Blooming Garden

October started rather slowly and quietly as I rested up, slept in and recuperated from the chest infection I contracted on the last days of September.  I must admit I’d dosed myself up with Phenergan to help dry my nose and help me sleep through the nights. On several occasions while enjoying my lie-ins I dozed back to sleep waking as late as 10am on one morning! I dosed myself up with other herbal medications which I hoped would boost my immune system.  Just over a week later I was getting my energy back and needed to get back to some light chores, in the garden of course. On two occasions I either pulled up weeds or poured boiling water over them.  They were growing in the cracks on the driveway and paths.  The unit manager said she would poison them but this is not the method I approve of as it also kills beneficial bugs and can be harmful to the bobtails and birds. I wasn’t going to argue with her so kept quiet till I had done my patch.  And still she had a bone to pick with me!

The grapevine and wisteria vine has gone berserk!  Time to be vigilant in tying it to the pergolas.  So many bunches of grapes!  I’m not sure how I’m going to net them this year, maybe individually is the way to go.

During the school holidays our church held their children’s outreach program, Kings Club.  We have children of all ages from all walks of life attending a one week program which is finished off with a final night where parents and friends are invited to a performance put on by the children.  During the week the church is a buzz of activity, with leaders, children, helpers and even some parents.  We have our coffee shop open for all those needing a boost of caffeine to help them along. Unfortunately I hadn’t fully recovered from my chest infection to help all the time but did manage to get in on the Thursday which I really enjoyed.

One Friday, Elaine and I took a drive to the Lily Farm.  Both of us wanted to get some Rosie Barb fish for our ponds.  I wanted three females as I was sure I already had one of each but didn’t know which was which.  The remaining Australian pygmy perch had jumped out of the lily pond leaving two Rosie Barb so I wanted to get some more to keep them company and hopefully they would breed. Elaine wanted two pairs.  We wandered around the established ponds admiring their fish and pond plants. I found a lovely Zebra Rush with Penny Wort growing in the same pot.  Another two for the price of one.  My little water fountain had finally died.  I can’t understand how the water dried up as I kept checking and topping it up but obviously I’d neglected on this occasion and the engine had once again been running without water, burning out the motor.  I decided I wasn’t going to replace it, but instead I thought I’d fill the spot with a smaller pot filled with Penny Wort.  I’m hoping these small glossy leaves will give the impression of little water lilies.  The pot I used for the fountain is too deep and full of mosquito lavae, which the fish have been enjoying as I scoop them out to feed them.  I would need another larger pot for the Zebra Rush which grows to a meter tall so it will need to be along the back wall.  Planting these water plants in pots without drainage holes ensures they will not dry out between reticulation cycles.  It also will mean the roots will not disturb my pear or grape vine which are in the same area.

Now that I had selected my water plants, I showed one of the proprietors at the Lily farm a photo of my fish to see if he could tell me if there were male and female.  He confirmed, saying the orange one was the male, the darker one the female.  Elaine and I then busied ourselves catching fish with a small hand net.  I had a bucket of 3 dark fish and she two dark and two orange.  We fronted up to buy our catch, checking first that they were Rosie Barb but were then told they weren’t, as there were three types of fish in the one tank and we had selected the wrong ones.  A young guy came over to help us get the ones we wanted but unfortunately he thought the orange were the females and the darker ones the male so we once again had to catch a new batch!  Finally the first guy who I’d spoken to came to help and told us there were only two females left so I took one and Elaine took the other with one male.  Well at least I now I will have three, two female and one male orange Rosie Barb in my home pond.  I just pray they will breed.

