This is an interesting article on reducing traffic chaos - http://www.pigswillfly.com.au/?p=1603

Grinding...

...back to the grind, that is. I'm currently studying full time, and it's a third of the way through the semester. I got one assignment submitted on the weekend. So that makes 14 to go. Four of them are due in the same week (week seven). Which means week six is going to be a killer. Having said that, I'm enjoying being back at uni :).

I had a visitor for a week or so, so while the gardening got done, the blogging didn't. We've had heaps of rain, so everything is growing like mad. We've had a few zucchinis, herbs and leafy things from the garden, so it's all looking good. I do a caterpillar patrol morning and night, and am pleased to say there haven't been too many, probably because I have quite a lot of predatory insects (spiders, praying mantis etc) and birds hanging out in the vegies.

I've ordered some garlic that's supposed to do well in the tropics, so I'm looking forward to trying that out. And I recently had some baby roma tomatoes that were just delishimo (new word), so I've ordered some of them too. I'm starting to think I have a fixation on tomatoes - I have at least five different varieties.

So, what else is up in the world? I see that there are reports that thanks to the biofuel demand, food prices will continue to rise. While I appreciate that people want to do the right thing and reduce fossil fuel use (which I'm all for) , it seems madness to use food crops (or to sacrifice growing food crops in favour of crops for fuel) to do it. Somehow, when basic food items are at unreasonable prices, I don't think people will be as appreciative of having cheap fuel instead of food that doesn't cost most of the pay packet. I suspect vegie gardens will make a comeback when people have to decide between spending their last $50 on a tank of fuel or some basic foodstuff.

The good life

The last couple of days were fairly productive. I made hot cross buns on Saturday - yum! Then I went to the dump shop and scored 5 milk crates, two huge plant pots and a white cover for my freestanding carports all for $20 :). Sunday I got some more potting mix and planted carrots (may be too early, we'll see), pawpaws, more spaghetti squash, pak choi, and spring onion.

The last couple of days have seen a slight change in the weather. It's cooled off a couple of degrees, and despite still getting storms and showers, it's less humid. There seems to be a dry breeze coming in from somewhere - it's very refreshing. I'm just hoping the forecast monsoon turns out to be a mild one!

Yesterday I tried a slightly different version of my first solar cooker, and even with occasional bouts of overcast, it did great! I cooked two kangaroo mini roasts. Actually, to be more specific...I overcooked two kangaroo mini roasts :P. I put them on about 1pm, thinking I might need to finish them in the oven, as they still had ice crystals on the surface. But by 5pm they were well and truly done and overdone (kangaroo needs to be quite rare). But still tasty :). Next time I'll wrap them in foil, as they lost a lot of moisture. So I'm wondering what I can cook in the solar oven today. I'm considering chocolate cake...mmmmmm.

I probably should get that ready to go now (early morning) so it can go in as soon as the sun gets over the nearby tree. I also need to do lots of study today. With a full load at uni this semester, and an interstate visitor for the next week starting tomorrow, my hands are full!

Death in the garden

Today I became a murderer.

I'm a live and let live kinda girl - I enjoy critters of all shapes and sizes, and have been known to defend worms and spiders. But when the grasshoppers and caterpillars start decimating my beans, I get cranky. So with a prayer - "Thank you for letting me set your spirit free" - I squash the little bastards. Quickly, so I don't have to think about it. Ordinarily I'd be going, "Oh, check out the little grasshopper! Look at the colours on this hairy caterpillar." But not today. I've put the word out - I will leave you alone if you leave my vegies alone. Touch them and the boundary is crossed. I will send a hitman (person) after you.

Actually, I'm not quite that much of a nazi - a nibble here and there is forgiven, but when it gets to the point that the plants are calling my name and pleading to be saved from ravenous beasts...well, I have to do something. Just hope I don't come back as a grasshopper!

Yesterday I got new batteries for my electric bike. I got it last year and rode it to uni during first semester, but it hadn't had much use the last 6 months or so as I wasn't studying, and was working too far away to use it to commute. Also the chain kept coming off. So on the weekend I fixed the chain problem, only to find my batteries wouldn't hold enough charge to get me to uni and back, which I now need to do three days a week. Pricing them was a shock - $70-$90 each. And I needed two.

I remembered a site about electric bike conversions which mentioned that the portable jump starter packs used exactly the same battery, yet sold for much less. So yesterday when the jump starter packs went on special I grabbed two at $40 each, removed the batteries and soldered them in to the bike's battery pack. I let them charge overnight and did a few laps of the nearby suburbs today to make sure I had the range, and all is well. :) So tomorrow I can ride to uni instead of driving ($) or catching the bus (less $ but only comes about once every hour on average, and the connecting bus doesn't connect without a half hour or more wait, and it takes an hour to get the 5km between here and uni). And at about 2c a charge, it's even cheaper than the bus, even including a new set of batteries every year.

The electric bike is a el cheapo chinese-made model, which has had some el cheapo chinese-made-product issues, but that's what you get for $200 for an electric bike! When it dies beyond repair I'll get a conversion kit and put it on a frame from the dump shop.

Flat out like a lizard

Had a busy busy day - I started out by trying a recipe for crackers, which is just basically a flour, butter, milk mix, but I added parmesan cheese and dried onion, which turned out quite tasty :). From there I dismantled DS13's front brakes on his bike, as they were true Kamikaze weapons. There's something wierd about the brakes - they just don't want to play the game. Further investigation is required.

