Close of 2023

The Water Board was around to update our water meter.  I went up to check they weren’t stomping on my native garden. Both guys were POHM’s (Brits) one commented how lovely it must be living so close to the sea.  I said yes and the shops and to my church.  Oh, he said what denomination?  This lead into a lovely chat about how the Lord has led us and blessed us. He had just arrived from Sussex where he had attended a C3 church and had recently realised he was living just around the corner from a C3 church here.  God is awesome!

It was the time of the year when we were out doing a letterbox drop for the church Christmas Carol flyers. I handed a flyer to a woman who had just arrived home, explaining that I was not permitted to put flyers into her letterboxes with ‘no junk mail’ on them.  She was very adamant that our Christmas flyer was not junk mail as it was a community event.  That same evening another woman said the same thing.  I totally agree but as they say ‘them’s are the rules’.

December is the time when there seems to be a flurry of breakup parties.  I attended several including: our Bible study group Christmas Party at Hillary’s Boat Club, Street Christmas Party, my Gardening Basics class break up lunch, ShareIn thank you to the teachers and helpers Christmas Party, our unit Christmas Party and the Community Garden Christmas Party. So much feasting!

There’s been lots to do around the garden while the weather was still cool in the first few weeks of December.  I replaced a plant that had died while I was away with a climbing red Mandevilla which has taken off.  I’m hoping it will bring colour and coverage to my trellised back fence and patio area. I’ve been waiting on a bougainvillea for a westerly facing wall which feels the brunt of very hot, salty, strong winds during the summer so needs something tough to survive. I’ve had one on order for over a year now and still the one I’d like is nowhere to be found.  Maybe I’m just too particular – dwarf peach!  Then on one of my visit’s to Bunnings nursery I took a look at their collection of ‘Bambino bougs’ and there tucked away at the back was a Miski which on the picture looked like just what I wanted.  Thank you Jesus!  When I got home and did some google research I realised it was more of an orange than an apricot and pink.  Oh well I’m sure it will be beautiful.  The leaf has a dainty variegated green, edged with cream, I’m sure the orange will go well with the orange Just Joey rose beside it.  My roses have all put on a splendid display of blooms this year, admired by many.  I have also needed to replace some of the plants under part shade of the large New Zealand Christmas (NZC) tree on my northern border.  This is a very difficult microclimate as it has full winter shade, dappled summer shade or full sun in other areas and high winds which can also be scorchers. Most of the larger plants are in pots but even so the roots from the NZC tree grow up into the pots causing the potted plants to die.  For this reason most of the pots have saucers under them which can be a problem for drainage in the summer time when the reticulation is on. Oh the challenges of gardening!

I’ve been trying growing screen plants on the west side of this area to help stop the scorching winds but due to low light they are quite sparse even though I’ve tried hedging them to keep them dense.  I’ve used the potting mix, from some of the failed potted plants, to build up the very poor soil on top of a carpet I put in to cover and suppress the weeds. Here I’m trying again with the native violets and other ground cover.  God willing this time I’ll have found something that likes that spot.  I also bought a dwarf oleander to hopefully screen my garden from the footpath where the guys upgrading the water meter cut away my privacy.  I was going to use it as a wind screen plant but changed my mind as I had already planted a miniature Protea – Leucadendron in one of the empty pots. Then there’s the three out of the four B type avocado’s (Shepard), I’ve grown from seed which I’ve now planted in different areas to see which spot is right for them to survive. Two in pots and one in the ground under the NZC tree.  My only surviving A type Avo is under a heavy shade cloth as the previous 4 I planted didn’t like our scorching sun or hot salty winds. I’ve peeled back some of the shade cloth hoping it will toughen up. It’s still very sheltered by the fig and trees I grew to lessen the force of the winds.  Only time will tell if it survives.

I’ve re-potted several plants including two white table grape plus a cutting from my currant grape all of which I’ve kept for the community garden.  Also three fig cutting I propagated, one I’d been given when I grafted onto my fig tree and one I’d propagated the year before from a tree overhanging where I jog near the bush.  I’m having a go at growing passionfruit from the seeds of my vine.  This is how my neighbour grew hers and one for me.  I’m also growing the vine tomatos from seeds of some I ate last year and some bok choi.  Some of my neighbours have some very productive tomato plants.  I have individually netted four bunches of white grapes growing on my pergola and the first figs on the tree. The currant grapes which I netted last year I have left un-netted to see how they survive and just hung a couple of CD discs around it to deter the birds.  I’ve had a few bunches already, they are so sweet!

