A Green Earth

Walgreens Discount Prices on Prescriptions

2012-02-04T20:00:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Walgreens is offering a special discount on annual membership for the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens.

If you lack or have insufficient drug coverage this is the time to join the 2 million members other members and receive discount pricing on your medications.

This memberships comes risk free. If you don't save more than the cost of your membership during the course of the year of your membership Walgreens will refund the difference.

Family memberships are now $35 a year, and cover everyone in your the immediate family, including your spouse, dependents 22 and younger and pets and the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens individual membership is just $20

Your membership gives you discount prices on prescriptions, this includes savings on more than 8,000 brand-name and all generic medications, and also includes discounts on flu shots, pet prescriptions, nebulizers and diabetic supplies.

A further benefit of the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens is bonuses when you purchase Walgreens brand products and photofinishing services.

To stay updated and to support this discount program you can join Walgreens on Twitter and or Walgreens on Facebook.

Requiring medications can be a tough call when money is tight but with the Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens there is a way to get more affordable medications for your medical needs.

Varsity Lakes Permaculture Garden Metamorphosis

2012-01-29T23:40:00.000-08:00

Finally dry enough to check out my patch at Varsity Lakes Community Garden.

Basil, chillis, red beans, Brazilian and Ceylon Spinach are growing with vigor in my permaculture styled patch.

Also lavender, dill, society garlic, carrots and even some late heirloom broccili have survived the difficult conditions and are adding to the available food in my garden.

Have really worked my soil following permaculture guidelines and it is giving back strong plants in this difficult weather.

Some gardeners have however taken different options for February.

One of these patches has a cover crop and the other appears cleared.

The permaculture plants are however thriving in the plot below.

The gardener below is growing taro a strong permaculture staple along with New Guinea spinach, purslane, Brazilian spinach, coco yam, corn and basil.

Some tasty and nutritious meals ahead for the owner of this patch.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Food On Fridays, Fertilizer Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, WoW Us Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Tuesday Friend and Follow, Tuesday Train, Making Monday Marvellous, Show Off Your Cottage Monday, Metamorphosis Monday, Monday Mania and Just Something I Whipped Up.

Permaculture Home Garden in Rain and Heat

2012-01-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

My permaculture home garden continues to thrive in the rain and heat.

This paw paw transplanted from another garden less than six months ago is already offering fruit.

The yacon are thriving and am so looking forward to harvesting these ground apples.

They are so good for you with their sweetness coming from the healthy inulin. Lots of other valuable nutrients in them as well making it such an easy to grow super food.

In the bottom of the garden the Drumstick Trees continue to thrive.

Hope to be adding their protein rich leaves to my meals very soon but for the moment just the occassional nibble as they continue to grow stronger.

Lots of sweet potatoes also growing here, such a great ground cover in this hotter weather. Have had some delicious, large sweet potatoes from the raised mound around the fig tree, and one delicious fig from the fig tree. This small tree which almost died in the winter but now lots of new figs about to form.

Also enjoying eating the pigeon peas.

These were planted originally to provide nitrogen in a difficult part of the garden but are now providing really delicious peas and a great shade barrier for more vulnerable plants.

And last but not least one of my black mulberry cuttings has grown in the same difficult area of the garden. Small at present but just love those sweet, plumb mulberries so look forward to it progressing well.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Food On Fridays, Feature Yourself Friday, It's a Hodge Podge Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Hookin Up With HoH, Making It With Allie, Nature's Notes and Transformation Thursday.

Sustainable Living and Breast Cancer

2012-01-23T00:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how much better I feel since I have started living green.

Although I embraced modern living it did not work for me. Three separate breast cancers and a very large ovarian cyst confirmed I needed a new way of living.

One of the hardest things I found was not when I had the cancers but when I knew things were wrong with my body before each cancer and was not able to define what was wrong or find help.

This is why I am working to live a new way.

For someone with my history estrogen mimickng chemicals are on the avoid list.

I have what is called estrogen sensitive breast cancer which is feed by estrogen receptors.

A drug I take helps stop my body's estrogen feeding these receptors but estrogen mimicks in our environments also feed the same receptors.

Behind my sustainable living is the awareness that our environment has many sources of these estrogen mimicking chemicals and they are affecting not just individuals but our food chain, our ecosystems and the health of our planet.

My own home is as natural as I can make it and Irealize now how hard my body was fighting for wellness but was simply unable to cope with the barrage of contemporary chemicals.

I am aware the breast cancer equation is complex and different for each woman but I am looking at the factors over which I have control and changing them.

This post is part of Welcome Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Metamorphosis Monday, Monday Mania, Show Off Your Cottage Monday and Making Your Home Sing,

Brazilian Spinach, Purslane, Sweet Potato, Society Garlic and More

2012-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

Brazilian Spinach, Purslane, Sweet Potato, Society Garlic and Mint are on the plate freshly picked for dinner.

Brazilian Spinach is the crinkly leaved plant at the top of the plate. It is a strong perennial that will grow in the most difficult of conditions making a dense ground cover and attracting no pests. It is great gently steamed with a little olive oil added once cooked or finely cut in salads.

Purslane cuttings are beneath the Brazilian Spinach. This plant has more omega-3 fatty acids than some fish oils and is a great food for vegetarians. It is another strong grower with few pests. I eat it daily added to salads.For those who would like to know its scientific name is Portulacaoleracea.

The bright pink sweet potato is one of several types of sweet potato. These are one of the of the best vegetables you can eat and are loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. They are also great steamed and with olive oil added when cooked.

Society garlic to the left side of the plate looks like garlic chives but with a much stronger flavor. This is a strong grower that adds a punch to any dish with its strong true flavor.

There is also a sprig of mint on the plate. I love a hint of fresh mint to freshen a meal.

Other strong summer growers are basil, nasturtiums and passion fruit.

What a joy it is to eat freshly picked food. These favorite Permaculture foods just keep giving whatever the weather.

This post is part of Foodie Friday, Food On Friday, Fight Back Friday, It's a Hodge Podge Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Transformation Thursday, Hookin Up With HoH, Making It With Allie, Nature's Notes, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday Train, and Outdoor Wednesday.

Permaculture Food Forest Provides Food in The Heat

2012-01-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

My Permaculture Food Forest provides food in the heat.
Yesterday was the hottest day for several years but as the photo shows there was still a good harvest of food from my garden.

The plate contains some of the wonderful permaculture foods including Brazilian Spinach the crunchy, curly leaved perennial that seems to just go on growing in hot and dry weather while all around other plants wilt.

The egg like plant with purple stripes is a pepino a melon like fruit with a delicious sweetness when soft to the touch.

Purslane is also on my evening's plate. This plant is another favorite in permaculture gardens because of it contains alpha-linolenic acid, the highly sought after Omega-3 fatty acids usually obtained from fish oil. I eat purslane daily much less expensive than fish oil and much more accessible.

Among the tomatoes, passionfruit, mints, dandelions and peppers you will also see a large purple sweet potato.

At last I have succeeded in growing these thanks to my friend Monica from New Guinea. Monica showed me how to twirl long sweet potato runners into loops and place a group of these loops into the earth on a raised mound. Now about five months later I am amazed at the size of the sweet potatoes I am harvesting. There will be a lot more of these loops placed into mounds in my new food forest.
This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Making Your Home Sing, Fight Back Friday, Food On Friday, It's A Hodge Podge Friday, Frugal Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Foodie Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Creativity Party, Wow Us Wednesday, Nature's Notes, and Transformation Thursday.

Pimp My Cube Contest Offers Grand Prize for Worst, Most Pathetic, and Messy Cubicle or Office

2012-01-11T01:01:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Pimp My Cube Contest is offering a grand prize for `the worst, most pathetic and messy cubicle or office 'and a generous price for those voting on the contest..

If your work space has bad furniture, old technology, or is just messy, unorganized, noisy, dirty, dark or anything else that just makes it a bad place to be you could be in the running for this grand prize.

Valued at approximately$1200 your grand prize could be new high end computer system or new desk, chair and decorations or new entertainment package including a high end stereo and espresso machine.

All you have to do enter the Pimp My Cube Contest is upload a video from your webcam or phone showing and explaining the horrors of your workspace.

Once entered your friends, family and coworkers can vote for your video, and anyone registering to vote could win a $200 gift card..

Sweepstake entry points are gained for registering, voting, commenting and inviting others to register for the contest.

The grand prize will be selected by CF judges on criteria including the most votes, and the worst and most compelling story.

Spinning a good story and making your viewers laugh will bring in those votes.

The contest runs from until 1/31/12 at 12:00PM so plenty of time to get your video made and be in the running for the grand prize.

Breast Cancer Prevention and Permaculture

2012-01-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

This blog tells the story of my journey in breast cancer prevention after recovering from a third breast cancer and my discovery of permaculture on this journey.

There is so much good advice out there on breast cancer prevention including that from the the Mayo Clinic which includes developing healthy habits such as limiting the amount of alcohol you drink, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, breast feeding and discontinuing hormone therapy.

All of these with the exception of breast feeding as I was unable to have children I was trying to put into practice when a third small breast cancer began.

The last piece of advice from the Mayo Clinic is to avoid exposure to environmental pollutants. They state some research suggests a link between breast cancer and exposure to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in vehicle exhaust and air pollution.

My instinct was that the issue of environmental pollutants is much more complex than this. I decided to sell my apartment which was in a block of six apartments where to my knowledge five cases of cancer and three deaths have occurred in a space of a few years and find a new way to live.

Near my new house a community garden had just opened and I discovered at their workshops the relationship between healthy soil and healthy food.

With the knowledge gained at the community garden I attempted my dream of beginning my own sustainable home garden.

I sometimes think I am a slow learner for it was only much later I began to understand the nature and importance of permaculture.

Gold Coast Permaculture and its many powerful workshops really opened my eyes to a new way of both growing and eating food. It was and is also exciting to find so many other people looking for positive answers to old ways that cannot sustain quality life on this planet.

From a difficult time I had discovered permaculture, a new and healthy way of living for our planet and its people.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Tuesday Train, Metamorphosis Monday and Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

Permaculture Home Garden Thrives in Heat

2012-01-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

It was exciting to return from a Christmas break to find my permaculture home garden had thrived in the heat.

Last year I enjoyed learning about permaculture but it is really special now to see its concepts beginning to bear `fruit' in my own garden.

Permaculture concepts include working with rather than against nature, of looking at natural systems in their entirety, and of allowing these systems to demonstrate their own evolutions rather than taking just one yield.

In my own garden this has meant looking at my food plants differently and also using many new food plants.

The sweet potato seen spreading across my garden for example not only provides delicious potatoes but its runners provide a ground cover that both shades and enriches the soil.

The pigeon peas growing along the fence line are also a many faceted plant.

It was suggested I plant them here as the soil was poor and they enrich soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen.

I am growing to love them because of their green peas which are like fresh peas.

I have also made a delicious dahl from the dried peas. A tasty recipe for all and a good protein source for vegans.

When I started out gardening I imagined neat rows of vegetables but learning to garden the permaculture way is proving a much stronger alternative with a great variety of nutritious foods available in even the most difficult of seasons.

