G-n-L Ganesh and Lauren

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The Cycling Chronicles III

Thursday, 30 April 2009

As a bike rider, I've been privy to the angry vents of other bike riders swiped at by cars, clipped, yelled at and generally mistreated by cars on the road... I've noticed that in everyone of these stories the rider is furious with the driver of the car and all stories end with either expletives or some form of threatened physical abuse towards the driver.

I think today confirmed that I am not an angry person by nature. I was riding along my merry way, passing a side street from which a car was waiting to turn into the main road I was on. I was sure that the driver and I made eye contact. I clearly had right of way... but somehow the driver missed me, or blanked out and drove straight into me as I was riding past. For the first split second I was extremely worried as the car didn't seem to stop even after the initial impact... but as I fell off the bike and onto the bitumen the car stopped and the moment passed. I didn't get up instantly... I was quite shocked to be honest! And grateful that I wasn't particularly injured (apart from my foot)... As I collected myself the window rolled down... "Are you ok?" asked the driver blankly? She was an odd looking woman... She seemed not quite there... And her son? next to her had the same slow, vacant way about him. "Umm... yes I think so" I said. She nodded and off they drove.

It wasn't until I picked myself up, and took a look at my bike that I realised my foot was very sore and bleeding, that I was shaking slightly... and that the front wheel of the bike had completely buckled and was essentially a write-off. I waited for the wave of anger to come... but it never arrived. Despite the fact I am now bikeless... and have a very sore foot... I can't help but feel sorry for the haunted looking pair who left me on the street.

Labels: bike, cycling chronicles

Inspired!

Tuesday, 28 April 2009

Inspiration has arrived! My beautiful Inspire April Project from You Loved None is here! Thank-you so much!! It's just lovely... Her photographs are exquisite... Be sure to check out her blog :-)

Labels: inspire april project

Efficiency...

Monday, 27 April 2009

Today I attend what could be a contender for the world's most efficient meeting. The meeting was called, someone put a plate of scones, jam and 3 knives on the table. One of the heads of the meeting said, basically "We have called this meeting of X &Y because we plan to separate out management of X and Y. I will be managing X, the existing head will be managing Y. Does anyone have any questions?". 1 question. "Effective when?". "Friday, everyone ok with that? Yes. Ok then." Lots of happy chewing. Meeting adjourned.

For some of you this may be normal... For me it was a breath of fresh air! Not because I'm completely anti social and can't stand to be around people... but because every other team meeting that I have ever had has dragged on and on and on... There's always been a 'creative type' (Code for technical person who can't stop talking) who extends 1 minute meetings on forever. Not so here. Clearly not a single 'creative type' in the room! I wasn't trapped in a never ending meeting, stomach growling, pretending to keep my eyes open... No! I had only just finished moving around in the chair to get comfy when it was over. Wow!

Imagine having that sort of efficiency in everyday life... It would be like approaching a bag of flour, only to discover inside that the scones had baked themselves!

Mmm... delicious scones... I'm off to do some more baking - have a warm and cozy night :-)

Labels: efficiency, meetings

Sickly stupor

Friday, 24 April 2009

I hate being sick... You can't do anything useful... Can't read... Can't sleep... Can't even watch tv! All there is to do is mope around the house praying that all the medicinal herbs you are swallowing will actually do some good. I tried to turn on the computer to play the comcast town game today, but didn't make it past the into screen before sickness struck again... I thought I'd share this intro screen with you though, as it's the most interesting thing I've seen/done all weekend... The only thing I've done all weekend in fact!

Fortunately Ganesh was productive enough for 2 people this weekend... But I'm now even further behind on my ever growing task list!!

Hope you are all healthy despite the cold weather :-)

Labels: sick

Last years model...

Wednesday, 22 April 2009

While some may call me a luddite, I prefer to think of myself as environmentally friendly... I love old technology. I love its simplicity. I love the fact that it still works. I love the way it has a story and forms part of history all at the same time. I love the way that I could envision creating it from scratch if I was the only person left in the world.

It may seem odd for someone who works in IT, but I have no major desires for an iPhone, a new computer, an iPod or any of the latest gadgets on the market. In fact, I may be the only person in IT who still has 5 and 1/4 inch floppies, cassette players and tapes and a black and white mac. Sure, I have a new mac as well - which I adore! But if my $900 stimulus package was to arrive... which it has! I would spend it on.... drum roll.... a super nintendo! Okay, the super nintendo only cost $70, but it brought back such wonderful memories of clocking entire games, saving the princess and finding the cheats that I couldn't resist! It came with super mario all stars too - so I have another piece of history in the house!

