Put a jump and a sparkle into your day
Well that’s the message I got from this little creature when I was plodding about the paddock just after sunrise 
The not-so-golden fleece
Farming these days is far distant from its origins. Farming used to supply people with food and clothing, farming used to provide nourishment. Now, it’s just another factory – run only to profit the owners. Fresh air in the country? Ha! A thing of the past……
My neighbour commenced shearing yesterday. After the sheep have been shorn, they are squirted with Eureka Gold to control lice. There are a variety of chemicals used for this purpose – all are toxic. Read about them Here Eureka Gold is an Organophosphate. Sheep treatments are very hazardous to the person applying it – read about the worker who was poisoned by Organophosphate Pesticides
Possible Health Effects of Organophosphates
- Runny nose
- Chest tightness
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach cramps
- Muscle twitching
- Confusion
- Seizures
- Paralysis
- Coma
- Death
Further information on this subject can be found here.
This morning, after a brief encounter walking past the treated sheep the previous day, I suffered from
- shortness of breath
- sweating
- nausea
- muscle twitching
- confusion
- violent headache
Now I need to wear a mask as soon as I step out from the house. Fresh country air? Ha!
Can wool be produced without these extremely hazardous chemicals? YES!
The Organic Trade Association in North America clearly states why organic wool production is important to the long term health of the planet.
Australian farmers also grow organic wool. Read a case study here. Plevna Downs has not only organic wool, but organic beef, lamb and mutton. These are just two examples of farmers who are doing the right thing – earning a living that is not at a huge cost to the people and the planet.
Now, for all the knitters out there, you can purchase fantastic organic wool from this great family company. Look at their range here And yes, they do ship internationally!
So don’t let anyone tell you that producing goods ethically and organically cannot be done.
It can!
Meanwhile, my search for another place to live continues……
Decisions
Even when you’re an insect, it’s not always easy to decide where to go to next……..
My search for a new home continues…..
A Day of Positive Action!
Sunday 1st. May is National Permaculture Day in Australia.
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that are modeled on the relationships found in natural ecologies.
Permaculture is sustainable land use design. This is based on ecological and biological principles, often using patterns that occur in nature to maximise effect and minimise work. Permaculture aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants. The ecological processes of plants, animals, their nutrient cycles, climatic factors and weather cycles are all part of the picture. Inhabitants’ needs are provided for using proven technologies for food, energy, shelter and infrastructure. Elements in a system are viewed in relationship to other elements, where the outputs of one element become the inputs of another. Within a Permaculture system, work is minimised, “wastes” become resources, productivity and yields increase, and environments are restored. Permaculture principles can be applied to any environment, at any scale from dense urban settlements to individual homes, from farms to entire regions.
The first recorded modern practice of permaculture as a systematic method was by Austrian farmer Sepp Holzer in the 1960s, but the method was scientifically developed by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren and their associates during the 1970s in a series of publications.
The word permaculture is described by Mollison as a portmanteau of permanent agriculture, and permanent culture.
The intent is that, by training individuals in a core set of design principles, those individuals can design their own environments and build increasingly self-sufficient human settlements — ones that reduce society’s reliance on industrial systems of production and distribution that Mollison identified as fundamentally and systematically destroying Earth’s ecosystems.
While originating as an agro-ecological design theory, permaculture has developed a large international following. This “permaculture community” continues to expand on the original ideas, integrating a range of ideas of alternative culture, through a network of publications, permaculture gardens, intentional communities, training programs, and internet forums. In this way, permaculture has become a form of architecture of nature and ecology as well as an informal institution of alternative social ideals. (Source Wiki)
Information on the range of activities taking place in celebration can be found at the Event Site here .
Many years ago I attended a weekend campout workshop on permaculture, and subsequently read extensively on it and have been guided by its principles ever since.
Permaculture makes pure and simple sense to me.
When I first moved to this property, there was virtually no garden, and the site was very exposed to strong winds and extremes of temperatures. The house sat exposed without any moderating influences, and my first summer here was horrendous. However, bit by bit that changed as I was able to build up soil fertility and grow vegetables and observe the microclimate and then plant bushes and trees in the most appropriate positions. Sometimes a plant had other ideas, as self-sown wattles popped up in unexpected places. Those are now providing beautiful blooms and shade and shelter. My garden after three years, is a place of life and thriving communities of micro organisms, insects, reptiles, birds, in addition to the plants. If I decide I want to photograph something, I need only walk out the door and take my choice – hence my foray into macro work. Naturally, eating fresh food grown organically on my property is a joy and certainly a buffer against the pressures of rising food prices in this country. There’s plenty of evidence to support the claims that gardening is good for one’s health – have a look here and here. After all, there’s more to it than putting food on the table…….