This post is part of Show and Tell Friday, Fertilizer Friday, It's A Hodge Podge Friday, Food On Fridays, Hookin Up With HoH, Simple Lives Thursday, Transformation Thursday, Nature's Notes, Outdoor Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday and Real Food Wednesday.

Organic Garden Brings Bounty and Surprises???

2011-12-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

My garden continues to offer unexpected surprises.

The beautiful pioneeer raspberries have such a wonderful taste eaten straight from the bush. I though the plant was dead last winter but now is very much alive with many offshoots.

The blueberry bush now full of fruit was a bare twig when transferred to its new home.

The fig stood stick like and fragile until was replanted on a mound with lots of good manure.

The beautiful white drumstick flower , the ongoing bounty of Brazilian spinach and the gift of new passion fruit are all ongoing bounty.

Each walk in my garden brings ongoing joy and surprises.

This post is part of Show Off Your Cottage Monday, Monday Mania, Just Something I Whipped Up, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Metamorphosis Monday and Fab Friday.

How to Propagate a Tamarillo with Rebecca

2011-12-20T21:57:00.000-08:00

I had been wanting a Tamarillo tree for my garden so it was a joyous surprise when my friend Rebeca asked if I would help her propagate her heavily loaded tree and put my name on one of the new plants created.

For those of you unfamiliar with Tamarillos they originate from South America and are also known as tree tomatoes.

They range in color from purple to yellow and you eat their wonderful pulpy insides.

They can be tart. but Rebecca's Tamarillos I found sweet to my taste.

They are also very good for you being high in fibre, calcium, iron, phosphorus plus vitamins A and C.

Here is Rebecca knife poised about to begin propagating.

And here is branch about to be propagated on which I have placed my name.

Below are the different items we required for propating.

These items are Sphagnum Moss, Cling Wrap and Rooting Hormone. (You can use quality honey instead of Rooting Hormone.) We also did use some strong cellotape.

And here is the propagation process.

First a partial cut was made on the downside of the branch to be propagated.

Then some Rooting Hormone (or honey) was gently applied to the lining of the cut.

A piece of soft leaf was used to spread the Rooting Hormone.

Sphagnum Moss was next gently pushed into the cut and held there using Clad Wrap.

Finally some strong wide Cellotape was wrapped around the Cling Wrap to make it even more secure.

Roots will form within the cut and a new Tamarillo tree will be ready for planting in my garden in about three months, next March.

Will be preparing some rich, friable soil for it to have a great start on its journey.

Am so looking forward to having a fruit filled Tamarillo tree.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Show and Tell Friday, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Make It Yours Day, Works For Me Wednesday, and Welcome Wednesday.

Permaculture versus Roundup Ready GMO Crops

2011-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

Roundup ready GMO crops are about interfering with natural ecosystems, Permaculture is about working with natural ecosystems.

Roundup ready GMO is being found to make food plants weaker and more vulnerable to disease while Permaculture creates stronger food plants able to withstand disease.

Glyphosate present in Roundup ready GMO crops affects soil biology in a negative way by interfering with the absorption of micronutrients, Permaculture affects soil biology in a positive way by building up micronutrients.

The latest information coming out on Roundup Ready GE crops is showing the presence of a new organism, completely unknown until now that is able to reproduce and cause disease in both plants and animals.

Professor Don M. Huber of Purdue University. Huber who is also a coordinator for the USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System has discovered the organism and has penned an open letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The video interview with Professor Huber below gives more alarming details on just what is happening with Roundup Ready GE crops. It is not a short video but one that is invaluable viewing.

Meanwhile I am gaining strength from my own Permaculture garden, where to my amazement after almost two years of working with sustainable strategies I now find almost no pests. Today saw a grasshopper but before I could catch it a bird snapped it up.

So what is Permaculture?

Permaculture is is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.

Early permaculture focused on agriculture and food systems, but its design principles are now being applied to urban food production, suburban gardens, farms, communities, larger bioregions and even social systems.

The principles behind Permaculture are care of the earth, care of the people and share or return of the surplus.

The more I learn of Permaculture the more I want to learn. Our relationship with nature is complex and requires both scientific understanding and observation.

For Permaculture the problem is the solution. For example if you have too many snails in a garden the permaculture approach would be that system is out of balance and this creates an opportunity to rethink the design to become more productive.

Given a choice of Roundup Ready GMO Crops or Permaculture it is clear which choice I would make. I do hope the world will wake up and join me.

Natural ecosystems are precious and have the ability to renew us all.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Fight Back Friday, It's a Hodgepodge Friday and Fertilizer Friday.

Discovering Soil, Compost & Natural Fertilizers with Gold Coast Permaculture

2011-12-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

There is always so much to learn with Gold Coast Permaculture.

Today's talks with Justin and Charles were full of so much good information for creating rich, living, soil and plants.

I always find seeing what Gold Coast Permaculture is achieving using permaculture methods inspiring.

Today was no exception, and it was clear from the garden's abundance that the best pest defense is the wonderful soil here that is building such strong plants.

Felt green with envy at their nutrient rich compost pile and have promised myself to create a compost heap in my garden using the Berkley Method next year.

Justin also showed us how to use nitrogen fixing plants to bring life back to sandy soil. The concept of innoculating nitrogen fixing seeds was a new one for me to digest.

Adding to the legume crops by further building up the soil with layers of compost, mulches and manures was apparent in the new community garden area.

Herbicides and pesticides destroy the many living microorganisms that create soil, but working with what nature has provided creates a soil full of vigor and life.

Charles took the journey further by showing us how to make biofertilizers which add further micro nutrients to this living matter.

Next year Gold Coast Permaculture will be developing these soil enriching methods further.

I can see care of the land, care of the people and the redistribution of the surplus, permaculture's guiding ethics will continue with vigor on Australia's Gold Coast next year.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Tuesday Train, Amaze Me Monday, Metamorphosis Monday and Monday Mania.

Surviving Breast Cancer, A Journey of Change

2011-12-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

It is almost twenty years now since I first had breast cancer. Since then I have had two more breast cancers and today I am well.

I thank all the wonderful medical people who have been part of my journey back to health but one thing I have learned as a cancer survivor is that becoming well is a journey of change.

Twenty years ago medical and environment understandings were so different to today.

When I was first diagnosed I put all my faith in medical solutions but gradually as my cancers continued to happen I realized I needed to understand more.

This journey I try to express on this blog with posts about my new sustainable home, growing an organic garden and an increasing knowledge of permaculture.

There is much more of course but changing the chemicals we are exposed to in our daily lives is a great way to start the journey of cancer prevention.

The quote below from the article `Soft-Pedaling Prevention, We celebrate those who beat cancer but ignore efforts to prevent it,' in the Pittsburgh City Paper expresses powerfully the reality of today's world.

More scientists are now, like Epstein, raising alarms that synthetic chemicals drive cancer. Consider testicular cancer. Studies have linked exposure to hormone-mimicking chemicals (like those found in some pesticides and plastics) to reproductive abnormalities including undescended testicles, a cancer risk factor. Meanwhile, a 2008 study suggested that a byproduct of the pesticide DDT (still found in most Americans' bloodstreams) increases the risk of testicular cancer.

And DDT is just one of at least 84,000 synthetic chemicals. Some are known carcinogens; the vast majority remain untested for health effects.

But passing laws to reduce exposure to such chemicals is difficult, partly because of the chemical industry's political influence. According to opensecrets.org, the industry employs nearly 500 federal lobbyists and regularly spends $50 million a year on lobbying; top spenders this year include Dow Chemical, the American Chemistry Council and DuPont Co.".

I live in a sustainable home, eat organic food and work to eliminate unnecessary chemicals in my life, but our world needs more.

We require a sense of responsibility from our governments and corporations for what they are doing to our planet and its inhabitants.

Let's hope for change and a healthy world in the future.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Show and Tell Friday, Fight Back Friday, Transformation Thursday, Making It With Allie, Nature's Notes, Hookin Up With HoH, Titus 2sday, Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Tuesday Train, Traditional Tuesdays, Metamorphosis Monday, Amaze Me Monday, and Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

A Food Garden Metamorphosis

2011-11-27T16:38:00.000-08:00

My food garden continues to evolve. The first photo was two years ago, just before the first paw paw trees were planted, the second last October and the third today, about two months later.

We have just had our driest November for almost a hundred years but inspite of this weather the tropical plants such as okra, cassava , arrowroot, coco yam and taro continue to grow quickly with the increasing heat.

All these are new plantings for me and an experiment in `survival foods' for a changing planet.

The links I have used in this blog post I will be using to extend my knowledge of these plants and to assist with their growing, harvesting and cooking.

Below are two further tropical additions to my garden, African Spinach and Yacon.

It does feel quite confronting learning to grow and eat these new plants but they are tasty foods able to survive in an uncertain climate and provide a wide range of nutritional needs.

Yacon for example stores carbohydrates in the form of inulin rather glucose. This creates a food with a very low glycemic index and few calories that is great for both diabetic and dieters.

The Yacon Tubers also contains a balance of 20 amino acids, are high in potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron, and 0.4 to 2.2 percent protein. Dried yacon tubers provides a healthy alternative to potato chips.

It is a learning curve, but gradually am beginning to grow what I hope will be ongoing supply of healthy, nutritious and organic food for an uncertain climate.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Fertilizer Friday, Food On Fridays, Transformation Thursday, Hookin Up With HoH, Making It With Allie, Real Food Wednesday, Nature's Notes, and Metamorphosis Monday.

Gold Coast Permaculture, THANK YOU For Sharing This Year

2011-11-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

It has been a joy this year to learn about new ways of producing and preparing food with Gold Coast Permaculture.

Rain or shine the classes have continued each weekend in the shed, in the grounds or under the beautiful mango tree.

There have been so many wonderful things to learn including, Establishing New Food Systems and Sharing Seeds, Organic Pest Control and Raw Foods, Introduction to Organic Gardening and Fermented Foods, Dairy Making, Urban Agriculture and Soil Creation, Sprouting, and Mushrooms, Jams and Compotes.

As well as the shared knowledge there has been the joy of watching this knowledge being implemented.

Each week eager participants have been able to watch the development of the soil and the food flourishing in this soil.

Many people including myself now have a new vision of what is possible in urban agriculture and are using what we have learned to grow and eat food in a different way.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Food On Fridays, and Show and Tell Friday.

Urban Gardening, Creating Change

2011-11-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

Here is my front garden two years ago, and here it is today.

This area had a rubber tree growing when I brought my home and this was dug out and lavender, nasturtiums, five spice, aloe vera and a frangipane tree planted.

Compost, rock dust and mulch were added to the soil and 2 passionfruit vines planted beside the fence behind.

The bare areas along the side fence have also evolved.

The first project was planting some palms adjacent to my house for a privacy screen.

The second project, my food forest came about when the neighbor at the bottom of the garden requested the removal of the large, nitrogenous native tree on their fence line.

The removal of this tree allowed the winter sunlight to burst forth to this area and I used the mulch from the tree along with newspaper and enriched compost as the basis of my new food forest.

This has been very much a learning curve and during the winter months it appeared I had lost several of my new trees.

