NOVEMBER 2019

This year had seen our first full spring time in Bendigo and along with it some rewards for the hard work put into the new garden.

It was becoming obvious that callistemons – bottlebrushes – were one plant type that liked the conditions in this area. There were some brilliant flower displays by them in gardens around town, and in my backyard. I would definitely be planting more of these.

Huge display from a small bush

At the same time, I was starting to think that grevilleas were not so happy here. Surprising because I’d thought they were really adaptable. But the ones planted last autumn looked to be battling. My concept for this new garden was that of a bird-attracting one, so a variety of flowering native bushes was key to that.

Another bottlebrush

John was harvesting – an excellent crop of broad beans. I know these are not to everyone’s taste, but we both love them, harvested young, before the beans get too big and floury. According to our farmer next door neighbour, they are stock feed…

Broad beans

The garlic crop was also a good one. Back earlier in the year, John had found a source for garlic that was suited to our local conditions. He planted about 120 cloves in one of the new raised beds, and they all grew. We eat a lot of garlic! This year we would also be giving away a lot of garlic…

Harvesting the garlic crop

Couey turned 9 this month, making her definitely middle aged.

Grand daughter completed her Year 12 exams. Celebrated the end of school with a private “schoolies” week away with friends at Phillip Island. Now the wait for results and tertiary offers drags on.

Late one afternoon, received a somewhat frantic phone call for help, from neighbour . I went in there to find that she had tripped over a hose in the yard and hurt her ankle. Her husband had heard her call out and helped her inside, but neither was quite sure how bad it was, or what to do next. I didn’t like the look of the rapid swelling, so ambulance was called and arrived very promptly. The ankle turned out to be fractured, so a time in plaster was to ensue, complete with crutches and wheelchair. I lent her the crutches and shower chair we had stored from John’s various medical misadventures. For a lady over a decade younger than me, and very active, it was going to be a frustrating time.

We were both enjoying having neighbours on each side that had become friends too, despite our being somewhat older than them all. Back in Melbourne we’d never developed such friendly relationships: the residents on each side were either very much younger than us, had nothing at all in common, or were downright anti-social (as in the ones subject to an early morning raid by the drug squad). Country folk are different, it seems.