There was still the unmistakable aroma of maggots. However, on inspection I removed the milk soaked bread. The bread stunk to high heaven, and although I saw no visible signs of maggots I am sure they were present. I came to this conclusion after stirring through the compost with a stick. I located less than 12 maggots in the system. I also exposed many more worms.

So although I am not 100% certain that there are no maggots in the system I am willing to claim victory. My worms have excelled and are now munching through the mountain of food. In 2 – 3 months I should have a nice supply of usable material for planting of fruits, vegetables or flowers. Now I just need to work out how best to get them to Wollongong when we move.

Snails are one of the many not so friendly visitors to the garden. If left alone they will destroy an otherwise healthy harvest. So yesterday during the rain I decided to build some defences the easy peesy way. The steps and requirements are below.

The Weapons of Snail Destruction
Like the ingredients in the Weapons of Maggot Destruction the requirements for snail traps are quite humble and common place. All that is needed is a beer and a liquid proof container. In my case I used and used aluminium drip tray and a bottle of Hahn Premium Light (not pictured).

How it Works
The trap works by luring the snails to the beer. The snail then drinks, gets drunk, and drowns. Simple as that.

Process

1. Dig the container into the ground a little. This means the snails are more likely to travel into the trap as they are not climbing materials they may otherwise avoid. Do not get too pendantic about having the trap 100% level, its not a beauty statement after all.



2. Bait the trap by pouring in your chosen beer. Do not waste a premium ale here, a standard cheap variety is just as effective for snails. Simply fill the container two thirds full with your chosen amber liquid.



3. Walk away and check it the next day. Fish out the dead snails and walk away again. When the beer finally evaporates simply sacrifice another bottle of beer and its away again

I love this trap as it is simple, effective and cheaper than using a commercial snail repellent solution. It is also better for the environment.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. – from “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon

Upon opening the Can’O'Worms I could tell from the smell that there were still maggots present in the system. I was expecting this as I was sure that I had not eliminated all of the scourge last week. I though was happy to see a number of worms attacking the decaying mangoes, peaches, and plums that were casualties of the recent warmth in Sydney. There were a lot of worms present on the top layer considering the inherent lack of material for them to live in. It would appear that not only have the worms withstood the invasion of the maggots, but indeed flourished and multiplied significantly in numbers. Below is a picture of the magnificent worms fleeing from the light.

I then thought that I best check the second layer. Again I was ecstatic to see nothing but worms tilling this layer. Just last week this layer was the most maggot infested of the three layers in the system, though that was moved around last week anyway. This layer looks to be very rich in nutrients and will be a great source of fresh planting materials very soon. A great result for the worms, however the stench was noticeably stronger.

After taking a few breaths and preparing myself for the likely sight on the next layer I checked it. To no great surprise I was greeted with a terrible rank stench and a cluster of horrid maggots wriggling around on the lowest layer. The image below shows these despicable critters doing nothing but gorge themselves on what would otherwise be good quality worm food.

On closer inspection though I saw that the worms were playing stockman and had corralled the maggots into a small area within the third layer. Worms truly are an amazing creature.

I have thus deployed the milk soaked bread trick once more. Basically the idea is that you soak bread in milk and once it is milk-logged place it in the worm farm. The maggots take to this like a fly to honey and in a few days you can easily remove them and elimate the problem. This trick gave me very limited success when deployed last week. I believe this was due to the large size the maggots were that prevented them from traversing through the system to the waiting trap. As such I have made it much simpler for my prey to be lured by placing the soaked bread directly onto the cluster of maggots.

So with luck in 2 to 3 days I should be able to easily eliminate the majority of the remaining maggots from the worm farm. If I can do that I shall claim victory and have a celebratory drink of a Little Creatures brewery product.

The bulk of the felines have now learnt to stay away. However, there are a number of recalcitrants. They are either stubborn or just plain dumb. I vote for the latter given they are all interbred. These cats get a spray from several strategically located water pistols. I will be applying citronella to the colour bond fence and trailer soon to see if that keeps them off of the fence line.

