right away. It’s inflamed, has been for a long time and it’s just pure luck it hasn’t gotten infected and caused an abcess. It needs to be reset and pinned.
O joy.

Meanwhile back at the farm..2 silkies and 2 other breed chicks just left wth lovely new owners, an older gent and his young neice.
I’ve bottled the next batch of plum sauce and the lids are all popping in. The gent who bought the chickens remarked ‘gees, you need a farm!’. Ya don’t say! I gave him 2 jars of the sauce from the previous batch :)

Oh, and I’m going to enter this marmalade comp! http://www.buninyong.vic.au/
If for nothing else but to stop my elderly orchard friend who gave me the poormans oranges to make the marmalade, from ringing me twice a day and emailing me to ask have I filled in the forms yet! LOL

Happy Potter said:

Oh, and I’m going to enter this marmalade comp! http://www.buninyong.vic.au/
If for nothing else but to stop my elderly orchard friend who gave me the poormans oranges to make the marmalade, from ringing me twice a day and emailing me to ask have I filled in the forms yet! LOL

‘coff coff’ still dentist stressed.. try this link ;)

http://www.buninyong.vic.au/marmalade/fair.htm

Happy Potter said:

Oh, and I’m going to enter this marmalade comp! http://www.buninyong.vic.au/
If for nothing else but to stop my elderly orchard friend who gave me the poormans oranges to make the marmalade, from ringing me twice a day and emailing me to ask have I filled in the forms yet! LOL

Hope yours gets to be in the Aussie Xl. Sounds like a fun thing to enter into.

hello! you must be all out gardening, or sleeping in! lol!

Good morning BlueGreen…I slept in… first night in a few that I’ve slept in my own bed and was out like a light once I got there…just waiting for the chookens’ food to cool off before I head down and feed them…

Lovely and cool in the shade, 29 0 C with a fitful northerly…which augers better for rain than the south-easterlies no matter how cool they are…

bluegreen said:

hello! you must be all out gardening, or sleeping in! lol!

Was scrubbing chook waterers :)
Not that that’s a plesant job, but chooks jostling for room standing on my feet waiting was funny. They thought it was yummy kitchen food but when they saw it was only water, they were not amused, lol.

Drippers on my veges, they’re the only things I’m watering now. The rest get dirty chook water or will have to wait for rain.

Good morning Gardeners. I’ve been riding, watering, tying things up. And planting some seeds after devising a netting arrangement to stop the cabbage whites getting to my brassica seedlings (when the seeds germinate!). Oh, and harvesting some bits and bobs.

I got a new Diggers catalogue in the mail this morning, so I’ll sit down and read it through shortly.

Here is my Cunning Plan for stopping the Cabbage Whites:

Let’s see. Some cheap green netting stuff. Some cheap bamboo stake thingies. Some old plant pots. Some bits of wood offcuts. And two tent pegs (at the ends):

bluegreen said:

hello! you must be all out gardening, or sleeping in! lol!

I was doing this.

before

after
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8365323341_060b90dab3_z.jpg
after by roughbarked, on Flickr

Poncirus trifoliata are very prickly.. In fact I’ve been known to call it a prick of a job.

I would too lol! Are these for grafting on to or are they to be onsold to other growers for grafting?

The soil looks nice…red and rich…like vineyard soil would look, I imagine?

Dinetta said:

I would too lol! Are these for grafting on to or are they to be onsold to other growers for grafting?

The soil looks nice…red and rich…like vineyard soil would look, I imagine?

They are to be grafted and then planted on another farm. Many farmers grow their own seedlings and get people such as myself in to do the grafting/ In this case one farmer purchased 20,000 to be grown on a different farm(his cousins) and grafted then later to be shifted to a new block. He didn’t have a lot of knowledge and hence lost some in the transplant so he purchased these which another farmer had in excess to his own needs. Where I live most of these farmers of Italian descent are all related.

The soil is red sandy loam that is common around here as ancient sand dunes. It is highly desirable for citrus orchards.

buffy said:

Here is my Cunning Plan for stopping the Cabbage Whites:

Let’s see. Some cheap green netting stuff. Some cheap bamboo stake thingies. Some old plant pots. Some bits of wood offcuts. And two tent pegs (at the ends):

Best of luck with it.

The problem, of course, is going to be when the seedlings get big enough to transplant and need a Cunning Plan for each plant. And taller!

buffy said:

The problem, of course, is going to be when the seedlings get big enough to transplant and need a Cunning Plan for each plant. And taller!

dipel™

roughbarked said:

The soil is red sandy loam that is common around here as ancient sand dunes. It is highly desirable for citrus orchards.

…provided there’s enough water of course… gee I love geomorphology…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

The soil is red sandy loam that is common around here as ancient sand dunes. It is highly desirable for citrus orchards.

