Patho – Page 35

Funky fennel

August 13, 2020

I’m a slow learner. I grew fennel in my garden and waited for the bulbs to form, and waited, and waited. The plants grew and grew and grew, nearly as tall as me! (I’m only 5 feet tall) They never did form those bulbs I wanted to cook with.

My fennel regrowing after a very savage prune.

I now realise that there are two types of fennel.

“One is treated as an herb (herb fennel – Foeniculum vulgare) and one that is treated like a bulb type vegetable (Florence fennel or Finocchio – Foeniculum vulgare var. dulce).” (University of Illinois)

I think I had the herb type. Still have; it has survived. This is the one that’s used for the seeds and the feathery leafy bits. I’m beginning to wonder if it really is fennel. Maybe it’s dill! The two herbs are very similar and are often confused. I’m pretty sure it’s fennel though.

I really like the taste of the bulbs purchased from the supermarket, particularly when they are roasted. I can’t wait to taste my home grown ones. Apparently you can eat all the parts of fennel. Today I purchased some bulb type fennel plants. I’m a little afraid to plant them outside just yet because our frosts can be nasty. They can have a little time in the glass house.

Herbalists use fennel for indigestion and with honey for coughs. There are lots of claims about the benefits of using fennel for improving medical conditions. It is also said that it will keep ghosts from entering a house if placed in keyholes, and that if you carry it, other people will trust your words and believe in you.

Bird of Prey

August 11, 2020

Taken today. This bird, I think it is a Whistling Kite, (also called a Whistling Eagle or Whistling Hawk) was feasting on a bunny in one of our farm paddocks. It kept flying away as we tried to capture a photo. I’m jealous my husband took the best shot, though he says he had the most patience.

Monday through my eyes

August 10, 2020

Looking around today I see that some vegetables and herbs are flowering in my garden.

Rocket

“Rocket or arugula (Eruca vesicaria) is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh, tart, bitter, and peppery flavor.”
Wikipedia

I planted a small punnet of rocket seedlings ( in a garden bed, hoping that one or two might grow. I wish I’d taken a photo of when they were prolific. AND THEN THEY SELF SEEDED, everywhere. I attacked them savagely and cut them back. Oh, the smell, I loved it. They regrew. Enough is enough. They threatened to become a weed. So I sadly, tried to remove them. But, then as an afterthought, I transplanted a few to a more remote spot. Now I have hundreds of little rocket babies, waiting to emerge again.

Loving their flowers.

Gai lan

Gai lan or kai-lan (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) is the Cantonese name for Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale.It is a leaf vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and florets similar to (but much smaller than) broccoli
Wikipedia

The Gai lan seedlings were planted a few months ago. I’ve never grown them before. I’d eaten them in Chinese dishes, like stir fried vegetables. They grew happily, but then bolted to flowers when no one was looking. While I was looking up the correct spelling, I learned that the flowers are edible. So maybe there will be stir fry soon.

FOTD Photo Challenge

August 8, 2020

It’s raining. All day. Rarely happens here.

Found Cee’s Photo Challenge blog and it kept me busy for the day. I’m new to all of this. I dusted off the old camera and had some fun. It’s a cyclamen that just happened to be on my kitchen table. It was dim, so I had to play around with lighting. Flowers are amazing up close.

This was a rather steep learning curve for me. I’ve dabbled in photography and made a few picture books, but I really haven’t done much with my camera except use the auto functions. I loved seeing pictures look good, but it’s usually just luck and persistance. Now I have time, I want to gain a better understanding of how it all works together. I’m trying to slow down and being a little more deliberate about my choices.

I also learnt to use Gimp to put a water mark on the photo. I have struggled to understand how to use Gimp. I was glad to read a review that said it wasn’t all that easy and not exactly intuitive, because I thought I was slipping! Layers have always been an alien concept. But I did it, even if I have to quietly admit that I have spent the best part of the last week trying to work out how to insert a copyright symbol! It’s actually quite simple, once you know how.

Time to prune

August 7, 2020

It’s a little late, but better late than never.

Usually, I’ve been at work when this job is done. This year, I was able to help. As well as the grapes, we had to prune back some of the trees. The vines are aging but still produce grapes. Maybe this year, we will be able to make some wine.

The wattles needed to be well pruned back

Rows of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Add water and wait.

Home schooling on the farm

August 6, 2020

Two grandsons, aged 12 and 10. Six more weeks compulsory home schooling at home on the farm. Two questions. What lessons should they be learning? What lessons could they be learning? What a difference a few letters make.

The local school provides basic guidance in Literacy and Maths and provides worksheets and online exercises, but there is so much more that they learn by being at home on the farm. The oldest was up quite early, made himself breakfast and needed no help to complete all his work. It was heartening to watch the youngest sit himself at the computer, configure it so he could complete all the school requirements, personalise it so he was pleased with the appearance and get on with his work. He was organised and had his user names and passwords stored in his diary. He attacked his set work enthusiastically and had it all completed before lunch. He hopped on the treadmill and did a few kilometres also before lunch. After lunch they were free to follow their own interests. They have matured so much since Covid lockdowns began.

