Since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all!
Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas
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My how time flies.After Five on this Sunday PM. Now must face the flies and get the cows down from the paddock to feed the calves.Had a spot of fireweeding this morning,and after that,well basically nothing,which is beginning to disturb me a little.Experimented again with a liquid salt wash ,before treatment,for dandruff, then shampoo of a thoroughly vegetable type.Seems to have worked.Nothing read,although I wanted to ground myself further in the use of the mobile phone,after pressing the video button yesterday,and reading Silicon Chip about the W I M, which makes me kinda hopeful about my computer limitations now,and as Editor Simpson’s shot at the government Internet policy seemed the fair dinkum uncontestable truth.I have come to appreciate,that whilst I publically say I don’t vote,there are real people in industry and business with a lot of responsibility,that don’t make me feel isolated about ,not so much voting,but,that which unravels as the Peoples’ choice.In that sense,I feel sort of triumphant today,Rudd and his Governmentare morons.
Ichiban!
Managed to break a locomotive at sunrise, and mislay the second half of The Tale Of Genji.
Went in to town for breakfast; and now find myself wondering what, exactly is “Britney Spears’ Circus Fantasy”, if it involves Ms Spears being dismembered by lions, and why it justifies the total occupation of all of the Myer Emporium’s display windows.
Marking post-grad corporate finance papers on risk management. Commenting on blogs to reduce the boredom of doing so.
Rode from Sydney to Wollongong to raise money for MS Australia. Now I hurt. In more than a few places. Thanks to all the supportive others on the ride!
Watched a W League soccer game on Saturday at Canberra Stadium between Canberra and the team from the central coast. Thoroughly enjoyed the game: no diving, staging for free kicks or the spite so typical of the mens game. Not even the laughable Ticketek gate sales clusterflock could put a dampener on it.
Spent most of today pulling apart two road bikes and cleaning components. Simple pleasure. Also working my way through Thomas Keneally’s book on Australians, which I’m thoroughly enjoying. Awesome weekend!
Got the grandfather of all tune-ups from a neighbor I didn’t know I had.
She drove the 40 or so metres to really give it to me. I’d always thought that working in the garden on one’s own plot of land was about as inoffensive and private as one could be. Hah!! Not on your nelly!
It turns out I have “trees” in my yard. This apparently prevents her from seeing through my yard to the yonder street. (virgin timber, at least a couple of hundred years old, they certainly predate both her and the township)
And I am “planting more”. (the “planting more” is what really got on her goat) This will mean it is even harder for her to see through my yard to yonder street.
“Something should be done” about me, tomorrow she will “get the council onto” me.
She then flounced back into her car, and with chin extended drove the 40 metres back to her house.
Steve at the Pub, Ha Ha, great story. I know you are no stranger to being ‘tuned up’ ( a new term for me) but for once you are completely in the right!!! Put some really big buggers in, and is she down-wind? Perhaps some Australian Cyprus which will send a cloud of pollen her way when mature and flowering.
If you are thinking cypress try some leylandii.
Good weekend gardening, and what could be more delightful than the new$ of Peter Co$tello’$ $weet ri$e to a Board po$ition with the Suture Fund? I’m sure his knowledge of surgery and general doctoring will stand him in good stead.
Oh, hang on, that was Dr Brendan Nelson. He was the medico. Now, what was Mr Co$tello’$ $peciality? And how will it assist the Suture Fund?
Wrote this, which is a complicated way of saying I did nothing at all.
Steve at the pub, how did you date your trees? We have big eucalyptus trees in our street that look to be ancient – I’m talking well ove 2 metre across at a guess – but they were planted in only 1920. Size definitely does not dictate age … you’d have to count the rings …
SATP..I once tried as a landcare organiser to plant bunches of trees in a 2km ‘no mans’ land’ strip between a major highway and the northern railway (NSW). Did all the groundwork..RTA, Railcorp, Telstra and the local consulting, but at the 11th hour was shot down by the local squatocracy who thought it would spoil their view of the road traffic. Never underestimate the power of incumbancy in a country town as the pillars of the community line up behind the old timers.
terangeree @ 1.
