gems from the garden

Harvested the Gem corn this afternoon......

absolute delight to unwrap each of it's outer husk and find inside these colorful jewels.

 

The tomato plants grew splendidly this season. 

When I planted them out I didn't really expect much of them. 

Pinched out the growing tips to encourage bushiness and they

 have responded well, with a good crop.

 Spied this wee penguin book on pinterest last year and finally have it in my hands. 

 9am - a glimpse  through the louvre windows of the laundry.

Cupcake Cosmos has finally flowered after months. 

It opened slowly into a white petalled flower and has changed to pink over a couple of days.

The jerusalem artichokes continue to put on a showy display of cheery yellow flowers.

 

smells good....

 

Glorious, cleansing rain -

Clearing away the dust and cleansing the air.

Our green friends revel in it all.

Good upbeat vibe in Fitzroy today. Some of our old haunts sadly have closed, but met some optimistic battlers, and purchased some nice old classic penguin books from an artist run co-operative.  

Always good to return to the eastern suburbs tho' I must say. Stepping out of the confines of the car , one notices immediately how much better the air smells out here in our leafy suburb.

Took the rainy day opportunity to muster up a couple of London Fogs for mille and I. 

walking not too far from home....

Today, a walk along the mullum creek trail. Nice isolated stretch and meandering narrow dirt trails, accessible via a few rocks crossing over the creek. 

Son took a detour off the path to get to this very eroded section of the creek skirted by impressive layered rock formations that look like they've been squeezed and forced upwards over time.

also have a white top in the natural dye bath....

looks purplish at the moment, but I think the colour will change once the garment dries.

We inspected a sweet house with lots of potential this morning...alas, it was not right for us.

The cats, not to mention us, would despise the fact that the property had barely any foliage to hide in and explore.

The only heating available was in the form of portable electric plug in units.

The toilet doorway was so low, Edwin had to duck his head to enter.

There were ugly brick units overlooking the back yard with no trees to offer some screening, and I became aware of  a repulsive scent wafting over that proved the existence of smokers nearby. 

Finally, being in the heart of the development zone, it is certain that this property is  destined to be bulldozed like everything other old dwelling on a medium block of land in a prime location.

Oh, but the high ceilings, the quirky details of a house that could only have been built in the 30's era.

The interior was freshly painted, and there were polished floorboards throughout. The kitchen 

center-piece was a ghostly relic of what was once a grand old fireplace - an electric oven awkwardly sitting inside the recess.

But, for all its faults, it had an underlying charm.

 

The extra space in the bungalow was large enough for two to sleep in , and it had its own on-suite to boot.

The sparse backyard leaves me puzzled. Was this house once part of a much larger property? Historically, this house would have been surrounded by orchards at the time it was built. 

Anyway, we looked -more out of curiosity than anything else, but I have been thinking of this charming house all day, and thinking what a shame. In my dreams I would cart it all off to some large block of land somewhere out near the coast.

already its autumn....

Colder days are an opportunity to bake. 

Whipped up some tahini and almond cookies, 

this time using black tahini that we picked up during our stay in South Gippsland.

We still have sunflowers blooming and the gem corn is growing to ten feet tall....

the Jerusalem Artichokes even taller still. 

When they flower, I'll enjoy taking cuttings to bring inside. 

Unsettled times here, as we became aware recently that we are to be evicted from 

this lovely old house due to the sale of the property. 

No doubt, its destiny is to be dull dozed until nothing remains, and in its' place, concrete and brick  two story dwellings built for people who like being crammed in close proximity to their neighbors,

 rather than savor the sweet smells of green filtered air or interact with the natural world that depends on such conditions.

So, we've been threatened with this scenario before and were still here. Will this be just another repeat

of former days, or will we actually have to move on? I wonder.