…provided there’s enough water of course… gee I love geomorphology…

irrigation helps.. This is the MIA.

roughbarked said:

irrigation helps.. This is the MIA.

Which I learnt about during primary school…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

irrigation helps.. This is the MIA.

Which I learnt about during primary school…

:) Al Grassby was famous for starting his speeches with here we are on the banks of the Murrumbidgee.. yet the river is a long way away.

roughbarked said:

:) Al Grassby was famous for starting his speeches with here we are on the banks of the Murrumbidgee.. yet the river is a long way away.

An article about Al Grassby that’s worth reading, and the quote is at the bottom

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

:) Al Grassby was famous for starting his speeches with here we are on the banks of the Murrumbidgee.. yet the river is a long way away.

An article about Al Grassby that’s worth reading, and the quote is at the bottom

I used to babysit his kids.. He was a character indeed worth never forgetting.

I also know Tony Catanzariti well.

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

:) Al Grassby was famous for starting his speeches with here we are on the banks of the Murrumbidgee.. yet the river is a long way away.

An article about Al Grassby that’s worth reading, and the quote is at the bottom

a good read. we could do with more like him in parliament today.

awesome RB :D

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

:) Al Grassby was famous for starting his speeches with here we are on the banks of the Murrumbidgee.. yet the river is a long way away.

An article about Al Grassby that’s worth reading, and the quote is at the bottom

I used to babysit his kids.. He was a character indeed worth never forgetting.

You were lucky!

The way the article reads, both sides of Parliament were upset when he didn’t get re-elected that time…both because of his personality and the very nasty racism campaign by “foreigners” that was waged against him…

roughbarked said:

I also know Tony Catanzariti well.

You’ve got me there…?

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

I also know Tony Catanzariti well.

You’ve got me there…?

He made the speech linked.

roughbarked said:

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

I also know Tony Catanzariti well.

You’ve got me there…?

He made the speech linked.

Yes I had my “derrr” moment when I was setting the sprinkler just before…

My dental appt, first of two for root canal work, is booked for next thurs.
_yay

That’s if I live that long and not die of fright in the meantime..

Fright #1. I’m picking strawberries and something moved..argh!..was a hen who’d made a nest in the raised bed. I can’t work out how she got in there.

Fright #2 sitting, I put my hand on my leg and felt something cold and gooey..nearly sh**, lol..was a fat green caterpillar doing the loop de loop up my jeans.

Fright #3 go to laundry and start to sort dirty washing basket and nearly hit the roof. A chicken popped up from behind the basket. Bakark! I really must not leave the patio door open.

Happy Potter said:

Fright #3 go to laundry and start to sort dirty washing basket and nearly hit the roof. A chicken popped up from behind the basket. Bakark! I really must not leave the patio door open.

I had a chicken that laid a clutch in the dirty washing basket once. Only discovered them when I went to do the washing. No wonder I couldn’t find her hiding spot outside! She was coming in the cat entry hole.

Happy Potter said:

My dental appt, first of two for root canal work, is booked for next thurs.
_yay

That’s if I live that long and not die of fright in the meantime..

Fright #1. I’m picking strawberries and something moved..argh!..was a hen who’d made a nest in the raised bed. I can’t work out how she got in there.

Fright #2 sitting, I put my hand on my leg and felt something cold and gooey..nearly sh**, lol..was a fat green caterpillar doing the loop de loop up my jeans.

Fright #3 go to laundry and start to sort dirty washing basket and nearly hit the roof. A chicken popped up from behind the basket. Bakark! I really must not leave the patio door open.

To add to that.. sitting at the kitchen table reading late one night, something kept prickling the hairs on my leg. Rather than slapping at it I looked and it was a female redback building her web, using my leg as one of the supports.

bluegreen said:

Happy Potter said:

Fright #3 go to laundry and start to sort dirty washing basket and nearly hit the roof. A chicken popped up from behind the basket. Bakark! I really must not leave the patio door open.

I had a chicken that laid a clutch in the dirty washing basket once. Only discovered them when I went to do the washing. No wonder I couldn’t find her hiding spot outside! She was coming in the cat entry hole.

Your chickens were tricks BlueGreen, I still remember your story about the chicken that hatched a clutch whilst you believed a fox must have got her…

roughbarked said:

To add to that.. sitting at the kitchen table reading late one night, something kept prickling the hairs on my leg. Rather than slapping at it I looked and it was a female redback building her web, using my leg as one of the supports.

Whoah!

Is $3400 per annum, expensive house insurance? A solid besser brick (cinder block) construction, brand-new roof, well above flood plain (about same height above the plain as is the town water tower, or even higher)….about the same size as 2 – 3 housing commission houses…??????

