Veggie Patch

G'day!

We've been working/weeding in the (neglected) veggie patch the last few days.  I'm using my knowledge of plant growth patterns and life cycle and common sense to clean the place up and prepare it for lower maintenance veggie growing.  I'm glad to say that I could recognize the blueberry, raspberry, passion vine, artichoke, corn, tomato, bean, pea, chard,  lettuce, squash, celery, chive, onion, mint, basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, cilantro, nasturtium plants easily.  Once reminded, I easily recognized the sorrel, eggplant, potato, beet root, radish (the greens are over 2' high - way overgrown for little red round radishes).  I had forgotten what comfrey and borage looked like.  Thank goodness I worked with veggies/herbs at Sloat!!

I've been tieing up tomato and bean vines with the materials at hand.  No tomato cages or stretchy tape; I've been using  1"X1"x 4' (?) stakes and thin strips of jersey (old stretchy T-shirt) fabric.  Hey, it'll work.  The plants are able to grow, the fruits will be off the ground and anyway, they're annual plants.   I will be using cardboard to mulch the paths, newspaper in the beds.

More about critters.  We have a red-bellied black snake that lives in the middle section of the compost heap.   We'd been taking loads of weeds in a wheelbarrow or large tub into the heap.  I've walked right into the heap and into the first heap to pile weeds higher into the back of the middle heap.  If it was hiding and I disturbed it, I could have been bitten.  But each time we've seen it, it's been curled up on top near the back of the heap.  I have to admit that it is beautiful, from afar.  It comes and goes but it's been there for at least a week.   Red bellies are venomous.  If untreated with antivenin, a person can die from a bite.

At one time, if a snake was seen on one's property, a person was supposed to catch the snake or call the police to catch the snake in order to determine whether the snake was venomous.   There were problems with this policy.  Attempts to catch the snakes would often result in snake bites.  Then the snake really did need to be caught to determine which antivenin, if any, must be administered.    Nowadays, no need any more to catch the snake.  A blood test can determine which antivenin, if any, should be used.  Some antivenins treat bites from multiple types of snakes.  For example, the same serum is used to treat bites from tiger snakes and brown snakes, both highly venomous.


 I sleep in a caravan, what Americans call a trailer.  It has a double bed on one end and 2 sets of single bunks on the other end.  There is a wardrobe next to the door on one side with counters, cabinets, and a small fridge opposite.  Curtained windows all around, two overhead light fixtures and a porch light.  It's pretty comfortable.  I also have a fan and a radio; my hosts really try to make me comfortable.  (I spend most of my free time and use the bathrooms in the house.  The other wwoofers were staying in a similar caravan a little further from the house.)


However,  I've been living with a skink.  A skink, not a skunk, thank goodness.  A skink is a small lizard; mine is about 5" long.  I see it almost every day, especially on hot days.  When I open the door, I usually look in to see if anything is visiting.  I wait for the skink to run into the cabinet.  One time I saw it in my shoe.  I have made it a habit to always check my boots or shoes before putting them on.  So far, so good.




On my third or fourth night here, two weeks ago, I encountered a huge!! 4"- 5" diameter spider!  It was grey with a very large body.  I, of course, screamed!  and ran to get my host who had heard my scream and was rushing toward me already.  I babbled about the huge! spider.  Well, eventually the spider was disposed of.  I was so glad; there was no way I could sleep in the caravan knowing that a monster spider was in there with me.  My hosts determined that it was a Huntsman spider whose bite would probably sicken but not kill its victim.

Hey, I came to Australia for adventure and to see Australia fauna.  I'm definitely getting both!!  During this past week I've also seen an echidna, several kangaroos or wallabies, and lots of wombats.  This week, I ate kangaroo meat.  It was very good; lean and tender with a light flavor reminiscient of beef.  Kangaroo meat is very high in protein, zinc, and iron and enzymes that make it a healthy meat choice.

Cheers!
Cyn