Friday, December 20, 2013

The Demise of the One Hour Rule

Last Summer, I had a 'one-hour' rule. 

Basically, I spent an hour a day working outside in the garden trying to get and keep things under control. Usually, I did this while Lucinda napped, which meant it was the absolute peak of the day and it was HOT. 

A friend of mine recently posted this photo he took on Facebook. It's Lucinda and I, a few weeks after arriving here. All I see are weeds and myself looking absolutely knackered. And my gorgeous daughter, of course.


Thankfully, this year, Lucinda does some daycare, we have a gardener who comes regularly to help out and the place is much, MUCH more under control than it was then. 

The one-hour rule served its purpose, but I'm glad not to have to reinstate it this Summer. 

This garden bed has been a big experiment over the last year. I've planted a lot of things I've found down at the street markets and not everything has thrived. It gets a lot of shade as it's right under the big tree in our front garden. (In the photo above, you can see the same area before we put the flower bed there - it's just weeds and old irrigation pipe).


I'm just going crazy with geraniums in here now, and some succulent flowering ground covers.

I've planted loads of pink red and now white geraniums through that empty patch there. With a bit of patience, we'll see some results in a year or so.


In other news, I was walking with Lucinda out in the paddock to 'her' pony, and we spotted this python. S/He was hard to miss. (These guys are not venomous, for those who are not aware)




They do have the most beautiful markings, though. 

5 comments:

  1. I only have a small suburban back yard to manage and it is shady in the late afternoon so that is the only time I ever consider mowing....it's just too hot. I was standing in the sun this morning for 10 minutes filling the watering can for my last little veggie garden that the hose just doesn't reach and it was burning hot on my neck and it's not really a hot day in Brisbane. As for the snake...that would freak me out. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia

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  2. Look at you, calmly commenting on a python (not to mention stopping to take a photo) haven't you come a long way in the past 12 months! A year ago that would have freaked you out LOL! Well done!

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  3. Your home and garden is coming along fabulously! All the hard work will pay off and it's all yours! Despise snakes. They freak me out. Thank god one has never crossed my path. The only good thing about that python is that it'd dine on rats. Rats are equally awful!
    On a happier note, have a and joyous Christmas. I hope your gorgeous family has fun and you have a little break over the New Year.

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  4. we don't mind having a chat and a look at a python either - black headed up here, yours looked like the scrub variety. Much easier to spot as they are so slow and large!

    Your garden under the tree: the tree will be robbing a lot of the moisture and nutrients I think. if you built up with lots and lots of cow poo and horse poo and dirt, you might get somewhere!

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  5. Native violets thrive in dappled shade to full sun as do Erigeron and brachychome daisies. Cheap as chips at the Ipswich council nursery and as a double bonus you can take Lucinda to the animals! The nurserymen there are also great help!!,

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