Killer Update

A happier post than my earlier one, Killer has been spotted! Yay! Killer is the hopeful name I gave to a blue tongue lizard I spotted in my backyard one day a few months back. After a few fleeting glimpses, it appeared Killer had moved on, and left a rather abundant food supply behind. Today my mumma came running from her bungalow to tell me she'd spotted him, basking on the old slate I'm wanting to lay as a path through my veggie garden. Yay! 

By the time I'd gone to get a picture all that could be seen was his/her head. Sorry about the quality, I zoomed in on my iPhone so as not to disturb him/her. 

A later shot of killer stealthily catching some rays.

In other news, Annie my kombi is apparently running like a dream, and is ready to be picked up! More Yay! 

I'm leaving now to grab her, I've missed her in my driveway! have an awesome Friday people!! 

Bek.

Sweet dreams Booba

I've been trying to blog about Gerome for a couple of days now, it has been hard for me to write more than a sentence at a time, I am just so teary.

I know in my last post I said that the next day would probably be Gerome's last, and heartbreakingly, it was. My Sis picked me up at 10am on Tuesday to go to the vets, prepared to argue that the steroids are helping, and maybe he could have another couple of months left. In another two months, our Romy would have been 14. I took as many pictures as I could on the way, preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, and trying to be strong enough to be support for my sis either way. All of it was way harder than I had prepared myself for, and when I knew my Sis had, brave with selfless love, made the choice to say goodbye, I was blubbering as badly as she was. The next time I looked at my watch, it was 11.46am and Gerome was no longer with us. 

I would love to tell you Gerome's lesson in patience when playing catch, how he had worked that feed me look down to a fine skill, or how he didn't know that his body was far too big for my sisters lap, and the times his tail made her hallway look like a crime scene. Then there are the times he ate concrete, clothing, shoes, and chockie freckles. How I always ended up with the butt, or the short while he and Murphy were allowed to play. I wish I could write about how different he was with each of my spawn, or how he helped one of them over their fear of dogs. I'd love to list all his nicknames, he has had more nicknames than any dog I've ever met, and he answered to everyone of them, until he lost his hearing. None of them even come close to describing all that he means to us.

I can say that Gerome was so right when he chose my sister to take him home, his health and diet problems have been challenging, expensive, and many. But he had every need met and excellent care, and all the love anyone could wish for. He was the best person for the job of teaching her what unconditional love is, and he had the most optimistically stubborn owner, she would never give up on him. Theirs is a heartbreaking story of eternal friendship, loyalty, and love... With a whole lot of laughter thrown in as well. My sis wouldn't be who she is if not for her best friend, and there is nobody out there who is a part of her life, that doesn't know and love Gerome, whether they have met him or not...

 Sweet dreams Booba, I hope wherever you are, they're serving spaghetti bolognese.

Bek

A great day, sad, but great!

Saturday was a lazy one, I woke up late and had nowhere to be, and no spawnlets to negotiate with. I think they should all be lawyers, if there's a loophole or a metaphorical get out of jail free card, they'll find it. My Justin had them overnight at his place for an early start clean up at his worksite, Justin got help, the spawn earnt some money, and I got a little solitude, a win all round. I tended the garden a little, and pottered around, caught up on some shows, and stayed in my pajamas almost all day. A wander through the greenhouse showed the rocket wasn't going to make it, I'm not sure why, but I'm thinking it was the soil, too much manure. It's possibly also the reason the lettuce is not growing well.

My dying rocket.

My lettuce, a salad mix planted months ago and still quite small. I turned the rocket through the soil and planted some parsnip seeds, fingers crossed they do better.

Yesterday was a great day, sad, but great. On Thursday I picked up my little sis, li'l miss perky, from the train station, as her car had died a couple of weeks ago. She'd been away almost a week due to exams, (she's going to be a famous scientist, the next David Suzuki, well that's what I think anyway.) my Mumma and Micheal, the second oldest spawn, had dog-sat her black lab Gerome, and she was eager to get home to her Romy, and a long hot shower. 