Tale of Genji? Now that’s one helluva novel. I read the 1 volume Penguin edition years ago. Much enjoyed it. Anyway …
Very productive weekend. Reading Ward’s The War of the Revolution. Now on Vol. 2.
Saturday, taking notes for Bunker Hill chapter. Wrote the first draft of two introductory paras for Chapter 4 (Bunker Hill.) Had a couple of mates visit. Watched TV night time. Didn’t watch The Thing, anyway, tried, but gave up after titles.
Sunday, did final revisions (I hope) to chapter 3. e-mailed it to colleagues here, London and US for comment. (Hope I get some.) Also on LP. Distressed to hear about Zorronsky’s daughter’s death.
Watched Wuthering Heights on ABC 1. Think the Beeb got it right this time, but am I right in remembering WH doesn’t have a happy ending? (It’s been quite e few years since I last read it.)
Yes and no, Paul. Heathcliff and Cathy pop their clogs, but his son and her daughter, freed from their parents’ fraught relationship get to live happily ever after.
I didn’t plant any trees, but I did plant some cabbages, cucumbers and peas and the peas I planted a few weeks ago are producing nice, plump pods. My beans are looking smug and are flowering prolifically as are a couple of tomatoes. I even had to give away some spinach because it’s going mad. Oh joy!
Re age of eucalyptus. A good timber worker (ie one used to cutting trees down) would be able to tell you how much usable timber would come from a certain kind of tree, and its’ age, by knowing its’ GBH = girth, breast height. It gets more complicated according to whether a particular tree was scrub grown, or out on its’ own, in more or less fertile soil than from where the species would have grown – prior to the white invasion, etc.
I’ve helped – or watched – a few grand trees pulled down: shocking to see the last of the scrub grown curly-grained blue gums dropped along Barker Creek in Booie (near Kingaroy). Makes for incredibly hard timber, but did they have to be cut down? I don’t believe the people now with the sawn logs from them would have a clue what gems their front steps or house bearers are made of. Would they care?
A silky oak grown beside a house on luscious black soil creek flat is going to have a different stature (and usability for timber – no real “muscle” / timbre?) than one out of the scrub, making for great variations of possible age.
But enough of my babble – did you see the program on the ABC about the northern NSW rainforest this evening? What a story! What a charming bit of footage! What magic and beauty this country must have been! Can we ever make up ground again? Can we face up to a need to remedy the situation?
Salient Green #6. Actually I don’t get a tuneup all that often. The only person to try it lately is the Mayor (apart from my newly discovered neighbour).
I’m planting hedge (to create a secluded atmosphere inside) and growing lots of rainforest ferns & stuff like that. Any more trouble from her and I’ll extend the hedge to the edge of the boundary, instead of the current plan to round the corners off by 5 metres or so.
Andrew Reynolds #7. That tree is just what the doctor ordered. Though if you scroll up to the “adaptability” paragraph, it doesn’t survive in latitudes anywhere near mine. I don’t anticipate any legal issues, as I don’t abut any other landholders, only riparian buffers of crown land, the cow in question is accross a creek from me.
The Leylandii may be unsuited (I’ll bow to advice however) but I am quite a fan of Bamboo. If she gives any trouble I’ll be growing fantail palms on the boundary, with a line of Bamboo behind them.
Adam Tucker #10. Experience is how I dated the trees. I am very familiar with the topography, tree species, soil type, climate and the size of the trees. I may have overstated, but they are certainly more than 100 years old.
Cutting them down to count the rings won’t be happening as long as I breathe. Though I’m amazed at how many people who assume that for one reason or another that is exactly what I aim to do. (chop them down).
