There has been a lot of stormy weather here, I drove to roller derby practice in a complete downpour, so strong was the rain that I put my Jeep into 4WD. But when we got up today, as I opened the bedroom curtains, Zok exclaimed 'What? No way!', because the day was bright and clear. In penance, of his outburst, I made him take me to the Royal Botanical Gardens, or as I like to call it, 'The Arboreteum'. Arboreteum is not a word that Australians take kindly too, but that is what I am used too, and really Royal Botanical sounds down right stuck up. The point was that I am finally feeling season appropriate and I wanted to see some leaves across an expanse of lawn. I wanted to see Oaks, Maples, and other deciduous trees. I am of the opinion that formal gardens are the best bet for these trees, because honestly, they don't exactly thrive in this hemisphere, but if you squint a little they can pass muster. Our gardens don't have a bat colony (see Sydney post), but we have a sweet Japanese garden, a fountain that commemorates the French explorers for which many areas (Huon, D'entrecasteaux, Recherche) are named, and best of all 'Pete's Patch'!
Pete's Patch is featured on our (and by all I mean Australia wide, as most radio and t.v. are broadcast throughout Australia not bound to one state) 'Gardening Australia'. I love seeing vegetables grow that I haven't seen before, and to see how they rotate their beds or which plants they choose to be companion plants. Soil is a problem in Australia, so often an area is planted with some sort of plant that can be dug back into the soil to add a missing nutrient such as nitrogen. We like to use the garden as a sort of goal marker for our own, and sometimes as a tip for when a certain vegetable should be planted. I like the novelty of the garden being featured on my vodcast and knowing I can just drive over and see the changes.
The day was perfect, not too cold or too hot, the colors of the garden all in autumn hues. Back home I can only sense autumn, by the angle of the sun and the tides. I do love being able to hear the surf, and walking down to the blow hole (which doesn't actually act like a blow hole any longer but is still nice to watch the water rush through at a high tide), plus there is the feeling that the tides will bring in treasure that I will find along the shore.
Pete's Patch is featured on our (and by all I mean Australia wide, as most radio and t.v. are broadcast throughout Australia not bound to one state) 'Gardening Australia'. I love seeing vegetables grow that I haven't seen before, and to see how they rotate their beds or which plants they choose to be companion plants. Soil is a problem in Australia, so often an area is planted with some sort of plant that can be dug back into the soil to add a missing nutrient such as nitrogen. We like to use the garden as a sort of goal marker for our own, and sometimes as a tip for when a certain vegetable should be planted. I like the novelty of the garden being featured on my vodcast and knowing I can just drive over and see the changes.
The day was perfect, not too cold or too hot, the colors of the garden all in autumn hues. Back home I can only sense autumn, by the angle of the sun and the tides. I do love being able to hear the surf, and walking down to the blow hole (which doesn't actually act like a blow hole any longer but is still nice to watch the water rush through at a high tide), plus there is the feeling that the tides will bring in treasure that I will find along the shore.
1 comment:
I bet you're the only girl in Hobart with checkerboard rain boots, and that's why I love you so.
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