She had to check out of her accommodation at 8.30 the morning before, attend revision classes til lunch, sit a two hour exam. And then wait twelve hours for her train, and over eight just for the station to open, where there would be shelter from the rain, and maybe a better feeling of safety from the drunk yobbo's that were hanging around, that's the short version. She had survived on four and a half hours sleep the night before, and by the time I'd picked her up she'd only had another broken three on the train, she'd been in the same clothes for twenty eight hours, but was still amazingly perky, weird isn't she? She really is the perkiest person i've ever met.
When she finally makes it home, Gerome was really shaky, his back legs weren't holding well, we decided to take him to the vet after li'l miss perky had a shower and some sleep. We both didn't want to think about what was coming, at 13yo he's deaf, almost blind, arthritic, with thyroid cancer and dementia. The vet knew what was coming too, but knowing how much Gerome means to my sister, knowing that there is nothing she wouldn't do or hasn't done for her dog, and because he's a brilliant vet, he let her take Romy home with some steroid medication. That night I had to tell my Mumma and spawn that our beloved Booba, was not long for this world. I am grateful my usually perky sis, didn't have to come home and say goodbye so soon, it would have been far too much to take. Yesterday, we all spent the day with him, we had a big get together lunch at my sisters so the spawn could see him one last time, drop lots of naughty food accidentally on purpose, and spoil him rotten. I fed him a lot of grapes, they're a favorite of his, and took lots of pictures knowing this would be a last chance. For some of my spawn, Gerome has been there their whole life, and for the others, their earlier and happier memories. It was a great day, and tomorrow will possibly be Romy's last, we will miss him more than he will ever know, he's not just a dog, he's family.

A photo collage of Geromes special day... 

I wrote a post called The adventurous black lab and other stuff in February.

I am going now to dry my eyes and call my sis, make sure she's okay. 

Bek.

Garden updates

School holidays are over, finally, I have a little solitude, but I had to give up the sleep in, and I really love the sleep in. I have previously posted about my tomatoes, (I would add a link, but I haven't quite worked out how to make that happen on my iPad yet.) I am growing the Grosse Lisse variety, and yesterday we finally ate our first one!

 

It was so sweet and delicious, I am looking at the rest now, impatiently waiting for them to ripen.

We also ate something else from the garden, yesterday, I was making veggie soup and I realised there was no celery! I do have celery growing, but it's still so small, well tallish but thin, I wasn't sure we could really eat it yet. A quick Internet search and a taste test later, I was out in the garden, pruning shears in hand, snipping off a few tasty stalks for the pot. 

Baby celery had a much stronger flavour, and when raw, a nice peppery bite. I used the whole stalk, leaves and all. It was great to find what I needed in the back garden, now if only I could grow money... I suppose in a way, I do.

There is also new life happening in the garden, maybe in another three or four months, we might be eating soup for which everything is grown in our backyard! 

I've planted 5 climbing peas, and also cabbage, swede, cauliflower, leeks, spring onions, carrots, with some sage and dill to help with pests. Most have started to peek through the soil, there will be progress photo's. Sharing gives me a boost of encouragement, be prepared for the photo onslaught, I need all the encouragement I can get!

The perpetual spinach has been very encouraging.

These cherry tomato seedlings too, I have them positioned so that as they grow, they will cascade down instead of me trying to tame them up.

Annie, my kombi might not be on the road for awhile, the amount of TLC she needs, and the cost of all that TLC, is more than we can afford at the moment. There is a positive in this, I'll be able to spend some time treating rust spots, and prettying her up, do all those little projects that I can't do when driving her everyday. 

I am off to the kitchen, where I will dance and sing to jericco, and work out what we are having for dinner tonight... What music has you bouncing right now?

Bek.

A sad kombi day...

It's a beautiful warm autumn Saturday, the sun is shining, birds are singing, and I'm sitting in Annie waiting for a tow. Another opportunity to do nothing. Of course by the time I post this I'll hopefully be at home and making up for lost time, getting 13yo spawn ready for his birthday sleep over, or maybe it will be when I finally stop again, oh how my kombi always picks the best times to be unreliable. My day started with hectic need, drive daughter to boyfriends, drop mum at sisters, keep 10yo spawn happy by making cookies, maybe cook some yumminess for the birthday sleep over, keep the washing going while the weather is good, and so on. Instead, I didn't even complete task number one, Annie's back wheel started pounding and banging, an awful metal on metal sound that made me cringe, and maybe die a little inside. Some kind boys, one was a friend of my 19yo spawn and the other had some mechanical know how, pulled over and tried to help, but alas, the problem was beyond a roadside fix.