P thinks they’ve been applying a too-high “escalation rate”, plus they also sent me a letter saying “they couldn’t find the property” (so help me) and therefore they’re going to charge extra annual insurance just because of the postcode…

Dinetta said:

Is $3400 per annum, expensive house insurance? A solid besser brick (cinder block) construction, brand-new roof, well above flood plain (about same height above the plain as is the town water tower, or even higher)….about the same size as 2 – 3 housing commission houses…??????

P thinks they’ve been applying a too-high “escalation rate”, plus they also sent me a letter saying “they couldn’t find the property” (so help me) and therefore they’re going to charge extra annual insurance just because of the postcode…

I managed to get my house and content down to this amount by phoning around. The RACQ were best. CGU and Suncorp were more than twice this price. But I have recently contacted Terri Scheer Insurance and they have come up with a good price. No compulsory flood coverage yet.

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

My dental appt, first of two for root canal work, is booked for next thurs.
_yay

That’s if I live that long and not die of fright in the meantime..

Fright #1. I’m picking strawberries and something moved..argh!..was a hen who’d made a nest in the raised bed. I can’t work out how she got in there.

Fright #2 sitting, I put my hand on my leg and felt something cold and gooey..nearly sh**, lol..was a fat green caterpillar doing the loop de loop up my jeans.

Fright #3 go to laundry and start to sort dirty washing basket and nearly hit the roof. A chicken popped up from behind the basket. Bakark! I really must not leave the patio door open.

To add to that.. sitting at the kitchen table reading late one night, something kept prickling the hairs on my leg. Rather than slapping at it I looked and it was a female redback building her web, using my leg as one of the supports.

Oh what joy!

Going to see if I can find anything to watch on the old teev. ‘Nite BG.

pomolo said:

Going to see if I can find anything to watch on the old teev. ‘Nite BG.

Ken Hom is on.

Good morning Gardeners. We have moved from 16 degrees to 25 here since 6.20am (when I got up and checked the thermometer). Not an auspicious start to a Total Fire Ban day when the fire radio jumps to life just after 6.00am with a fire North of us. From the sound of the radio, everyone jumped. And quickly. Controlled very smartly. We certainly don’t need any little fire devils around at this time of day.
Off for a walk to the other end of town and back (to pick up a copy of my latest blood test results – just a routine review) and then I expect to be hunkering down inside for most of the day.

Hot hot hot. I hope any fires are put out by now and no new ones start.

It’s going to be a noisy day. The new rail link construction is underway for this area. It’s like a jet engine running constantly but distant. It’s several klms to the north west of my place but close to my daughters place in Wyndham Vale.

I’m back. Should have looked at the notice on the door on Monday when we were down there….the clinic is not open today! Oh well, Mr buffy needed the walk anyway. It would be about a 3km round trip. And we caught up with some friends on the way back.

That construction stuff will have to be carefully done today HP, with the restrictions on the use of some equipment on Total Fire Ban days. I see the fire down Portland way is now listed at near enough to 12,000 hectares. That’s one big block of forest and pine plantations blackened!

buffy said:

I’m back. Should have looked at the notice on the door on Monday when we were down there….the clinic is not open today! Oh well, Mr buffy needed the walk anyway. It would be about a 3km round trip. And we caught up with some friends on the way back.

That construction stuff will have to be carefully done today HP, with the restrictions on the use of some equipment on Total Fire Ban days. I see the fire down Portland way is now listed at near enough to 12,000 hectares. That’s one big block of forest and pine plantations blackened!

I was just about to pop on and say the noise wound down and we were thinking they were moving along to the next part, but it didn’t start up again. I hope they get that fire out asap :(

I think it is listed as ‘Controlled’ now.

But the weather is heating up here. Not too much wind at this stage though.

Had to drive into town this morning. Planned to go early so we could get back home before the real heat took over. Everybody else must have had the same plan. It was chaotic. I had heard that lots of people head for the shopping centres when there is a heat wave. Today I witnessed the evidence. I ownder if they are still there. Probably.

pomolo said:

Had to drive into town this morning. Planned to go early so we could get back home before the real heat took over. Everybody else must have had the same plan. It was chaotic. I had heard that lots of people head for the shopping centres when there is a heat wave. Today I witnessed the evidence. I ownder if they are still there. Probably.

I have a ‘w’ leftover here. I’m sure it belongs in the above post.

Good morning Gardeners. Nice and cool, I think around 12 degrees at 6.30am when I got up (I forgot to actually look at the thermometer) I’ve been for my bike ride and watered the veggies and walked the dogs. Et some tabouli (sp?) for breakfast. Now I have to block up puppy sized holes in the fences. 2 sleeps!