We have also seen several pregnant skanks again. Including a cat that must be less than 12 months old. Those kittens are all doomed from the time they are conceived. If they emerge and the RSPCA still have not thinned out the numbers I will once again contact them, and the local council for action.

I was thus expecting to turf an incredible amount of material, if not the lot. I was thus pleasantly surprised to see that the worms were launching a fight back. There seemed to be an abundance of worms, so I suspect they have managed to breed over Christmas which is great news. The worms had in fact almost taken over the top and bottom layers, thus banishing the majority of the maggots within the second layer.

The second layer stunk to high heaven, thankfully my nose was blocked and I could only get a hint of the stench. and was by far the most empty. This is due in no small part to the maggots physiology that is simply made to chomp through materials. Unfortunately, their produce is pretty useless in it own right, although the worms process that further. At any rate I spent an hour or so going through the semi-decayed materials and removing any maggots, or suspect materials (including a tetra pack that some put in there). I believe I have removed 80-85% of the infestation. Which is great news.

I have also reorganised the layers so that the bulk of the processed soil is once again on the bottom layer. The second layer has a considerable food source on offer and the top layer has some scatterings. I will be slowing the feeding down until I am confident the worms have managed to win the war against the horrible maggots.

I am though much more confident that the worms will endure and commence producing large volumes of compost and worm juice soon. I am in need of more worm tea as I have today exhausted my bottled supply. I felt it best to fertilise and water everything today due to the warmth of both yesterday and today. The spinach had wilted significantly during the day, however after the watering and fertilising is looking fantastic once more.

On the water front I am essentially out of rain water. The great weather of 2 to 3 weeks ago has ceased. I am hopeful though it shall return shortly. I thus have had to resort to mains supply today to water the plants. I am still watering from a watering can though to ensure that I do not overwater due to a never ending supply of water.

I will keep you up to date on how the worm farm tracks over the next week or so. I am confident that I have largely restored the balance to the ecosystem, however the war is not over. Not yet. I will also be posting a blog in the coming days of a fantastic fly control system that is available from the big kids toy shop that is both economic and environmentally friendly.

Picture Credit: Joseph Berger, United States, Bugwood.org (Creative Commons license terms)

Clearly, sometime over Christmas some meat that had been infected by one of the hundreds of green bottle flies that mysteriously appeared has been introduced to the worm farm. Unfortunately the ideal condition for the health of the worms is also a flies breeding ground. The maggots have now taken over. There is still a heap of worms in the system, but I must get the maggots out as I do not want to breed flies. I could think of nothing worse actually.

After performing some research I have found that the suggested technique is very straight forward. The removal of the maggots is performed by baiting them with bread soaked in milk and leaving it for 2-3 days. This apparently is a maggot magnet and will allow for their collection and removal from the farm. I will be throwing the maggots immediately in some boiling water, so the final disposal should be quite simple. But it is a pain in the backside. Given the numbers I may well be performing this task over the course of the next week or so. Needless to say I will be being much more vigilant in vetting what goes into the worm farm ecosystem.

Another suggestion is to dust the farm with lime. I will thus be getting some soon and adding it to the mix. I will though be careful to use this sparingly so as not to impact the quality of the produced vermicompost. If too much much lime is administered it will simply be passed straight to the compost. Not all plants appreciate lime, so it could have a negative impact, rather than the expected and required positive effects.

Some of the posts on blogs and forums from experienced vermiculturalists suggest to ignore the presence of the maggots. I though can not do that. I simply can not stand the thought of bringing the world even more flies than occur naturally. I must remove them.

Finally, the research also suggests that I am feeding my worm friends too much. At present I am sure this is correct as I do not have the commonly suggested 1000 worms per head of residents. Thus, I need more worms, and I need them soon. Unfortunately when I was last at the big kids toy shop Bunnings Warehouse they were out of stock. Yet had more Can’O'Worms farms than were able to be counted. Does not really make sense to have a heap of the farms but no worms in my opinion. I am sure that will soon be fixed. That said I am considering an alternative suppliers for the interim purchase to help clear the current plethora of available food. This will also deny the maggots of their food source.