There are no words for the love I have for my kombi, I know it's weird, I know she's a machine, but she's also a part of my family, an expression of my identity, a moving memory mobile. So many good times surround my old girl, and you can't drive anywhere without seeing a wistful smile or an excited wave. The best are those people who stop me at random moments when getting in or out of my Annie, they share the most amazing tales of their own kombi experiences, most from a very different time. Kombi vans make the world a happier place. So happy, that about once a week I open my door to a hopeful smiling face asking how much I would sell her for, they have been driving past, and always wanted, or used to own, this amazing icon of pop culture. I am never tempted to part with her, there isn't a price anyone could offer to change my mind. 

My Justin has come to save me and keep me from hunger as I wait for the tow truck, a falafel wrap, a bottle of water and some good conversation later Dominic, my tow truck driver for today arrives, and I am allowed to drive her on the tray myself.

Dominic and I shared tales of spawn, classic cars, drag racing, vegetable gardening, and not least of all, the historical violent competition and dangers of tow truck driving, and some of the crazy experiences he's had. Then sadly, I had to end the journey, say goodbye to the nicest towie I've ever met, and leave my Annie girl at the mechanics.

I wish I'd been able to clean and polish her first, she looks a sorry state all alone, and on I go with the rest of my day. My Justin has let me use his Soarer while Annie's not well, it's black, and a fast sleek turbo powered beast, but it's not the same. I stop at the lights and look out the window, there are no smiling faces, no happy waves. Just competitive drivers who want to see if their car is faster or louder than mine, indifference, and the occasional appreciation for the sexy machine this car with no name is. The world really is a happier and friendlier place when you drive a kombi, I can't wait to drive my Annie home.

Bek

Giving blood

I sometimes write how busy I am, too much to do not enough time etcetera, but yesterday I had a little time out. Wednesday after shopping, always an exercise in frustrating frugality that involves two supermarkets, the butchers, the bakers, the deli, and the fruit and veg place, I noticed a blood bank van in the car park, and realised just how long it had been since I rolled up my sleeves and did my bit. That' s not to say that I haven't tried occasionally, I have, but was rejected as it was too soon after giving birth, or because of low iron levels. After a quick text to my perky and quirky sister, I booked us in for next day and we decided to make an afternoon of it.

Now the helpful lady on the phone advised me to have at least a litre of fluid within three hours of donating, she also said extra calories are a good thing, Yay! That meant we could have a guilty calorie laden lunch beforehand! Mmmm, deep fried tofu and stir fried satay vegetables, delicious. Sorry I didn't get a photo of it, I was far too busy shoveling it in! 

It had been so long ago, my sister and I weren't in the blood banks system. But that's okay, the tedious form filling and interview process were quite painless, then we get to the prick, the nurse was so quick, it was only a memory of a sting for less then a second, then it was all lay back with my feet up and chill.

Please excuce the less than flattering image, reclining is not my best angle, and thanks to my perky sister for making blood giving a hoot! There was lots of laughter. See the bag is almost full? So it was needle out, a juice box, and chill some more. In just over an hour we were processed, drained, and none the worse for wear. In future, as we are now in the system, it will be approximately 30 minutes of our day. The way I see it, I may not have a medical degree, but I can take a little time out of my day once in a while to give of myself, and maybe save a life. 

Bek.

Garden woes

Life in beksville is going as it does, with not enough time and too much to do, is there a pause button? I find myself flitting from task to task, and not anything that once done, is done. I equate it to the Sydney harbour bridge, it takes years to paint it, and by the time It's had a whole coat of paint, it's time to start painting all over again, it's work that's never done. Beksville needs to stop all trains at the station, and close the shops, for a day or ten, but alas, that's just a tad unrealistic.

It's not just everyday household maintenance, I'm not sure if it's optimism that causes me to take more on, or if I am just that masochistic, for now, I'll convince myself it's the former. A few months ago I started the grow my own food adventure, better still, I decided to grow my own food without chemical help... Or protection. Using instead the field of dreams slogan, Build it and they will come, I planted some beneficial flowers in my garden, the kind that attract the insects you want, to eat the insects you don't. As you can see from the images below, it hasn't worked yet. 