:)

I’m going to have to nuke my whole yard. It used to be snails that were the problem.. Now it is slaters.. I have to water or things die in this heat but wherever I put water several billion slaters find there way there overnight and eat whatever I watered.

The above was a watermelon vine. Several times I’ve brought it back from slater attack but this time I think it is not going to need more water.

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

silly question, what about saucers of water?

Also, would the slater numbers be up because of increased sick and dying vegetation (from the heat ./ lack of water) in the vicinity of your block?

I would just pull back all the mulch and put it in a heap somewhere, expose the dirt, and wait for the slater numbers to go down. Not productive vegetable wise but if they’ve only got a limited feeding area, hopefully their numbers would soon go down.

It’s a bummer losing your carefully tended garden like this…

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

two tonnes of methiocarb should do it.. http://msds.duluxgroup.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000000021405.pdf

Dinetta said:

silly question, what about saucers of water?

Also, would the slater numbers be up because of increased sick and dying vegetation (from the heat ./ lack of water) in the vicinity of your block?

I would just pull back all the mulch and put it in a heap somewhere, expose the dirt, and wait for the slater numbers to go down. Not productive vegetable wise but if they’ve only got a limited feeding area, hopefully their numbers would soon go down.

It’s a bummer losing your carefully tended garden like this…

If you hear of silly hippie organic gardener found hanging from grape vines by the neck.. it will be me.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

two tonnes of methiocarb should do it.. http://msds.duluxgroup.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000000021405.pdf

Actually, no. That will only bring all the slaters in the village to my yard.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

two tonnes of methiocarb should do it.. http://msds.duluxgroup.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000000021405.pdf

Actually, no. That will only bring all the slaters in the village to my yard.

how large an area are we talking about? A bit of browsing brought up half buried soft drink bottles with sugar water in them as a trap. The iron based snail pellets are supposed to be effective and less toxic to other wild life than the other ones. But you probably know all this!

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

two tonnes of methiocarb should do it.. http://msds.duluxgroup.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000000021405.pdf

Actually, no. That will only bring all the slaters in the village to my yard.

how large an area are we talking about? A bit of browsing brought up half buried soft drink bottles with sugar water in them as a trap. The iron based snail pellets are supposed to be effective and less toxic to other wild life than the other ones. But you probably know all this!

I do know all this and yes I do chuck about as much Multiguard™ chelated iron snail bait as I can afford.. to little avail. Maybe a moat of the stuff around each plant?

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Actually, no. That will only bring all the slaters in the village to my yard.

how large an area are we talking about? A bit of browsing brought up half buried soft drink bottles with sugar water in them as a trap. The iron based snail pellets are supposed to be effective and less toxic to other wild life than the other ones. But you probably know all this!

I do know all this and yes I do chuck about as much Multiguard™ chelated iron snail bait as I can afford.. to little avail. Maybe a moat of the stuff around each plant?

have you tried Diatomaceous Earth?

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

how large an area are we talking about? A bit of browsing brought up half buried soft drink bottles with sugar water in them as a trap. The iron based snail pellets are supposed to be effective and less toxic to other wild life than the other ones. But you probably know all this!

I do know all this and yes I do chuck about as much Multiguard™ chelated iron snail bait as I can afford.. to little avail. Maybe a moat of the stuff around each plant?

have you tried Diatomaceous Earth?

another expensive option.

roughbarked said:

I’m going to have to nuke my whole yard. It used to be snails that were the problem.. Now it is slaters.. I have to water or things die in this heat but wherever I put water several billion slaters find there way there overnight and eat whatever I watered.

The above was a watermelon vine. Several times I’ve brought it back from slater attack but this time I think it is not going to need more water.

They’ve sure made a mess if it.

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

two tonnes of methiocarb should do it.. http://msds.duluxgroup.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000000021405.pdf

Actually, no. That will only bring all the slaters in the village to my yard.

That’s what I reckon happens when you put up fruit fly traps. I’m sure they come from the next town for the contents.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

roughbarked said:

two tonnes of methiocarb should do it.. http://msds.duluxgroup.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000000021405.pdf

Actually, no. That will only bring all the slaters in the village to my yard.

That’s what I reckon happens when you put up fruit fly traps. I’m sure they come from the next town for the contents.

yep. :(

One of my Magnolias is having a second flowering. It flowered at the end of winter, got new foliage and the drought made it lose all of those leaves, Now it’s flowering again though pitiful looking flowers. I think it thinks it’s about to die so it’s in a rush to reproduce before that happens.

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Actually, no. That will only bring all the slaters in the village to my yard.