Hopefully, the boys will be able to learn lots of life lessons in self-sufficiency; everything from organisation, self reliance, cooking, planning, using machinery, practical maths, farming and especially gardening.

Meanwhile, I’ve got some other help. These young cattle have done an amazing job ‘mowing’ my lawn. They have the job of keeping the laneways in good shape. It certainly is much easier for me than using the mower.

wishing I had a better lens

August 5, 2020

30 posts into this blog, I’ve decided that I really enjoy it. I am enjoying sharing the environment where I live. It’s good to take the time to look around and appreciate where I live.

An unexpected bonus is that I also enjoy other people’s blogs. I love reading and comparing experiences. The other day, I was frustrated after looking at the rabbit damage on my farm. I stumbled on another farm blog where someone on the other side of the world was describing their problems with the rats and other animals I’ve had no experience with. I’m glad I only have rabbits and the odd wallaby!

I am blown way by some of the amazing photography. There are so many bloggers who produce stunning pictures. These pictures of birds illustrate my frustration. The birds are so small, when they could be the focus of the picture. My photos have generally been taken on my phone, which does do a reasonable job at times, but I can’t help thinking that it is time to dust off my ‘real’ camera and learn how to use it properly.

This lagoon is 15 metres from my front door, separated by a gravel road. It is home to a variety of bird and wildlife. These birds know no boundary between the lagoon and my garden. These are called Crested Pigeons.

The pattern in the gum tree is called a burl. It’s a deformed tree growth. The wood is prized by some wood workers.

Can you find the bird? I’m not sure what this one is..

Feeling blue

August 4, 2020

In Victoria today, our premier has outlined the rules to the extreme Stage 4 lockdown, ordering thousands of businesses to close. This will be the cause of a great deal of readjustment. I’m feeling blue. What a strange expression when blue can be so beautiful. Just look at the cornflower.

“The Cornflower (Centaurea cyanis), also known as bachelor’s button is a native annual/ biennial plant from Mediterranean Europe. It got the name cornflower because it grew as a weed in corn fields. Representing positive hope for the future, the Cornflower is a humble reminder of nature’s simple beauty and the fullness of life’s cycle.”

A lovely reminder at the present time. So how can blue represent sadness?

I read that the use of the color blue to mean sadness goes all the way back to the 1300s. Having read some Chaucer in my time, it was interesting to discover the claim that Geoffrey Chaucer was the first author to write the word blue. He wrote “Wyth teres blewe and with a wounded herte” in his poem Complaint of Mars from around the year 1385. Nowadays, we would write with tears of blue and a wounded heart. This could mean that from its very first appearance, blue was connected with sadness.

In Australia we have a wonderful organisation called Beyond Blue. Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health,

I really love it that cornflowers appear as a blue flower in the popular computer game Minecraft!! I wonder how many of the 126 million Minecraft players would recognise the flower in real life.

Circles in nature and life

August 3, 2020

Did you know dandelions are symbols of emotional healing?

Here we go again. My mind is reeling as I try to gather my thoughts and prepare emotionally for the next six weeks.

My household went in to lockdown way back in March. Victorians seemed to do the right things and numbers of Covid cases decreased. But a vicious second wave sees us back in an even stricter lockdown again, as of today. It’s become part of life. I note with interest as I write, that the spell checker doesn’t recognise lockdown as a single word. I thought the time was passing quickly, so quick the spell checker hasn’t caught up.

I really shouldn’t complain. I am much better placed than many to withstand the situation. I’m far away from the city and relatively secluded. I feel for the grandkids who live with us. Homeschooling, not seeing friends and being isolated on the farm is another huge adjustment. And there’s a level of anxiety, from the situation. Still they’re resilient, even looking forward to some aspects of learning at home again. Right now it’s me who is trying to prepare for the onslaught.

This dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, caught my eye today. It must be tough to survive among the bricks. It can endure whatever is thrown at it. Some call it a weed. Others, throughout history have valued it as a herb with many special properties. You can eat it or make tea with it. It’s got lots of positive nutrients. Many, many health claims are made about a myraid of medical conditions it can help with. It is even claimed to make you look better, through skin improvement.

I love its beauty. A beautiful, circular, little ball of fluff, and it reminds me of good times with my children and grandchildren puffing the fluff away and making wishes for the future. They are actually spreading the goodness. The dandelion seed has downy fluff which serves as tiny parachutes to carry it on the breeze. Some claim it can travel a hundred miles on the wind, even over the oceans.

Another round ball of fluff is the seed of artichoke plants. Each little fluffy ball can have over 1500 seeds. They travel shorter distance and some people call the fluffy seeds, ‘fairies’ as the drift on the wind.