Our new shed arrives

This Friday our new garden shed arrives. It will be in the yard of the Pine Street Creative Centre near the western boundary fence. Any gardener will have access to it. Now anyone will be able to get garden gear and garden at any time that suits them. The Council officer who has made this happen, Russ Grayson, will get a lock for it and we can give the combination code to any gardener... Read More

Trying it on; Rilke on a blog

It may be stretching it a bit to pop Rilke onto a blog but the night was such a treat coming home through the soft rain after yoga it seems ok. ‘Overflowing heavens of squandered stars flame brilliantly above your troubles.  Instead of into your pillows, weep up toward them. There, at the already weeping, at the ending visage, slowly thinning out, ravishing worldspace begins... Read More

Loving a man’s spirit

Now, if I love a man’s spirit, it is at least Wendell Berry’s, poet and farmer. If you love words, ideas and guts this is your man. Anyway, try this on your heart: it’s Wendell this week reading at  George Washington Uni, Washington DC: click away and open up your heart, me hearties: brtom.typepad.com… M  Read More

Learn how to make a vertical garden from a timber pallet

Gardeners Tomorrow when we garden from 9 til 11 am most of the time it’ll be in the ‘temporary shed’ – my back yard. We’ll make a vertical garden from a timber pallet in my back yard. Cost? $Nil – everthing will either be recycled at no cost to us or grown by us:  as follows - -        timber pallet (carried back from building site on... Read More

Venerating our trees

With the guidance of Louise Fowler-Smith from the Sydney College of Fine Arts and her students who will create the art, one of our trees will be venerated. The tree is the large Jacaranda in the Pine Street Creative Arts Centre. Pine Street’s involvement is to “supply the tree” which sits within the Centre’s property boundary, located next to the basketball... Read More

Cockroach solution

After some six weeks of applying the dust called Roach Pruf to the Aerobins they are almost cockroach free. The product is sold on line and information on the web page says: ROACH PRUFE® Simply The Best Choice You Can Make For Cockroach and Silverfish Control! Active constituent Ortho Boric Acid Very low toxicity to humans Provides long term residual control in indoor, domestic,... Read More

A beautiful bridge

• 'Te Rewa Rewa bridge Photo: Judy Rapley The ‘Te Rewa Rewa bridge is in New Plymouth, New Zealand. My friend took the photo during her visit there last Christmas – thanks. It’s been written that ‘the 19 ribs of the bridge resemble a whale skeleton arching with the prevailing westerly wind.’ Designer Peter Mulqueen shaped the bridge... Read More

Scenes from a Chippo walk today

Wrong Connection [phone hanging from electricity wires - good throw, I reckon What's that little lump on the corner ahead? Aah, horseman, passing by Shall I think of myself as 'etc' today? To finish the walk - some trees: Paw paw, Tamarillo, Pomelo, Caffre and more . . .  Read More

Interesting questions?

Last week I wanted to serve scallops at a meal I was cooking.  When my friend went to buy some for me at the place which typically has the freshest and cheapest seafood, she asked, “Where do they came from? The answer, “Chile”. So there were no scallops on the table that meal. This exchange brought these questions to my mind: When citizen-funded meals are served... Read More

The best pies in Chippendale? And Sydney’s best taxi driver?

Let’s speak of two things. Pies, and taxi driver wisdom. To pies, first. It was when my son, Julian, far more fastidious than I, said, “That pie was the best I’ve ever had”, that I thought about the pies at 6,7, ate, the little cafe on the corner of Abercrombie and Levey, here. For location, see map of Chippo put up by Sustainable Chippendale, here: www.sustainablechippendale.com… Then,... Read More