That’s what I reckon happens when you put up fruit fly traps. I’m sure they come from the next town for the contents.

yep. :(

so that only leaves you with spraying doesn’t it?

pomolo said:

One of my Magnolias is having a second flowering. It flowered at the end of winter, got new foliage and the drought made it lose all of those leaves, Now it’s flowering again though pitiful looking flowers. I think it thinks it’s about to die so it’s in a rush to reproduce before that happens.

Yes, it can be a sign of imminent death.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

That’s what I reckon happens when you put up fruit fly traps. I’m sure they come from the next town for the contents.

yep. :(

so that only leaves you with spraying doesn’t it?

or open the place to backpackers who will squash bugs for a feed. WWOOFers

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

One of my Magnolias is having a second flowering. It flowered at the end of winter, got new foliage and the drought made it lose all of those leaves, Now it’s flowering again though pitiful looking flowers. I think it thinks it’s about to die so it’s in a rush to reproduce before that happens.

Yes, it can be a sign of imminent death.

I let the trickle of water do it’s thing now and again but it becomes too hard to keep everything damp. As you know I’m sure.

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

yep. :(

so that only leaves you with spraying doesn’t it?

or open the place to backpackers who will squash bugs for a feed. WWOOFers

Fortunately or maybe unfortunately we don’t get many backpackers round here.

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

You need to borrow some chooks..

On the upside. Picked our first snake beans and they are very long this time. The longest was 66cm but they were all over 60. What a yummy feed we had.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

One of my Magnolias is having a second flowering. It flowered at the end of winter, got new foliage and the drought made it lose all of those leaves, Now it’s flowering again though pitiful looking flowers. I think it thinks it’s about to die so it’s in a rush to reproduce before that happens.

Yes, it can be a sign of imminent death.

I let the trickle of water do it’s thing now and again but it becomes too hard to keep everything damp. As you know I’m sure.

cuttings I’ve had in since autumn die if I don’t water them every day.. The seedlings the slaters don’t eat, do the same.

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

pomolo said:

On the upside. Picked our first snake beans and they are very long this time. The longest was 66cm but they were all over 60. What a yummy feed we had.

slaters chewed mine off as they germinated.

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

I wouldn’t either if I had chooks but couldn’t you establish a backyard sale of fresh eggs.

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

Give them away, boss, co workers, basket by the gate take for free, ect. They will clean up the slaters, till the soil and leave it fertilized.

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

I wouldn’t either if I had chooks but couldn’t you establish a backyard sale of fresh eggs.

Think that is illegal. ;)

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

Give them away, boss, co workers, basket by the gate take for free, ect. They will clean up the slaters, till the soil and leave it fertilized.

I wish i lived closer to you, I’ve 20 odd silkies all competing for one little patch of slaters.

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

On the upside. Picked our first snake beans and they are very long this time. The longest was 66cm but they were all over 60. What a yummy feed we had.

slaters chewed mine off as they germinated.

Those bluddy slaters again! I find that ants like my snake beans. Always lots of them around where tha bean meets the stalk. I’ve often wondered why that is. No aphids or anything that that I can see. Maybe there is some kind of honeydew from the actual bean.

roughbarked said:

yep. :(

What about crumpled newspaper on the garden bed, overnight, trap the little blighters and ??? dispose of them humanely…take to the park and feed to the birds? (Not really joking about the last bit)…

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

Give them away, boss, co workers, basket by the gate take for free, ect. They will clean up the slaters, till the soil and leave it fertilized.

They can be worse than blackbirds at digging up what is newly planted.. by strength of numbers.

pomolo said:

One of my Magnolias is having a second flowering. It flowered at the end of winter, got new foliage and the drought made it lose all of those leaves, Now it’s flowering again though pitiful looking flowers. I think it thinks it’s about to die so it’s in a rush to reproduce before that happens.

Oh no! You’ve said they have such a lovely perfume…

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

I wouldn’t either if I had chooks but couldn’t you establish a backyard sale of fresh eggs.

Think that is illegal. ;)

I won’t tell anyone. Goes on all the time. I have friends that pass on eggs to me for excess vegies I give to them etc.

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes I thought of that too (but forgot again! derrr)

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

On the upside. Picked our first snake beans and they are very long this time. The longest was 66cm but they were all over 60. What a yummy feed we had.

slaters chewed mine off as they germinated.

Those bluddy slaters again! I find that ants like my snake beans. Always lots of them around where tha bean meets the stalk. I’ve often wondered why that is. No aphids or anything that that I can see. Maybe there is some kind of honeydew from the actual bean.

meat ants will de-head everything from paper daisies to snake beans..

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

yep. :(

What about crumpled newspaper on the garden bed, overnight, trap the little blighters and ??? dispose of them humanely…take to the park and feed to the birds? (Not really joking about the last bit)…

Magpies and butcherbirds love my yard.