Nature gives her warning
When I awoke this morning, it was to fog moving into misty rain. It certainly appears that autumn is here although it was a damp summer for this area anyway. Yesterday a big wet front hit the state, and dropped about 40mls over the course of 12 hours. Much less than a friend on the south east coast has received however – 48mls in one hour! He’s ready for white water rafting in his suburban back yard! Another place a bit further along received three times the monthly average in under 12 hours.
No wonder my local ants were busy expanding the size of their nest….. I’d say they were making preparations for the change in the season. Note how high the entrance is – and this was on a high section of land as well!
I’m like the ants….I like to be prepared for changes….how about you?
God’s Helicopters
God’s Helicopters
God’s helicopters are spinning about down at the creek….
There are red ones, brilliant blue ones, tiny delicate,
Yet as powerful as can be, quick and darting as their wont.
Then there are the larger, heavier ones, mottled brown
Almost like a leopard in markings, but still able to skim over
The surface of the water, or hover, quivering, amazingly.
God’s helicopters are spinning about down at the creek….
Clinging motionless to the reeds, or sitting atop the weeds
Just above the surface of the water.
These are God’s messengers, showing us how to be
Just how to be……..another of God’s helicopters.
Everybody’s doing it!
Fred and I took advantage of a mild day, and went off exploring – something we both love to do. We hop into the car with no real destination in mind, just a vague idea of direction, and let chance lead us along. And today we hit the bullseye!
We found a wonderful waterhole, filled with plenty of fresh water after recent flash floods, and the whole area was teeming with life: birds, frogs, and insects. In particular, the dragon flies were going beserk! The noise from their whirring wings was incredible! Undoubtedly Spirit is alive and well at this place. More photos of the area to come……
Bee-reakfast!
When I came across the large praying mantis a few days ago, it was somewhat occupied. It had just caught a bee that was visiting the marrow – honey flavoured insect for breakfast obviously made for a tasty treat. The insect wanted to eat in private……I had other ideas and what followed was quite funny. After moving around the plant to avoid my camera lens, and finding it still pursued, the mantis took a leap – onto my hat! I could see its shadow outlined on it once I finally realised where it had disappeared to. I took my hat off, and got a couple of shots of it, and then it leaped onto my body – all the time still holding what was left of the bee. It really was very funny. Eventually I got it settled onto another plant where it finished off the bee. Luckily, my terrier is learning to leave things alone when asked as he was watching carefully the whole episode and I didn’t want the mantis to become his breakfast!
Here’s looking at you……
It’s hot here, summer has hit with a vengeance. Yesterday mid afternoon the temperature on the back verandah, in the shade, was 48C. Today it’s expected to get as hot. This time I may remember to take a photo of it. As it is cooler under the verandah than out in the sun, one can only imagine what the temperature may be. My thermometer doesn’t go higher than 50C……..
Anyway, yesterday morning while attending to my garden, I found a praying mantis, quite a large one, and later on in the day found a smaller one on the geraniums. The story on the big one will have to wait – it’s simply too hot in my computer room! Now I’m off for a cooling drink…….
Bright eyes
Imagine turning up at a party with eyes like these?
Lessons from Nature
The area in which I live is not subject to flooding and recent rains virtually bypassed my locality. However, I noticed the ants near my front fence were not taking any chances. Also, the night before the rain of 14mls did fall, the bees were still out gathering nectar from the gum trees as the sun was setting. Usually they are back in the hive well before that time.
Do you notice the shape of this ant mound?
The Green Room
Sometimes little dramas can occur even in the ‘green room’. 
Christmas decorations.
In Australia, Christmas falls in the middle of summer, and summers Downunder always mean flies. Well….except perhaps in Tasmania where it has been known to snow on Christmas day. While there are those who still celebrate in a traditional English manner, there are others who will have BBQ’s and beach feasts – outdoor activities = flies.
