Supplies created from blackberries

 

People the world over either like, or will not stand for persuasive garden plants. Yet every herbal remedy under the sun was created from people foraging around in the wild plant areas. Noticing one plant reacted well in combatting some distress

The dormant stage has been left behind. Earlyish August the regrowth began to appear.  September is just around the corner leaving the next three months for eyeing up, and pulling out any unlucky germinated blackberry plants.

Admittedly these next few months and over summer it sure would be great to leave this adventurous aspect of taming the plant life at number "14" to a garden maintenance team.  Thus leaving time to do other things online. 

Ideas such as blackberry jam, blackberry cordial, tea, blackberry scones. Jelly made with blackberries. The lists of past treats go on and on.

Some people though will pay the greengrocers asking price yet remove the actual plant from their property.

That is what has happened at "number 14."  After three months of moving in, fixing up, and clearing out the property the blackberry that had grown so rampantly has just about gone. 

Gone: in one more rubbish bin laid on its side, stack fill up and get rid of as green waste rubish collection comes round.

Admittedly the small plants that poked their heads out of the concrete crevices have been 'watered well" with a poison.  Their roots are well under the concrete in and around this place.

Blackberry leaf for tea now will be snipped from the blackberries growing wild along walking tracks.

The thing is this is a countryside that has snakes already hatching from their eggs. As seen on the walk last week.  That leaves a question. about picking blackberries in august the thickets when walking alone exercising these old dogs.

It's the decision you make when you want something both ways.  Do one via the already commercial and social pathways. Do the other for your recreational pursuits.

Markets, or your friendly greengrocer, are a terrific place for blackberries.  Fresh or year-round frozen variety. 

Although the open-air exercise pleasure may have dropped the time for the family factor could well increase.

To find out more of what there is to supplies created from blackberries add you're nake to receive the updates.

Exactly How Thick Is This Ivy

Continue the Ivy challenge

Who planted the Ivy

The Ivy has grown over the concrete that is laid down before a fence is placed there.  What is seen is the approximately twenty-five-centimetre diameter of the trunk.  Basically, that's the only way to describe the main part of this Ivy experience.

• Some of the branches are five centimetres thick.
• The growth overwinter makes the Ivey approximately twice my height. So three to four meters

 The adventure today is to start the clearance of the back fence area behind the garage.  While doing that to think about where this would lead.

Ivy has some harmful effects on things nearby.

Indirectly the dense growth of the Ivy plant on a tree may cause indirect damage.  Even nothing this there are no trees meant to be growing in that meter and a half between the fence and walls of the garage.  That was challenge number one.

That the ivy had crept over the concrete area and up and under the metal sheds wall was disturbing.

Thirdly the back of the shed's concrete is mossy as water is trapped between the surface root-running ever branching out Ivy.

Outcomes:

Three hours later

With the pile of ivy leaves down from the higher than I am high. Added to this the green waste bins are already full of climbing flowering vines and dead blackberry from the driveway side fence not quite finished maintenance job.

The realisation the hand held and manual tools being applied to the Ivy cutting is hard on the  wrists, back, neck and shoulders

Definitely looking into light weight tools as a necessary must. .

The worm farm has new tenants

Needless to say, the dirt between everything had worms growing quite well. The worms have found themselves rehoused in the worm farm. Suddenly the worm farm has grown in population.

Overall: 

Ivy removal is a job that basically never ends.  Especially if the 'neighbour suddenly takes it into their head they like the tree, the bees, and the shade the overgrowth gives into their backyard.

It's really amazing what rubbish day does

Weekly routine and the seasons come and go, yet it's really amazing what rubbish day does to people! At first, once the vision is revealed organised sorting out who does what, when and how fights for supremacy. 

Kayoass, mess and rubbish seem to creep in in a take overbid.  Add cleaning out two houses. The one you are about to move into, while you pack and clean up the other house.  

Keep good friends close

An amazing friend simply stated, " Look at the possibilities. This house is full of posibilities."

That was the moment where the vision for this property roared to be heard. That vision fought to be heard.

Make this vision happen

Soon enough may have seemed impossible turns into doable.  'Done' is another thing that got ticked off the to-do list.

Three months have gone by. Early spring showers have brightly encouraged the day forward.  During which several 'jobs' around the yard have merged.

The rubbish day pickup was incredible.

Early evening last night the green waste rubbish bins went out.  Five friends leant rubbish bins. Now, these were full to overflowing - way over the brim.  

Three with ivy from the back fence, and two with creeper vine from the driveway fence.

Thus the predawn morning was already full of activity

These two old dogs went on an hour walk.  Seems Boof's eyesight gets him 'lost' and looking for you. Walk back and find where he has wondered too. Sox - well it's his hearing that he has trouble with.