I will post an update soon and let you know how I go.

The primary reason is that the four bean seedlings that did not get trellis space at planting really need something to climb. So I managed to get two more pieces of downpipe trellis. I will be once again cable tieing these back to back and training the sprouts up the trellis. It will give the seedlings a good start. I do though have a concern that it will not be tall enough. I do though believe it would be possible to join more in a vertical position. This will require an anchor stake, something that may not be possible in a pot.

Also, we spotted some horrible little caterpillars attacking my newly fruiting beefsteak tomatoes. As such we knew that we needed to take some action immediately. Due to the nature of the holiday season, especially when hosting the family dinner, we have elected to take the easy way out. As such we purchased some chemical pyrethrum based spray to kill the pests dead. This also necessitated a garden pressure sprayer. All well and good and the tomatoes have now had the treatment. I though will be trying the suggestions from Rid Pest Control Services in the future.

We also picked up another three storage tubs to be converted into planter tubs. One, or two of these will hold the carrots, corn, and other vegetables that will be grown from seed. The others will be hosting some Australian wildflowers, gerberas, poppies, and sunflowers. These are aimed purely at attracting bees to the yard to ensure the vegetable are getting sufficient polenation. Also, they will add a splash of colour and vibrancy.

We also procured two more bags of the fantastic Rich Gro Pro Mix potting mix. This will be used for the above projects.

I will be taking a look in the worm farm soon after Christmas, as they have been busy with another litre of worm juice harvested last week. I am thus optimistic that there will also be some worm castings available to further enrich the potting mix. So I still have 5 litres available even after using it this week. Needless to say the worm juice will not go to waste and will certainly be put to good use.

Also, tonight we had a BBQ. Rump steak and sausages was the meat on offer, and it tasted great when washed down with Grolsch beer. I also managed to try the ebony fire chilli I harvested last week. Socko sliced the chillis up and licked her fingers. Socko is not a keen spice-a-holic and we could hear the effects upon her from 10 feet away after verifying that she was indeed fine I was prepared for the fire that was to come. I tried the chilli and it is definately up there in the heat steaks. The seeds had been removed for drying, and reuse next year. So I can only imagine the heat had the fire crackers been left in the chilli. I was also to try the mystery chilli, but after the ebony fire I thought better of it.

The salad that accompanied the barbecue was also nice. It contained some of the Ku Chai (garlic chives), the first time we have used it. It worked well within the simple garden salad. We also used more of the parsley, not that it looks like we have used any of the stuff, it is simply growing prolifically. No doubt it will get a hammering in the coming days across Christmas. The mint, that has gone nuts in a largish pot, will certainly be getting a hammering as Socko is going to prepare a Jamie Oliver Ezy Peezy Ginger Beer recipe. It will be good to taste, and good for the plant.

The worms are also living it up with a lot of egg shells being introduced to the general fare of salad greens and tea bags. The egg shells are coming courtesy of my mum that has moved into overdrive with preparing Christmas food. We must surely have a life times supply of short bread, rum balls and fruit mince pies in the fridge. Not to mention the White Christmas that I prepared last week. If anyone goes home hungry from our place on Christmas day then there will be something seriously amiss with them.

• 500 Worms, unfortunately the 1000 packs were out of stock, as such I have settled for an additional 500. These cost less that 30% of the shop.
• Some Basil seedlings. It was one herb we did not have in the garden as no one seems to use it. That said I have picked some up for use as a natural mosquitoes and fly repellent. Two things in abundance in our area.
• 8 x Bean seedlings that my Mum is keen to plant and grow.
• 2 x Downpipe trellis that the beans will have to climb. They will be laid out back to back.
• 6 x Carrot seedlings. The variety grows in little round balls, so should be an experiment worth undertaking.
• 3 x Rich Gro Pro Mix that I love so much.
• 1 x Storage Tub to be converted to a planter like the original two.