When I saw this tiny fly hanging from a seeding parsley flower, I was reminded of a Christmas tree decoration…..strange perhaps….but that’s the way my little mind works:-)
Filled with wonder
When I see the tiny life abounding in my garden, I cannot but be filled with wonder. This tiny spider – small enough to sit on top of a pen – in the late afternoon was very busy putting its web up to catch the evening insects. Truly, it is a marvel to consider the engineering feat it accomplishes. 
Transformation part 2
The ladybird is an insect that also undergoes transformation. I can still remember the first time I came across a huge colony of ladybird larva, in a client’s garden when I worked as a professional gardener. They are quite unlike the adult and look more like a miniature crocodile!
Like a butterfly, the adult form of a ladybird is loved by many and features in children’s stories and in songs. 
Transformation
One of the universal symbols of transformation is the butterfly. A vital part of this cycle is the caterpillar – or larval stage – and this is regarded by many gardeners as a nuisance at best or a pest to be destroyed at all costs at worst. I was one of the gardeners who regarded them as a pest……but eventually I realised the folly of my ways, and ceased my squashing of them and learned to tolerate their damage.
Years later now, I go to seek them out. With the aid of my camera and computer, I can see their amazing designs and habits and get entranced by them.
As a human, I’ve gone through various stages of transformation and some of them not very pretty at all. There’s been times when others have tried to squash me because they couldn’t see the beauty I had secreted away. So please, give a thought to the ones who are not regarded as beautiful, they may hold a treasure inside just waiting for the right time to appear.
I’m forever blowing bubbles…..
This is the song that popped into my mind when I saw what the fly was doing, while it was perched on a flower in my garden. Then I thought of Dean Martin singing it…..
Capturing an image like this is a dream come true for me. I’ve only had my macro lens a short time, and am still learning all it’s foibles as it is learning mine…. so I felt extremely lucky to get this shot.
It is said by one of the great photographers, that if you can get a handful of great images each year, you are doing well. Somehow I think this is probably my allowance for the year…..yet that won’t stop me from trying to repeat it, from trying to get another special moment in time captured forever. It’s just that the bar has been raised:-)
Disappearing into Nature
This ladybird appears to do something I can only dream about yet…..to disappear into Nature…..
Up close and personal
I’ve recently added a macro lens to my equipment, and despite having quite a steep learning curve in getting comfortable with it, I’m loving it. I believe in life-long learning, and this is a great path for me to follow, as I see the detail in insects that I’d be blind to otherwise. Some insects I can barely see with the naked eye, and now I can see their beautiful designs and colours! Nature is so very clever. I’m even beginning to like flies – providing they are outside and not biting me or my horse!
Stripey spider
The Salvia flowers almost non-stop in my garden, and is greatly loved by the bees. It’s very hardy and so gains a place for those reasons, even though to my nose, the flowers don’t smell very attractively. This spider, looks very similar to the white crab spider, but striped, so I can only assume it has chosen to adopt those colours. Their diversity continues to fascinate me.
Rainbow take-off!
The beautiful rainbow birds – Merops Ornatus – are still flying around at my local creek where there are many insects for them to catch. I spent the morning yet again trying to catch a shot of these fast agile birds in flight. The best I could do was of them leaving or returning to the tree branch – fortunately they tend to return to the same one each time. I just wish the tree wasn’t on the other side of the creek and where I could be closer….
Still, just watching these delightful birds was a great way to pass the morning…..
Capering about
The state I live in has few butterflies, especially compared to Queensland which has many rainforest species. The conditions here are too harsh for all but the hardiest. So when I see a new butterfly in my garden, it is cause for great excitement. Today I saw not one, not two, but several of these fluttering about – I think they are Caper Whites. The time they spent on each bloom was very brief; they danced about flippantly, daring me to chase them. But I’ve learned my lesson on photographing butterflies, and know the most successful behaviour I can adopt is to sit quietly and wait. It’s a useful discipline for me to learn and one I can apply to other aspects of my life.
Come into my parlour……said the spider…
Once again, the white crab spider is the subject here, although all you’ll see is one leg reaching out to the fly. Perhaps if the fly had read this poem it would have been too wise to get caught!
Spikes!
I was struck by the picture this Parasite Wasp
made sitting atop a Scotch Thistle. But then…I’m a little strange at times….
