Spring Harvest

"It's a big day out in the garden when the chooks move on. "

The first words in my book echo in my head every two weeks at this time of year. The chickens are on their circuit round the garden and I have spent much of today out there with them, planting out their last position.

The garden is looking spectacular after last night's rain, and the little drop we had a couple of hours ago watered in all the planting I did this morning. Two bandicoots have been despatched so the seedlings will have a chance of taking root before the wretches find their way back from an undisclosed location some 10KM  away. I've given up on growing my own seedlings. I can't compete with the guy from the Yandina markets, or his hit rate. His seedlings are zombies -  they never die! You just stand back and watch them grow.

I get a bit conflicted about the change from winter to spring. Much as I love the fire, and having an excellent excuse to keep my upper arms out of sight, I'm also completely devoted to the bursting forth of my verandah jasmine, and spring rain, and cauliflowers! Only get a handful each season, but they are worth the wait. The other delight is nero kale and impossibly crisp silver beet.

Now I'm back in the garden, life is reforming itself in to more gentle patterns. The festival was terrific but frantic and sucked up a big slab of time. I haven't gotten near doing anything of my own for at least a year since I published Geoff's book and rehearsed and toured the accompanying show with him. Well, as much touring as can be managed on the smell of an oily rag between farm duties. However, we'd never have found the time to rehearse to this extent in Sydney, and it's all sounding pretty good. We'll be in Sydney 18 Sept to play a gig in the Sydney Fringe Fest. Looking forward to that one. Then after that it's practically Christmas and 2012! Time keeps on slipping away on me.

So, sorry about the lack of transmission there for a while folks. (Some considerable while as it turns out). You know, it's a habit thing, when you drop a habit, it's difficult to take it back up again. But I have managed to do the last thing on the 'to do' list from my book - give up smoking.  It's over - a forty year habit dropped, just like that. Who knew it was so easy?