School term started and it was back to the usual routine with Wednesdays and Thursdays free to catch up with friends.  I also had to put my nose to the grindstone and into the study manuals for the scuba diving course I had enrolled in.  I was stressing out, having not studied for a while and not really enjoying having to read and retain information to be tested on.  So yes, I procrastinated initially, but once I did start I set a bit of a routine, reading and taking notes on one day then reading and doing the test on the next.  This worked quite well as I have most afternoons off and don’t get going in the morning till before 10am and now that the sun is up earlier I’m off for a jog usually before 6am sometimes including a quick dip in the ocean before starting the daily routine with a quiet time before breakfast at 8am.  This gives me time to read and complete the test before leaving the house.  I was relieved when I completed all nine tests and out of the 45 questions in the exam, I only got three answers incorrect.  My next challenge is the medical, which will need to be done by a certified dive doctor who will test my lung capacity.

Saturday 23 Oct I attended an event put on by the City Council in regards to an ‘All Electric Home’.  A representative from the power company talked about the benefits of living in an all electric home. Someone from, a local solar business shared the latest information on solar rooftop systems and home batteries and a local resident, Dr Steffen Zorn, PhD, discussed the benefits of investing in electric vehicles. All very interesting and lots of helpful information but I wanted to know what happens to the used batteries, solar panels and wind blades once they have been discarded, as most only last 10 yrs. I was told the batteries will last longer than 10 years, but not have the power or durability of a new one and the solar panels are sold to places like the Philippines and Africa where they can we recycled and used for building homes. But there are only a few that can be recycled and only some of the materials that make them, so the rest will end up in landfill, as will all the cars we now drive, unless we pay big money to have them converted.  The other question I had was in regards to those with solar panels on their homes.  Instead of paying a fortune to buy a backup battery, why not use the car battery to power our homes.  This can only be done by one make of car at the moment and has not been approved by the power companies!  Ok so now we are encouraging people to buy EV cars and then once the approval comes through these people will want to trade in their vehicles for a new one so they can also use the battery overnight for their homes.  It all sounds not so renewable or green!  And the council are boasting about their new EV for their fleet!  Mind you, the WA government has released a map of 45 new electric vehicle charging sites across the state and 5,000 free fast chargers are being installed in capital cities across Australia. Free electricity! Yes, but I’m sure that offer will not last long!

One Monday Emma and I went to Beatty Park Pool.  I need to be able to do 200mts non-stop for my scuba training. I was delighted to find I was able to complete it without too much difficulty, which means my jogging has helped with my cardio health.  That afternoon I took the bus to Hillarys to check out the scuba shop, as both Janice and I are considering buying some basic gear so we don’t have to rent it wherever we go.  Then on the Thursday, after cancelling my doctor’s appointment with a dive doctor because I was still coughing, I visited Scarborough Aquatic Centre, buying 10 entries so that I can build up my swimming endurance before our scuba classes which are held the first weekend of November.  I was encouraged as I increased my laps to 400 mts.

Another outing was to the opening of an exhibition of textiles by Designing Women, where my friend Dorothy had several items.  There were some amazing pieces, both three-dimensional and two-dimensional on the aspect of ‘Flight’.

My drawing is coming along well.  I finished one I had done from a photo of Mum and one of her dogs and posted it to my sister Kat for her 60th birthday in October.  She asked if the dog was Mia, as this was originally her dog.  I thought it might be as the photo showed Mum at about the age she was when she had Mia.  Kat said it was very appropriate having both her dog and Mum in the picture.  I then did one of Jen with her kids when they were in their teens which I will send to her in Broome for her birthday in November. Now I’ve started one for Trish which I hope to give her for Christmas.  I thought I’d do one off a photo I had of Mum and Dad in their younger days.

Photos: 1. Poppy    2. Lily    3. David Austin    4. Amaryllis    5.  Mum and Mia

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for this beautiful weather, with summer on its way we are still enjoying spring rains and lovely cool mornings.

Please continue to pray with me that this virus will come under control, and that we will soon be able to open up the country without fear of it getting out of control.

Praise the Lord for the safe return of Cleo to her parents in Carnarvon.

Praise the Lord for our freedoms and prosperity which we often take for granted.

Please continue to pray for my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat to come to know Christ’s love for them.