So as a result of this visit I am banning myself from the big kids toy shop until the second week of the new year.

On the good news front the Beefsteak Tomato has fruit. 2 little ones in fact. They should be good for picking soon and I hope this is only the start of the crop. The mysterious chilli is also producing strong fruit. They are long, slender and green. They look like real rockets. I am still yet to attempt the ebony fires that I harvested last week, though I may do so now.

Expect Failures
No matter how good and diligent you are, some plants will fail. For example I have a thriving Zucchini seedling out the back, yet two out the front planted in the same base material and receiving similar sun are struggling like the billy-o. I expect that they will soon be fed to the worms for reprocessing.

Expect Success Beyond Expectation
At the same time of expecting failures you also need to expect success beyond your wildest expectation. I am for example trying to work out what I will be doing with the plethora of chillis that are either here, or en route. For me I will be distributing that amongst family members and preserving the remaining crop.

Premium Potting Mix is Worth the Extra Coin
Premium potting mix is indeed worth the coin. Plants that are in the premium potting mixes such as the RichGro Pro Mix that is enriched with Seasol, Osmocote, and Ezi Wet are thriving. Those in the cheaper standard potting mix, such as that available from Coles, although for the most part are alive are not exactly thriving. Definately fork out the extra few dollars and get a premium mix.

Worm Farming is a Must
If you have the room a definate requirement is a worm farm. The farm produces a magnificent liquid fertiliser and a supreme compost. Both of which provide established plants a great boost or a kickstart for new arrivals. Also, it helps keep the costs down, as you can appreciate liquid fertiliser and rich compost purchased from the garden centre is expensive, and when you are worm farming is a completely unnecessary cost. Also as a real advantage your rubbish bin will not be as full or smelly.

I Need More Worms
Currently in my Can’O'Worms I have 1000 worms. I though now believe I require a considerable amount more. As a rough idea I have read that you should have 1000 worms per household member. Given Christmas is days away, and we are again hosting the family dinner, we will no doubt have stacks of peels, fruit and vegetable waste. As a direct result I will be adding at least 500 more, am considering perhaps adding 1000. I am also considering a second Can’O'Worms and utilising the stacks of cardboard that I currently have.

Recycling Rocks
Recycling our own waste is both good for us and the planet. Gardening offers a wealth of opportunities for reuse. For example, worms will eat our food scraps, paper waste, and cardboard. Also whilst on cardboard it is great as a pot liner to prevent water simply seeping straight out, further in the pot it provides a barrier for insects and other bugs climbing in. Finally, on paper I am about to embark on making my own jiffy pots using wet newspaper and the many seedling pots as a mould. Essentially its a paper mache jiffy pot.

Planning
Gardening, in particular gardening for cultivation, requires planning. It is silly to pick plant varieties that require deep roots or a need to achieve a tree size for growing in the urban environment within pots and tubs. Also, need to ensure that the chosen varieties needs are going to be met.

Dedication
Dedication is a must for any gardening project. Although many plants will survive a few days of neglect, few will sustain that for very long. Especially when contained to pots and tubs. The urban gardener needs to keep the water, nutrients, and defences up.

Keeping Felines Away is a Pain
For me I have learnt that keeping near wild cats away from the garden is a real pain in the keister meister. Cats like those currently next door are once removed from being feral. I do not want them anywhere near my garden, especially the producing plants. However, keepng them away is a real pain and requires its own commitment. I am looking forward to obtaining my CATWatch in the new year. Hopefully that will reduce the burden.

For now that is the end of my current learnings. No doubt this will expand over the coming days, weeks and months to come. As I have said before, I am a novice, but learning fast.