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

One of my Magnolias is having a second flowering. It flowered at the end of winter, got new foliage and the drought made it lose all of those leaves, Now it’s flowering again though pitiful looking flowers. I think it thinks it’s about to die so it’s in a rush to reproduce before that happens.

Oh no! You’ve said they have such a lovely perfume…

and they do. I’m trying Dinetta. The drought is trying as well.

I used to put toilet roll cores around my seedlings when I planted them out…but I didn’t have plague proportions of nibblers to worry about, just the normal ratio of things…can you use crumpled newspaper as mulch and lift early each morning so your birdlife can decimate the bugs? Just tossing ideas I’d try myself…

Can’t sell eggs, but you can use them to trade for things.
Looks like I’m getting 2 trailer loads of rounded quartz river stones for the AP system. Much easier on the fingers than scoria. And all for a couple doz eggs :)

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

slaters chewed mine off as they germinated.

Those bluddy slaters again! I find that ants like my snake beans. Always lots of them around where tha bean meets the stalk. I’ve often wondered why that is. No aphids or anything that that I can see. Maybe there is some kind of honeydew from the actual bean.

meat ants will de-head everything from paper daisies to snake beans..

These are common small black ants and there is no damage to the beans or the stalks. Just hate the way they run up my arms and neck when I pick beans off.

Dinetta said:

Happy Potter said:

bluegreen said:

that’s a tough one RB. Good luck with that.

You need to borrow some chooks..

Yes I thought of that too (but forgot again! derrr)

I’d love to let 500 king quail run loose in my yard but the cats can still jump the fence, besides I have a sparrowhawks nest in my yard.

roughbarked said:

Think that is illegal. ;)

I’m sure it is, I don’t think any of the recipients would care…my neighbour, J2, looks hopeful every time I go into the coop…

roughbarked said:

They can be worse than blackbirds at digging up what is newly planted.. by strength of numbers.

I think Happy Potter has said the Silkies are less likely to dig up your vegetables than the “normal” chooken?

pomolo said:

and they do. I’m trying Dinetta. The drought is trying as well.

Difficult to argue with Mother Nature, I agree…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

They can be worse than blackbirds at digging up what is newly planted.. by strength of numbers.

I think Happy Potter has said the Silkies are less likely to dig up your vegetables than the “normal” chooken?

Plus Silkies are a match for cats…

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

They can be worse than blackbirds at digging up what is newly planted.. by strength of numbers.

I think Happy Potter has said the Silkies are less likely to dig up your vegetables than the “normal” chooken?

Established veges they won’t, seedlings they will.
I thought they were eating my tall leeks, picking away at some of the outter leaves. But I watched for a while and they were clearing the overgrowth in order to get to the bugs in the middle. I planted the leeks thickly and they couldn’t penetrate the patch lol.

Right then, puppy force fields on all the low gaps in the fences. I knew there was a reason I had kept those old lengths of gutter gard!

If anyone wants to read up on that egg selling thing, I found a discussion in a poultry forum about it. It’s an old discussion though.

http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7958350

buffy said:

Right then, puppy force fields on all the low gaps in the fences. I knew there was a reason I had kept those old lengths of gutter gard!

If anyone wants to read up on that egg selling thing, I found a discussion in a poultry forum about it. It’s an old discussion though.

http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=7958350

The Food Standards Code, 1987 (with amendments) currently states that cracked eggs must not be sold for human consumption

Colesworth have cracked eggs on the shelves often.

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

roughbarked said:

yep. :(

so that only leaves you with spraying doesn’t it?

or open the place to backpackers who will squash bugs for a feed. WWOOFers

rent some chooks :)

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

roughbarked said:

Yes but I’d never eat the eggs.

Give them away, boss, co workers, basket by the gate take for free, ect. They will clean up the slaters, till the soil and leave it fertilized.

They can be worse than blackbirds at digging up what is newly planted.. by strength of numbers.

but they would clean out the slaters so you could have a clean bed to start again.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

pomolo said:

so that only leaves you with spraying doesn’t it?

or open the place to backpackers who will squash bugs for a feed. WWOOFers

rent some chooks :)

Not sure which would be the most difficult to control. ;)

just had lunch in Mansfield, meeting up with riders from the Moto Guzzi club as they were on their way through to Porepunkah. I couldn’t ride though because my rego has expired because I am trying to switch affiliated clubs and the process has been painfully slow due to Christmas and NY holidays, and no one at VicRoads who knows what they are doing.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Happy Potter said:

Give them away, boss, co workers, basket by the gate take for free, ect. They will clean up the slaters, till the soil and leave it fertilized.

They can be worse than blackbirds at digging up what is newly planted.. by strength of numbers.

but they would clean out the slaters so you could have a clean bed to start again.

