September Garden

Well another month and again a wet start. Things are certainly looking up. If the rain keeps on falling we just may have our 82,500 litres in storage.
Unfortunately the rain did not last and there was not much of it
I have just fertilised the day lilies and with the rain we are hoping for a great show this year.
I have started retirement with a massive list of jobs that need doing both inside and outside.
I have just completed a new composting area which will hold two lots of 5 cubic metres and a new wood storage area, I am resurfacing all the paths with crusher dust and have trimmed the custard apple trees (5) and shredded all the leaves for compost. And that’s just the start.
Well I am into my third week and have not stopped; how an earth did I do it all just on weekends?
Many jobs done and in the process of mulching the whole garden, I do not think the 50 bales of sugar cane mulch will be enough.
Spring is in the air and the Hippeastrums are starting to flower, you can see and feel spring in the garden, this years opening should be the best ever, just hope the weather is fine, It would be my worst nightmare to be rained out, all 12 months work down the drain. Don’t want to even contemplate it.
It is the end of the month and very hot 35c today, the garden is very dry as we have had no rain for over three weeks.
I am still very busy in the garden and look like being that way until the ‘Open garden’.
I have installed a new ‘fishfinder’ and a ‘Bimini’ top on my boat and am looking forward to re starting fishing. Fishing is something I have not done since my eldest son became a paraplegic; I found I gave me too much time to think, that’s why I started gardening, it turned out to be the best rehabilitation tool for me.
The blog is a bit short this month as I am too busy in the garden.

August Garden

After a couple of wonderful days at the 50th anniversary of RAAF working Dogs it was time to catch up in the garden.
The first job was to put a tank stand in for the new 5000 litre tank; this was easy compared to some of the other ones I have done.
I am putting another 15,000 litre tank behind the shed, getting this area ready meant a new entry/exit door to shade house, removal of old tin 5000 litre tank and stand, emptying both existing tanks and moving the existing 15000 tank forward to make room for the new tank.
Lots of work (what isn’t) but will be worth it in the end and we should now be able to survive any drought and not have to pay top dollar for excess water.
The ‘Garden Gurus’ visited our garden for the third time, this visit had nothing to do with our garden, rather focusing on micro irrigation, as we have lots of tanks it made a good backdrop for the story.
What a busy day, first my new Olympus E-520 DSLR camera arrived then the ‘Garden Gurus’ team, then 50 bales of sugar cane mulch then our two new rainwater tanks.
As well as this I finished of the new entry to the shade house, plumbed one of the new tanks and started work on the new composting area. I am moving the rear garden compost and wood storage areas from back yard into front as I feel that these areas now detract from the garden flow. The new garden created by removing the old wood storage bin will be an ideal area for a showing of Heliconia ‘Rostrata’.
August has been especially cold; we have had almost a month where the morning temperature remained under 5c with a couple of frosts. The Heliconia’s all look pretty bad at the moment from cold-burn. To my mind the winters seem to be getting colder and this combined with last years cooler than normal summer makes me a global warming sceptic.
I am looking forward to a long weekend on 29 August, in fact a very long weekend, its called Retirement.