People have offered some really helpful advice, netting for my cabbages thank you Hazel, and a lot of other things such as Dishwashing liquid, chilli and garlic spray, neem oil, and various pyrethrum sprays. Apart from the netting, I didn't want to add things that might deter positive insects, I did use dipel once, but it left me feeling somewhat guilty. The welcome visitor, a blue tongue lizard I'd rather hopefully nicknamed killer, and set up water and rocks for in various spots, has not been seen for weeks. 

Last week I decided to rip out a whole bed of not doing so well Veggies and start again. It was painful to my ego, but I am still learning, and hopeful. I will be extra vigilant, and will have netting over them as soon as the new spouts rise. The problem isn't can I grow my food anymore, I know I can, my new challenge is can I grow my food and keep it. The war is on.

Should I consider the battle lost on these tomatoes? I have pulled off all of the yellow and brown leaves, and the affected fruit, I took these photos before doing so. Is it enough? Or should I just pull them out and plant something else? 

Is it too cold in autumn for them to ripen anyway? There are approximately 20 tomatoes some are starting to warm from green... What would you do? All is not lost though, we still have the greenhouse, and things are growing well, though there are now aphids and what looks like fruit flies inside it. I'll buy sticky things to hang up, I'm not sure what else to do, I have zero greenhouse experience. 

It is so cold right now, I am off to make some chickpea curry and get warm from the inside out.

Bek.

Blog post 13, my favourite number.

One of my sisters has 3 as her favourite number, and 9 is extra special to her as it is 3 x 3. 13 is my favourite number, if one is superstitious it is considered unlucky, but for me it represents so many good things. Sure there are horror movies out there like the 13th floor, or the Friday the 13th series, but come on, what about a bakers dozen? Isn't that a lucky thing if you get to eat the delicious spare? Or how about the 13 full moons we admire each year? Does not the age thirteen signify a celebrated point in ones youth? What about a packet of playing cards, how it's 13 cards from ace to king each suit? My oldest daughter was born on the 13th, yesterday my youngest son turned 13 years old,  all good things, 13 can't be as ominous as it has been made out to be. 

These are my 3 crazy sons Micheal, Brendan, and Kayleb, posing for a picture with me, my poor sister was trying to get a nice picture but the oldest spawn wouldn't cooperate, I dont mind, when the spawn get together it's always fun crazy times! Add my little sister in to the mix, and this is exactly the kind of fun insanity you get, we are nuts and I love my family. We had a great night with pancakes for dinner, lots of laughter, and our 13th birthday tradition, a horror movie. Well, a tame and funny horror movie, for the most part I keep the M15+ movies as exactly that, and my spawn think I'm evil. My youngest turns eleven this year, so it won't be too long until I'm sharing all my favourite scream fest movies with them. 

In the garden things are continuing to wither and die in their own version of a horror movie, the mildew is back attacking the zucchini plants, the pumpkins still refuse to open their flowers, and the tomatoes are just managing to cling to life. The mystery melon has not brought on fruit to any sort of maturity, even though I self pollinated some of them. 

The zucchini and pumpkin/melon patch.

The greenhouse is coming along nicely though. 

These cherry tomatoes have taken off rather quickly, less than two weeks growth.

 

The growth difference in these comparison shots is a little less than two weeks. Not much on the rocket, but the perpetual spinach is growing well. 

And the capsicums are flowering after all, I don't know if I'll get any fruit, but it's exciting see anyway. I'll be doing another post soon asking for tomato advice.

I did finish Mass Effect 3, and can't tell you what I think without spoiling it, I can say I have mixed feelings and hope that the indoctrination theories are true. 

Right now I'm taking my two girls to the doctors, and tonight I'll be with my 19yo Micheal spawn, who will be designated driver for my little sisters meet the new boyfriend dinner, she's gathering her closest friends together and it's going to be hilarious fun, and I've already met him and deemed him a great fit. Plus, if he can handle my personal crazy, he'll definitely survive the group insanity. 

Bek.