Africanaussie

I got  a new camera it is a little red Canon Powershot SX600HS, and so far I am happy with it.  I purchased it with my frequent flyer points - does anyone else do that?  I find it is a much better use of my points than applying it to airline tickets. I took it outside in the early evening when the wagtail was having its evening bath.  I zoomed right in to get a shot as he flittered about in the weeping tea tree above my head. I even took a little video.....but for some reason cannot download it here...

A couple of weeks ago I bought a dragonfruit from the markets.   It is one of my favourite tropical fruits.  Sweet, but not cloyingly so,..... beautiful - I didnt share it with anyone. Dragonfruit is actually a cactus, and the plants I have seen are huge - and supported by a central post, so needing lots of room.  Then Lousie from     told me about how she sees them in Darwin growing against a carport.............  hmmm well, either side of fruit salad alley has a nice wooden post.  Driving home from work I saw my gardening friend had put out some dragonfruit cuttings for anyone to pick up.   Supossedly you just place them into the ground, or into a pot as in my case.  So now we just wait and see..... Rather strange looking aren't they?

As you know I am continually looking for ways to garden in a way that is self sustaining.  I "grow" my own fertilizer with comfrey, worm castings and prawns shells.   Sugar can mulch is something I have been buying for the veggies, and with all this wet weather it rots down so quickly I have been looking around for an alternative mulch solution. I called the local hay guy (whch is cheaper) and he said it is too wet to cut his hay. Some gardeners have talked about using shredded office paper.   I dont have a shredder, but tear paper into thing strips occasionally  to add to the compost.  In clumbs it can mat up and would stop water getting to the soil under it.  When adding it to the compost I always make sure I mix it in well with the leaves etc already composting down..  So I tried the same idea in the garden. My tumbling composter is full of red wriggler worms and I think regular eathworms.  I am not sure how they got in there, but I am sure they are speeding up the who

During the wet season mould and mildew have built up on our pavers.  Not only is it unsightly, but they are slippery, so something had to be done.  We borrowed my stepsons pressure washer and my hubby got stuck in.  wow! doesnt it look great! I didn't like wasting all the water, but then again I don't like the idea of chemicals that are painted on and then leach into the ground.  Some of the fences were done too, but not those with lots of plants against them.  Funnily enough the ones with deep growth against them do not seem to have much mildew.  Why is that?  I thought it would be the opposite way around. The clean fence seems to make the colours pop out more.  I like the entrance of the path to be a little wider, so a few bigger rocks were added to widen it a bit.  Our leaves need to be gathered up, mulched and put into the compost bins continuously.  Leaves are awesome in the compost, though so I am not complaining..... that also is one of my dear hubby&