High Summer and the rain-fall has been wonderful

The sunflowers have their faces turned to the rising sun



Karen playing to us from the stone circle on the star-sprinkled grass

The lack of light from the often-overcast skies has meant that some things have matured or flowered a little later. The amount of rain has been wonderful and we have just emptied the tanks, which promptly got a small top-up from a couple of storms. With three new roll-away hose-reels watering is now easier for anyone, even those who have readily-tired arms.
Annie has been regularly taking some of our excess produce to the Newcastle Farmers Market on the Nourishing Newcastle stall. We loan them our umbrella and sell our stuff and have raised enough to pay for this years insurance. Hail to Annie! and to http://www.transitionnewcastle.org.au/event/nourishing-newcastle-urban-tucker-trading-stall-nnuts

March 24th and the Placemaking event - Paul Tibbles from Newcastle City Council Livesites will assist with advice and publicity. http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/about_newcastle/events/l!vesites

We have spent some of our Volunteer Equipment grant on enabling (not disability) tools like light, long-handled tools and handles which clip on to standard tools for easier grip. The kit has arrived, minus the hoe which will be delivered as soon as the supplier has received it.  http://www.connection2nature.com.au is where we bought the tools. We can offer a little more access to anyone who has a physical challenge but would still like to grow things.  Gee! when it comes down to the wire we don't care if people just want to come and chat and doesn't get their knees or hands dirty.

Solstice

In one year's time, at 11.11 UTC on December 21st 2013 some people fear that TEOTWAWKI *will occur - it will mark the end of one of the Mayan cycles.
*The End Of The World As We Know It.
Now for some words from another respected source of wisdom - Buddha

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions simply because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

This year the solstice finds a garden well-watered but some things not ripening fast because it has been a cool, damp Summer. Parsnips did not read the books and sprouted many months after they were sown, so they have been allowed to go to seed and we will collect that seed and start again. Some of the seed heads made nifty centres for flower posies which sold well at the Farmer's Market.

Disability and gardening

Perhaps we should say "Ability and Gardening" because there are so many facets to gardening and everyone can take part in any of them. Found another source of specialist tools, Connection2Nature, and ordered the tools through them. Should be here soon. As we are having a mini La Ninja we are not having any problems watering. There is almost TOO much water and some things are starting to drown where the water ponds and others are leaping juicily skywards, threatening to collapse under their own weight. Saturday mornings at the garden are being very productive and it is looking lovely. Will add some more photos soon - camera is a bit sick, need a new one.

Butterflies and Bushland

Ben Middleton from ABC 1233 did  walk through the rainforest on Ash Island with Rosie Heritage and me.
http://blogs.abc.net.au/nsw/2011/10/butterflies-of-ash-island.html

This is one of Rosie's beautiful watercolours (Copyright Rosie Heritage)

Ben has done us proud as we talked his ear off and he had to whittle it down to this clip.

The book we wrote and illustrated as part of the Caring For Country grant and the plantings done by the Kooragang Volunteers on two hectares of partially revegetated land next to the rainforest walk to Scott's Point from the Old Dairy have been a labour of love for the future. We tell people they will have to come back in two centuries at least to see something like the lush and majestic growth which existed on Ash Island in 1801.

Garden tools for people with disabilities

Have found just one source on the web, www.wisdomactivities.com.au, which is in WA. They have all the garden tools plus the add-on handles. Every other place is in the UK or USA. There may be others in Australia but I haven't found them. Our letter of offer from Minister Jenny Macklin has arrived and been returned so the funds will be available for using pretty soon. Mitre 10 Mayfield will look after us, as usual, (thanks guys) and we will have a raised garden bed installed plus we hope to have a purpose designed "pod" which allows people in wheelchairs or on walkers with a seat to sit at the right height and pot and plant without getting covered in soil. Saw a model on-line from a website www.terraform.fr which was for a group of designers and architects in France. Actually spoke to them, at least to the one person with some English and with some help from my 20-year old French, and tried to find out how much one would cost to import . At that time, three years ago, it was 1300 Euros for one pod. The website has recently been changed and we hope to contact them. We could get a local person to use their design under some kind of licensing arrangement and produce a local version.  With a  decent sized garden umbrella for shade - hey presto!- some gardening for people with "mobility issues" - euphemism for a lot of people who want to garden but have bad backs, weak shoulders and whatever (like a lot of our members).  Small shallow pool going into the centre of the stone circle for bird watering. If "cured" in the way the pot man explained, the clay bowl could become a fire-pit with the addition of a steel plate in the base. Maybe we will just have an oval area with half being a fire pit in another circle of smaller stones.  Hmm, have to think on that one.  Meanwhile - the Kale has and is being a beautiful, purple, frilly-leaved and productive crop. The purple cauilflower on the other hand is a miserable disappointment, pretty purple-tinged leaves and a head the size of a coffee cup. It is being cut out and will become egg-plant instead. The smaller and long-fruited eggplants are very nice, and very decorative.

Kale has been very popular on the stall at the Newcastle Farmers Market.

Grants

Just had a phone call from Sharon Grierson's office. We have been successful in getting a Volunteer grant of $1950 which will be used to make our garden more disability friendly. We have only a small area and to be really accessible for  existing and potential members with any level of disability shouldn't be too hard.  
In the meantime, the stones which used to line the roadway have been moved into a circle on the grass. The workmen building the new Commission housing behind the church have been using the water and electricity, so to return the favour they used their machines and made the circle for us. Last Tuesday during Beanstalk trading there was a group of parents standing around the stones chatting and their kids jumping around and over them.


No human children here but a squawking begging magpie chick




Lots of blossom on the citrus trees




Most of the Sweet peas disappear as bunches of flowers for home!



Painting The Wall

Two chummy artists after the day was over, a lively funny pair full of jokes

Empty wall, full paint tins, lots of energy and ideas.



Judy admiring the result



Kwaku and Julia with four of the artists, the others were having a game of "Tip"

Please Mr Occ Health and Safety, don't look now!!

Students from Mayfield East Public School's Thursday Art group painted Aboriginal icons and other symbols on the wall facing the garden. This was a lovely cooperative project between the St Andrews church who hosted it, the gardeners who coordinated it, the Rotary Club of Newcastle Enterprise which funded it and the students and staff of the school.