they chew through silverbeet
nibble the petals of the calendula &
sip the sparse early morning dew
hypervigilant. hyperactive. biomechanical eating machines –
a-whir and click-flicking through the garden &
into my sleep
grasshoppers
garden
Visitors
They said I was mad to plant milkweed… but here we are six months later hosting Monarch caterpillers. Now, I’m as ambivalent to all things American as any Australian ought to be, but the romantic tale of the arrival of the Monarch or Wanderer in the late 1860s and via New Caledonia has me intruiged. And the caterpillers are so full of character. How could I resist?
The thief
Somebody has been pinching my mulberries! Chewing the fruit from the tree and leaving just a stump. Its not the chooks, they are safely away in their new run. Its not flying foxes, the tree is too small to support their weight. That leaves possums and rodents as the most likely suspects. And no mulberries for me until I figure out who it is and how to protect them…
This week my mulberries decided to get all dressed up!
This week my mulberries decided to get all dressed up! I put them both in the ground last spring, and this the first year the black tree has fruited. It has also grown, and is just taller than me – about 6 foot.
In case you can’t tell from the photo, the fruit are sweet and super juicy! They also leave a violet stain on your hands.
gratitude #7/10
Neighbours, today I am grateful for my lovely neighbours. Yesterday I was feeling a little low – I had taken a week’s leave to get the garden sorted, and a big list of projects to complete. Six days later I realised that despite having worked really hard and being exhausted, I was not going to get it all done. Then the ladies from across the road popped by and one told me she was glad someone was giving the house some attention and the other gave me some empathy for the overwhelm I was feeling. She also shared her plans for her garden. So I got some acknowledgement, appreciation, shared reality and connection. I am feeling re-inspired today đŸ™‚
On the back step
The sun is gently rising and I’m sitting on the back step,
watching the paint peel, and
the grass overgrow the side fence, and
Old Limpy hobble after her fat, clucky sisters.
And my hands are warmed by a mug of hot tea.
And all is well in my world.
And all is well in my world.
a simple life
i yearn for a simple life
to live in harmony with and supported by rhythms of earth, sun, moon
yet i have clung to a city for most of mine so far.
consolation prize: a getting-wilder-each–day little garden.
Is this the Library? 