Yes I’ve always thought a mobile pen could be useful. Since long before chook mowers were thought of. However at the same time I have no requirement for eggs. I may have a chat to my neighbours and allow their chooks to roam but to do that I’d need to set up my yard full of corral fencing (with netting roofing) and it seems a lot of expense to go to in order to herd somebody else’s chooks about my yard. One thing slaters don’t thrive on is cultivation of the soil surface. It could be a lot less expensive to sharpen my hoe or even invest in a rotary hoe.. The other alternative which is also expensive could be garden beds that hang from skyhooks.

bluegreen said:

just had lunch in Mansfield, meeting up with riders from the Moto Guzzi club as they were on their way through to Porepunkah. I couldn’t ride though because my rego has expired because I am trying to switch affiliated clubs and the process has been painfully slow due to Christmas and NY holidays, and no one at VicRoads who knows what they are doing.

Not quite sure I understand. Is your bike road registered or is it only registered as a vintage motorcycle?

It will probably miss me in the main but it could also simply evaporate before it reaches the ground anyway. http://www.essentialenergy.com.au/content/stormtracker
I hope someone gets something out of it. I’ll have to get moving though, broken finger or not and start making sure I have all my son’s stuff we brought home from storage put away in case it does get wet. Not to mention mix some concrete and stand up the new rainwater tank just in case.

roughbarked said:

The Food Standards Code, 1987 (with amendments) currently states that cracked eggs must not be sold for human consumption

Colesworth have cracked eggs on the shelves often.

When I bought eggs from them, I used to check the cartons before purchase, and the switched-on checkout chicks / chooks would also check. I think, in about 19 years that I can recall having to buy eggs, I got caught with broken shells twice, and they were both cracked on the bottom…

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

or open the place to backpackers who will squash bugs for a feed. WWOOFers

rent some chooks :)

Not sure which would be the most difficult to control. ;)

Guinea fowl!! They “self roost”…i.e. they sleep in the trees of a night…your natives will still nest in the trees, or at least mine did in side-by-side trees…

roughbarked said:

Yes I’ve always thought a mobile pen could be useful. Since long before chook mowers were thought of. However at the same time I have no requirement for eggs. I may have a chat to my neighbours and allow their chooks to roam but to do that I’d need to set up my yard full of corral fencing (with netting roofing) and it seems a lot of expense to go to in order to herd somebody else’s chooks about my yard. One thing slaters don’t thrive on is cultivation of the soil surface. It could be a lot less expensive to sharpen my hoe or even invest in a rotary hoe.. The other alternative which is also expensive could be garden beds that hang from skyhooks.

Can you buy or collect from the recycling shop at the local tip?

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

just had lunch in Mansfield, meeting up with riders from the Moto Guzzi club as they were on their way through to Porepunkah. I couldn’t ride though because my rego has expired because I am trying to switch affiliated clubs and the process has been painfully slow due to Christmas and NY holidays, and no one at VicRoads who knows what they are doing.

Not quite sure I understand. Is your bike road registered or is it only registered as a vintage motorcycle?

it is registered as a classic motorcycle with a Club Permit. The problem is that last year the Moto Guzzi club was not yet authorised with VicRoads so I registered with another club. The MG club is now authorised so I wanted to change the club affiliation on the permit but VicRoads doesn’t really seem to have their act together and I get a different story each person I talk to. In the meanwhile my permit has expired and I fear I will have to start all over again and get a new roadworthy etc. which will increase the $$$$$‘s spent. Half the problem is that the two weeks notice I was given of expiration (and yes I was aware that it was coming up) was over Christmas and NY and the letter I sent advising of my intent seems to have disappeared!

roughbarked said:

It will probably miss me in the main but it could also simply evaporate before it reaches the ground anyway. http://www.essentialenergy.com.au/content/stormtracker
I hope someone gets something out of it. I’ll have to get moving though, broken finger or not and start making sure I have all my son’s stuff we brought home from storage put away in case it does get wet. Not to mention mix some concrete and stand up the new rainwater tank just in case.

a broken finger now? You really are in the wars!

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Yes I’ve always thought a mobile pen could be useful. Since long before chook mowers were thought of. However at the same time I have no requirement for eggs. I may have a chat to my neighbours and allow their chooks to roam but to do that I’d need to set up my yard full of corral fencing (with netting roofing) and it seems a lot of expense to go to in order to herd somebody else’s chooks about my yard. One thing slaters don’t thrive on is cultivation of the soil surface. It could be a lot less expensive to sharpen my hoe or even invest in a rotary hoe.. The other alternative which is also expensive could be garden beds that hang from skyhooks.

Can you buy or collect from the recycling shop at the local tip?

