Haiku Friday

Murrundi ruwe.
Coroboree of spirits.
Sweet water dancing.

water bog

remember this?...

well, its amazing what can happen when you take a small kid out for an afternoon!!

it can turn a house bound, stay-at-home dad into a digging maniac and you return to it looking like this! Not a bit of black plastic in sight, edged in a rather rather naff style and complete with drooping, replanted rhubarb (which he assures me love a boggy patch) and some native water grasses.



The idea is that all the 'grey water' run off from the studio (anticipated to be not very much; some handwashing from doing gardening, art, vege cleaning, small amounts of dishes washed with phosphate free, grey water friendly 'detergent' will be collected heree as the pipe feeds directly into the 'bog'. If I can ensure the runoff water is 'clean' enough Im hoping a family or two of frogs will move in (and that we can eat the rhubarb).

If you've got some expereince with artificial bogs like this, Id love some hints. Next project are some gates on the deck! Those old Greenpeace 'Save the Whale' signs that we religiously slot in and out of the decking are driving me crazy!

Haiku Friday

dont have a dual flush
or a compost loo? Relax!
Use a brick instead.

poo bar [and another diva cup] update

Well, I really wasnt happy with using the Lush poo bar. It was a great introduction to removing the plastic bottle backlog that was our shower experience and getting us all in the habit of using a poo without the squirty factor. But, despite it being package free, it still had the water unfriendly phosphates, sulfates and chemical surfactants and it was drying out the locks a little. Changing to a poo bar was so much less painful than I thought it would be. I really had imagined B1; the very teen, really going to hyperbole town on the awfulness of not using her favourite hair product. But, not so. She's even told me a regular soap does a pretty good job! who woulda thunk it? ( it is olive oil soap but its the principle thats counting here) So, months later we're still happily using a bar, but have switched to a Sugar Shack olive oil, locally made bar in recycled cardboard. I could make my own i know, and i do get inspired to do these things, but time...

*warning* diva cup details about to follow.

I have been using the Diva Cup now since my period returned after the bean was born; so six months or so. I had a few issues along the way that nearly made me stop using it, but i persevered and all problems seems to have resolved. I was getting rather 'internally achy' and i think i just needed to find a better 'fit' or else it was just 'that' month, coz i havent had that weird ache since. It really was quite uncomfortable in there! The issue some people have had with the tiny holes in the side being difficult to clean, i resolved easily by holding each 'hole' under running water while similtaneously squeesing either side to open the hole. No need to use a needle to clean it; it just rinses right out very easily this way. The most challenging issues around using the diva cup is when your only have access to work or public toilets. i usually avoid it if possible due to a) the bloody (no pun intended) noise *schlerrrrrrrrrrrrrrp POP* ...could be my technique; too much speed? will have to work on that as its most socially disconcerting and b) rinsing. I usually just tip, wipe it and keep on going!
Haven't died yet..

Liquid Gold

its pouring. sheeting down. not so unusual for some states but for here, this weather is more like that of the east coast. Thick heavy drops and tonnes of it. Hours of it, days of it. Im reckoning the tanks will be full. Too wet to do anything outside. What a great excuse for:

apple pancakes for brunch
a fire on early
books
baking bread
a game with the girls while the beans asleep
drawing
and a warm baked dinner

i love these days. Bunkered down in the warm with a beautiful view of outside where the trees are autumnal and the water is coursing down the creek. Well actually now its almost breaking the banks and the island is almost completely under and the bloke is out there making sure we dont lose a bridge.

hehe. excuse satisfied ear bursting exclamations of small person enjoying apple pancake and kitchen sounds!

Haiku Friday

saline groundwater
crusts, freshwater doesnt flow.
billabongs dying.