The ocean tides have been so far out lately, leaving all the rocks bare and the usual swimming pool full of sand. The water has become warmer although very shallow, just deep enough to submerge myself when lying down.  I jokingly accused the other swimmers of pulling the plug out before I arrived.

I’ve given away seven fig plants which grew from seed. I presume birds dropped them while perusing my garden.  After potting up the seedlings and growing them into sturdy plants, I decided to sell them.  Then when there were no buyers, I lowered the price to $5.00 each which is the usual price for fig seedlings but still no takers.  As the weather was warming up I decided I didn’t want to repot them so gave them away for free.  I was then inundated with people wanting freebies. Some of course never turned up while others came and wandered around admiring my garden.  I’m very wary of selling things online these days.  Where possible I check out the buyers’ profile as some I’m sure are scammers or people who just want to cause problems saying they will come and they don’t.  Some who came around were genuinely interested in gardening so I directed them to two Facebook groups; Heritage Figs WA and WA Gardening Group.  One guy’s profile showed he was a Christian. I had already told others to come and collect the remaining two plants but I felt I should contact the guy anyway.  I told him I might have one and would let him know later that day.  Fortunately one person didn’t turn up so I was able to let him have the last one.  He too wanted a look around my garden and in the process I saw a bird nesting in the paw paw tree, I think it’s a pidgin. I enjoy hearing them cooing as they call to their mate.  Unfortunately a day or so later I found a broken egg on the pavers.  I’m not sure if it was pushed out or just fell out as pigeons don’t make very sturdy nests.  I think the birds have now abandoned the nest.

My little reptile family is growing and have once again shed their tight outer garments. I hear they can shed several times a year.  One of the little guys who previously escaped, I’ve now left out of the enclosure.  He has visited several times so I have started leaving him a little plate of food and a plant pot saucer to catch water when the reticulation is on.  I’ve also been keeping my eye out for the other larger baby who I suspect is male. I’d like to put him outside my enclosure too so that I can keep the females separated. God willing this way I won’t have a population explosion.

One morning after my jog I noticed my cantankerous neighbour’s car was out and thought it was a good time to water his garden as I’m trying to keep the natives alive.  These were plants given out by the council which I planted last year.  I was hoping to be able to get the watering done before he returned. I never know when he’s out as sometimes his car is in but he’s not or if I see him go out I’m not sure for how long he’ll gone.  I’ve been safe thus far but this day I was sprung!  He zoomed home, running over my hose, which I wasn’t so happy about but thought it best not to mention it as I was in his garden.  Once he had parked I shouted out ‘Happy Christmas!’ followed by ‘I hope you don’t mind me watering your garden.’ He responded with the go ahead and said he collected five bags of coffee grinds if I’d like some for my garden.’ Praise the Lord for the friendly reaction. I was so relieved. At least now I don’t have to sneak around him being out to water his garden.  Mind you I will still try to do it when he’s not home so I’m not disturbing him just in case he changes his mind!  Since then I’ve seen him a few times and said a very quick hello.

Then a few days later, after I had gone to sleep I was woken by a racket.  I recognised his and his daughter’s voices shouting and could hear them saying ‘Go home, you shouldn’t be here’.  Having previously experienced on-going hostility from this neighbour I decided to keep out of it.  The next morning I noticed several missed calls and messages from Kathy who was wondering if I knew what had been going on.  She had eventually come out to see for herself as she thought Sofia was involved.  Sofia fortunately had gone away for the weekend so was safe.  Later that morning I saw police come to take statements.  I visited another neighbour, Bob who I’d been told had been on the scene with his son.  They had come up to see what the commotion was about and to be a witness just in case the neighbour abused someone, which he had done previously.  I was interested in Bob’s side of the story and found out that the ex-wife had been there (she shouldn’t have been as she had taken out a restraining order against him).  Then at church that morning I was surprised when a friend asked why they had seen the police coming up our driveway.  It seems to be an ongoing saga of events with this neighbour!  Praise the Lord things have quietened down since.

My next door neighbour Ann, who bought her house because it didn’t have much of a garden, didn’t realise at the time she had moved in next door to an avid gardener.  Since then her front garden has gained succulents and a lush ground cover all of which are low maintenance.  She does give it a bit of a water when she cleans or fills her birdbath. The backyard had nothing when she moved in, just brick paving and a narrow slither of sand along the fence line.  Last year I planted a drought tolerant native, some geraniums, daffodil bulbs, a grapevine and scattered nasturtiums seeds.  Unfortunately the nasturtiums smothered most of the geraniums which were only small, the others survived and are now looking quite healthy.  It was time to add some wire to the posts I had dug in last year for the grapevine to grow along. Then tie it up to encourage it to grow along the wires instead of the ground. I just hope she is still around to enjoy the produce next year.  I also planted more geranium cuttings from those I’d trimmed at my place.