Reunited as each finds the other and they are like puppies again. It's interesting to note how many times Sox calmed Boof down by just licking boofs eyes.  To do this Boof has to stand still.

Back home with time to tend to the garden beds

After the rubbish bins were in place up the driveway way there was a moment to weed some of the front area near the drives raised garden bed. Little weeds flying onto the concrete - for now.

Spoke to the neighbour when he was waiting for a bus. Yes to go ahead and use the space on the corner where his rubbish bin gets picked up.

Fabulous! Just need to physically get into the area between the square garden and his fence where the blackberries are.

That creeper on the fence

Having spent yesterday dislodging the backyard driveway fence creeper off the extended framework that's still in the neighbour's yard. The garage guttering roof is yet to receive attention re the vine roots inhabiting the space! 

Excited to see the rubbish bins empty. Yet the creeper still to go away is going to take weeks to get rid of. Patience is a virtue where lockdowns are happening.  

At least the creeper may get cut really into small pieces manually.  More fits into the rubbish bins that way

Worm farm needs

Earlier in the week, the worm farm had grassroots tossed into it. The grass went into the compost. Then the apple went in. 

Today the kitchen scraps were thrown into the Tumbleweed Can Of Worms. Curiosity about worms in the garden gets renewed in the weirdest of ways. There is a worm requirement learning to do.

The enclosed garden beds need attention again

Dig deeper once again. Keep digging.

There were lots of roots still in the soil. Along with a few from the trees that had to be removed earlier in the year.

Planting out the seedlings

During the break between lockdowns, a few punnets of seedlings were purchased.  Half found a home in the side garden bed.  Yes to spring rain, and the use of compost, as the green beans have doubled in size.

The garden beds in the courtyard are a different matter.  The kitchen onions have sprouted green leaves.  These and others are now in the garden next to the lounge window.  Along with marrows. Then some really little silverbeet seedlings mum has sprouted.

Research what plant likes what

As bad planning would have it marrows need good nourishing soil.  The marrow does not mind onions,

What is needed is a lot of cured compost in that soil as that area of soil is literally 'bare' of nutrients. Actually, this area of the gardens is bare of anything living in there.  There are weeds growing through -  which gives hope.

Compost is definitely called for in that area of the garden beds. So when it stops raining the remaining compost is going into the garden bed and is to be forked in - around the plants.

Sometime in amongst this

"Mum can you scan this and email it to me". Partially done. It will be an email after this post has been finished. 

Lunch with mum - after we had finished unpacking the car.

Oh, and the car registration is paid a month early... just in case, there is another lockdown.

Add the two phone calls that came in from friends struggling with aspects of their current family coping skills that are stretched to the limit.

This change of pace means getting things done

 Strange as it may seem there are a lot of hours to fill in during early springtime.  Sure to be off on an adventure around Australia should have been done years ago.  

Circumstances have created a different life. Flexible. Within boundaries that are imposed by the wider community governance.

Yet the three adults of three different generations, and two nineteen-year-old dogs, have a 'Make it happen.  Get it sorted, get it done life, for time is one day shorter now than yesterday.'

Isolation In A Back Yard Garden

 

People are curious creatures. As they learn things their memory banks derive, style and taste from influences that are broad, decisive, and far-reaching.  Then they smile at the adventures they remember - but may forget to share.

Before computers Television began to show people's differences. Before Television was the radio and the Television.  

Some people got to travel the world while others stayed nearby, or free-ranged within their communities.

Still, others chose to remain away from other people, buildings, or places. People thought this was an odd way of living ... to choose to be among the things you were comfortable with. Even with computers and other digital devices the isolation still exists. There is a huge difference though.

That difference is how, and why, the person chooses to remain out of circulation. Where they are and what they are doing to move forward.  In between the lockdowns people do still move out of one area and into another. Here though the three of us moved literally sixty seconds around the corner.  

To leave a rental home of thirty years was a challenge. What we entered into was a property that had had zero maintenance in over three years. . The noxious weeds were rife everywhere. The house took a few weeks to clean out and wash everything down. 

Longer to get rid of the rubbish left behind. The owner representative wanted to cry. There was no need for this house and yard to have got this bad.

Anyway, we are here now. The slow realization of limited travel adventures has given away to the adventures of setting up another house into a home. Inside and out. 

The financial choice was to do as much as possible by ourselves. Second, to this was to take notes of creative progress actions. Others may be in the same boat where they are looking for something positive to do during lockdown isolation be the lockdown be financial-based, health and welfare-based.... or looking after an elderly, yet still active relative.

Over the last few months, a small raised garden be had the couch grass dugout. The blackberry was removed.