But with spring came delightful surprises, new leaves and new fruits.

Paws paws and cassava are among the trees in this area.

I have also created mounds on which vegetables and other survival plants such as yacon that perfect food for diabetics and Egyptian spinach are growing.

For these mounds I simply dug holes and filled with layers of vegetable scraps, compost, soil and rock dust.

When the mounds became large enough I planted into them.

My favorite trees are currently the Drumstick Tree.

Three of these have been nurtured at the bottom of the garden over winter and are looking more lively now.

Here is one with its wonderful soft foliage just able to be seen over the dry foliage.

The leaves have a unique and delicious flavor and sometimes I nibble as I garden, but as the trees are so new am very careful what is taken.

They are such beautiful plants seems almost mean to eat them.

This fig tree was just twig over winter and doubted it would live but was placed in a large pot and soil mounded around.

Spring brought new leaves and also its first fig. I am so looking forward to eating that fig.

This post is part of Making It With Allie, Hookin Up With HoH, Nature's Notes, Outdoor Wednesday, Amaze Me Monday, and Metamorphosis Monday.

Plastics and Breast Cancer, Don't You Know???

2011-11-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

Since my surgery and radiation for a third small breast cancer I have lived in a more natural way.

I have immersed myself in creating a chemical free home, growing my own organic food and found kindred spirits in the permaculture movement.

But over the last few months events have impressed on me what little understanding there is out there as to the environmental causes of breast cancer.

My wonderful new gym welcomed me with a bag and plastic drinking bottle bearing their logo.

I wanted to scream `NO, NO, NO' but instead decided to write this blog post.

Research has shown all plastics can leach and at different exposure levels some of these leached chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), may cause cancer in people.

BPA is a weak synthetic estrogen which in the body acts to disrupt hormones along with other chemicals found in plastics.

Hormone disruptors affect how estrogen and other hormones act in the body, by blocking or mimicking them.

These estrogen mimicks are a factor in the development of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer and someone like myself who has had three such cancers NOW works hard to limit their exposure to such chemicals.

I stay away from plastics in microwaves, use ceramic plates, cook in pyrex or stainless steel, and wrap up my sandwiches in wax paper.

I have been invited to social events where food is warmed in plastic containers in microwaves, and served on throw away plastic plates with plastic utensils. I want to scream, `AREN'T YOU LISTENING' but instead work to get the word out there.

The plastic bottle from my wonderful, new friendly gym will not be used. I have my own stainless steel drinking bottle thank you very much and I hope one day we will all discard plastics from our food utensils and use recyclable and natural materials instead.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Show and Tell Friday, Fight Back Friday, What I Wore and Made Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesday, Transformation Thursday, Making It With Allie,and Hookin Up With HoH.

Permaculture Spring Fest

2011-11-11T22:43:00.000-08:00

The rich new soil of Gold Coast Permaculture gave color and life to its Spring Fest.

After a winter of focused work renewing the soil the site was full of color, food and life.

Crowds flocked to the festival to learn more about this abundant way of life and relished in the informative workshops, delicious food, and inspired art and music.

Permaculture was clearly on display as an exciting and innovation way of living.

To see the rich, friable soil today it would be hard to believe this site was a sandy wasteland earlier this year.

Now Gold Coast Permaculture is leading the way as an example of urban agriculture and so many people wanted to share in the secrets of creating such productive soil.

Great food, great company, something for all ages and so much to learn for all.

The future seems filled with so much more promise after an example of what can be done when the earth is respected not plundered.

This post is part of Nifty, Thrifty Tuesday, Amaze Me Monday, Making Your Home Sing, Metamorphosis Monday, and Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

Why A Sustainable Home After Breast Cancer???

2011-11-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

After a third breast cancer I have made a concentrated effort to change the way I live. Here is the living area of my new sustainable home where I work to keep surfaces and furniture simple and natural. The walls and floors are coated with safe VOC (Volatile Organic Substance) free finishes.

My efforts have been confirmed by groundbreaking research coordinated by the non-profit Silent Spring Institute which gives support to the role of synthetic chemicals in the increasing breast cancer figures.

Their study identified 216 man-made chemicals shown to cause breast cancer in animals.

Many of these chemicals are founds in everyday products including pesticides, cosmetics, dyes, drugs and gasoline.

These substances shown to cause breast cancer in animals are believed by researchers to be responsible for the rise in human breast cancers.

Many of these chemicals “mimic” naturally occurring hormones in the human body.

Further evidence for these lifestyle exposures comes from Scandinavian figures showing the breast cancer risk of adopted children parallels the risk of the family they grew up in, not that of their biological family.

Adopted children share eating patterns, lifestyle patterns and geography with their adopted parents.

In my new sustainable lifestyle I try to avoid unnecessary chemical exposures, synthetic materials, plastics and pesticides. I also grow and eat organic foods.

Our contemporary world makes avoiding chemical exposures often difficult but having a sustainable home is a great starting point.

This post is part of Show Off Your Cottage Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Metamorphosis Monday, and Amaze Me Monday.

After Breast Cancer A New Adventure in Sustainable Living

2011-10-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Prior to my third breast cancer diagnosis I longed for a sustainable home and an organic garden.

My apartment had been on the market almost two years when I underwent treatment and it was a year later it sold.

The home I brought was an old hardwood house raised off the ground.

No prior renovations had taken place so I was able to start from scratch and create an environmentally friendly home.

I have a living, breathing hardwood floor and walls were painted with no VOC paints.

When you enter the house there is a real wood smell, lots of plants, through breezes and it feels alive.

Step by step this house is growing into a home.

Finally I have paintings on the easel and my trees are starting to grow and give fruit.

It is just over two years since I moved here and this year in particular has been such a journey in discovering a new way of living with regular workshops at Gold Coast Permaculture, the hands on learning of local permablitzs and special garden experiences such as a day at Jude Lai's Garden Paradise.

From my own renewed health through living a simpler and more natural way I see hope for our planet.

So many wonderful people are out there working towards a better world and together we can make it happen.

This post is part of Transformation Thursday, Make It Yours Day, Outdoor Wednesday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Metamorphosis Monday, Amaze Me Monday, and Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

Varsity Vegies Community Garden, Sharing, Caring and Great Food

2011-10-25T23:00:00.001-07:00

All are welcome at Varsity Vegies fund Raising Barbecue Friday 28th October at 6.30pm, (behind the community center in the park on Mattocks Road).

The garden goes from strength to strength.

Now at the beginning of its third year the results of effort are showing fruit.

Look at this for a passion fruit vine and what wonderful juicy sweet treats it produces for all to share.

Here is June whose gardening expertise has guided our passion fruit vine watering banana's in the swale she helped to create.

The swale is in an area of garden that flooded each time it rained but the building of a swale here has resulted in a blossoming garden area where banana and coco yams mix with comfrey, coriander, pumpkins, water melons and cucmbers.

Carlene another caring gardener attends her broad beans and tomatoes.

Fruit is just beginning to form on the tamarillo tree Carlene has nursed back to health.

And here is Chris sitting under the mural at the front of the garden shed busy organizing garden paper work on his laptop.

It's a busy and active team at Varsity Lakes Community Garden and each person is able to use their own gifts to contribute.

Monica is our resident tropical garden expert, and her garden features, coco yams, taro, sweet potato from which she gets prolific crops and I will have to ask her what her other plantings are.

Always something to learn when you garden with such an interesting team.

Two images from my own patch to finish.

The dwarf broad beans I planted as seeds in the winter and which have become much TALLER than imagined and full of beans and the very special purple beans I discovered through May another special gardener who comes from China and who teaches me something new every evening we are in the garden together.

This post is part of Making It With Allie, Hookin Up With HoH, Nature's Notes, Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, and Welcome Wednesday.

Seed Raising, Propagation, Sprouts and More at Gold Coast Permaculture

2011-10-22T01:51:00.000-07:00

Another busy Saturday at Gold Coast Permaculture where among the wonderful new soil created from local waste streams and lively bee hives so much was happening.

First a workshop with Justin on Seed Raising and Propagation.

One seed raising mixture given was a 1/3 fine sieved compost, 1/3 worm casts, and 1/3 vermiculite.

His favorite seed raising mixture also good for propagation was equal parts river sand and BFA certified compost plus ten percent powdered cow manure.

Here Julie from Varsity Lakes Community Garden gives Justin's favorite seed raising mixture a try.

Then a workshop on sprouts by Vanessa.

Lots of interested participants and lots of good information.

These Chia Sprouts look especially impressive.

Finally a workshop with Amanda giving some pertinent information as to the advantages of organic food.

Food tasting at the end of the talk confirmed for participants the advantage of organic food.

Further confirmed by another of Vanessa's wonderful organic cakes.

All in all another enjoyable and informative day at 270 Ferry Road.

Straight Talk Halves Your Phone Bills and Gives You That Feel Rich Feeling

2011-10-21T10:02:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Permaculture Brings Successes in Organic Urban Garden

2011-10-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

My early gardening attempts resulted in many failures.

This spinach plant may seem ordinary to the viewer but to me it is a success as the soil in this part of my garden is now strong enough to grow healthy and strong plants.

Mulch layers including all my spare leaves have been mixed with dried, shredded cow manure to renew a soil that seemed incapable of growing sizable plants and finally success.

Lebanese Cress and Purslane are also starting to flourish in the same area of the garden.

The Purslane can be seen in the bottom left corner.

This insignificant looking plant is a small garden miracle with its high levels of alpha-linolenic acid an omega-3 essential fatty acid.

It has also been found to be a wonderful source of melatonin that can assist with cancer prevention.

One source I read suggested eating purslane in the afternoon could raise melatonin levels enough to help with the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.

And here is my blueberry bush finally full of blueberries.

This is a plant I thought I had lost through planting in the wrong area.

Careful nurture in a pot in my nursery area has brought it back to fruitful life.

Almost too small to see are my first ever Maqui Berries. These small berries will turn black on ripening and have more than three times the benefits of the Acai berry and almost 6-8 times the properties of the other common berries.

This is another plant I thought I had lost this tree but it was moved its first position. Now it has found its place and is celebrating with its first berries.

The final moment of joy in my garden are my first pigeon peas. These were grown from seed and placed in further difficult soil.

The idea was to grow pigeon peas to add nitrogen to this soil but several of my small seedlings shriveled up and died although watered regularly.

This soil is tough. Some however survived and as they grow I know the soil is getting stronger as well as having some tasty peas for dinner and in time enough dried peas for a good batch of dahl.

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday, Amaze Me Monday, Show Off Your Cottage Monday, Feature Yourself Friday, Fertilizer Friday, Foodie Friday, and Food On Fridays.

Schar Gluten Free Sample

2011-10-20T19:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Schar for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Celiacs and the gluten-intolerant will be excited to know Schar has just relaunched three great products, their Sub Sandwich Rolls, Ciabatta Rolls, and Baguettes.

For food sensitives like myself it is often difficult to find products that met our requirements but Schar ingredients are carefully selected to not only be gluten free but also met a full range of dietary needs.

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I look forward to your comments sharing which Schar products you are excited to try and how you will use your free delicious Ciabatta samples.

