My new fave web site

Don't judge my hair

Check out the goth couple getting married....FREAKY!!

I shouldn't have gotten up today.

Today I drove over an unseen pothole and subsequently got a flat tyre. I was not too far from a Midas car servicing place, so I drove as far as I could, and pulled into a little slip road very close by and stopped. By this time the tyre was totally flat and I didn't want to drive on my rims. I couldn't have made it to the auto place, but a 30 second walk wasn't going to hurt me.

I walked the 30 seconds up the the autoshop and made my way into reception where I explained very politely ' My car has broken down with a flat tyre just a few meters around the corner, is there any chance someone can come and help me as I don't know how to change a tyre.' The man told me to hold on a moment, and he walked off to go and speak to someone.

An older man whom I assume was the manager came came into the reception and told me 'sorry we can't help you, we're not insured if my staff leave the shop'.

'But it's only 30 seconds walk around the corner' I explained. The man just shook his head and proceeded to tell me the guys up at some other autoshop all the way in Freo might help me.

I was absolutely stunned. Seriously, no one will help me? Nope, not a soul. No offer to use the phone, no offer to give me a lift up into Fremantle, just 'we can't help you, can't you be someone elses problem, go away.'

At this point I call Tony not knowing what to do. I decided to call the RAC and just pay the extra for 'on the go' membership. He gives me the number, I hang up and try to call. MY PHONE WON'T WORK. FUCK! I keep trying for the next 15 minutes, nothing. I can't call work and tell them I have a flat tyre, I can't call the RAC, I can't try and call my Dad to see if he's home, I am stranded.

In the end I left my car and caught the train to work. Tony later came to change the flat tyre.

I am still totally dumb founded that MIDAS Autoshop in North Fremantle would not help me. As I finally drove home I read their sign 'Friendly local service'. I don't fucking think so. Wankers.

My Garden in Pictures

The bees are loving all the flowers in my garden. I think that's a good sign for potential future bee keeping.




The whole vegie garden.




This is where my compost bin used to be. The coiled thing is a zuccini, it's amazing how they keep growing in a circular pattern. I think mine is on it's last legs, it only has boy flowers right now which will never turn into fruit.




This was Tony's project last weekend. He took my one huge compost bin and broke it down into 3 more useable bays. One bay for compost to leave and let mature, one bay to keep building, and one bay for twiggy sticky stuff that won't break down very fast.







My curcubitacea patch. Mostly cucumber, zuccinin and button squash.



My Root vegetable patch. Carrots, parsnip, radishes and beetroot.



My stunning potato and lettuce patch, which has as many cosmos flowers and mizuna flowers as potato plants.





And now the last patch, beans and brassicaceae.




Today is only the second day I have put my chickies in their outside home. This chicken coop is really a rabbit hutch, but as the are small birds it's the perfect size for them. Right now I am just getting them used to the cooler weather outside and everything else that goes with being outside. They are now back in their inside brood box so they are warm overnight.










So much beautiful fruit growing on in my strawberry patch. I can't wait to eat the first one.




This is the prettiest part of my garden, it consists of purple sage flowers, orange nustursium flowers, hot pink geranium flowers and little white rocket flowers.




The Boo enojying the outdoors with me



These are just out my back door and make me smile everytime I see them, they are so pretty and bright.

An experiment

Today I've started an experiment with my carrots. About a month ago I planted carrot seeds of 2 varieties. The problem with carrots is they have really tiny seeds and so it is very hard to sow them finely. They tell you in all the garden books to mix the seed with river sand then sow it, but I don't know what river sand is exactly nor can I be assed finding out, so I just tried my best to sow it finely.

The seedlings are now of a decent size, and I need to thin them out. There are so many seedlings it feels like such a waste to just pull them out. The problem being if you don't, the carrots don't have room to become a decent size. They almost stay kind dormant in seedling size till they have the room.

So to my experiment. I read somewhere that an awesome (though time consuming) way to get perfect carrots is to make a hole in the ground with a broom handle, dowel or something similar, fill it with potting mix, then put a carrot seed on top. The carrot will basically grow to fill the potting mix hole.

So I have done a similar thing, instead of using carrot seeds, I've used my pulled out seedlings. Hopefully they will grow to fill the compost filled holes I've placed them in creating a lovely sized and shaped carrot.

I may need to thin my original carrot plot further as they grow. The next lots of seedlings I pull I am going to throw into a stir fry, green ends and all. You an eat the whole lot when they are little. Really delicious!

The simple life

You know that feeling you have as a kid when the world is exciting, that the simplest, most wholesome things make life exciting and good and just so enjoyable? Well that's how I feel today. I have gone about my entire day with a huge smile on my face and a flutter of excitement in my heart all because of my garden.

