Spring chickens and mountain wildflowers

A newly hatched chick with proud Mum

Wow! Now I know why tiny chickens that go peep are such powerful symbols of spring time and new life. They are so adorable and fluffy and nothing beats listening to the tapping noise they make while in their shell and their cute little cheeps. I'm as excited about these day-old chicks as if I was visiting a new baby. Our Sussex Light hens went successively broody as soon as the weather turned. The first lady puffed up her feathers, put on a nasty expression with a special 'leave me alone!' squawk and sat on the nest for three weeks. In the last week all three girls have gone broody and shared the nest sitting. They only get up to do one 'malodorous' poo once a day and eat and drink.


How's this for coincidence or maybe scary locational targeting. I googled fertile chick eggs and the first result I got was a house less then a few hundred metres from mine with a fine Welsummer rooster residing in the backyard. We bought four Welsummer-cross fertile eggs from John the retired farmer.      These babies have just hatched. On Thursday I'm expecting a dozen Light Sussex chicks to hatch.


Everyone is ecstatic and our babies took a walk around with mum and have already learned to drink water and eat their special mash.


Walking up Mount Imlay

Eucalyptus Imlayensis

I was lucky enough to do two superb bush walks during the school holidays at Eden on the South Coast. The first bush walk covered coastal terrain which varied from windswept tea-tree to rainforest to wild heath ablaze with gorgeous wildflowers.


The second walk was up Mount Imlay where I saw the endangered Eucalyptus Imlayensis (see photograph). Only a remnant few remain on the summit of Mount Imlay and nowhere else in Australia. They are beautiful and are among a few species unique to Mount Imlay including a boronia. The scenery was breathtaking and I admired nature's landscaping particularly the placement of rocks and ancient grass trees. It all works so beautifully. Did you know that lichen is actually a combination of an algae and a fungus? The lichens down that way are beautiful and one species of lichen colours the ancient rocks a milky white as if an artist had flicked a paint brush to create spots.


We had to cleanse our footwear to prevent the spread of the dreaded Phytophthora cinnamon fungus which is killing the trees. I'm interested in the work of the Australian National Botanic Gardens and the seed saver network and intend to investigate further.

Real Food Canberra and love of a laminex table


Two special books are being launched around this time. Love of a laminex table from the owner of Benedict House artist Kate Shelton was launched recently and I intend to get myself a copy. I dined at Benedict House in Queanbeyan and was charmed by the deceptive simplicity of a menu based on homegrown and regional produce. Brown rice flecked with puy lentils and citrusy salads with fennel, candied walnuts and a scattering of luscious pink pomegranate. The atmosphere of Benedict House is incomparable and nothing like it exists in Canberra. http://www.benedicthouse.com.au/ My friend Karen and I ate unbelievably good corned beef and talked about Lost Gardens with Monty Don on ABC TV and the stand of arctic beech in Barrington Tops National Park, NSW.


Real Food Canberra are fantastic dedicated folk and their sustainable cook book for children will be launched on 21 November at Majura Primary School. They have worked many hours on producing a resource that will benefit our children and engage their passion for real food and healthy eating. It's also a great literacy tool.


Burra Open Gardens


Burra opens its gardens again in 2011 with seven beautiful gardens for our enjoyment on the weekend of Saturday 29 October and Sunday 30 October. All the gardens sound spectacular and proceeds help the local community. A rest for refreshments in the Burra Community Hall or in one of the gardens is recommended. I don't know how we'll fit them all in but we'll give it a go. Roselawn was created around the remnants of the original 1930s garden which features a Monet-inspired footbridge.  The garden is planted with old fashioned iris, drifts of evening primrose, lavenders, rose and penstemon.


My own garden is looking a bit sad so I shouldn't really be traipsing off to look at other gardens but it will be my birthday treat. I have lots of work to do but I've decided to take a heritage based approach and turn one part of the garden into an orchard on the same site where an orchard was created by the wonderful gardener who lived here years ago. When he died all the trees were removed except for an oleander, some hibiscus, a fuchsia and the lovely camellias. My potato garden is flourishing and promises to rehabilitate the soil ready for future autumnal planting. Our vegetable garden needs supplementing but I've successfully seeded purple carrots and have snow peas growing. Many of the winter brassicas went to seed so I've donated those to our chooks. Raspberry canes are growing madly. I'm looking forward to planting some Lolo plots based on a culinary theme. I will ask my friend Linda to post some information about heritage plantings for the Ainslie area onto my blog.

Native orchid near Eden