Food, Fun and Compost at Nerang Primary School Permablitz

2011-10-15T01:22:00.000-07:00

The food is growing with such wonderful abundance at Nerang Primary School.

The gardening team and their students helpers clearly have green thumbs and some exciting plantings.

The pigeon pea bushes provide a wonderful source of protein and some tasty dahls.

A colorful butterfly adds to the garden's creativity.

The permablitz team lead by Leah worked hard to create a new compost area.

Recycled materials formed the supports of this new area and created two open bays.

Layers of green cuttings from the garden, shredded paper, manure, mulch and some decomposed grass clippings were added.

Layers were hosed to dampen before the next layer was added.

The grass clippings were broken up to mix more easily with the other materials.

A plastic cover was placed over the pile to retain nutrients from being washed out by summer storms.

The school gardening team will continue to add materials including vegetable scraps and lawn cuttings to the compost to increase its variety of nutrients, and the compost will be moved between bays to add to its development.

This post is part of Transformation Thursday, Tuesday Garden Party, Tuesday Train, Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Fight Back Friday, Food on Fridays, Fertilizer Friday, and Feature Yourself Friday.

Sustainable Art Studio

2011-10-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Finally painting again. It has taken time but at last the energy is beginning to flow and am creating once more.

Sharing here some glimpses of my studio which is the old balcony of my home now enclosed and made into a sun room.

The windows to the afternoon sun are covered with paper blinds which give me the privacy I crave while working but also allow in the afternoon light.

The other window looks out over the Gold Coast Skyline and needs no blinds.

Walls are painted with organic paint and the floor boards have been sealed with a VOC free sealant.

The front door to my house can be left open on hot days and the air flows right through.

Am experimenting at present with clay paint both commercial and homemade.

It is taking some experimentation to get the color intensity I require in my works using these new mediums but already some successful results and it does feel good to be creating SUSTAINABLE art.

This post is part of Organizing, House of Grace, Works For Me Wednesday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Tuesday Train, Metamorphosis Monday, Amaze Me Monday, and Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

Sustainable Food Garden Surprises

2011-10-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

From this to this.

I envisioned three neat trees but instead a full food garden is evolving and more to come.

Below you can see different mounds where I have dug holes and then composted to create raised areas of fertile soil for my new plantings.

These mounds have started with mulch in the bottom of the trench and then layers of food scraps, soil, wet leaves and more mulch.

The secret I am finding is to get a balance of soil, other materials and moisture content such that a friable soil quickly evolves.

As the natural soil in my garden lacks body and is on top of clay I am watching my new trench compost piles and their food plantings with interest.

Yesterday arrowroot, galangal, and African spinach were planted in one mound.

The week before yacon and African spinach were planted in another mound.

African spinach is a tough, drought proof plant that I hope will be a successful food source if our summer is hot and dry. It also becomes quite a large, bush like plant and provides plentiful leaves.

I have grown the small seedlings myself and look forward to seeing how they grow and what they can add to a food garden.

It has been a dry and windy week but the first plantings are looking healthy and strong in their moist, deep, newly created soil.

This post is part of Nature's Notes, Transformation Thursday, Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Metamorphosis Monday, and Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

Gold Coast Permaculture, Mushrooms, Jams, Compotes and Dreams

2011-10-01T01:50:00.000-07:00

While one small boys develops his dreams under the colorful banner dreams people gather for the first workshop of the day.

The topic was mushrooms, something of real importance to our planet as well as our immune systems.

Always exciting just to visit 270 Ferry Rd.

The hens look so healthy and the place is developing a unique beauty with its creative flourishes and real earth connection.

Here is the group for the second workshop on jams and compotes, and everyone enjoyed tasting a range of unique jams on Vanessa's homemade pikelets.

Sylvia our special nutritionist with two young permaculturalists.

And here are the wonderful mushroom growing tubes I obtained from the mushroom workshop.

One is Shitake mushrooms and the other Oyster mushrooms and I have pegged them on a line in the basement.

Already mushrooms are growing and will be a welcome addition to my diet.

We learned so much about the importance of mushrooms in our world as well as our own diet.

The video below tells the story of what mushrooms add to our world.

Discover New Food Bounty with a Permaculture Home Garden

2011-09-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

I thought I had lost my mulberry tree this winter. Twice it was moved as garden plans evolved.

But look at it now, back to life after good gardening advice.

Each week I attend workshops at Gold Coast Permaculture and am coming to understand how permaculture can help create a more productive food garden.

These pigeon peas are not only helping renew a difficult soil area but are also a valuable food crop.

They are my first pigeon peas and were grown from seed.

I am really looking forward to eating them.

They can be eaten as a vegetables like peas but do not have the same sugar content.

They can also be dried and made into dahl and included as a bean in many diverse and tasty dishes.

Another favorite is the Red Dandelion.

These dandelions are a great nutritional addition to many dishes and are particularly good for both your liver and digestive system. They have a pungent taste I find refreshing.

This small green plant is the yacon or Peruvian Ground Apple.

It will grow into a tall plant with yellow flowers but it is the ground tubers you eat.

The tubers look a little like a sweet potato but when peeled offer a crisp healthy sweet treat because the sweetness is not from glucose but low glycemic inulin.

If that was not enough to make this a favorite food the yacon also has 20 amino acids, and high potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.

With my permaculture adventure I am discovering many new and nutritious food sources that are hardier plants than conventional vegetables.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Fertilizer Friday, and Fight Back Friday.

Rebecca's Permablitz and Creating Rich Permaculture Soil

2011-09-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

Always learning with permaculture and Rebecca's permablitz was no exception.

Thank you David for the wonderful photos and hope to find my own camera soon.

David and Rebecca put together these great pizzas as part of the wonderful food that feed the permablitz crew after their soil building efforts.

This massive pepino was an incentive to what great soil could produce.

Starting with larger cuttings, layer after layer of material was added to create rich soil for Rebecca's new fruit trees.

Strips of wet newspaper made up several layers.

Compost from Rebecca's impressive compost area was wheeled over in relays for further layers, and all layers were raked for even distribution.

Blue Cracker Dust was also added to give mineral content to the soil.

Noses twitched as layers of food scraps were added and quickly covered by compost and some `five in one'.

Decomposed leaves were also added.

Sylvia and myself hold posies of comfrey from the outer layers of Rebecca's comfrey plants.

Layers of comfrey made up further layers for this incredible soil mound.

Always so much to learn from a permablitz.

My own trench composting efforts can now look forward to some serious modifications.

Below Leah our special permablitz coordinator gives the finished magnificent pile a water before it is covered in black plastic for further decomposing.

With this powerful soil Rebecca's new fruit trees promise to be magnificent.

This post is part of Outdoor Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Tuesday Garden Party, Tuesday Train, Metamorphosis Monday and Amaze Me Monday.

New Foods, Perilla, Agrimony, Pursulane, Lebanese Cress and Drumstick Tree

2011-09-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Adding tasty herb leaves to salads is something I enjoy.

Gina Winters the speaker at September meeting of the Gold Coast Organic Growers extended this concept further by suggesting eating a few leaves from a variety of plants while in your garden was a great way to get vital nutrients.

My own garden is now boasting a wider range of herbs including perilla. This tasty herb is rich in minerals and vitamins, and has important anti-inflammatory properties.

Aagrimony is a further nutritious herb known for cleansing the blood.

Pursulane considered a weed by some is the best plant source of omega 3 oils so important for keeping weight in check and bodies healthy.

Lebanese Cress is a great addition to any salad and can add decorative touches to a wide variety of dishes.

The Drumstick Tree so beautiful with its soft foliage is one of the most valuable garden plants. Its leaves are 38% protein and contain 8 essential amino acids. The leaves also have a unique and enjoyable taste.

So many new and valuable foods to discover. Will head out now and prepare a salad for lunch.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Hookin Up With HoH, Making It With Allie, Cottage Flora Thursdays, Nature's Notes, Transformation Thursday, Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Amaze Me Monday.

BETTER BY NOW (ain't it supposed to be?) 100 Thousand Poets for Change

2011-09-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Save Money with Straight Talk and even Recycle

2011-09-19T07:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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For further information on Straight Talk check out the video below.

From Breast Cancer and Bisphosphonates to Permaculture

2011-09-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

It is now three and a half years since my treatment for a third breast cancer. My first breast cancer was in 93 and the second in 99.

Each cancer has required surgery, radiation and hormone therapy. I had reactions to both of the anti-oestrogens I was given after approximately two years, but am now on a new treatment that works for me.

After my third treatment I was also put on a bisphosphonate drug. These drugs have currently been receiving some media attention and am glad that my breast doctor made the decision to take me off this drug at my last appointment.

Because of these hormone therapies I need to exercise hard to keep my bones strong.

This week I began Iyengar yoga with a new teacher and today am aware of every muscle in my body. So good to know am exercising effectively. I will also be doing pilates classes with a physiotherapist.

Sustainable living, organic gardening and permaculture are other powerful new directions.

I had wanted to change my way of living for some time but doors opened after my last treatments.

The first step in this direction was my sustainable home, then membership at a community garden.

At events at this garden I met some wonderful permaculturalists and am now involved with Gold Coast Permaculture.

Through their Gardening and Cooking Workshops I am learning to grow and prepare nutrient rich food that nourish and heal the body.

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday.

Urban Agriculture Flourishes at Gold Coast Permaculture, 270 Ferry Rd

2011-09-10T01:33:00.000-07:00

After the morning workshops on `organic pest control' and `sprouting and raw foods' it was time to harvest some of the wonderful food growing at 270 Ferry Rd.

It was just a joy to be among such abundant and strong food growing in newly created soil.

It is an inspiration to know what can be achieved when the earth is brought back to life in the middle of a busy city.
As I attend the weekly workshops I have so enjoyed watching the progress of this very special site.

A great team of people are working together to establish an example of successful urban agriculture.

Soil is being created using permaculture methods that include products that would otherwise be dumped.

Weeds dredged from the local canals and mulch from felled trees are brought in by the truck load and used to create the nutrient rich earth earth that creates strong, healthy crops.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Food on Fridays, Fertilizer Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Nature's Notes, Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, and Amaze Me Monday.

Survival Foods and Change

2011-09-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Change is happening in my garden.

The foods I now grow are ones I did not know about even a year ago.

These Red Dandelions pack a punch each day as part of my lunchtime salad or cut up and scattered on my evening meal.

They are tough perennials which once established are a good tonic for your liver.

Lebanese Cress is another perennial with punch.

It has the taste of cucumber and enjoys moist soil. In warmer climates it needs to be grown in the shade.

It grows quickly from cuttings, and makes a great ground cover.

Galangal is another new plant in my garden repertoire.

Not unlike ginger it is a stable of Asian curries and easy to grow in moist well composted soil.

Thought it had died in winter but already it is back at the beginning of spring.

When I began my garden it was broccoli and potatoes in neat rows, now my plants are combined together to deter pests and my range of plantings is becoming much more diverse.

Sometimes I feel like a very slow learner but gradually am learning to compost, use a worm farm and grow new survival foods that can flourish under more stringent climate conditions.