Pablo #11. Here it is I who is the “establishment”, with “connections”. This cow is a blow-in who has been in that house less than a year. That said, I believe I can pretty much grow what I please in my own garden, in the genre of hedge, ferns, palms etc. In the (unlikely) event that I can’t, I do KNOW that I am allowed to put an Eight Feet high colourbond sheet metal fence right on my boundary, heh heh heh!!
Not so lazy Sunday for me. Woke disgustingly early, as workday alarm clock not unset. (The lady friend was not well pleased.)
Having woken far too early, shunted GF off home after a substantial breakfast, then decided to go to the gun club. Unfortunately it was Rapid Fire, which is a bugger. (Think about trying to hit 5 separate targets with 5 shots in 4 seconds with a pistol from 25 metres. Epic Fail, but I wasn’t alone.)
Continued northwards to the paddock, to restart the broken down tractor, and finish slashing for the fire season. (I ran it out of fuel last weekend, and didn’t bleed the fuel lines properly so abandoned it in the middle of the field. I figured if I couldn’t start it, no-one else’d bother. Covered in birdshit, but easily started after I re-bled the fuel lines.)
It’s bloody beautiful up there. I kept disturbing “injured” quail. I hope I didn’t smash too many eggs or kill too many baby quail, but the buggers insist on nesting exactly where I need to get rid of tall plants. There were a couple of hawks of some sort – very dark coloured, almost black – who’ve obviously worked out how to exploit agricultural equipment swooping for quail.
I saw it mervyn. It was … not as good as living here. Its an amazing bit of bush – small pythons tho. You actually get some really big ones. You can see Wollumbin from where I am typing. (Well you could before the trees on the property next door grew too big…)
The country is still magic if you know where (and how) to look. Even in the most surprising places you will find some amazing stuff.
“I don’t believe the people now with the sawn logs from them would have a clue what gems their front steps or house bearers are made of. Would they care?”
Some of us do. The wood this old farmhouse is built of (cos it was available when the place was built, on site) is probably worth more than the actual house!!! The last ghosts of the old ringbarked trees are still standing on a couple of ridges round here, one fell this weekend actually. They are loud when the hit the ground, its like the lanf yelling in frustration – the idiots that ringbarked them… what were they thinking?
“Actually I don’t get a tuneup all that often.”
Steve ATP I almost rushed to sympathise and say “Join the club!” until I understood your meaning! Silly cow! Don’t worry about reprisals – just do what pleases you and keep smiling. Remember she is her own punishment – imagine living with that kind of temperament. People can be very odd about trees – I once had a neighbour who used to hop over my fence and pull up new plantings! And at South Perth they had to bring in rangers and then the police when people living along the Swan kept ring barking new trees – thought they spoilt their view of the river!
Jane – are you growing English spinach or Swiss chard? I find the latter easy peasy to grow – have a constant supply. I have however read somewhere that you can have too much of that – or is it only when you’re pregnant. Does anyone know?
Best thing happening for me in my veggie patch I can’t eat at all – my sweet peas are going gang busters up the wall and starting to flower. I grow them because my Dad once visited me in hospital with a huge bunch of them after a tree climbing accident. He’d left home several years before and we hardly ever saw him. Somehow he’d heard about my mishap and came to see me with these flowers which apparently and surprisingly he loved to grow on his allotment. He didn’t say much but the memory of those lovely pastels and deep reds from an otherwise grey and grim childhood have stayed with me.
Seasol the vegies and Gardenias. Staked the tomatoes that werent meant to need stakes. Afternoon drinking locally brewed beer in the Swan Valley.
Steve
Delightful story on tree vandals in an inner Melb bayside suburb:
New owners of houses near the sea took to quietly ring-barking very old trees on public land, near their fences, in an attempt to GAIN a bay view (where none existed). Local Council threatened reprisals. Finally Council has been erecting ugly, large barriers (in place of every ring-barked tree) which obscure MORE of the distant vista than the destroyed trees did.