The reason I took the measure to separate the worms and compost was that we went to the big kids toy shop, Bunnings. All that we were going for was to:

1. Annoy my sister. Well spend time with her during a break as we have hardly seen her all week due to her insane hours.
2. Pick up several bags of our favourite RichGro potting mix.

Anyways, as always happens we walked out spending over $200. We purchased 4 bags of the potting mix, 2 large tubs, half a dozen vegetable seedlings, a china doll, seeds, ant deterrent, and cat deterrent. The large tubs are being converted to be used as planters. The tubs were $12 each, whilst the equivalent size planter is $48. Easy maths when the only difference is a few holes in the bottom, easily corrected with an electric drill and 5 minutes. One has already had such a conversion performed and is now the home of some of the seedlings cucumber, zucchini and dwarf pumpkin seedlings. The cucumbers and zucchinis are full of buds. I will get the varieties tomorrow when the light returns.

In that tub is 25L of the RichGro mix that has been further enriched with our first harvest of worm produced compost. This has to be the most nutritious potting mix we have ever planted in. In the half barrels that arrived from Deals Direct we have planted the remaining zucchini seedlings and some pak choy. Again this is within the RichGro/Worm compost mix. We are looking forward to our harvest soon.

In terms of harvests we have just enjoyed a rather nice salad with home grown lettuce, chives and parsley being the highlight. 10 minutes from harvest to consumption simply can not be beaten.

Anyways I am off to watch some wrestling before bed … see yas.

Anyways, I went back to sleep and then started work before I decided to carry out the undesirable task. At 10:30am I collected my shovel and several garbage bags and managed to get the carcass into the bags. From inspection of the body it was the kitten that had foolishly buried itself in the cardboard stack a few days ago. Also, I found that there were no visible signs of the animal death being the result of meeting a car tyre. It was also incredibly bloated and stiff. Anyways, the next task was to dispose of the body, which I have since done.

Late last night another local resident asked my Mum if we knew who owned the kittens as they had nearly run one over. We advised her who it was and the situation. She will be ringing the RSPCA to report concern over the situation. Finally, someone else with the gumption to try and take action.

This morning on my way to the letterbox I looked in the cardboard filled trailer (to be emptied tomorrow) and found 3 felines in it sunbaking. They ranged from a real little kitten to a cat perhaps 12 months old. When I bashed the trailer to move them along the elder cat was immediately on the move, however stopped and watched me to see if I would give up. The intermediate kitten was looking for an escape and the tiny kitten had no idea what to do. After moving to get the eldest feline to move on the intermediate kitten leapt out the side. The tiny one just looked at me. After chasing the eldest pest down the fence line and out of the yard I returned to the trailer where the kitten was three quarters out of the trailer. I watched it finally leave the yard and have come in.

Across yesterday I also had further discussions with the RSPCA about CATWatch and their take on it is:

I have discussed this issue with our scientific staff and they have advised that:
1. RSPCA cannot comment on the effectiveness of this device as we are not familiar with the product.
2. RSPCA can see no obvious animal welfare problems with this device
3. If you do obtain this device, please position it so as not to interfere with the cats’ normal territory
4. You should consider carefully the effect this may have on any pets you own
5. and finally, if you do obtain this device, could you please advise this office:
* as to the effectiveness of this product
* if you experience any difficulties with it
* if you observe any animal welfare issues connected with the use of this product,
so that we can update our information data base accordingly.

I have also heard back from the distributor fauNature Pty Ltd with the following results.

Question – Is the CatWATCH device will effective against deaf cats?
Answer – Ultrasonic means the unit emits an alarm that is above our hearing range, however cats can hear it and indeed the unit relies on this fact to work. Deaf cats will not hear the alarm and therefore will not be affected by it. Fortunately the number of deaf cats within the cat population that are deaf is tiny – a significant percentage of pure white cats are deaf, but other than that there is no consistent characteristic that can indicate deafness.

