Green February

To be sure it is the greenest February I remember in Melbourne. All the rain and mild weather means green lawns, plentiful fruit (except apricots..too much rain??). A beautiful gift of alpaca yarn from my Tassie-born friend; from The Alpaca Shoppe in Deloraine (craft capital of TAS apparently!)- so soft and lovely to wear upon my head. The pattern is Oaked by Alicia Plummer.

And huzzoo huzzay, we are confirmed happy owners of 10 beautiful acres of land; both of us amazed that 2 and a half years ago we left full time study without a brass razoo to rub together, and now, after 2 years of part time work, a small teaching business and the kindest gift of shares from a dear friend to speed things up a little, we saved a small deposit and will have a very small, manageable mortgage. We could only afford an inexpensive plot, 2 hours from the city. Who on earth can afford an urban house other than clever folk who bought decades ago (while we were gallivanting around the world blissfully ignoring the future)and those who have received inheritance. All around us, the lovely big, old blocks with bungalows and fruit trees, are being bulldozed for ugly units. People don't want food gardens in the suburbs any more it seems. They want  entertainment rooms and air-conditioning and car ports. When we leave this house, it is likely to meet the same fate. Part of my man's work it to co-ordinate a volunteer group that picks excess fruit from the trees of householders who donate it for emergency relief. I fear we may see this fade as the elderly Mediterranean folk leave their big blocks and productive food gardens, unless their families care to preserve them. Let us hope for that.