Below are cassava and pigeon peas. This is the first time I have grown these plants and it will be a journey of discovery when they are harvested and cooked, yet these are staple foods for a large majority of our earth's inhabitants.

The passion fruit and nasturtiums are much more familiar but also hardy plants that can provide food under tough climate scenarios.

This post is part of Cottage Flora Thursdays, Metamorphosis Monday, Transformation Thursday, Fight Back Fridays, Food On Fridays, and Nature's Notes.

Gold Coast Permaculture, Dairy Making, Urban Agriculture and Soil Creation

2011-09-03T01:40:00.000-07:00

Under the beautiful mango tree at Gold Coast Permaculture Vanessa introduced her audience to making milk products including cheeses and yoghurt.

Before sharing with us the mystery of cheese making she discussed the need for cows to have the right diet to produce quality milk.

Local vendors of this milk were given and then the details of making cheese.

Elizabeth Fekonia was given as a reference for further information on these topics.

Sylvia further added to the discussion with some suggestions for vegan cheeses and yoghurts.

This area was of special interest to me as a breast cancer survivor. I follow Jane Plant's Writings in regard to my personal use of milk products.

After the workshop a walk around to see the latest progress in `Urban Agriculture'
at 270 Ferry Rd.

The Calvo Nero Kale seems to go on forever.

And sunflowers and marsh mellow plants highlight the vegetables.

Just so much wonderful, strong food. Is that cassava I see at the front end of the row?

The mandala garden begun in the permablitz is also looking amazing.

Hens and bees are further food sources in this corner of the garden, and below we see soil in process and the ingredients that create the rich organic food for all this wonderful food.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday.

Changing to a Permaculture Garden

2011-08-31T01:25:00.000-07:00

My garden is changing.

Once it was about growing organic food but now I try to apply permaculture concepts.

My food forest area is part of this change.

Many of the plants in this part of the garden are ones I have learned about through permaculture workshops.

Drumstick trees, cassava and cocoyams are all new foods to me and now feature in this area.

The leaves framing this photo are those of the drumstick tree.

Another exciting new plant is the pigeon pea, and am also growing some of these. They have been slow to take over Winter but one is seen at the left with some self sown tomatoes in the background.

Learning to renew soil is an important aspect of permaculture.

Feel somewhat of a slow learner on all of this but gradually my soil is being enriched with chop and drop mulch, compost, rock minerals and plenty of dried cow manure.

Building good soil is ongoing and gradually am coming to understand the role of carbon and nitrogen in making plants grow more efficiently.

Not always successes but always a joy to see plants responding to effort like the mulberry tree now with buds and this rather copious tomato that has emerged at the bottom of the garden.

This post is part of Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Metamorphosis Monday, Food on Fridays, Fight Back Fridays, Fertilizer Friday, Transformation Thursday, Cottage Flora Thursday, Nature's Notes, Outdoor Wednesday and Real Food Wednesday.

Establishing New Food Systems and Sharing Seeds, Subtropical Gardening at Gold Coast Permaculture

2011-08-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

Outside rain poured down but inside at Gold Coast Permaculture an eager audience listened to Justin speak on establishing new food systems and sharing seeds with `Subtropical Gardening'.

The need to prevent rain leaching carbon from the soil was one of the initial concepts explained.

Chop and drop mulch was seen as the best way to prevent this leaching and was seen as adhering to permaculture principles as it returned carbon to the soil from where it grew. It also contributed to even summer soil temperatures and building an aerobic environment in the soil.

Plants to grow to provide this mulch include lemon grass which can be cut back yearly with a saw, arrowroot and pigeon peas.

Pigeon peas also provide five times more vitamin C than ordinary peas and are used to create Indian Dahl. This plant is also a nitrogen fixer that can renew poor soils.

Other plants introduced included the wind bean a perennial summer bean that is thirty seven percent protein, cassava that provides more good carbohydrates than any other plant in the world and another protein rich plant the water chestnut.

Elizabeth Fekonia's book Harvesting and Cultivating Tropical Vegetables was recommended as a further source of information on tropical plants.

A further permaculture principal introduced was the use of `Guild Systems' which involved the planting of beneficial plants together. An example given of such a Guild System' was the interplanting of pigeon peas, Ceylon spinach, hibiscus esculenta and Brazilian spinach.

The concept of sustainability being connected to the amount of energy used was also discussed and a recommendation made for those wanting to understand more of permaculture to read the book The Earth User's Guide to Permaculture.

Thanks for all the great seeds, plants and cuttings Justin. I look forward to getting these wonderful subtropical plants growing in my own garden and then sharing with others.

Together we can create more secure food systems for our planet.

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday.

Permablitz at Mandala Organic Art Cafe's Permaculture Garden `An Urban Eden'

2011-08-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Once there was a gravel carpark and then there was a dream of `An Urban Eden'.

This `Urban Eden' is now the permaculture garden of the new `Mandala Organic Arts Cafe' and the venue of a permablitz last Sunday.

The first tasks were weeding, renewing the soil and mulching.

These ladies are busy preparing worm droppings for soil renewal.

Meanwhile instructions are received on how to achieve the best results with planting the many vegetable seedlings that were added to the newly prepared ground.

And then a wonderful lunch prepared by Mandala Organic Arts Cafe.

So much achieved and a good time had by all.

Here is Leah our special permablitz organizer, the lady in blue in front of the passion fruit framed entrance to the cafe and gallery space.

And here are Vlad and Luka. Vlad cooked our wonderful lunch.

Leah with Rebecca another of our inspirational permaculturalists, and these twelve cassava cuttings will soon be beautiful trees along the along the back fence of the garden.

This post is part of Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, and Metamorphosis Monday.

Real Food, Gold Coast Permaculture and Mandala Organic Arts Cafe

2011-08-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

So much to discover about real organic food.

Today Gold Coast Permaculture's Food Workshop for this week on oils, spices and teas, and a special dinner at Mandala Organic Arts Cafe.

Gold Coast Permaculture's lively workshop discussed oils, their qualities and uses and also introduced a wide range of spices and teas. Samples were shared and compared and many new concepts introduced.

This rice bran oil was heated with garlic, bay leaf, chilli, green herbs and lemon juice and then cooled for a wonderfully aromatic salad oil.

The gardens at Gold Coast Permaculture continue to grow and inspire,

and amidst the vegetables a group of lively permaculturalists.

Back in the kitchen lunch is being prepared, and a final coat of oil brings last week clay painted wall to full bloom.

What better way to finish a day of organic food than with dinner at the Mandala Organic Arts Cafe.

What creative and tasty food.

Just look at the exciting sweets, Acai, Rasberry and Goji Berry, or perhaps you would prefer Tropical Pineapple, Passionfruit and Fig and is that cacao?

With its art space, live music and permaculture garden this new cafe at 2558 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach is an exciting place to visit.

In the outdoor garden a table signifies promise of hot Gold Coast Summer Nights, and what is that on the board behind?

A permablitz tomorrow to plant more vegetables in the permaculture garden.

What a way to go for really fresh and organic food, and to be part of the experience of creating real food for a better world.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Fight Back Friday, Real Food Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday.

Experimenting with Clay Paint, A New Series of Works `The Earth Speaks'!!!.

2011-08-18T18:46:00.001-07:00

Have finally begun to paint again.

As an artist my creativity and life journey have always been closely interwoven, and recently my focus has been changing my lifestyle after a third breast cancer.

It has been a powerful journey of discovery with first my home, then membership of a community garden and finally a commitment to permaculture.

With my friends from Gold Coast Permaculture I discovered the beauty and joy of collecting clay and making clay paint.

Now finally I am beginning a new series of works called `The Earth Speaks'.

In the very beginning stages at present, but such a joy to be connecting with our earth in this way.

The details here are from the first works of `The Earth Speaks'.

Transforming the city by developing vacant lots into urban farms.

2011-08-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Gold Coast Permaculture Clay Paint Demonstration

2011-08-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

What better way to start a natural paint demonstration than with some wonderful home cooked food straight from the garden, and then to work.

Leah about to begin with a wheelbarrow full of clay dug from the local earth and a pot of newly boiled cornflower.

The cornflower was added to the soaked clay and well stirred in with the help of many willing hands.

And then together the same willing hands creating a beautiful wall containing moments of special joy. The poignant image below by Lozen McDiarmid.

Two special permaculture ladies Leah and Vanessa relaxing after a great day's work and Cam I thought that paint was meant for the wall.

Two more moments of beauty from the walls of the new Mandala Organic Art Cafe at Mermaid Beach. These walls were created using the same batch of clay collected last weekend.

This post is part of Upcycled Awesome, Welcome Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, and Tuesday Train.

The Joy of Creating a Food Garden

2011-08-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

These were my paw paw trees newly planted in Jan 2010 and here is the same area of the garden today.

What a joy it is to create a garden and watch it grow.

Below are some further new plantings along what is a bare fence and and empty area at the bottom of the garden in the first photo.

The plantings are a cassava, and feijoa and several drumstick trees and a rose apple growing among a selection of vegetables including sweet potatoes and flowering tomatoes.

I am so looking forward to when these plants grow and are producing fruit and food.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Fertilizer Friday, Cottage Flora Thursday, Nature's Notes, Outdoor Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Metamorphosis Monday, Making Your Home Sing Monday, Amaze Me Monday, Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

Collecting Clay for Natural Paint Demonstration at Gold Coast Permaculture 270 Ferry Rd

2011-08-07T02:06:00.000-07:00

The rich colors of the earth will feature in the natural paint making demonstration at 270 Ferry Rd next Saturday 13th August at one thirty.

So Leah, Rebecca, Gaynor and myself went out in search of wonderful colors from our beautiful soil.

Here are my three companions in earth bounty admiring the rich tones of our local clay.

And then time for some enjoyment of the local bush and rock pools.

It may be winter but this is Australia's Gold Coast and Leah couldn't resist the water.

What a beautiful earth we have to nurture and save.

This post is part of Tuesday Train, Soli Deo Gloria, and Making Your Home Sing.

A Video About Clothes Lines

2011-08-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Permaculture Real Food For All

2011-08-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

A sunny winter morning sees a tea break and chat at Gold Coast Permaculture.

Just outside the mandala garden created by all is growing well including the plants in the pond.

The seed raising area is growing daily and just look at those greens.

Good soil development has brought about a bumper crops, and these lucky hens feed on nitrogen plantings.

What better place to be than in the renewed earth of a city permaculture site.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Fight Back Friday, Fertilizer Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Frugal Friday, Transformation Thursday, Cottage Flora Thursdays, Nature Notes, Simple Lives Thursday, Tuesday Garden Party, Outdoor Wednesday, and Real Food Wednesday

Permaculture A Quiet Revolution

2011-07-31T01:17:00.000-07:00

Permaculture - A Quiet Revolution from Spread Knowledge on Vimeo.

New Smart Phone App Gives Lobby Power to All and Funds Breast Cancer Vacine Research

2011-07-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Introducing Lobby Me, the phone app that allows users to send emails directly to their lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Proceeds from the sale of Lobby Me will be used to fund research on the breast cancer virus and first preventive breast cancer vaccine.