The scavenger contractors sort all the recyclable materials and ship them off to be melted down. I could put in a pre-order for the types of materials I’d need but it could be a very long time before something like what I needed became available, if ever. The tips are not the supermarkets of yesteryear anymore.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

just had lunch in Mansfield, meeting up with riders from the Moto Guzzi club as they were on their way through to Porepunkah. I couldn’t ride though because my rego has expired because I am trying to switch affiliated clubs and the process has been painfully slow due to Christmas and NY holidays, and no one at VicRoads who knows what they are doing.

Not quite sure I understand. Is your bike road registered or is it only registered as a vintage motorcycle?

it is registered as a classic motorcycle with a Club Permit. The problem is that last year the Moto Guzzi club was not yet authorised with VicRoads so I registered with another club. The MG club is now authorised so I wanted to change the club affiliation on the permit but VicRoads doesn’t really seem to have their act together and I get a different story each person I talk to. In the meanwhile my permit has expired and I fear I will have to start all over again and get a new roadworthy etc. which will increase the $$$$$‘s spent. Half the problem is that the two weeks notice I was given of expiration (and yes I was aware that it was coming up) was over Christmas and NY and the letter I sent advising of my intent seems to have disappeared!

Paperwork sometimes gets lost which is why there were always carbon copies made. However, usually if the paperwork is in the stream it should eventually get done. I’m reasonably sure that walking into an RTA office and doing it face to face is the best and most expedient way.

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

It will probably miss me in the main but it could also simply evaporate before it reaches the ground anyway. http://www.essentialenergy.com.au/content/stormtracker
I hope someone gets something out of it. I’ll have to get moving though, broken finger or not and start making sure I have all my son’s stuff we brought home from storage put away in case it does get wet. Not to mention mix some concrete and stand up the new rainwater tank just in case.

a broken finger now? You really are in the wars!

Yes, I had an argument with one of these brick piers, while setting up formwork for a level base.

The brick pier won. I made the mortar too strong way back in 1/1/1983.

roughbarked said:

Paperwork sometimes gets lost which is why there were always carbon copies made. However, usually if the paperwork is in the stream it should eventually get done. I’m reasonably sure that walking into an RTA office and doing it face to face is the best and most expedient way.

someone else tried that and were told to do it in writing! Like I said, VicRoads is inconsistent in that it seems everybody has a different rule book that they work by, LOL!

roughbarked said:

Yes, I had an argument with one of these brick piers, while setting up formwork for a level base.

The brick pier won. I made the mortar too strong way back in 1/1/1983.

A new rain water tank, how egg-siting!. What kind of base will it be, I am only accustomed to the sand on gravel (?) base?

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Paperwork sometimes gets lost which is why there were always carbon copies made. However, usually if the paperwork is in the stream it should eventually get done. I’m reasonably sure that walking into an RTA office and doing it face to face is the best and most expedient way.

someone else tried that and were told to do it in writing! Like I said, VicRoads is inconsistent in that it seems everybody has a different rule book that they work by, LOL!

Move to NSW ;)

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

Yes, I had an argument with one of these brick piers, while setting up formwork for a level base.

The brick pier won. I made the mortar too strong way back in 1/1/1983.

A new rain water tank, how egg-siting!. What kind of base will it be, I am only accustomed to the sand on gravel (?) base?

It has a concrete slab put there in 1983 but it is no longer level. To use sand/gravel, I’d need to build a retaining wall to stop the base shifting. If I simply level the concrete. It will stay level since all the compacting has been done naturally over the past 30 years.

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

Paperwork sometimes gets lost which is why there were always carbon copies made. However, usually if the paperwork is in the stream it should eventually get done. I’m reasonably sure that walking into an RTA office and doing it face to face is the best and most expedient way.

someone else tried that and were told to do it in writing! Like I said, VicRoads is inconsistent in that it seems everybody has a different rule book that they work by, LOL!

Move to NSW ;)

I came down FROM NSW! lol!

bluegreen said:

roughbarked said:

bluegreen said:

someone else tried that and were told to do it in writing! Like I said, VicRoads is inconsistent in that it seems everybody has a different rule book that they work by, LOL!

Move to NSW ;)

I came down FROM NSW! lol!

I can attest that the NSW RTA has dramatically improved. I actually enjoy going there to marvel at the efficiency.

roughbarked said:

It has a concrete slab put there in 1983 but it is no longer level. To use sand/gravel, I’d need to build a retaining wall to stop the base shifting. If I simply level the concrete. It will stay level since all the compacting has been done naturally over the past 30 years.

Sounds good, is this a sanding job, like sanding floors?

roughbarked said:

I can attest that the NSW RTA has dramatically improved. I actually enjoy going there to marvel at the efficiency.

Oh I hope someone from the NSW RTA reads this LOL!