Grandiflora

On the weekend, I started my beekeeping course. It was the two-day practical component; there is also written work to submit. The bees were absolutely mesmerising. The pine needle smoke from the smoker, the buzz of a hive and the Sydney autumn weather combined to be hypnotising….I had to snap myself out of the dream-like state, to listen to the lecturer…Mr Bees NSW. Whilst we were all fully suited, he worked the hives without protective clothing….”To give us (students) confidence!”.

Now for the work of organising some hives (2…so that if anything goes wrong with one, the healthy one can help you save the one with problems), where to put them etc. etc. To keep bees in NSW (and I’m assuming in other states) you need to register with the Department of Primary Industry and join a bee association to get public liability insurance but you know, red tape - I’m used to.

Pollination of the garden and honey for home use is what initially interested me….. and the eucalyptus that tower over my vegetable garden produce some of the best honey flora…….negatives into positives and all that.

Now for some bee miscellany:

1. They don’t like rhododendrons.

2. If stung by a bee, do not pull out the sting - that only pushes more venom into your skin. Instead, scratch out the sting with a fingernail.

3. Bees don’t like dark colours, wool or anything fluffy.

At the Royal Easter Show * with my Mama. (Thanks to my sister Ms B for the photograph).

*When the country comes to the city. It’s the major agricultural show/fair in our state.

I grew up with a backyard veggie garden. To be honest, I was not always so fond of it nor as proud of it nor as grateful for it, as I am now. I wanted an in-ground swimming pool like the neigbours had. As children, we did not pay enough attention to what our parents were doing out there and we used to beg our mother to buy iceberg lettuces instead, but our parents continued to grow food at home, give away surplus, swap seeds - this left its mark. That garden helped feed us and to keep us healthy. The garden and our mama still does.

The imprint of that garden is evident in all the things I hold dear to me - family, good health, good food, generosity. Michael Symons in One Continuous Picnic calls the backyard garden the haven of suburban rustics- this in no way is meant to be derogatory. In this book, he chronicles food history in Australia from the time of us whiteys being here. The pattern that emerges is that Australian eating, has always been supported by some kind of industrial process; be it the British Empire or cheap fossil fuels. Food has always travelled to the population and we expect that. There has never been a peasant class, save for the Dungaree Settlers in the Hawkesbury and the suburban rustics! For the majority of the population, the link between work, the land and food has been displaced (or actively avoided!!!) Indigenous cultures in Australia obviously understand this link - in ways better suited to this landscape too - and shamefully, we have learnt little from them…..me included. If anyone out there knows anything about bush tucker in the Blue Mountains, please let me know.

If you can grow food where you live, even in a window box or a small container, I cannot urge you enough to do it. Grow. Grow. Grow. Do not under estimate the effect this simple and sustaining action will have on those around you. My youngest sister lives in London and until very recently, she has shown very little, almost no interest in gardening but with her birthday coming up….and when asked by us, if there was anything she might like for a present (give us some idea please!!!), she said “Anything that would help me with a garden.” My mother did not thrust her arms into the air with victory, however she knows now, that all her children know, that every home needs a garden especially a kitchen garden. She also knows skills can be learnt, if the willingness and enthusiasm are there.

On related matters, this appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday. Thanks Helen for emailing me the link.

Maybe, I’m just out of step with the times but these sorts of stories make me want to scream, “What is so wrong with responsibility or cleaning up after yourself or admitting that your actions affect others, not always for the better and doing something to prevent it happening again?” Am I being too simplistic and naive?

I don’t understand how saying, ” Gee whizz, you know, the global economy is constricting and well, 1% of GDP maybe too much to contribute to the countries and people that will be/are affected badly by climate change. It’s a time of belt tightening”, abnegates the clear responsibility of those countries (and peoples), who are the greatest polluters and have gained the most from this system of economics. What is that? Oops, sorry but we need to maintain the lifestyles of the chosen few. Yes, the economic system is such a house of cards but well, we didn’t realise that those cards, were you know, actual cards. We believed that with technology, they had the strength of bricks!

I do not absent myself from those who could do more. Even as the Riot for Austerity year comes to a close, our household has not achieved its goals. There are quite a few areas, where despite making large reductions, we have not reached the 90% target…water, overall natural gas use, petrol, for example. Sometimes we are lazy and drive when we could walk or buy something that is shiny and new and not essential. However, we still persevere (and will continue to do so) because the choice to be lazy or impulsive is a luxury and the repercussions should not be shied away from. We have a responsibility to keep making these reductions and changes to our ways of thinking, coming up with creative alternatives and solutions. Is it always easy? No but why should it be? Why shouldn’t we have to try harder?

So, what has the picture of the magpie got to do with this? Magpies are stalwarts; they hang around during the winter and tough it out.