Bauple Simple Living Group - the first day

Today was the first group get together for the Bauple Simple Living Group. We had four people attend and it was a great morning. I taught a few things I know and I learnt some things as well from others. I think the potential for this to grow is there. There were some wonderful ideas and thoughts shared. All in all it was a pleasure for me to spend the morning with others and share a little about who I am. A person needs conversation, friendship, stimulating friendships, learning and also, very importantly, people to share things with.

I set up with the first books today our BOOK CROSSING bookshlef. There is a banner on the side here and if you click on it, it will take you the Book Crossing website. Basically I will collect books given to me and assign each book a Book Crossing identity number and register it online. Then when someone comes and takes the book they can then read it and then release it back to where they got it from or leave it  somewhere that the next person will see it and take the book travelling. When you finish reading the book you have taken you go online yourself and register where you have released the book. So the books are constantly travelling and you can see how far each book has been and reviews from others about the book. Each book has a sticker on it with it's special identity number and a little saying that the book is not lost and that it is travelling and to feel free to cborrow and read and share by passing onto others.

So for me - back to my doing one thing diffferent every day - well today I began a new community group. And I believe it is good and will grow and be a very uplifting and enjoyable part of my days.

The saying above includes the comment about how this world needs "more people who live well in their place." Oh how this is true! I know this just by speaking about myself and not about or for anyone else. It is so much better in my life when I started to focus on just being in my space and trying to live each day in my place. I really think the little saying above by David Orr sums up so much that we need to do in our world. I saw this on facebook and copied and paste so now I am of to do a search on this saying and it's author.

Cheers,
Wendy

Possum Proof "Hopefully" Vegetable Garden

I went to the local markets yesterday morning and these are a few plants I picked up and planted out in the afternoon. This is a perennial capsicum. Apparently it can grow for 5 years. It gets small capsicums that are thin walled which turn from green to red. I have had these capsicums before from friends and they are tasty and useful in the kitchen. Obviously I will keep you updated.

This is a perennial leek. Apparently smaller leeks but will keep growing and spreading and you can use the whole thing to the green tips. I just keep using them and as they start to clump I can then seperate the clumps out and they keep growing. Look forward to seeing how this goes.

We had an old trailer surround that was laying around the yard so I planted out the pumpkin seedling that had come up and put my pot of parsley in there as well. Hopefully the idea is to get them established before the possums and wallablies eat every new shoot.

Now this is my absolute favorite find from the markets yesterday. This is what is called Thai Coriander (Eryngium foetidum) and this little plant packs a powerful punch. Awesome coriander flavour with only one of these little leaves. Apparently is wilt resistant and grows to about 40cm. It gets flower spikes of which I was told to cut of and it allow the plant to keep growing and to pick the leaves regularly. Apparently it is a good coriander to dry because it retains it's flavour. I will do that when I have enough. Hopefully I can just keep growing this all year around to have my lovely coriander flavour.

Last night I made a chicken stirfry and used this coriander, lemon grass from my garden and spinach from my garden as well. It was so yummy.

I had shells laying around the house and the other day after I put the nice ones on display I had these left over so I got some string and sticks and Mick put some holes in the ones that needed holes and strung them up and hung outside in the carport. I think they look great and I can see them haning there when I am sitting in my office.

Big fat worm that Mick found when digging through my garden the other day.

And here it is - finally I have a vegetable garden that is covered in chicken wire and will hopefully allow me to grow some food without the possums and wallabies and kangaroos eating every new shoot before it gets to grow. Now all I need to do is plant some goodies in there and mulch it. I will also need to make sure that I do not leave that precious door open at night.

Cheers,

Wendy