Fine work, Council. Just deserts for selfish blow-ins. Large, venerable trees in public places should be protected.
Patricia WA I think Swiss Chard is good for pregnancy isn’t it?
I have never heard anything to suggest its bad for you in any way, as part of a balanced diet.
All spinach is good for the young and the old.
SATP – I live in Leafy Burbs East. Well known for its, well, leafy environs. Leafyness involves trees and big bushes – lots of ‘em. People move here for the trees. Real estate copywriters wax about them.
My rear neighbour in the block of units down the back is known to all as Mr Noisy. Despite having a backyard the size of a large teatowel he manages to run a small business from the flats carpark involving miniature backhoes and such that beep beep beep as they back. He also owns a chainsaw and a leafblower as well as other assorted machines that I assume are sold purely to make loud noises.
One day I stroll down to see what his latest noise a crashing was about – he’s chainsawing down the only 3 skinny trees in his backyard. The ones that give me a bit of green to look at instead of his brick wall.
“What you doing there”?
“Getting rid of these trees – they drop leaves and there are possums on the roof”
“There will still be possums on the roof with no trees – and still be leaves – they will come from my trees – look around – this is Leafy Burb”
” You reckon there will still be possums and leaves” [he pauses here for what seems to be the painful process of thinking]
“I could whip over and cut your trees down for you if you like”
[I instruct him on the fact that I will plant more, not less, trees and if he starts trimming my bush I'll dob on him for running a noisy dirty business in a residential area. He ums and arrghs a bit and turns back to noisemaking]. Later on he drops a sapling half over the back fence doing some damage.
The next week he hands me a “quote” for removing the back fence and replacing it with a new one. I ask about the company giving the quote for wrecking, replacing and removing fence.
“Its me”
The quote is $4,000 all up. WTF? I pay $2,000 my 50% – he and the other flat owners pay a 10th share of 50% = 2,000/10= $200 each. He gets $4,000 for a $1,500 job and pays out $200.
I say “Go away and get the Body Corp rate to write to me and I’ll insist on 3 independent quotes – and I’ll ask body corporate their rules on running your business from the carpark.”
I’m still waiting.
Have just done a web search on Swiss chard and spinach, which I should have to start with I guess. Apparently it’s all about oxalic acid, there in abundance in rhubarb leaves which we all know to avoid. However amongst a lot of other info I found this on a vegan site which warns about Swiss chard, my favorite home grown green veggie.
“Oxalic acid, a chemical found in many plants. This substance binds with calcium to form calcium oxalate, an insoluble salt. Too much oxalic acid, in spinach for example, can be detrimental.
Here are the vegetables that are too high in oxalic acid and that we should not eat on a regular basis: amaranth, beet leaves, parsley, purslane, spinach, chard.”
Not eat spinach or parsley or beetroot leaves on a regular basis? Oh dear!
Help! Somewhere there must be firm, authoritative advice that I should have daily and regular intake of all of the above!
I’m not sure that Oxalic Acid is necessarily bad for you. Too much will be but too much is pretty hard to get by eating a good enough diet.
Even the link between oxalic acid intake and kidney stones is not that strong. Oxalic acid is in soy products, coffee, tea, tahini,……
Francis Xavier Holden – I can do without soy products and tahini, but not coffee. How about my giving up rhubarb leaves, tofu and tahini? I could then achieve balance with more coffee and fresh spinach daily. Might be easier though to stop searching the web. Information overload is probably as seriously bad for my mental health as oxalic acid could be for my aging body.
to paraphrase the Furry Freak Brothers “Good coffee will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no coffee”
I’d be sticking with Coffee, tofu and spinach
FXH – How about Chocolate replacing the Tofu?
My latestest recipe. fry up chopped onions and chopped tomatoes. Add a dash of sweet chilli sauce while cooking. I was surprised how nice it tasted.