This is Canberra on a cold wintery day, with a dusting of snow on the Brindabella Mountains and the Australian Parliament House in the foreground.
Fog is more common than snow in Canberra, and this is often very stressful for politicians flying into Canberra, or indeed, Canberrans flying out to Queensland to get some warmth and sunshine!
Paul and I go to the markets every Thursday, but it has been a cold night, so Paul is checking the birdbaths, and removing the ice.
The birds are very dependent on us for water in these icy conditions…
The cockatoos are socialising and drinking from the neighbourhood’s gutters.
The lovely King Parrots are always here in winter..
They love to feed on the leftover leaves from the Japanese Maples..
The markets are very quiet this morning. In summer these corridors are full of people in shorts and T-shirts by lunch time! The markets specialise in food and lunches for all nationalities.
Today we are buying fresh vegetables, nuts, milk and yogurt and a few nice sauces for casseroles.
We had a chat to a new person at the cash register. She is from Germany, and has not long been in Australia. Today, everyone in the market is in coats and warm clothes, I asked her if she was expecting this cold weather…. her reply “I never thought it would be this cold in Australia.“
The good news is that although Canberra has cold winters, it often has clear blue skies, and four seasons, so you know spring is coming.
This is often a good time for riding around the lake, or walking along the bridge..
Before long the Manchurian Pear trees will start to blossom, a real sign of spring!
This photo was taken at the beginning of spring, more and more people venture out to enjoy the sun…
Thank you for taking the time to read my post today, and may the sun shine on you today.
Copyright: Geraldine Mackey : All Rights Reserved..
My brother, Neil lives in Sydney and every morning, regardless of the weather, he walks with a small group of like-minded guys who are up early…usually a bit before dawn.
Sydney and Canberra are in Lockdown, and residents are allowed two hours of exercise (close to home) every day in both cities. Bondi beach, and the cliffs beyond make for ever changing views of the city and the beach, especially at dawn. How very lucky they are to have these views, at any time, but especially during a Lockdown period.
One of the walkers, Tim Read, regularly takes photos with various cameras, and has kindly allowed me to show these two. Many thanks Tim.
Bondi Beach and the Tidal Pool (Photos by Tim Read: All Rights Reserved)
Although Sydney is only a four hour drive away from Canberra, our climates are very different . I often envy my brother his walks as I sit shivering in my study in Canberra in winter and spring. However, our compensation is spring!
This year we had a long cold and rainy winter, and it was lovely to see the blossoms finally arrive on the plum tree..
and the almond tree..
The Wattle trees Paul planted a few years ago are enthusiastically flowering in the new garden.
We have become philosophical about the amount of blossoms lost to the birds…
In fact the King Parrot feeds on blossoms just above us, as we sit on the deck having coffee, blossoms raining down like confetti.
The Galahs look like Australian State Premiers trying to decide on a pathway out of this pandemic.
Canberra’s suburbs are surrounded by paths and bushland, and during these Lockdown periods many Canberrans have joined the Facebook Wildlife photography group, and are publishing a wide range of colourful parrots and birds.
A Crimson Rosella in a Eucalyptus tree
We live in one of the outer suburbs of Canberra, and McQuoids Hill, a nature park nearby, has become a very popular walking destination since Lockdown.
This landscape is very similar to the landscape of my childhood and that of my brothers, in Central Africa.
Paul in the distance walking down McQuoit Hill
We have only seen kangaroos on walks in this area, but people regularly take photos of Wallaroos (a cross between a wallaby and a kangaroo) so I’ll try to get a photos of them.
Kangaroos must be curious as to the increased human traffic on these paths. Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are everywhere..
During winter we read an inspiring local story about Dimity May who has started a small business growing local organic seedlings tailored to our Canberra market. She called it Reid Tiny Farm. (Dimity was born and raised in Reid, a suburb of Canberra.)
Dimity May with some of her organic seedlings and vegetables..(Photo: Canberra Times)
Dimity had always been passionate about organic products, and has a Permaculture Design Certificate at Allsun Farm at Gundaroo. Later she completed a market gardener masterclass developed by a renowned farmer and regenerative agricultural advocate Jean Martin, based in Quebec. (an online course mainly for professional growers)
seedling -raising cocoon tunnel from Active Vista Tasmania (Photo Canberra Times)
She’s had a challenging start to her business, with baking hot days last year, followed by torrential rain this year. However she has moved her business to Pialligo’s Garden Lots, and now has a seedling-raising cocoon tunnel purchased from Active Vista in Tasmania. Dimity’s father built the frames for the seedlings. The whole family is involved in her business, and hopefully they can continue to help her during this Lockdown.
At the start of 2020 Dimity began growing seedlings organically and has gradually developed her business. Now a subscriber can get a small or large box of seasonal seedlings four times a year.
We had subscribed to Dimity’s project during winter, and when she emailed to say our spring seedlings were ready, we were thrilled… it was just in time to start planting new seedlings and, chance to get out of the house!
Unfortunately it was teeming down with rain the morning we went to get our seedings, so I haven’t yet taken any photos of Dimity and her surroundings, or the polytunnel.
However, here is our bounty! We chose to buy a small box of seedlings (4 boxes a year, one for every season) and this spring the seedlings we have are; beetroot, radish, broccoli, cos lettuce, red butterhead lettuce, English spinach, cabbage and pak choi. (some we have given to neighbours.)
Our seedlings look very healthy and happy, and in between the seedlings we have some small plastic white butterflies to chase away real white cabbage moth/butterflies.
Dimity has, on her website, a quote by Martin Fortier (a farmer educator and award winning author) and this quote seems just right for Dimity’s business.
What we need is food grown with care by and for people who care.
reidtinyfarm.com.au
Thank you for visiting my blog today, and I hope everyone can enjoy a bit of sunshine and small pleasures during these uncertain times.