I look out at my garden and I see so much potential, so many things I can do, not to mention the 'fruits' of what I've already done. Right now my veggie patch is on the cusp of exploding. I have 3 kinds of beans in the back plot near the compost bin. That's borlotti beans, Cherokee wax, and purple king. Also in this patch I have some kind of mystery brassica, I think it might be cauliflower but I don't know as this was a labelless freebee from the lady across the road. Also I have from her a single majestic kale plant with it's lovely grey curly leaves.

The next plot is full of potatoes, bright pink cosmos flowers, lettuce and the bastard weed that is nettles! Today I harvested my first lot of 'new' potatoes. New potatoes are the small ones with the fine skin that are still young. While 'bandicooting' these little gems out I was reminded of the nettles stinging me like some kind of protective security for the potatoes. Even now hours later I stil have red welts.

Next plot has neat rows of early carrots, red core carrots, radishes, golden beetroot, long red beetroot and parsnips. In addition to all that some lovely thyme, coriander that has self seeded from last year, some swiss chard (again another freebee from my lovely neighbour!), and some spring onions. I've staggered my planting of carrots in hopes that when one crop is almost done I will have another one coming up.

Last plot, closest to our back door will soon have curcubits in it. So that's cucumbers, squash, zucchini and the like. Up until a few weeks back it was growing a green crop of mustard which has now been turned back into the soul to add organic matter and help kill off any nematodes from the tomato plants I last grew there.

Other edible plants of note in various spots are a native Australian finger lime, a granny smith apple thanks to Al and Renee, my ever producing rocket patch, an artichoke that is finally taking off and becoming quite large, sweet potato, more herbs than I can list, a doughnut peach, silverbeet, papino, zucchini, pinkerbelle apple, lots of strawberries coming on as well as blueberries. Also I have found about 5 brocolli plants growing straight out of my compost bin, which if the most awesome discovery! The original plant I had never did much it just bolted straight to seed. With these I might actually get some broccoli from them.

I'm just so excited about all the fruits and veggies that my garden is starting to provide. I also love finding different ways of using plants. Did you know if you cook them you can eat sweet potato leaves? You can also eat the leaves from carrots, beetroot, as well as silverbeet as salad leaves when they are small. When I plant carrots seeds, you have to thin out the seedlings, but instead of throwing them in the compost, you can eat the entire plant in stir fries!

Today I said goodbye

I've not be to a funeral before today. I drive past Fremantle cemetery almost every day in my comings and goings, often with a small reflection for those in the car park there for the remembrance of a loved one. More often than not they are all older people, no doubt there to celebrate the life of someone who had all the years the could have possibly wanted.

Leah was only 29, and the darkness was too much for her, so she chose to leave us. We were never close friends, but I always think of her fondly, and remember her as one of those people who was all smiles, and lites up a room. She only went to my school for 2 years, yet she was loved by all, such was her big heart and her infectious smiles.

So we came together, old Ionians a plenty. Sister Mary, always remembering everyone no matter how many years have passed. Grief was too much for some, and for others, they seemed numb, still disbelieving. We listened to stories of her life, the joy she brought her friends, and how very much she'll be missed.

Time came to say our final goodbye. Family and closest friends went up to her coffin first, to write words of love and goodbyes on the casket, and to place a flower, or a kiss. I watch her best friend, who I know quite well just fall apart. She walked back shaking, heaving and broken, saying her final goodbye to someone she loved so dearly; it was like she didn't want to say goodbye, because then she would really be gone. She sat in front of me comforted by her Mother, and as her Mother tried to console her, my heart broken a little bit too. I can't begin to imagine the depth of her grief.

It was my turn to say goodbye, I made my way up slowly to her casket. I stood and looked at it finding it so hard to believe that in there lay a dead girl, one who had been so alive. I touched the casket, and to my surprise it was very warm. I wished her peace, but could not help but wish I believed in heaven. Some faith would have been a comfort today, instead it leaves my mind reeling with thoughts, of is this all there is?

Now I'm home, the birds still chirp, the sky is still blue, children still play and life continues. Not even a second of time stands still for anyone, no matter how much they have been loved. So we must continue on, taking our sorrow with us, time ever passing, hurts mellowing, but never forgetting.


R.I.P Leah, I'll always remember you.

Now I have all this spare time to spend on the internet...

This load of hilarity kept me entertained today:
My life is average
Tweeting too hard
Awkward Boners
Not always right
Lolwigger
Passive Aggressive Notes
and for Magdalena, Emma and Kirstie
Apostrophe abuse
and the most nauseating thing about this one is I think I've been guilty of this kind of behaviour myself