Composting Complications

There are two things I want to learn to do well in our garden - grow capsicums and make compost. As it's officially still winter, I can't do much about the capsicums just yet. However, I have been working on the compost ever since we moved in.

I began with a traditional compost "pile" in a slightly shaded area under a tree draped with mistletoe. After four weeks it was doing really well and I was quite proud of myself. Sadly, I then learned that my beautiful pile was built on our sewerage trench, which is apparently supposed to be kept clear of debris. Who knew?

Undaunted, I decided to move my pile directly onto the site where I hope to grow my capsicums eventually. As compost is supposed to thrive on being turned over now and then, I felt this was a positive move. Sadly, I did not take into account that my lovely pile was no longer as sheltered as it had been - and I soon discovered that it was under attack from various creatures. The local scrub turkey soon made a shambles of my neat dome, which had to be rebuilt every morning. Getting a bit sick of this, I tried covering my dome with fabric and cardboard, with little success.

Clearly a new approach was needed. I am now "sheet composting" and have completely given up on lovely neat piles and domes for the time being. All our collected scraps are dumped directly onto the future vegetable garden site, covered with damp cardboard, weighed down with bricks (to prevent our cat from eating the scraps), and eventually covered with mulch.

Time will tell whether this approach will work. The neatly mulched half of the veggie garden looks very nice, but whether the soil will be ready for planting by spring remains to be seen. No doubt you'll all be breathlessly awaiting an update on this topic, right?

Comings and Goings

Since moving to the coast, we've been delighted to have various friends and relatives visit us. We hope this tradition will continue, particularly as the guesthouse is now so welcoming and cosy (with special thanks to Garry and the kids for working so hard to make that part of my birthday surprise). Here are two of the "before and after" photos:

In particular, though, I'd like to mention the visit of Leisa and Joel - all the way from Indianapolis, Indiana. It has been a joy to befriend Leisa (Garry's sister) over the years since I first became part of the Hills family. This last visit just confirmed again how well our friendship manages to survive the distance between our two countries.

This time, it was very special to see how Joel was instantly taken to heart by Catherine and Christopher. We were thrilled to have him stay with us on several occasions, and he will be very much missed. No doubt many emails will fly back and forth to keep those new friendships going!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I have just finished reading the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series - and was not disappointed. All my favourite characters make a return in this book and it maintains its suspense until the very end. Some much-loved characters die in this book, making for some sad moments. Like many other fans, I was keen to learn whether Severus Snape was for or against Harry and Dumbledore. This part of the story is well-handled by Rowlings.

The introduction of the "Deathly Hallows" themselves make an interesting counterpoint to the search for horcruxes, which had already taken up much of the previous book. I don't think I'll say much more, as I'm trying not to give too much away to other fans. Suffice it to say that it was a satisfying end to the series - enjoy!

Does your MP3 have an "outer space" function?

I love reading equipment manuals that have been translated into English from other languages. One of my absolute favourites is the one Catherine got with her little MP3 player last year. I quote:

Outer Space Function.

The common users of MP3 will be disturbed by "Materials outlet ting" who are not content the "Personal materials" seen by others. It will cause a big trouble that they have to delete all the private things before lending their MP3
From now on, the player supply the function "Outer space" which can settle the problem out.
Users can divide the USB disk into two part at any proportion by the random tools. Coding one of the two (You cannot code but using the two disks). Hiding the content. Others can't see the data that is the best "Outer space" function.

Notice: You will not informed if the production design and the specification.

So, if you don't have an outer space function on your MP3, don't despair. This post should have solved all your so-called "knotty problems" regarding this tricky function. Have fun!

Peace,

New University

Well, today marks the official start of my new university semester - as a USC rather than USQ student. The University of the Sunshine Coast is known for its kangaroos - of which I saw several today.

I also saw the usual suspects: the bored "I'm too good for this place, but I guess I might as well do this as something else" crowd; the fresh-faced enthusiastic uni-goers; the ubiquitous "in" crowd; several loners; some "mature age students" (guess I'm one of this group now that I'm almost halfway to 70!!); and so on.

Since I'm only doing one subject this semester the load shouldn't be too hard to handle. Thankfully I have advanced standing approval for each of my prior USQ subjects. Because they're scattered over each of the three years of the degree, though, I'm revisiting a first-year subject this semester. At least that should make the content quite easy to learn too - albeit slightly... boring??

Bedroom Before & After

This is how our bedroom wardrobe looked on the day we moved in, about 4 weeks ago:


However, it is no longer a wardrobe at all, as can be seen in the photo I took today:


Our clothes live in Christopher's walk-in robe, where there is plenty of room. And I'm the delighted user of a wonderful custom-made desk, courtesy of Garry!

Catherine's Loft Bed

We've finally gotten Catherine's new bed sorted out. When we moved house, her old bed stayed behind (it was built in), so she's been sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Garry and I searched everywhere for another high bed, and finally found this loft bed with built-in desk. It makes her room seem much roomier and very cosy. There are still some finishing touches to complete, but it's looking great already.

Her chosen colour scheme is inspired by Shrek and therefore features lime green and orange. I'm astounded by the availability of lime green and orange items - candles, floor rugs, cushions, chairs, curtains and so on. We are all enjoying the transformation process, and I'll be sure to post more photos as we go!

Self Doubts

I have just experienced one of my periods of self doubt - as in, "How the heck am I supposed to be a good mother when I am so pathetic and immature?" How does anyone ever manage this parenting business without the most immense feelings of regret and doubt and guilt?

At times I look at my 9 year old daughter and 11 year old son, and am just so, so proud. Then at other times I crumble under the weight of responsibility. You know those times when being tired has become your whole world? Those are the times I struggle to remain fair to my children and the wonder they represent in my life.

Those are also the times I most need to step back and gain perspective. I think of how lucky we are to even have Christopher. I remember the time Catherine first slept by my side as a newborn baby. I look at my husband from across a room and my heart beats a little faster. I gaze at the full moon and realise anew how incredibly precious this life is.

Even writing this has helped. I'm guessing a hot bath will help even more.

Peace,
Tamara

Blogging Family

Whew - both Garry and Catherine have started up a blog site of their own (see links). I will also add a link for Christopher's site, although he hasn't posted an entry for quite some time now. I was planning to write about the electric scooter, but Catherine beat me to it.