Spring Planting

So on this spring day, we stayed indoors due to vicious winds and occasional rain showers. Here I thought I'd be planting up a storm so I had several seedling trays all prepared and ready to rumble. Perhaps  the actual day doesn't matter because tomorrow is supposed to be less windy and more sunny.

So far, I have 12 pumpkins/ squashes, 4 tomatoes, 4 lettuces, 4 chillies and many other seeds planted. Waiting another week for aubergines. Last week was a nice warm one and it was up to 23 deg C in the wunnerful germination cupboard my slave built for me. It's made of brandering and wrapped in clear agricultural plastic (does it matter what kind?). It has a temperature gauge. Everything seems to be germinating on schedule which is a little disappointing as I am doing some soil tests and had hoped for quicker results.
Well the next thing to see is how strong those seedlings are in my special soil. If it works well, I'll reveal all!

Picture of the germination cupboard to follow.

The other thing which has kept us busy has been clearing a steep slope and "reclaiming" the area for growing with tyre terraces. There was a huge dump of tyres in town so we helped ourselves to as many as our car could carry every time we went in. Previously, we used the tyres only for potato stacks but this terrace system is looking very promising. Again pictures to follow...

So happy spring day and this year please try to grow your own tomatoes and basil. They cannot be beaten by any shop bought variety.

Growing Greener: First fig of the year.

Growing Greener: First fig of the year.

I love Daniel's quote from Margaret Mead.
And I have only trolled around for a few minutes and already learnt a lot. Thanks Daniel.

Value

Over the last few days, I have been considering my value in the world. Sounds very deep but just think of it in a purely logical, practical way. There is no doubt in my mind that without humans, the world would be a better place. And in the cosmic sense, we are just a speck. But let's say that the species does somehow continue, then where would the value of each of us be?

Perhaps it's in the beauty and love we leave behind - not logical or practical at all! But perhaps that shows in our deeds and teaching how to help create a thing of beauty or how to love. A new plant grown, a story read when you don't have the time, an animal rescued or maybe just a real smile to someone you don't know. Very practical.

Ok- I give in. You decide for yourself.

Thank you to my partner of 20 years. I knew you the first time I saw you- a person of beauty and love.

See this recycling!

My clever husband has found a great way to recycle a piece of what we think is a boiler plate. Such a stunning piece of metal for a large clean wall. Stands proud of the wall on short pins and can be hung with the mirror at any point- top, bottom or side.

See his other stuff on www.redeux.co.za

Banned Nando's Advert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iYFEQz8nI0&feature=share

Stupid government! Invading our privacy. Can't they see we already know they are failing horribly. What democracy censors it's media?

A Day in Still Bay and the real Chicken Eater

For Jan's 50th birthday.
It was a beautiful day for a beach picnic. Would not have thought it was winter at all.

And this is my sad veggie garden in winter with the last 2 fat hens helping clean up snails. Just leeks, brocolli (broccoli /broccolli!), swiss chard, fennel, sage, chillies, coriander, parsley, gooseberries and the last of the peppers.

And these are the 5 new chicks. They are about 6-8 weeks old and also came from The Red Barn in George. I asked for a rooster but I think I have 2! What does a rooster mean? More chicks to increase our laying flock. And of course Jan says coq au vin after he has done his duty.

Jan says perhaps I should clarify who the Rotter is and then apologise to him/her. We have found very large prints of the Cape Clawless Otter on our driveway so we assumed he was stealing hens. They are renowned to eat hens and are big and quite ferocious by all accounts.
Well last night we think we found the real culprit- a wild cat. Not a feral cat but and actual African Wild Cat. It was so fast, I only saw a streak of white but Jan got a good look at it with it's tabby stripes and short tail. So nice to have a new family member. But all family members have to have a place and yours, little kitty, is not near my hens!

Chicken will become a luxury

"However, large meat producers are warning that cheaper meats such as pork and chicken will become “luxuries” if Washington does not suspend a program enabling the energy industry to secure up to 40 percent of the US corn crop for ethanol production."

This excerpt was taken from an article about drought raging through the US. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/jul2012/drou-j28.shtml

It's funny how lots of things seem to happen at once which push us in a particular direction.
First the "Rotter" killed another hen and freaked another out so badly that she still isn't back to laying after 2 weeks. Max heard all the chaos from his bed and came to call us but by the time we got there, Rotter was gone and Annie was dead from a broken neck. Sweet little blonde Annie. Anyway, so as not to waste her precious life, we cleaned her and ate her in a curry. I am not really a meat-eater but I refuse to be a hypocrite about food. It was not quite how I thought we'd spend a Sunday night though!

A few days later, I was chatting with Sean (www.selfsustainable.co.za) and he was saying that he is the only one in his valley who slaughters his own food- and they slaughter all the meat they eat. All the local boere send their livestock off to the abbatoir. Very cruel but certainly the easy way out.

We have decided we will have to keep and slaughter our own broilers. Both Jan and I still have to get our heads around slaughtering a pig once we have too many of those.

I want Max to know that something died for his roast chicken dinner or his bacon. It is a profound thing to see an animal you have cared for (and naming them does not make them safe around here anymore), end up on your dinner plate. Death, as life, is not pretty but being involved in it's process makes one very happy to eat lentils! I don't miss the lentils, but I do miss Annie.