At $3.99, it's cheaper than a pink T-shirt, faster than a speeding bullet, and capable of turning every phone in the country into a virtual voting booth.Democracy just got a whole lot easier.

The Breast Health & Healing Foundation (BHHF) is just announcing the launch of Lobby Me, the smart phone application that enables users of iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices to send emails to their lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

“The most effective way to reach your lawmaker is to contact him or her directly,” says Kathleen T. Ruddy, M.D., President of BHHF, a breast cancer surgeon and daughter of a 35-year breast cancer survivor. “The email goes directly into the inbox of your senator or congressional representative or his/her chief of staff.”

You can email your concerns about what matters to them: jobs, Social Security, healthcare, the need to fund vaccine research to prevent breast cancer.

“I personally emailed my Congressman asking him what his position was with regard to support and funding of research for the primary prevention of breast cancer that can lead to a vaccine,” states Dr. Ruddy.

Users enter their zip code thereby accessing the names, addresses and phone numbers of their senators and representatives in Congress. Users can then send a personal email directly to them.

Proceeds from the sale of Lobby Me will be used to fund research on the breast cancer virus and first preventive breast cancer vaccine. At $3.99, it's cheaper than a pink T-shirt, faster than a speeding bullet, and capable of turning every phone in the country into a virtual voting booth, 24//365. What's not to love about all that?

Hidden Surprises in Winter Food Garden

2011-07-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

A cold winter's afternoon and my garden seemed colorless but then I looked closer, and what a joyous world full of the promise I discovered.

A passion fruit flower beside the lavender,

Edible drumstick blossoms. A small choko starting to form and mulberry flowers.

strawberries beginning and an edible calendula flower,

pepino blossoms, and three ripening passionfruit.

This post is part of Show and Tell Friday, Fertilizer Friday, Fight Back Friday, Food on Fridays, Feature Yourself Friday, Cottage Flora Thursdays, Thrifty Thursdays, Nature's Notes, Simple Lives Thursday, and Hookin Up With HoH.

Gold Coast Permaculture Gardening and Cooking Workshops

2011-07-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

Gold Coast Permaculture's new gardening and cooking workshops have taken off with a bang.

For those who dream of growing amazing and plentiful vegetables the introduction to organic gardening with Justin was an exciting beginning.

I have never seen vegetables growing with such strength and vigor.

Already the Gold Coast Permaculture Center is a living example of what can be done to renew the soil and create bountiful and nutrient rich food in a city setting.

Sitting under a mango tree drinking lemongrass and ginger tea and eating delicious vegan muffins was also a great way to learn about food fermentation.

Three informed and creative presenters introduced us to Komucha, Kefir and Kim-Chi and demonstrated their presentation.

It was a special joy to be able to divert to the garden for food to ferment.

That's me in the hat in the center listening intently to this new way to add nutrients to the diet.

What I love about each new activity with this wonderful group is the atmosphere of sharing and caring that permeates and creates a fun event for all.

Below is the ongoing timetable for this series of workshops, and there will also be an additional workshop next Saturday, July 30th at 11.00AM with An Introduction to Sub Tropical Cooking and Vegetables. This will be an interesting workshop on how to cook with vegetables found in the tropic and sub tropics, with preparation, recipes and planting material.

I for one am looking forward to another great day learning to live a new way and sharing the adventure with such special people.

This post is part of Delectable Tuesday.

Organic Food Garden Successes and Failures

2011-07-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

The second year of my organic food garden is bringing both successes and failures.

While I dream of total self sufficiency and even my own fish the reality is a constant learning curve, continual awareness of the needs of my plants and some wonderful surprises.

So far have two vegetable garden areas and now a food forest. I dream of more but need to get on top of these first.

The constant message is renewal of the soil, and I continually build up the soil areas in which I am growing food, all my leaves and the dry shredded cow manure I obtain locally are added to the soil and topped with rock dust.

Slowly what was a very dead soil is becoming full of life and worms now scramble away when I dig.

No serious composting yet, but all my food peelings etc are put in a bowl and dug into holes around the garden. I learned this habit from my sisters in New Zealand and it adds both to the soil and brings some wonderful surprises such as the tomato plant above.

I am not a straight line gardener, but put things when I feel they will grow. One advantage of this is that I have an assortment of plants and pests are confused by the arrangement.

My broccoli as you will see is pest free and that may or may not be because I have grown it surrounded by garlic. All a learning curve.

The fruit area is proving more of a discovery zone.

This passionfruit vine is still giving fruit but has needed work and lots of feed. Got too big and had some scale. Cutting it back and allowing air flow to the scale areas has resulted in a healthier plant and many new flowers.

Mid winter still but already flowers on the paw paw.

This paw paw was very fruitful last year so have been giving it extra nutrients, seaweed emulsion and blood and bone dissolved in water to bring healthy, plentiful fruit again this season.

The fruit forest has needed ongoing adjustments.

The star fruit tree needed to be replanted on a mound as looked like it was not going to make it.

Now is looking greener and has finally, new shoots on the end of each branch.

Also needed to put the sandpaper creek fig in a container. It was such a little tree when it was planted but it was growing so fast and then I was told that native figs have invasive roots.

It will be smaller in its pot but is shooting again after looking very floppy.

The Drumstick tree below is flowering. This is a real survival plant and you can eat these flowers as well as the leaves. The trouble is each time I look at it it seems far too beautiful to be eaten. Know it is there growing each day and able to provide lots of good protein food if needed.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Upcycled Awesome, Metamorphosis Monday, Amaze Me Monday, Show Off Your Cottage Monday, Fertilizer Friday, Food On Fridays, Fight Back Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Frugal Friday, and Nature's Notes.

Why We Need to Save Seeds???

2011-07-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Drori encourages us to save biodiversity -- one seed at a time. Reminding us that plants support human life, he shares the vision of the Millennium Seed Bank, which has stored over 3 billion seeds to date from dwindling yet essential plant species.

Breast Cancer, Sustainable Living, Fracking and Permaculture

2011-07-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

When I started sustainable living it was a personal journey to stay well after a third breast cancer but now this journey has grown.

I had struggled to stay well in an apartment block where I lived in close proximity to a range of toxic chemicals. Out of the six apartments in the block there were five cases of cancer and two cancer deaths in a short period of time.

It is always difficult to pinpoint causes in situations like this but my instinct was to leave this environment and look for a different way of living.

My plan was to find a house I could make chemical free and which had land where I could grow food organically.

It took three years for my apartment to sell but finally it did and I found my house .

The house came with a further special gift, a community garden was starting just a block away and I was lucky enough to get a plot and learn there wonderful lessons including how to grow real food and renew the soil.

Workshops and events at the community garden introduced me to Permaculture and it's ability to renew.

My own health fragility had lead me to an understanding of the fragility of our planet's health and I have come to see Permaculture as a solution to both renewing and feeding our earth.

Knowing our earth could be healed made me so distressed when I discovered the destructive nature of fracking. Our earth, our water aquifers have taken so long to form and fracking, a quick economic fix is currently destroying both these valuable assets worldwide at a frightening rate.

My previous posts have been on Fracking and its dangers now I would like to share the Permaculture Song which illustrates the Permaculture Principles and shows how they can heal our planet.

This post is part of Hookin Up With HoH, Transformation Thursday, Makin It With Allie, Outdoor Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Amaze Me Monday, That's My World, Making Monday Marvellous, Show and Tell Saturday, Show and Tell Saturday, Show Us Your Cottage Monday, Saturday Nite Special, Saturday on the Farm, Cottage Flora Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Natures Notes, It's A Hodgepodge Friday, Fertilizer Friday, and Foodie Friday.

Dr Helen Redmond Talks About the Impact of Coal Gas Seam Mining or Fracking on Human Health

2011-07-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Dr Helen Redmond - Doctors for the Environment from LockTheGate on Vimeo.

A New Look at Fracking from The Colbert Report

2011-07-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Care, Share, Believe, Gold Coast Permaculture Permablitz

2011-07-09T02:34:00.000-07:00

What a special day at Gold Coast Permacultures's Permablitz.

So much fun, so much happening and so much achieved.

Here is the team at 270 Ferry Road Gold Coast sharing the joy of a day spent bringing life to the soil.

And Judy what a great jacket. Full of the creativity that inspired the wonderful wall mural images painted during the day on the fence at 270.

The day's work begins on the mandala garden, while Justin discusses compost with a motivated audience.

Lots of great vegetables growing from the compost created from local horse manure, wood chips and marine weeds.

Meanwhile the mandala team are busy, loading wheelbarrows with compost, digging out soil and laying down a no dig garden using wet newspaper inoculated with worm casting liquid followed by a layer of straw.

So much to do but everyone contributed and soon a garden emerged.

Lunch time under the mango tree was a well deserved break for all.

Vanessa's lemon and coconut cake was just so special. Now have the recipe, look forward to cooking and will share later.

Busy afternoon with mandela being planted, mural being painted and even the creation of a wonderful outdoor bath whose water will be recycled to the garden. A recycled copper will heat the water and plants were selected for both privacy and the recycling of the water.

This post is part of Tuesday Train, Metamorphosis Monday and Making Monday Marvelous.

The Greatest Challenge of History???

2011-07-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

Julian Cribb - What are the future challenges to our food system? from 3PillarsNetwork on Vimeo.

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

2011-07-03T14:32:00.001-07:00

Questioning The Economics of Fracking, the Destroyer of Food Security and Water Reserves

2011-06-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

It is destroying our good farming land and water reserves and now the economics of Fracking or Coal Gas Seam Mining is also being called into question.

A recent article in The New York Times stated that many successful wells are not producing the amount of gas anticipated making the initial predictions harder to achieve.

If these original predictions are not met and the costs of extracting the gas continues to rise not only will investments in this industry falter but the consumer will be paying increased costs for its products.

One email sent to The New York Times states “The word in the world of independents is that the shale plays are just giant Ponzi schemes and the economics just do not work.”.

As countries around the world jump on the Fracking Bandwagon lives, water and good farmland are being destroyed for quick financial fixes.

At a time in history when the planet is at its most fragile toxic chemicals are being pumped into our precious earth at an alarming rate.

With water shortages predicted for our future a million gallons of water are being used for each well and much of that water is contaminated by the process.

Valuable water reserves are fast being destroyed along with precious farmland.

Many areas being mined are rich food producing areas, sites of future food security that will never be the same again.

The Australian government is arguing over a carbon tax while allowing toxic chemicals to flow freely through its most valuable land.

Odorless methane gas and now we are also learning radiation once safely stored deep within the earth are also side products of this mining.

While governments talk up the benefits of the coal gas seam mining industry the economic viability of this industry is now in question.

In France already a moratorium on Coal Seam Gas Mining is in place.

Let's hope other governments around the world wake up and work out their `REAL' priorities before our planet is damaged beyond repair.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, Metamorphosis Monday, Feature Yourself Friday, Fight Back Friday, Fertilizer Friday, and Show and Tell Friday.

Permaculture Gold Coast Party Time, Workshop and Planting

2011-06-25T01:22:00.000-07:00

What better place to party and learn about permaculture than under the beautiful mango tree at the new Gold Coast Permaculture Headquarters at 270 Ferry Road Southport.

