Back in the Hunt

In the footy tipping Round 5 I had 9 winners from 9 games to claw back 3 on Rickyralph, who slipped up on Collingwood, Richmond and West Coast.

I feel like the the big game fisherman slowly reeling in the mackeral soon to be gaffed.

I had $2 on my multi 9 tip. It paid $45 only in total as there were some shorties in there like Geelong, Sydney, Hawthorn and Brisbane, and the others were less than or around even money.

Besides the collect it was nice to see Collingwood smashed by the Essendon steamroller. Essendon will get theirs soon enough I reckon but not next week as they play the GWS in what could be some sort of record AFL deficit. I reckon GWS will set a record for long odds.

Footy Tipping

Rickyralph has jumped me this year. After 4 rounds he leads 26 to 21. He had a perfect 9 in round 2 followed by two sevens, leaving me floundering.

In our criss cross emails this week he mentioned the passing of his dog Dodge, at 14 years of age from liver disease a few weeks ago. Dodge started getting very thirsty some months ago and when he went off his food altogether it was time to call in a vet friend to put him to rest.

Rick is still grieving and I feel great sympathy for him. He and Dodge had a special bond that humans and dogs can have but the depth of which is uncommon. Rick has aged from 47 to 61 over Dodge's life and inevitable as everything is it still leaves a great emptiness I'm sure, as I have often imagined should I lose my girls.

I have great determination though to improve my tipping and take the title for the third successive year. At this point there are 18 rounds yet to go.

Good Harvest

Towards the end of a difficult season I can report that the last month has provided a bountiful harvest at Hanna's where I grow most of my vegies. Corn, beans, carrots, zucchini, button squash, tomatoes potatos, silver beet have all been delicious and herbs like parsley dill, basil and rocket and have been plentiful too and also shared with my friends. There's some good pumpkins that'll last a while, hopefully through to when pumpkin may go to $5kg like it did last year. We had some parsnips and capsicums too, in small amount.

I've put in some brocolli here at home and a row at Hanna's and some at the farm, and over the next few weeks should get some broadies in and garlic too. The silver beet and parsley should pick into the winter and I've put some seed in as well, and seedlings tend to pop up all over the place by themselves too. I've never done very well with onions, but I'll try some.

I'm lucky to have had Hanna's place, it has good deep easily worked red soil. I'm sure wherever I go in the future, as long as I'm able, I'll be growing vegies. I love the work getting them in and going, and the harvesting, and especially the eating. The limiting factor in my recent years has been a lack of time and little sunny open position both at the farm and here. We became very tree and shrub orientated through the nineties and noughties, responding to demand. We over planted certainly, and with a lot of stuff that is now no longer wanted by the market.

I can't say the same about a honey harvest, it's been another miserable year.  I have yet to pack the bees down for winter, but I fear they'll be very light on for stores. I may give the bees away. I went to the trouble of setting the shed up to extract honey but for poor return. I put all the tools and accumulated 'stuff' in the wood shed. My electric uncapping knife did not agree with the new switch board we had put in when we had our solar system installed, tripping the circuit breaker continuously which makes knife unuseable. The sheds are still in disarray and I'm hoping for a couple of weeks yet of fine weather to reorganise everything and get the firewood under cover. It's scattered all over the place.

I'm losing enthusiasm for many things, working bees is one of them. AFL footy is another. Business leaves me cold. I have no desire to catch up on bookwork and plan new strategy for next season and take on the big tasks of necessary garden renovation.

All I really like to do is grow vegies, take walks, watch birds, read books, and write, which is why I'm telling you this. Life is about leaving things behind as we go down the road. Not wise to deny it. Once I was a baby, a child, a teenager, a young man. The body ages but the spirit grows. Everything changes. I must. My profile talks about a simple life. It's time to live it.

But there'll be winter vegies, and spring is just round the corner. And a federal election. How dreadful.


 

Elise Petit (2)

I'm very pleased to say that I located Elise through facebook and learned that she did get her purse back. She emailed me as follows. It made me feel happy.

hi!! Sorry for the response times. I'm backpacker and I haven't often internet... THANK YOU VERY MUCH for my wallet. I thought it was lost but Australian people are very honest and nice. It was mportant for me, i had my french credit card, etc... You saved my travel!!!  I asked your phone number at the policeman but he didn't want to give it me. Sorry for my english...  Thank you a lot!! Have a good day!! Fortunately that people like you still exist!! Updated to Elise Petit March.

More (Creeping City)

I have wondered how it is that for many years the block of land on the corner opposite St.Silas church on the Pakenham road has remained vacant.

Not for much longer.

I have picked wild carrot flowers on this plot for many years

The backyard of the house in background ( my old friend Ida's) has been subdivided off  and  all trees and shrubs removed prior to more construction.
 

I do not resent this development which is smack bang in middle of town and inevitable, sad as it is in my selfishness that that the landscape along my walk is changing so rapidly. You would think there would have been a building on this site at sometime previously given its central location, but not so in my 32 years in Gembrook. I must ask one of the Gembrook lifetimers. I have been asked to do a talk for the Gembrook senior citizens on April 10, so there'll be an opportunity then. My friend Joyce Begg who gave me the invite grew up on the property on the other corner (where now the community centre stands) which was a dairy farm in her childhood. I'm flattered to be asked so I accepted. I can choose my own topic and should be OK with a general talk about my activities and livelihood at Chamomile Farm. I loathe public speaking but can't seem to get away from it.