After that, I rushed through a hair wash and bolted to uni, only to find that the class I thought I had today is actually on tomorrow. Since the one I walked in on was the same subject only a different unit, I stuck around anyway.

Picked up the mail on the way home, and my Queensland Arrowroot had arrived! Yay! After a trip to get some more potting mix, I planted all but one, which got the taste test. Verdict: not too bad at all. Pretty bloody good, actually! DS13, who hates potato, was impressed with the steamed tuber, and would have had the lot if I'd let him.

So while I was in planting mode, I also put in the seeds I got from the markets yesterday. I'm running out room along the back fence. Will have to work something out, as that's the best spot sunwise. I can't put too many pots on the grass or the lawn nazis will have me (I live in a caravan park).

Anyway, after the planting and taste-testing, I whipped up a batch of home-made icecream, which I've yet to try (apart from licking all utensils and bowls involved in its creation) because it's taking too long to freeze properly - waaaaah!

All in all a productive day. :)

Clean up day

Today is Clean Up Day in Australia (www.cleanup.org.au). People get together and collect rubbish from designated spots in their area. DS and I went along to the Rapid Creek cleanup, and collected three big bags of stuff. The creek has flooded a lot lately with the big rains, so there was debris everywhere. Some strange and/or unusual items were: a glass saucepan lid (which I claimed), some old "Clean Up Australia" bags :( , and lots of items of clothing. My favourite pick was an ancient steel Coke can.

While we were there, we spotted a bicycle in a deep part of the creek, so we went back later with some rope and a homemade grappling hook (courtesy of DS) and fished it out. It's in reasonable nick, considering it's a tidal creek, so I don't think it's been there too long. DS will give it a scrub to get all the silt off it, and we'll take up to the police station to hand in tomorrow. If no one claims it in three months, he can claim it. He's managed to get a few items this way.

We actually have sun today, so I'm trying to cook some rice in the solar cooker. I can tell you the pot is bloody hot!

I went to the Rapid Creek weekly market today in search of our newly discovered delight, dragonfruit. Last week they were everywhere. This week they were not. I still managed to get plenty to put in the fridge though. Tried a yellow-skinned one for the first time and it gets my seal of approval :D. It's tasty enough to tickle the tastebuds on it's own. The pink skinned one and the red skinned one are a little blander and better with a squeeze of lime juice....mmmmmmm. (Please ignore the drooling sounds.)

Anyway, while I was there, I got some more seeds: spaghetti squash (yum!), ceylon spinach (haven't tried it before, but a good green vegie/salady), Darwin Lettuce (never met one before) and a different variety of butternut pumpkin. Which means I need more potting mix.

My latest brainwave for pots is feed bags. Cheap (even free), roomy, portable. They'll also reflect the heat better.

Wet wet wet

Okay, been a busy week in the garden - planted squash, spring onions, chinese greens, capsicum, nasturtiums and marigolds for the pest repellent properties, and garlic chives.

The zuchinis I planted a few weeks back are already starting to flower and fruit - must be the combination of cow manure, blood and bone and torrential rain! The first batch of tomatoes is also starting to flower - I can't believe how fast things are growing at the moment! My beans have discovered the back fence is for climbing on, and are proceeding with abandon. I am a happy girl :).

We've had a huge Wet this year, two lots of monsoon, plus another one sneaking up as we speak. This is what the Wet used to be like in North Queensland when I was growing up - very very wet. Mind you, North Queensland is copping it at the moment too, after many years of insignificant wet seasons (relatively speaking, that is - an average year is still measured in metres of rain, not millimetres).

I've been playing around with solar cookers the last week or so, but it's not helped by constant downpours and overcastness (new word :). I tried a variation on this one - http://www.solarcooking.org/plans/windshield-cooker.htm - but the wind was making life hard. So I scrounged an inner tube and a piece of perspex from the dump shop and tried this one - http://www.solarcooking.org/images/tirecooker.jpg . I improved the design slightly by sitting on some leftover Aircell insulation that I painted black ( http://www.air-cell.com.au ). It has a foil coating, so the black will absorb the heat, and the foil will help conduct it to the bottom of the pot. The air pockets will insulate the bottom and help the space hold the heat better.

I like this design because there's no glare to deal with. I'm looking forward to trying it out when the weather clears up and we get a full day of sun. Despite the current clouds and rain it gets about 4 litres of water hot enough to do dishes, or, when the sun stays out for a couple of hours, enough water for coffee to steaming point. I've ordered an oven thermometer so I can get an accurate reading of what temps it gets up to. Also, I'm thinking a pot with a metal lid may improve the performance - at the moment I'm using an aluminium teflon-coated pot, painted black on the outside, but with a non-matching glass lid, $2.50 courtesy of a lawn sale last week.

On a different front, I've just discovered a cheap and natural hair washing regime.

1 tablespoon of bicarb soda
1.5 - 2 cups water

Massage through hair, then rinse out. Your hair will become literally squeaky clean.

Then:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1.5 - 2 cups water
Optional: A few drops of essential oil can be added if desired.

Massage through hair, then rinse out.

My hair is usually very oily, particularly in this time of the year, and it feels so much better after using this wash. It's very soft, and the buildup from the commercial shampoo and conditioner is gone - my hair feels much lighter. I like it :).

From what I've read, it may not agree with everyone's hair, but for a couple of dollars it's worth a try!