What an exciting and innovative place.

Here is Justin cooking cassava on the fire, while the chooks in their movable headquarters enjoy a morning peck.

Workshop of the day was with Justin showing us how to prepare seed raising mixture.

First the compost is sifted and then combined with equal amount of vermiculite (grade two) and worm castings. In Aussie we can get good vermiculite from aquaponic stores. If you are in the US please take care to get vermiculite that does not contain any asbestos.

Here are these three ingredients combined in the wheelbarrow.

Finally five percent rock dust was added to bring the seed raising mixture to life.

Meanwhile preparations were going on for party time. Vanessa in her colorful skirt decorates with lively streamers.

While one small person preferred to watch the chickens.

Vanessa and Luka dressed and ready to party.

And the food was spectacular. Nothing better than a permaculture lunch. No dinner for me tonight, could not resist all the wonderful food particularly the maize cake.

But it was not just me who was enjoying all that wonderful food.

It was feast enjoyed by all.

And then work time. Rebecca and her team of excellent potato planters.

Had to draw myself away from a wonderful gathering to go to the Coal Seam Mining Protest at Broadbeach.

A great crowd there as well all feeling very passionate about the destruction of our soil and water for a quick financial fix.

Hurry up a world based on the permaculture principals of sharing and no more than you need.

This post is part of Nature's Notes, Hookin Up With HoH, Real Food Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Upcycled Awesome, Welcome Wednesday, Metamorphosis Monday and Tuesday Train.

Stewardship of the Earth

2011-06-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

The modern concept of continual exploitation of our planet is very different to the biblical concept.

In Exodus 23:10-11, we are told "For six years, you are to sow your land with seed and gather in its harvest. But the seventh year, you are to let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people can eat; and what they leave, the wild animals in the countryside can eat. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove."

This biblical concept allows not only for care of our earth but also for the people and wildlife that inhabit the earth.

Instead of allowing our earth to work and then renew continual exploitation has resulted in a tired planet unable to provide for all.

The reliance on the glyphosate based Roundup that began in the sixties is a strong example of this.

Who among us has not at some time been exposed to or used this product. It was such a quick and easy fix for every gardener.

But now new evidence is linking glyphosate used in Roundup with infertility, cancer, the growth of super weeds and worrying changes to plants and soil.

Monsanto the manufacturer of Roundup still continues to market its product in new forms, and its company has grown in power and influence.

One of the most poignant of the recent Wikileaks cables is that in which the the former United States ambassador to France suggested “moving to retaliation” against France and the European Union (EU) in late 2007 to fight a French ban on Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) corn and changes in European policy toward biotech crops.

The debate in France over Monsanto’s GM products has had further ugliness.

Dr. Gilles-Eric Seralini, a scientist at the University of Caen in France was said to have faced intimidation from within the French scientific community after he published studies showing Monsanto GM corn and glyphosate posed risks to human health.

Greed and power are seductive influences but the words of Exodus 23:10-11 echo greater truths.

If we all honored our planet and cared for all its inhabitants there would be enough for all and the suffering of so many could be eliminated.

Rebecca's Creative Garden Metamorphosis

2011-06-19T01:24:00.000-07:00

Once there was bare patch of lawn and then Rebeca began her garden.

Now the area is a creative collection of plants, ideas, and color.

Tree tomatoes and creative artworks from found objects mingle.

Lemongrass forms an interesting garden verge.

New guinea beans flourish rich white flowers.

Strawberries are protected with news paper.

What a great idea for herbs.

The raised garden saves bending.

This post is part of Outdoor Wednesday, Metamorphosis Monday and Tuesday Train.

Special Custard Apples and Assorted Greens

2011-06-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

The visit to Jude Lai's special garden brought many special gifts.

This wonderful custard apple, (genus Rollina, variety Beriba) was picked ripe off the tree and tasted better than my favorite gelato.

Here it is sitting half eaten on the plate beside two tasty kaffir limes also from Jude's.

The seeds I am saving for growing into new trees.

Here are nine planted out into seed propagating mixture.

And the remaining seeds I have yet to plant.

When these small trees grow they will be able to be grafted to faster root stock.

Below are a selection of cuttings also collected from Jude's garden which are currently in jars, growing roots before being planted out into mine and others gardens.

The first is a sweet potato grown only for its leaves and known as `Francis Yip'..

The second a Thai mint great in curries and salads.

The third is a form of small climbing cucumber .

It is so enriching sharing both plants and knowledge from others gardens.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, Weekend Reflections and Delectable Tuesday.

Jude Lai's Sustainable Garden Paradise

2011-06-13T01:53:00.000-07:00

Visiting Jude Lai's is to enter a garden paradise.

The trees sing with fruit and the soil nurtured in tune in with nature's laws is alive with nutritious food.

There was so much to observe and learn and Jude is a generous teacher.

Dragon fruit hung abundantly from the trees and the passion fruit were so large.

Everywhere you looked was abundance.

The swimming pool is now the home of a range of aquatic plants, eat your heart out Monet.

We were shown how to obtain new plants from an established plant, along with a host of welcome knowledge about how to bring our own gardens to life.

So many new and exciting plants were discovered and shared by a generous Jude.

Thank you to Jude for a wonderful day and a sharing of what it is possible to create when you treat the earth with love.

This post is part of Fertilizer Friday, Feature Yourself Friday, Fight Back Friday, Food On Friday, Metamorphosis Monday.

Climate Change - The Connections.

2011-06-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

About Money Making Ideas

2011-06-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

Something I find difficult is personal finance.

My passions are sustainable living and my art but I am not good at making money.

Ramit Sethi the Stanford graduate who has become a New York Times bestselling author with his book `I Will Teach You To Be Rich' offers some great money making ideas.

He encourages the identifications of your special skills and then shows you how to turn these skills into income.

Each of us has something that is valued by others. It can be so easy to diffuse these gifts and not give them value.

Yes I do think generosity is important but the reality is each of us has to pay our bills and each of us has the right to put a monetary value around our special skills.

I for one will be looking carefully at Ramit Sethi's writings and using the knowledge he gives to try and cover more of my outgoings.

I love sharing and caring but my creditors expect their bills paid in cash so that is what I need to survive.

For artists money can be a difficult issue. Each paintings costs not only the time it took to create, but also the cost of materials, paint, canvas, frame, freight.

Anyway Ramit Sethi has some solutions to these issues and I look forward to reading them in more depth.

Reacting to a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

2011-06-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer I was a young, busy teacher.

It seemed a cumbersome disruption to go for the ultrasound my doctor advised, and I was told surgery was to follow.

The efficient and ordered perimeters of my world quickly dissolved.

Almost twenty years ago cancer diagnosis came after surgery, so uncertain of diagnosis I remember a weekend cleaning the apartment, and getting in food for what lay ahead.

It was cancer and surgery was so much less efficient than today.

Eight days in hospital were followed by convalescence, then six weeks of bus trips in a cancer bus to the nearest radiation center. At the end of the day another long trip home.

After radiation finished someone else had my teaching position and my future appeared uncertain in all ways.

I had just moved to and brought an apartment in a new city so it was a lonely, uncertain time.

But one by one doors opened. In the silence of my new life I began to paint again and these paintings were the start of a painting career that supported me for many years.

I am now well and cancer clear but since that time I have had two further breast cancers and seen the incredible advances in both diagnosis and treatment.

My last cancer surgery I was home from hospital the next day and the radiation center was in my home town.

I will never forget however the crumbling of my world I felt on first diagnosis. I had had confidence in my physical body and ability to achieve. Suddenly these perimeters were changed, my body was uncertain and I was advised not to return to a career I had worked to attain.

Now almost twenty years later I look back at this time and see life did become uncertain but also more open. It enabled my compassion for others to grow, and took my life in directions that although not planned were full of color. It also showed me the power of learning to listen in the silence to the inspiration of `The Spirit'.

This post is part of Feature Yourself Friday.

Chokos, Pigeon Peas, Dandelion, Drumstick Tree and Sweet Potatoes.

2011-06-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

When I started my journey in sustainable living I had little idea where it would lead.

Learning windows have opened through membership of the local community garden and the many exciting local permaculture initatives.

Today my garden is very different from its original conception and still has so far to go.

The emphasize on developing and maintaining healthy soil was the first learning curve and is an ongoing focus of my new gardening practice with all vegetable scraps and healthy prunings recycled either into the soil or made into mulch.

Being introduced to the importance of rock dust was an important aspect of my garden journey.

Rock dust and its essential minerals provide the starting point for the process of soil building by both microbes and worms. Healthy soil needs those worms.

The original garden concept was about short terms plantings. Now I am focusing on plants that will provide food longer term.

The new chokos on the white choko vine are an example of this. Once established this vine should be an ongoing producer in my garden.

The pigeon peas are still small as am growing from seed, but they will become bushes several meters high and give peas for both cooking and dahl.

The drumstick trees are also still small but healthy. These can grow into large trees. I will keep them pruned however so can harvest their pods for eating, flowers for cooking and their leaves for protein rich greens.

Red dandelion also keeps growing over the seasons. These are a wonderful food for liver cleansing and something I eat daily added to salads, sandwiches or chopped on top of my steamed vegetables.

Even the sweet potatoes I now approach differently. A garden member from New Guinea showed me how she plants. A bunch of runners is folded into loops and one end of the loops placed into raised soil. I look forward to seeing how these grow.

A further part of this garden journey is seed raising and propagation. Have a garden corner where there is summer shade and winter wind protection and this is becoming a special nursery area where I experiment with raising plants from cuttings and seeds.

Have had the joy of sharing some results with friends but this is still new and have yet much to learn and achieve.

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday, Feature Yourself Friday, Food On Fridays, Fight Back Friday, It's A Hodgepodge Friday, Fertilizer Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Frugal Friday, and Flaunt It Friday.

Logan Community Garden `a little piece of Africa in suburban Australia'.

2011-05-28T02:17:00.000-07:00

The Logan Community Garden was the venue for the Gold Coast Organic Growers first Club outing of the year.

This community garden established by Griffith University in early 2006 is gardened by African refugee families and has become one of the most productive community gardens in the country”.

I found the visit an exciting opportunity to met some wonderful people and discover many new foods.

This special mother and son from Zimbabwe introduced us to the nutritional and healing qualities of a member of the okra family.

This Egyptian spinach is tough enough to provide ongoing greens during the tough Australian Summer.

Pigeon peas are a versatile food that can be eaten fresh or used in dahl,

and the red sugar cane is stronger than the sugar cane used in commercial cropping.

Cassava growing along the path and another green staple I had not seen before.

So many great ideas, nothing wasted and nutritious food everywhere you looked.

A special day with so much discovered.

Interested in more info on these food please visit This post at Nourishing The Planet.

This post is part of Transformation Thursday, Makin It With Allie, Hookin Up With HoH, Outdoor Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, To The Top Tuesday Bloghop, Tuesday Train, Metamorphosis Monday.

Wednesday Morning Varsity Lakes Community Garden

2011-05-26T00:40:00.000-07:00

Wednesday mornings are always a special time at Varsity Lakes Community Garden.