Half meter vertical garden of about one-third wide a meter wide that has had quite a few years of neglected tanbark sitting there.

With the compost that was turned the other day this top part had a near full wheelbarrow of fill go across the top. That was watered well. Then left to soak every piece of water up.

Several hours later the garden fork was used to mix the old with the compost. Couch grassroots were pulled out as they were trying hard to restart growth. It is spring after all.

Spring means rainfall. Some now, some in five minutes' time. Everything to get wet and dry within the space of ten minutes.

During which time the corn, chervil, and green bean seedlings were planted in small holes of bagged soil. Just in case the compost was 'too' fresh and burnt the seedling's rootstock.

It's about that time the thought about the companion planting registered. You hear a lot about people stuck in nursing homes going back into their family environment. Virtually the activities taken up are learned somewhere in the past.  Refreshed trigger points open up peepholes of joy, wonder, laughter, and smiles.

But while new friends love to swap stories, adventures, and parts of their lives, older friends in the circles wander away.

So with those stories written down and shared in logically creative older friends, family and newbies can \keep up to date, or catch up, mindsets trigger memories to bubble up.

What if a group of like-minded people read about your adventures.  Maybe something challenged you in your later life.  Could be sharing these memories are important to other people.

Give it a go.  Come on in and read a few 

Removing the Lilly from the Garage Guttering

Groan.  One would not believe it.  I certainly did not.  Yet this is what happened. 

That Lilly growing in the garage gutter is finally out.

Typically this job took ages to actually get done. From the time the Lilly was noticed to the time of the Lillies eviction from the garage gutters was nearly nine weeks. During that time there was discord between family members. 

We've all heard about it.  

You either have the money or do it yourself. That everyone has their own timetables and agendas. Additionally, every person has their own emotional cut-off points.

Therefore, that discord was something that may have been avoided had there been the finances already in the bank to cover the costs of gutter specialist payments.

Moving on to the actual Lilly removal

The evening was fast approaching. The helper was nearly about to go out. Once again the request was made for help with the ladder - carrying this time. The lady would do the rest herself. After all, the creeper on the fence was now too high for her to reach safely without a ladder. 

The helper did not have time to do two jobs.  When pinned down had about fifteen minutes. There were only about twenty minutes before it would be too much into this early spring dusk before the dark hit.

The decision was to 'Remove' the Lilly

When working with family there comes a time when you just cannot remind them too often. Once in a month of Sundays may be too often though.

The ladder was taken to the neighbor's house. The helper, being higher in height, was able to reach the Lilly.

Now came the fun part

With a base of about a foot, the Lilly was not going to give up easily.  Instead of coming out peacefully each section was "broken at the base" thrown down and pressure applied once again.  There were a few OOph's sounds that assisted the muttered thoughts.  More Lilly came tumbling downward.

To the question of do you have a pair of cutters, the Lilly finally started to give up hope of winning that residential argument. Leaving about the time the roots were coming up to 'number 14' is where the cutters were. Followed closely by the help walking down that drive with the ladder.

As it turned out the help had other plans for the evening. The cutters were for the Lilly and not the entangled climber also residing in the gutter!

Take the easy way out.... employ that professional

Something learned, yet not practiced yet, is to employ a professional. To give the professional written dot pointed instructions is not insulting.  Besides being absolutely clear about what you expect, 

• The professional knows what to base their rate on. 
• You know what it is you have requested to be done.

Both know by when that job will be completed and that you pay when you both get what you requested.

Utilizing friends and family

We all know that friends and family, as loverly as they are, do things according to their own timetable.

Yes, they also do things their way as well. 

Since you are the one asking them to help you have just placed yourself in a servitude position.

Lessons learned 

Look at the things you do online. Those times when it's been you alone doing something you have a passion for that passion grew. People were wanting to help you achieve it. Other's were just slowing you down. 

As soon as you categorized who was doing what your attention went to those who were assisting you having your vision rubbed off on them.  These people know where you were going.  Understood what it may take to get to the tipping point into success.

A prod in the right direction

Meanwhile, you needed something to let people know the next step.  How the past progresses were celebrated.  

This is where email is really handy your team members go forward with the knowledge, understanding, and even input.

Rounding off  the removal of the Lilly activity

Keeping in touch helps with more than just an e-newsletter that helps the team of doers stays centered on the job.

The trick to the whole "Number 14" transition has been people receiving their updates, sections finished, and hey, come for a BBQ or a meal all at the same time.

Searching back in the records of time

Started to search back into the records of time.  English history come together many times. The Catholics giving way the Anglicans.  Or vice versa.

Realized just how powerful the Reading Abby actually may have been sitting there so docilly. 

the video mentions different dates

1741  maps in PDF format