Angophoras

branches curved outwards
into the canopy's leaved
spaces
stretching the height
of the surrounding coachwoods
birds fly into and out of
their graceful dusk limbs
balanced slow growth
silhouetted by winter nightfall
into last blue lights of day.

Monday Rainy Day Blues

It's raining so Nick and I drive to Mr Bamboo to look at the Japanese garden
Inside the cafe at Bookoccino it's always sunny, two hot chocolates please
Balinese goddess at Mr Bamboo, yours for $3200, and really quite beautiful if that's your thing

Nick is zenned out

John Kaldor Family Collection

Today Tom, Nick and I went to the NSW Art Gallery. We visited the new contemporary art housed in the John Kaldor Family Collection, which has seen the creation of new gallery space. Tom and Nick looked at everything with great interest. In some ways the modern art is more accessible by kids who see just what is there without seeking to interpret. It is a vast collection of photography, sculpture, installation, drawings, film, paintings and what is beyond art. If you haven't been in for a while go and see it. It promises to be an ever changing canvas to walk through and meet in. Images online do not convey modern art, so walk through it and see what you think.

Wintering

Tradscantia fluminensis
Trad leaves are glossy and fast growing along stem pieces

A bush care site showing infestation of Trad

Of all of the bush care tasks I have set myself so far I admit that this is the one that has me quaking in my gumboots. The eradication and removal of Trad infestation. For the last five years our bush care group of around nine members has mainly cleared Trad. This has resulted in the germination of native species and seen parts of our forest floor returned to soft ferns. The problem of removing this weed is sysiphean and we are against the slope of the site and water born Trad. Maybe sometimes it is even transported by us when we move bags or under foot in mud. A trad infestation requires huge amounts of time and effort to control it. However it is important to move forward and not watch gained ground reclaimed by it. So my winter task is to remove Trad on our bush block from the street down to the leaf litter of the Reserve. Yes, I can move faster than the weed grows. And there are ways that I can effectively remove it. I did some research on the Weeds of Blue Mountains Bushland blog and they recommend using a portable chook pen as hens love to eat this plant and are not affected adversely by this. The other left centre idea the blog puts forward is to herd ducks along bush forest gullies who will similarly eat the Trad. It would be a revolutionary idea in the Crag if I started up my duck drove and took a herd of ducks with me on walks to eat Trad.

There are alternate plantings for the areas cleared of Trad. Arthritis plant - now who names a plant this I have no idea - and whether it cures or causes? Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica), Kidney Weed (Dichondra repens), Native violet (Viola hederacea).

Basically Trad is bad and it must go, nevertheless it is profuse and entering the Reserve from its top to its bottom. Where there is sunlight, water and soil Trad is there. What to do with the Trad when you have collected it is another problem. Bag it. Turn it into liquid fertiliser. Compost it. Feed it to chooks and ducks. Pull up, lift out, knife out, roll, and remove. There is also a native Trad (Commelina cyanea) with fleshy roots and blue flowers. Yet it is work that is timely and needs strategising. Barriers are important too. Rocks, trunks, are useful fencelines are not. Slopes are not. Water ways are not. Bush care intelligence and smarts are. It will be the making of me.