While the young wonder at the special joy of growth, Sheila Perkins our president works at the sunny table outside the garden shed.

In the background part of the mural by a local artist, one of the original people of this area.

Winter sunshine and a rich moist soil, what more could a gardener want.

Pak Choi and Marigolds from my vegie patch.

The extra large picture below is my first broccoli of the season.

Will be eating this wonderful vegetable for the next seven months or so fresh from the good earth.

Lost a lot of early broccoli seedlings as eagerly planted too early, but now they are growing well and look forward to many good meals.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Feature Yourself Friday, Fight Back Friday, It's A Hodgepodge Friday, Fertilizer Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Outdoor Wednesday, Tuesday Garden Party, and Real Food Wednesday.

Permablitz at Louise and Justins

2011-05-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

The team stands ready to swing into action for the permablitz at Louise and Justin's home in Varsity Lakes.

Rebecca undertakes pruning of the grapevine.

Vanessa busily adds mulch to one of the new raised beds made from recycled sheeting.

Charles and crew recycle mulch and soil into wheelbarrows to fill the new raised beds.

Louise with Tiara and friend. They visited from up the street.

The chookies seemed to be enjoying the day.

So rewarding to see the new raised beds filled with lots of wonderful seedlings.

The food was great and everyone was so hungry and then John Palmer arrived with his exciting knowledge of plants and great cuttings for all to share.

Finally everyone came over to see my garden just across the street. Lots of great tips from this special collection of gardeners and a sharing of cuttings and plants.

Then off to see Monica's wonderful garden just down the road. Monica is from New Guinea and her garden is alive with tropical plants and exciting color. More sharing of information and some exciting cuttings including `yellow taro'.

An enjoyable, productive and busy day, I for one will sleep well tonight.

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday and Making Monday Marvellous.

Monday Morning Varsity Lakes Community Garden

2011-05-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Almost two years on and Varsity Lakes Community Garden is feeling like home for so many garden regulars.

The abundance of food and fruit trees has its own beauty.

The taro in the new swale already looks lush surrounded by lemon grass and pioneer tomatoes and nasturtiums.

A sunny Monday morning brought out many gardeners including myself to nurture their plots.I was excited to see the season's first broccoli forming and the abundance of pak choy that resulted from a randon throwing of packages seeds purchased at a local chinese shop.

With new seedlings starting to show promise it was a great time to compare growing techniques.

I value my garden plot for the many lessons it has taught.

With people from so many different cultural backgrounds a rich sharing of information takes place not only on how to grow foods but also how to prepare new foods.

This post is part of Thrifty Thursday, Nature Notes, Strut Your Stuff Link Party, Make It Yours Day, Making It With Allie, Hookin Up With HoH, Outdoor Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Welcome Wednesday, Penny Pinching Party, Tuesday Train, Totally Tuesday Blog Hop, and Metamorphosis Monday.

Sustainable Garden Now Includes No Dig Garden, Drumstick Tree, and Pigeon Peas

2011-05-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

I dreamed of lavender by the door and a sustainable garden.

It is happening slowly, and this year's garden is very different from the garden of the house's first year.

The mulch from the removed trees has enabled the extension of the right side garden. The soil is good here so have planted broccoli and garlic beside the existing fruit trees.

My idea of using frangipanes as summer shade on the higher part of this side did not work so have removed them, added horse manure and mulch to the soil and now my small pigeon peas which I grew from seed are getting ready to grow into strong bushes to add nitrogen to the soil while providing peas for a great dahl.

The current pride and joy of the garden is the new fruit orchard. This was created using a no dig format, a layer of wet cardboard, followed by a layer of manure, topped with mulch, rock dust and more mulch all well watered at each layer.

Some of the new fruit trees have needed more care than others. The mandarin tree plant has been moved to higher ground after heavy rain left it standing in waterlogged soil.

The small paws paws required protection from unexpected cold winds. Have puts plants pots without bottoms around each of them and hope this will give them a better chance to establish.

The beautiful star fruit tree I won has been losing leaves so has been receiving lots of watering. New shoots are there so hope it will revive quickly.

The drumstick trees were fragile when they were planted as brought before the mulching tree was cut down. Have lost one but the three I have planted are looking good. A fourth is sitting in my nursery looking stick like but still green. Am hoping will show some life soon. They have such beautiful soft leaves which of course you can eat, but am waiting till they are bigger.

Have now started placing some food plants in the new sunny, damp soil at the bottom of the fruit orchard. The galangal or blue ginger opposite was planted yesterday surrounded with spring onions and the kale was also placed yesterday (thank you Leah). Will be interested to see how they grow as this appears to be my best winter soil.

What I call the nursery is a protected area under trees near my back steps. This area is now full, pepino cuttings and herbs at present, and some needy small trees I planted in the wrong positions last year. All coming back to life but will take extra care with their next placements.

Growing food is a journey of discovery.

This post is part of Food On Fridays, Fight Back Friday, Foodie Friday, Fertilizer Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Frugal Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Outdoor Wednesday and Transformation Thursday.

Sustainable Living Maintains Good Health

2011-05-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

My last series of medical tests were faced with some trepidation as wanted so much to be able to walk forward with my new sustainable lifestyle but all was well.

After three surgeries and three bouts of radiation am grateful to good doctors but feel my new lifestyle is an important factor in maintaining my good health.

My dream during my last treatments was to find a sustainable home and create an organic garden and this has happened, but also more.

I was trying to sell my apartment for over three years but when it did sell doors began to open.

I was able to purchase an old government house and begin the journey of turning it into my dream home.

A new community garden was opening down the road just at the time I moved into my new home and I succeeded in obtaining a plot there.

This garden taught me so much about growing food in new ways and introduced me to the adventure and understanding of permaculture.

I was looking at my older blog posts and saying a big thank you just the other day as to how my journey to overcome breast cancer had lead me to new understandings of how to live.

It is an ongoing journey and look forward to being able to share so much more with my readers as my sustainable adventure continues to evolve.

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday.

Green Business Opportunities Can Nuture Our Planet

2011-05-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Our planet needs new models for business and enterprises, models that actually care about people and the environment.

Corporate greed has been a destructive force and now for the healing of our earth there is a need for creative green business opportunities, opportunities in harmony with our planet and its people.

An example of such a new way is the building of bamboo homes by a company called CO2Bambu.

This company is producing flat-pack bamboo housing, easy to transport and which assemble at low cost. The bamboo is produced sustainably in plantations which reforest lands devastated by burning for cattle ranges and agriculture.

These bamboo houses are fast affordable homes for areas devastated by natural disasters.

Having experienced massive floods and earthquakes in my part of the world this summer I see this company as providing a product that is not only healing for our planet but providing solutions to the increasing disasters that are occurring.

This company is about creative solutions, ones that acknowledge the needs of today and find solutions that work with our environment.

Our green business opportunities can be small or large. It is not the scale of an enterprise but a new conceptual thinking that is about an `us' not a `me', an acknowledgment we are all on this planet together and that each of us can in our own way become part of making it a better place for not only ourselves but the generations to come.

Crowds Flock to Gold Coast Permaculture Day

2011-05-01T00:57:00.000-07:00

Crowds flocked to Permaculture Day at Three Worlds on Australia's Gold Coast.

Held in The Three Worlds' Community Garden it was a day full of informative talks, good food and a wide range of activities and stalls.

Locals were eager to learn about new ways of growing and eating food and permaculture ideas.

The Three Worlds restaurant provided delicious, organic vegan fare direct from the garden.

All aspects of the day were in harmony with our planet and many went home with not only new plants and trees to grow in their own gardens but a greater understanding of what our planet needs and how `A New Eden' can be created.

The Program for the day included
raw food and sustainable cooking,
soil building, soil biology and worms, how to make your own pots and seedlings, no dig gardening, fruit trees, nutrition-food myths, sprouts and small space gardens, fermenting and preserves and scything, a full and exciting program.

Plenty of activities for the children as well and the food was really memorable, fresh, organic and full of flavor.

It was exciting to see so many eager to learn about new ways of living and the community garden setting gave inspiration to all.

This post is part of Saturday Nite Special.

No Dig Garden from Tree Extended.

2011-04-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

At last the large pile of mulch from the trees my neighbors and I had removed is gone, and I have an area with sunlight, rich soil and good drainage in which to extend my food garden.

Today I planted five small paw paws in this new area. They were fragile plants but are already looking lively in their new home.

The weather is perfect at present with intermittent sunlight and showers and very moist soil.

Beside the Rose Apple Tree I planted in the bottom of my garden about a year ago I have added some yellow squash plants.

The Drumstick Tree" and mandarin tree have adapted well to their moist, sunny positions.

The Custard Apple Tree is a another new planting. It said to plant it on a mound and I have created quite a large mound to keep its feet dry.

Today also added sweet potatoes to the mound. A fellow gardener told me by planting on a mound with all the roots bunched and planted together you obtain more tubers. She recommended cutting back the green shoots as they grew. You can use these new shoots in stir fries.

Do hope her advice is successful. My results with sweet potatoes have left much to be desired.

This post is part of Fertilizer Friday.

The True Cost of Growing Soy in South America

2011-04-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

The rapid spread of animal feed plantations across South America is wiping out rainforests and destroying the communities who've lived on the land for centuries.

This Video `The Killing Fields' lifts the lid on the battle to feed factory farms.

It is a must see video for us all to see and quite frankly is heart breaking.

Please share with all.

`Here we had water, streams, crops, big trees. Now everything is destroyed. I think we, the Kaiowa indigenous people are going to die, our race is going to end here'.

Getulio De Oliveira, Leader of the Guarani Kaiowa people, Brazil

This post is part of Fight Back Friday, Foodie Friday,and Food On Fridays.

Developer Gifts Gold Coast Community Garden

2011-04-24T00:59:00.000-07:00

The Gold Coast Beach Front now boasts an exciting new community garden at 40 Old Burleigh Rd.

Gifted from a developer for a period of 2 years it will revert to him as his project nears completion.

Due to previous commitments I arrived after all the wonderful work had been done by Gold Coast Permaculture and Community Garden members but was still in time to take photos of this great project and its progress.

It had been a busy morning putting down weed mat and gravel for paths and bringing the raised beds to life with wet newspaper, cardboard, and organic mulch.

Justin worked on creating a compost heap for the garden while others watered the new beds.

Greg Plevey from Wormtec sprayed valuable organic nutrients on the new beds to enrich the soil.

Here he is with his daughter Krystal and a visitor direct from the Gold Coast Surf.

Permaculture Gold Coast contributed many plants including cassava, lemon grass and comfrey while others brought along plants and seedlings including tomatoes, ceylon spinach, Chinese Vegetables, sweet potatoes and pumpkins.

Everyone was busy planting when I arrived.

Some of the residents of the local apartments also turned up and planted seedlings, or just came to say hi.

What a great team, and wow what an enormous rain water tank.

This will mean ongoing water during hot, dry Gold Coast Days.

What an inspiration to see everyone working together in the heart of Surfers Paradise to grow real, organic food.

What a different Gold Coast from the one I painted in the nineties, but I so like what is now happening with people working together to create food security for today's world.

This post is part of Metamorphosis Monday.