Question – What is the average expected battery life with a regular alkaline battery?
Answer – Battery life expectancy – only the long life alkaline batteries can be used and the average life is three (3) months, slightly less in high traffic areas and slightly longer in low traffic areas. Rechargeable batteries very quickly develop a memory and for some reason do not work, while cheap batteries are exhausted too quickly.

Question – Is there a limit to the number of devices per mains adapter?
Answer – Number of Units per adaptor – given the units operate on 12vlt (using electricity) and draw very little energy in principle you are probably talking minimal effect. The most we are aware of having been lined up in series is 3, but if you were thinking of more than that we are happy to look into it.

I have since discussed with Socko and we are still deciding on our course of action. I really do like to look of CatWATCH, but with out impending move we may not need a device soon. I may still buy one of these and use a spray on the fences and in the backyard as per the earlier RSPCA communications. I really want to keep the feline infestations out of the yard, but cost is a factor.

In the mean time I shall continue to move the “skanks” and kittens on by whatever means is necessary. 1 x Super Soaker soon to be loaded with Citronella Oil/Water mix.

Yesterday one of virii, oops kittens, decided to play in the trailer, which is loaded with cardboard and waiting for a tip run. Normally that would not have bothered me, but knowing the numbers around at the moment I thought it best to get it to move along back to where it belongs (ie. the neighbours yard) before they were all in there. When I tried scaring it off it got itself confused and decided to bury itself to a safe place deep within the cardboard. It could well still be there, although it would be awfully wet given the rain.

Later in the afternoon not one, but two of the “skanks” brazenly jumped off the fence and ran under the house in front of me. No doubt they were rendevousing with one of the lucky tom cats in the area, lucky cos theres always at least one “skank” ready to raise it’s tail. Luckily though the “skanks” were not heard copping a serve. That said I am fed up with constantly having to defend the yard against these god awful infestations. Needless to say I have now had enough.

Now, I hear you ask why can I not talk to the neighbour. Well she is quite old and set in her ways. Further, it is clear that English is not her first language, so comprehension is simply not there. In fact I have heard one of the many community workers try to explain to her that she had far too many animals and it ended with the old lady in tears and under the impression that the community worker wished all her cats eliminated.

That is not the case. What is required is for the numbers to be thinned out through:

• The sale of the healthy kittens.
• Those that are found to be suffering with severe health challenges such as being blind or deaf should be put down, given they are outdoor cats it is best that happens than them be run over because they could not sense the vehicle coming as has occurred in the past.
• The “skanks” should be desexed to prevent a rampant plague again. Sorry to the Toms you will need to find a new harem.

However, it appears that the plethora of community workers simply do not have the power and/or intestinal fortitude to actually take the steps to ensure that the above occurs.

As a result I have been doing some research. I do not want to spend regular copious amounts of money and introduce a chemical solution to my garden. I would prefer to spend some money up front and solve the issue for good.

As such I am thinking of purchasing 1 or 2 CatWatch devices. A CatWatch device detects the presence of an animal and then blasts them with an ultra-sonic sound that has been specifically developed to annoy cats. The cat will soon learn to stay away or it will hear the adverse sound.

Units are either battery or mains powered. The mains power kit is optional. However, with the mains power the sound is boosted by 35% which is going to be required in my yard. In terms of cost the units are available for $135.00 each and a mains adapter is $22.50. I can also purchase a connector kit for $13.50 and utilise 1 mains adapter for 2 (or more) devices. I think I will go down that path and ensure the “garbage”, they have gone beyond a litter, of felines is kept away from my fruit and vegetables.

So all up im looking at $306 to keep the neighbours sprawling pack of cats out of part of my yard. I will still need to purchase some rocks to scatter around the White Bird to ensure that the scourge do not begin using its pot as a toilet. I also need to contact the distributor about the effects the unit will have on deaf cats, if it will have no effect I will performing more research until I can safely say the invasion of the hordes is cessated.

