More photos from our Placemaking BBQ

Peter brought a huge tray of buns and cakes

THAT bush!!

The bare brick wall behind the revellers will be painted with a mural by the students of Mayfield East Public School, with financial and other support from the Rotary Club of Newcastle Enterprise

The passion fruit vine, zinnias, late zucchinis and alyssum do well in this bed.

Placemaking and Pancake Day

It's been a while since posting - not a lot happening in a garden finishing it's summer days and being re-done for Autumn/Winter. 

Last night was the gathering for our "Placemaking" grant celebration, and the day our big heavy solid parks and garden style picnic set was delivered. We looked around and decided that, nope, where the old flimsy ones stood was still the best place. Later we realised we had been innately primate and picked a "defensive" position - at the top of a slope with a clear view all around and safe walls behind our backs.  Laughed at ourselves but thought that what makes you feel safe is one factor in what makes a place.  

As it was our first birthday at Church Street, Mardi Gras or Pancake Day, and the BBQ for our Placemaking celebration,  we got together with the church members, some Facebook friends and gardeners . We had a very pleasant late afternoon and evening on the lawns. Visitors strolled around our rather empty and tatty beds - Annie was able to pick beans and there are Golden Nuggets still ripening. Oldest guest was Sue O'Neill who went to Sunday School and taught it in the old now-demolished original church building. She had a picture of  her wedding taken on the steps of the "new" 80 year old building.  Young'uns ran around and some a bit older helped with sausage flipping and cutting the cake.  Carol and Minn and others made pancakes with maple syrup and icecream. There we were stuffing our faces while the Weight Watchers meeting took place inside the hall!

The next big project should probably aim at having outdoor cooking  - AKA the BBQ - put into a permanent position so more evenings like last night can happen on a regular basis. How nice would it be to pick our own lettuces and tomatoes and whatever to cook and serve???

Jenny from Newcastle City Council and charged with looking after the Placemaking grants was unable to come because of a recently caught minor infection in her eyes, much to her regret. Pictures and a report will have to make up for it, another time she can drop in and see us.

Sue is on the right watching Annie light the candles in the photo above this one of her wedding.

Placemaking and Facebook

Friends have been spammed in the nicest possible way with variations of the message

"You are invited to drop in to the garden at 31A Church Street from 5pm onwards until after dusk for a sausage sizzle and maybe pancakes, on March 8th, a Tuesday. It's Pancake Day and we are inviting friends to our Place at 31A Church Street for an initial Placemaking celebration. Just let us know if you are coming so we have enough sausages on the grill - vegetarians catered for too."

Pancake Day, Placemaking Celebrations and our Nearly-First-Birthday Party

Tuesday March 8th is the day. The celebrations start at around 5pm and go on until sunset, which is at about 7.20pm. The St Andrew's mob will be making Pancakes as it is Pancake Day, the gardeners will have a Sausage Sizzle (vegetarians catered for) and we will also have a birthday cake. There MAY be some seedlings ready to plant. The hot weather is not a good time to get seeds sprouted and surviving. There will be some Sweet Pea seeds to go in as well as Crimson-Flowered Broad Beans and Climbing Peas. Some music, and maybe Annie can teach us some Circle Dances. 
https://secure.diggersgardenclub.com.au/pc-1221-66-sweet-pea-wiltshire-ripple.aspx
Have bought some Wiltshire Ripple Sweet Peas - they look like the Plum Ripple icecream we used to buy when we lived in Peterborough South Australia. A company called Golden North at Laura in the mid-North of SA made it.  Also bought Dwarf Pink and Climbing Blue Sweet Peas.

The fence bordering the garden is your average mix of no-colour Colorbond, another style of metal and a green thing. We have designs on it - literally and are following up a possibility of having it properly graffiti painted with a design of plants trees and so on.
And, there's more. On Friday Hune 3rd there will be a Trivia Night in the St Andrew's hall organised by the Kooragang Volunteers. Starts at 6pm, cheap entry fee, fun night, some nibbles and drinks provided, BYO  your own as well,  decent if not sumptuous prizes. Individuals who don't have a team will soon find a spot in one.

Australia Day

Hot Hot Hot! Some of us joined with the St Andrewans for the BBQ organised by Rev Andrew and had a very non-strenuous day over drinks, laughs chat and food under the gum trees. Watering the garden beds has been a major job this week. Ros attacked the weeds which have grown along the fence, the beds were re-mulched and watering watering watering - emptying the tanks then using the mains water. Annie got the hose going when she arrived for the BBQ yesterday and kept relocating it during the day. Judy finished off during the evening. Pius, Doris and Amara invited themselves to the party. Doris' hair has been plaited into short little "caterpillar" shaped curlies with a bead on the end of each. Looks really lovely. Back to school for the two older ones next week. In the meantime Pius is asking again for their garden to be refreshed - gardens are teaching them patience and doing things in season. Pius's other concern was when would the chocolate be ready to eat. A really good day, simple pleasures with a bunch of lively and interesting people. The 39 Deg heat didn't bother us as it was low humidity, about 40%, unlike the usual 65 - 85%.
St Andrew's will arrange for the making and hanging of a sign to advertise the garden. The sign will be metal and match their current signage. Also we were given a an idea about the fence. One of the visitors had "commissioned" the painting of a fence along their boundary with a design of native flora and fauna. This has discouraged the "irregular out-door artists" who no longer spray meaningless rubbish and rude words. The iron fence next to our garden could disappear under appropriate images and a talk to my Rotary club may help with funds. Local community projects,  which in this case would support a local youth group,  is  the kind of thing we do often. The cost would not be huge - several hundreds of dollars for paint and providing food and drinks.    MMmmhhhh - will follow that up.

Just some weeding and watering

Annie Chris and Heidi

Ros found ALL the Farmers Friend and prickles

Judy and Ros

Some of the flowers in Judy's Rockery Mixture

Picnic bench for the garden

http://accessindustries.com.au/outdoor-furniture.html

Ordered it today from Access Industries, will take a couple of weeks to make. Some muscle will be needed on the day of delivery to take it off the truck and push it into place.  The set will be painted in the standard colourbond colour of Gull Grey, which is pale and silvery and cool to sit on.   Placemaking celebration/event getting closer.