August Garden

After a couple of wonderful days at the 50th anniversary of RAAF working Dogs it was time to catch up in the garden.
The first job was to put a tank stand in for the new 5000 litre tank; this was easy compared to some of the other ones I have done.
I am putting another 15,000 litre tank behind the shed, getting this area ready meant a new entry/exit door to shade house, removal of old tin 5000 litre tank and stand, emptying both existing tanks and moving the existing 15000 tank forward to make room for the new tank.
Lots of work (what isn’t) but will be worth it in the end and we should now be able to survive any drought and not have to pay top dollar for excess water.
The ‘Garden Gurus’ visited our garden for the third time, this visit had nothing to do with our garden, rather focusing on micro irrigation, as we have lots of tanks it made a good backdrop for the story.
What a busy day, first my new Olympus E-520 DSLR camera arrived then the ‘Garden Gurus’ team, then 50 bales of sugar cane mulch then our two new rainwater tanks.
As well as this I finished of the new entry to the shade house, plumbed one of the new tanks and started work on the new composting area. I am moving the rear garden compost and wood storage areas from back yard into front as I feel that these areas now detract from the garden flow. The new garden created by removing the old wood storage bin will be an ideal area for a showing of Heliconia ‘Rostrata’.
August has been especially cold; we have had almost a month where the morning temperature remained under 5c with a couple of frosts. The Heliconia’s all look pretty bad at the moment from cold-burn. To my mind the winters seem to be getting colder and this combined with last years cooler than normal summer makes me a global warming sceptic.
I am looking forward to a long weekend on 29 August, in fact a very long weekend, its called Retirement.

Retirement

This is the speech I made, tried to make it a bit different and about me as a person.

Residing: 20 years at Birkdale, Queensland, the longest we have lived anywhere.
Present employment: Probation & Parole Officer (Compliance) until 19 October 2009 when I cease my Long Service Leave at half pay and officially retire.
Ambitions: To be Australia’s ‘Gardener of the Year’.
Regrets: Not a lot.
Hopes: To have a long happy and healthy retirement, see my son ‘Scott’ walk again and having ‘grand-children’ not just ‘grand-dogs’.
Lucky: To have had two jobs in 43 years that I have really enjoyed and have been fortunate to have had the best workmates one could ask for I put Katrina into the special mention basket, what a lovely all round person she is, Katrina congratulations on your pregnancy, if it’s a boy please don’t call him Damien or Jason.
Best moments: Scott winning gold in the 2007 ‘World Disabled Water Ski Championships’ and the weekend we open our garden to the public through ‘Australia’s Open Garden Scheme’.
Worst moments: Obviously Scott’s accident and the fact that I think about it everyday. The Introduction of IOMS, and having to reapply for my job last year.
Achievement: Bringing up two great well adjusted sons (who are here with their partners, Fabienne and Eliza, who both give me great pride and joy, a good marriage, reaching the rank of RAAF Warrant Officer and believing I may have changed some lives in Cleveland through my work.
Marriage: Happily to Judy for 40 years on 5th October 2008.
Health: Excellent, never hospitalised, fingers crossed.
Hobby/ fixation/ passion: This may surprise you; it’s Garden, Garden and more Garden, Garden photography and wanting to re-start fishing.
Money: Cannot resist buying plants, all my $ $ goes into the garden.
Worst Insult: “and you wear your pants too high” this was an offenders last words to me leaving the office after to say the very least an unproductive interview.
Meaning of life: When visiting Amberley RAAF base a couple of weeks ago Fabienne said to me after watching the graduation parade “now I know why you are always pulling your pants up”.
Biggest challenges: trying to motivate some of the offenders to go to Community service. Speaking of challenges, who’s going to change the office calendars in the future? I have been doing it for the past 20 years.
A nice moment: After visiting Amberley RAAF base for 50th Anniversary of RAAF working dogs and meeting lots of long lost workmates, my sons said to me “they really respected you there”, that was nice, same as tonight is nice.
Future: I will be looking after the Stocklands Cleveland Centre ‘Community Garden’ and am hoping this will become a Community Service site, fishing, gardening and slowing down a bit; the last few years have just been a blur trying to maintain/build gardens just on weekends. Judy will also be retiring later this year; she is worried about me settling down and annoying her, interesting times ahead, I suppose there’s still time for Judy to divorce me.
It’s also nice to see Ernie, John, Bev here, it’s been a real privilege to help this community by providing community service to needy organisations.

It is especially nice to see 'Auntie Margaret' here from the Stradbroke Aboriginal Elders, I am reaally honoured that she came.
Thank you every one for coming here tonight, you have ‘made my day’, I will miss you all.