Connecting with Community

Yesterday the family went to the Megalong family Fun Day. It was a great opportunity to connect with some of our new neighbours. It can be scary when moving into a new community as there is always a clicky element. However everyone seemed friendly enough. It also helped getting involved in the day and participating in the games, although somewhat embarrassing given I can't run very fast.  India won a few ribbons and the Megalong Cup. The Cup involved running around the showground twice with a toy horse between your legs. As she crossed the line her horses head fell off which was rather funny. She still got the cup which is now proudly sitting on top of the fridge.

20 days until we go to India. We've really slowed down the work on the property. Last weekend we had a complete sabbatical. I had a birthday luncheon at Mt Victoria pub with a group of friends. We'd planned to ride bicycles from Blackheath along the railway line as the view is gorgeous looking over the Kanimbla Valley, but unfortunately the whether didn't permit. In saying that, overall, spring in Blackheath is absolutely spectacular. Everything is in bloom and the array of color is unbelievable. Over the last few days the cherry blossoms have been falling. The effect is like pink fluffy snow. I will be sad to leave the village. Our neighbourhood is really cool. Everyone here is friendly and the surrounds peaceful and picturesque. We live so close to town it's almost too convenient. I'll miss that. But believe it or not we have a cafe in the Megalong only 5 minutes walk from our front gate, so at least I can get my daily coffee fix.

Apart from not having much time left for major garden projects I've just been maintaining what I've already planted. The kangaroos discovered my raspberries and a few other tasty things, so my mantra "ask them not to eat the garden and they will stay away" hasnt' really worked. I have a few bugs eating my apple tress as well, and a mould problem with a rose bush. Other than that everything still looks very healthy and is thriving. I am really learning the importance of being patient and planning. I'm very concerned that my baby trees won't survive the hot weather while we are in India and I probably should have waitied to plant trees when I got back. I'm getting together a roster of waterer's made up of people who have offered to help. I'm also thinking about putting in a cheap, primitive watering system on a timer which waters for ten minutes in the evening, just to keep things alive. We will see how much time we have left. The list of things to do before getting on the plane is steadily growing.

So back to garden talk, I'm beginning to think that my willy nilly planning attitude towards the garden may have been a little hasty. Pat and I have decided to put in a greywater filter system using reedbeds. This will function as a water recycling system, aquaculture and will look fantastic if we can pull it off. I will probably have to move some of the existing beds. Moving a bed or two isn't a big deal really and this is also why I'm not yet fencing the vege patch yet (too keep the fury animals out). While I'm away I'll have to think about my overall design a little more carefully. Patrick is becoming increasingly more interested in the garden and permaculture design in general. This is a great thing because it means that we are more than ever, sharing the same vision. On our return next year I'll have to do a bit of study in this area. There are plenty of opportunities in The Blue Mountains. I've been reading Rosemary Morrows book 'Earth Users Guide to Permaculture' 2nd Ed. Very useful and written with local knowledge of climate.