Sheehan’s Herald article sows a seed

In today’s Herald Paul Sheehan says that if we don’t discuss the impact of mining on Australian food supplies in this coming federal election, and get solutions from the politicians now, we’ll reap a poor harvest; worth a read, worth a vote: “We’ll reap what we deserve“.  Read More

Innovation and courage when shame’s won over by vulnerability

For a courageous – that is, the will to do or commit to something where there is no guarantee – talk about where innovation and courage and connections with each other come from try this talk by Brene Brown, Listening to shame. If you’re interested in new ideas, design, medicine, communications, city life – how we work and connect with each other and in our cities, workplaces and homes . . . here’s someone who says shame is an issue we’ve all... Read More

Fly food to feed fish and sustain fish populations

Some friends have drawn my attention to Jason Drew, who has been in Australia recently. Jason is based in South Africa’s Cape Town.  He sets up ‘green businesses’ to sustain natural resources, such as fisheries. One of his new businesses is fly farming, turning waste into larvae, and a protein-rich, natural animal feed. To get his ideas Drew reads and travels.  He believes that the world is running out of food.  He says, “Every day, 25,000 people die from starvation,... Read More

New bee hive in Dulwich Hill, Sydney

Last week, after splitting the native stingless bee hive at my Chippendale place we took the new hive to Judy’s place at Dulwich Hill. New Dulwich Hill hive – tied together ’til bees wax the three compartments together The bees in both hives  have had a couple of big meetings outside the hive, forming a swirling circle about a metre in diametre where they discuss the recent upset of their lives and the new hive; what they do and say I don’t know but it... Read More

WIRES needs your bugs

WIRES need us – our bugs, that is WIRES are experiencing a 27 per cent increase in wild critters needing their care.  Causes of the dramatic increase are diverse – habitat loss, climate change . . . But the rescued critters need to eat – maggots, worms, bugs . . . and so WIRES need us to give them what spare bugs we have.  Read More

Ask me to garden for you?

Passion fruit, Myrtle St road garden Would you like me to garden for you?   If, “Yes”, then email me here on my website.   I’ve decided to garden for others in inner Sydney who wish to grow food, create an urban farm or to grapple with the garden they have in some way.   When you email please let me know what your situation is and I’ll give you a quote for my gardening: either comment on this blog or to email me from my website go here:  http://archive.sustainablehouse.com.au/contact/   Looking... Read More

Savouring another’s powers of observation

A  Sydney-living Aboriginal elder with powers of observation I can only dream of sent me this note today: ‘Had a wonderful thing happen a couple of days ago – the first really warm day we’ve had, and the lawn underneath the Empress tree was black,    When I looked down, each blade of grass had a little black native bee sunbaking on it.   They seemed to be enjoying it so much, turning around every couple of minutes to get the sun on another part.   The... Read More

Do successful politicians have more erect ears?

We come now to ears.   In the first chapter of his book, The Origin of the Species, Charles Darwin notices that domesticated animals tend to have drooping ears because  they’ve grown to have less need to hear or listen for predators to protect themselves. *   On reading this I wondered if successful human politicians may be characterised by more erect ears than their competitors, such ears giving them a greater capacity to hear what their opponents may say, and... Read More

Octopus’s gardens, myths and seeing what’s there

Through the clear water we could see the octopus’s garden on the lake bed below.  It was bare. Rocks. Sandy backing only.  But outside the desert circle it’s borders were green, ripe seagrass, whizzing fish and abundant life.   So much for that myth.  *  (And I thought I could trust you, John Lennon!)   While I laughed at the Beatles song in my head, Graeme, a fifth generation Australian fisher steadied his boat to slowly map the circle of marine desert below... Read More

Big little things on a tropical island

Some observations made during my six weeks in Lombok, Indonesia, a tropical island – my first stay there.  I arrived at the end of August 2012 and left in the middle of October: Lombok has about 4 m people on an area about the size of the Sydney wider metropolitan area “villa’ is perhaps the most abused word in Lombok and Bali, especially when used in ads, the Web and promotion – don’t be confident of something out of Italy – such villas exist... Read More