TWIG - 13

(yellow peach in the orchard.....YUM!)

the festivities of christmas and the new year have meant little has been undertaken in the garden in the past couple of weeks – but christmas and boxing day did bring a small amount of welcome rain (just 25mm – nothing like the huge falls elsewhere in the state) and so we are feeling a little ray of hope as the grass is a little greener...

but we need more than the odd shower to fill the dams – this is how things look here at the farm right now (I'm hoping by posting the pics that I shame the rain gods into action!)

 (this is the our garden's water supply.... 

The greener patch indicates where the dam should be - 

I haven't seen it this low since it was constructed more than 25 years ago)

(this is another of the 'topside' dams - down to a puddle now....)

The few photos of dwindling dam levels and dry paddocks can't really capture the true picture of what this drought entails (and I generally haven't elaborated about the daily difficulties faced here on the farm  - on all the district's farms – as a result of the ongoing drought... in the next little bit I'm going to try to record how things really are – hard to capture the feeling of crushing despair in a picture of low dam levels.)


I don't mean to be depressing – but sometimes its hard to remain upbeat and whilst I'll continue to keep a positive attitude - I think its important to share the reality.

we keep going by focusing on the task at hand sooooo....


to do
clear away fallen fruit in the orchard (a job I like to try to convince – ok bribe – the kidlins to do)

sow more climbing bean, lettuce, and beetroot seeds

order herb and sprout seeds

weed the vege garden


completed
bean support

In an effort to save some of the fruit damaged or stolen by the birds I've made a sizeable lot of stewed fruit as well as 7 bottles of pickled peaches and 8 of peach chutney... yum!


picking eating
red cos lettuce, raspberries, yellow peaches, rondo de nice zucchini, spring onion, baby beetroot, early yellow nectarines, ivory eggplant.

something fruity

One of the unusual quirks of living on an old farm (well old by Australian standards!) is the discovery of old fruit tress in the strangest places... Spring is the best time of year to find some old lovelies, when the tress are all in blossom


near the creek - in a small glade and beside a spring is a makeshift orchard of sorts. I don't believe that previous generations of farmers planted this as such - by their placement it seems these peach (on the right in full blossom) and loquat (on the left - in front of the river oak) have seeded and set themselves up in the most desirable position around - nice moistness, out of blustery winds, and shaded from the harsh summer westerly sun....


Along the creek are other 'blow ins'.... I've found a quince (once) on the steepest slope beside the creek - on the far side of course.... once I managed to get my fingers on some fruit - by driving the tractor into the creek and climbing out over the engine... at this time of year it's impossible to find the tree again amongst the tangle of overgrowth... but I'll keep my eyes peeled!



just a little further up the creek - where its only stones at the moment, I discovered a network of fig trees - all just now sending out fresh little green leaves (or I'd never notice them! - amongst a most enormous blackberry heap) - what a pleasant little thing to stumble upon. I know I won't gather any fruit - the small birds will be in there first - but it's nice to think that the figs will find an appreciative audience...