Also, recently I decided that I wanted to spend more time outdoors and relaxing. Building some distance between my laptop and me as it was becoming far too easy to slip in an out of work mode, for example at 10 o’clock at night I was jumping onto work and picking stuff up unnecessarily. This has resulted in one little stress monkey who is holding on for leave beginning at the close of the next business week. Hooray no more work until the new year! That said the need to build that distance took effect several weeks ago.

So in order to alleviate stress and because of a desire to increase our level of self-sufficiency I have taken up gardening. We have limited usable sun filled area due to a plethora of units and established and shady trees around the yard. Also, given we plan on moving early in the new year we have decided that our best strategy is to take on the challenge of cultivation in pots. This will make the plants easier to transport when the time comes.

After an early drama with one of our pots not draining that led to several plants drowning we have the following plants and shrubs thriving in the pots:

• The Fruits and Vegetables
• 2 x Grosse Lisse Tomatoes
• 1 x Beefsteak Tomato
• 1 x Cherry Tomato (attempt 2)
• 2 x Yolo Wonder Capsicums
• 2 x Chili Plants
• 1 x Egg Plant – did not really want it but it came in a seedling pack
• 1 x Green Lettuce
• 1 x Red Lettuce
• 1 x Strawberries
• 2 x Passion Fruit
• 1 x Spinach
• The Herbs
• 1 x Curry Plant
• 1 x Chives
• 1 x Mint
• 1 x Parsley
• The Show Ponies
• 1 x Jasmine
• 10 x Dwarf Lavender
• 4 x Fairy Lights
• 1 x Blue and White Bird of Paradise
• 5 x Red & White Petunias

Of course the current weather conditions in Sydney have assisted no end in supplying ample water to the plants and a lot of warmth, fair to say it has been a bit like a green house when you don’t have a greenhouse of late. Horrible weather for me personally, but fantastic for the plants.

We have been using a mix of potting mixes. Beginning with a Coles brand mix and since moving through a Yates mix and now to a RichGro. I think we will stick with the RichGro given it is enriched with Seasol, Ezi Wet, and Ozmicote, Each plant that has been planted in this mix has instantly taken off. Whereas the others have taken a bit more encouragement and H2O to establish. All though are now very healthy plants.

In terms of garden harvests we have only had some curry plant and parsley. That said going by the abundance of buds and flowers appearing on the plants that is set to change shortly.

Also, whilst mentioning the garden, last weekend saw a monster cleanup. We managed to take a full trailer load to the tip and then promptly managed to get at least another trailer load of green waste ready to go. That is now stacked in the back yard slowly turning into mulch. Although, with our imminent move we probably won’t see that used. The cleanup continues with the vast amounts of leaf litter being dropped from the trees around us. Most of which are not in our yard.

After the bulk of the cleanup last weekend we set up our outdoor Christmas decorations. It looked great with 5 inflatable displays, 1 light tree, and several garden lights set up. Unfortunately since then 2 of our inflatable displays have died due to water in their air blowers. Not happy Jan about that and am awaiting a return e-mail from Christmas Warehouse on whether we can get replacement units. The display has also been attacked by next doors cats with one of the star lights broken.

The crazy old lady next door continues to support an insanely high amount of cats. Currently there are at least 10 next door. Most are kittens, and with the sighting of yet another pregnant cat there are more on the way. The RSPCA have been around several times since we have lived here, but nothing has changed in regards to her pussy habits. It is ridiculous and we now have them living on/in our stuff.

Yesterday was a prime example. In the yard currently I have a large cardboard box that the new Victa came in. In the box I have various gardening supplies, ie. pots, snail pellets, etc. Anyway I moved the box yesterday in order to get to the things underneath it. Next thing the box has fallen from a stable position. I have snapped my head around and this little rat cat furball is running away. So I smacked the box with a bamboo stake and another little rat cat furball jumps out and runs off. It is ludicrous that we are now expected to put up with it. I am on the verge of contacting the RSPCA and requesting they lay traps in our yard to round the cats up and take them away.

Anyways, I best be off again and start building another table for Christmas in the marquee set up out the back.