While repotting my aloe vera I had so much surplus that I donated the rest to the community garden.  The problem was when I offered it I was told not to plant it where the irrigation was as it didn’t need so much water and it would be a waste of water.  Understood but it also surprised me as where I was going to plant it was a virtually empty bed so the water was being wasted anyway.  One of the other members offered to take me down on the day she was going and helped me plant it into that empty bed with the aim of being able to replant it elsewhere later.

I’ve been procrastinating again!  I know now that I have more time on my hands I should get stuck into putting together some notes from my Mothercraft archives that can be used in Bali.  Gayle has asked if I would be involved with the House of Hope outreach to the mothers in the slums.  Finally I started to work on material which will eventually be translated by Shinta who is now in the US studying – this will be a productive way to support her through her studies.

I have done a bit of cooking and food preparation including making more Kimchi.  I also made a sponge cake for my trifle which seems to be my Christmas special.  I tried finding a premade sponge at the supermarket just down the road but there was none.  I was too lazy to drive up to Karrinyup, try to find a park and battle the Christmas crowds to buy one there.  I haven’t baked cakes for decades!  I was rather hesitant after my sourdough failures. Then there was which recipe?  I pulled out my old Golden Wattle Cook book from school, it had three to choose from.  I went with the Perth Sponge which I thought was appropriate as I live in Perth.  4 eggs! Wow!  I remember Mum saying duck eggs were the best as they made the sponge light-n-fluffy. I had inherited some of Mum’s cake tins, chose the smaller of the two and lined it with baking paper (the label said it was; I greased it with butter just in case, learning from past mistakes). It was an easy recipe to follow although the baking time took twice as long and I needed to lower the temperature and cover it with alfoil to stop the top from burning. I was very impressed with the results.  I’d made it days in advance just in case it hadn’t worked out.  Now I was concerned it might not last so after three days I bagged it and put it in the fridge.  My excuse was it needed to be stale for the jelly to soak in properly.  The day before Christmas I made up the custard which was the base, cut the cake in half, lay the cut bananas on the top and covered it with red strawberry jelly. When this was set I did another layer, needing to cut the cake in half again for it to fit into the bowl. I sliced the strawberries to cover the top of the cake before pouring in the cooled jelly.  The bowl was then put in the fridge for the jelly to set then covered ready for lunch the following day.  There was some leftover so I made a small takeaway container for Guillermo.

Christmas Day, I SMS’ed Tricia with Christmas greetings and called both Jen and Kat.  Then off to church where Guillermo joined me before returning home with me for a chat.  He refused the trifle as he had just started a sugar free diet.  My neighbour Ann was happy to eat his portion.  Before heading to Christmas lunch at Glenda’s, I whipped up the cream and put the lot into the esky.  Glenda had prepared a treat, cold ham and turkey with a fresh salad. It was lovely to be able to share a Christmas meal together.

After Christmas, I also caught up with my friend Carlos in Uganda via WhatsApp video call and had a lovely time chatting to his family who I’d met when I was there in February 2016 when his oldest George was 5 yrs old, William was 3 and Katja was only one.  To see them all so grown up and practicing their English was delightful. They had just acquired a duck and were wondering how to clean it. I suggested they fill a washing tub with water which they did while we were chatting.

Sunday was the last day of 2023. Having not gone jogging for three days due to disturbed sleep I forced myself out of bed and by 5:30 I was off jogging.  Mind you I had enjoyed the past days lying in, it really did feel like a holiday.

Photos:  1. Hibiscus Flamenco TM Medusa grown from a cutting    2. Bougainvillea Miski    3. Morning swimmers with Hamersley Pool behind    4. Currant grapes    5. Aloe Vera in community garden    6. Perth Sponge

Prayer & Praise Points:

What an amazing year we’ve had! Praise Him for all the wonders, for His mercy that brings us to another year to celebrate His grace.

As we enter this New Year I pray we will be sensitive to God’s leading and be grateful for all He provides even for the difficult times as they will teach us to be more reliant on Him.

Pray with me for family, friends, and neighbours who are yet to know His love.  For peace and freedom for all people and for those who live in despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Continue to pray for world peace both in the Middle East and in Ukraine and Russia.  Pray with me for the hostages and refugees who are caught up in the suffering that both these wars have caused.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.