Perfect Day(s)

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life.  It was the inaugural Spring Bay Mill Sunflower Celebration.  I had volunteered to co-ordinate the stall for the Pulchella Community Nursery Landcare Group.  While there were some activities at the Mill site, the horticultural stuff took place at Paddy's, the Mill's produce growing area.  A bush track had been created to link the 2 areas and there was also a shuttle bus.  They do things well.

Here's a glimpse from where I spent most of the day.

Lots of people turned up for Tino Carnevale's garden talks.  Marcus Ragus also pulls a crowd.  He is the garden and landscaping guru for the Mill, and runs his own design company Verdant Way

Our tent is the one on the right.  Les Payne brought plants from the original Pulchella Nursery and was greeted like a long lost hero.  My job was to promote the new Pulchella Community Nursery Landcare Group which was created around November last year and will raise local native plants for sale, and provide workshops so that people can learn to gather and propagate their own native plants and seeds.  I had a trusty band of volunteers to help me, and we were very well looked after by the Mill - provided with lunch and coffee.  Things got quiet around 3pm so I joined the Bush Tucker walk and learned so much.  I can't think of a better way to spend a day.

This morning I woke up  and felt like toast for breakfast.  And realised I must have vegemite because it's AUSTRALIA DAY!!!!

And now for a short tour around the garden.  Above is orach and an alleged iceberg lettuce.

Yippee.  Yippee.  Yippee.  Figs!

I have a new plan for some irises so am getting them ready for a transplant.  It amused me to see them in the bowl - looks like they're climbing out of the primordial swamp.
There have been enquiries about The Red Market Umbrella.  I suggested to Steve that it could have its own blog.  He laughed wrily...  So here's today's chapter.

Fixing some spokes.  At least the ones that Steve fixed last time have held.  The original spokes are too weak for the size of the canopy, which is like a spinnaker once the wind gets under it.

As Steve was sitting quietly, endeavouring to fix the brolly so we could have it up for Chinese New Year, a totally unforecast rain squall came through.  What does it all mean???

We retired to eat silverside sangers made with slup-slup bread.  Very Australian.

Happy Australia Day.

and

Happy Year of the Rat

XXXX