A simple earth day message for all... hang on to last years model, it still works! :-) (And happy birthday Andrew!)

Labels: last years model, luddite

Happy 2066!

Tuesday, 14 April 2009

Happy Nepali New Year 2066! I can't believe it's been just over 6 years since I first went to Nepal. It seems like just yesterday. Celebrating the new year in Nepal was more about having a good long scrub on the first day of year and preparing yourself for the year ahead... though western style celebrations have become increasingly popular. I wasn't sure how to acknowledge the festival all the way over in Oz so this post is a tribute to the occasion, and to everyone from Nepal!

May your year ahead be full of everything you hoped for! :-)

Labels: happy new year, nepal

Fun!

Monday, 13 April 2009

I've had a bit of a fun today! While I'm not a member of the web's vibrant crafting community, the inspire april project mentioned on Anna's blog sounded too much fun to pass up! I sincerely hope they don't mind that I'm a gate crasher, but it's been such a long time since I was able to make parcels to send overseas (one of my favourite hobbies!). The project is about inspiration, and giving people the boost they need to commit to their new year's resolutions. You're basically assigned another person, and you send them a parcel filled with:

An inspirational quote
3 goals you have for this year
3 photographs of things that inspire you
3 objects to help inspire them

That's my little box so far... Entirely repurposed/recycled... Minus the chocolates and the photographs (I'm still waiting for those to be printed)... And I'm not risking opening the chocs until it's time to seal the box or they might disappear! It is just so impressive that there are hundreds of people around the world trying to make it a better place... Contributing in the ways they know how... The idea behind the project is inspirational in itself!

I also had a great time finishing off my tea cabinet... Making deliciously sweet honey lip balm, face cleanser and toner and shampoo from the honey and beeswax leftover from the hive robbing.... decorating the windows with paper craft and of course no weekend would be complete without baking - snickerdoodles - fortunately we have lots of guests this week or my sugar levels would be in a lot of trouble!

There are lots more ways to get involved with the fun:

and I've been inspired to do a little each day on T2T... it's slowly getting there!

Labels: craft, fun, inspire april project

Inspiring Inhabitants I

Sunday, 12 April 2009

Finding inspiration is easy... But carrying it through and continuing to work is often very hard! One of the things I admire most about Ganesh is his ability to just get on with things. He never gets home from work, collapses on the couch and sits there until 2 freddos and a cup of tea have been consumed. Everyday he's out in the garden, working on our ultimate garden plan... While I find it very easy to dream up ideas and plan them out, I prefer to work in short bursts... In the long term though, it's obvious that a routine and a little bit each day is much more effective.

What's more, his commitment means that I'm slowly learning to be more disciplined with my gardening activities... Above are some photos from our activities today. We planted a range of medicinal herbs, as well as lemons and the plants cut from our next door neigbour's garden... Split our indoor plants up into a number of pots... Planted chrysanthemums, pretty blue cornflowers, and a beautiful vine with hearth shaped leaves and gorgeous blue flowers that I found growing near the creek (I only took a tiny cutting!). Ganesh built a makeshift structure (held together by principles of physics I'm told) to hold up the tomatoes... and he also whipped up a unique tomato chutney in the kitchen..

We also scouted the industrial areas a few streets away and found an enormous collection of pallets that had been thrown out... so we're on to a free wood supply for all our garden projects!!

Thanks to Ganesh for being such an inspiration to get on with things...

Keep a watch out for inspiring inhabitants part II!

Labels: inspiring inhabitants

Happy Easter!

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Happy Easter Everyone! I hope you're enjoying the break (if you have one!)... We've celebrated the occasion with a few more hens... Bantam hens! From a fantastic place in Sunbury... A cross behind recyclers heaven and the industrial wasteland of the future. Nestled in a white, rocky crevasse opposite the airport, we descended down a steep, rocky road past abandoned and burnt out tractors, cars, sheds and odd mechanical devices. Hundreds of tiny fluffy kittens were crawling over rusted farm equipment and junk while the chooks tried to avoid being caught! (Ganesh managed to catch all 3!)

Unfortunately when we got home I realised that not all chickens are friends. The 3 new chooks (as yet unnamed - I haven't deemed them nameworthy given their appalling behaviour!) have taken to pecking Russet. Occasionally they even chase her just to peck her. It's horrible. We've built some extra (higher) places for Russet to go that the fatter, larger Bantam hens can't get to... But it's really upsetting. Short of standing there poking them with a stick every time they peck Russett, I'm not sure what to do. Ganesh is of the opinion that they will adjust and it's natural behaviour in the animal kingdom... I hope it improves!

Apart from that I just wanted to thank friends and family for such a happy easter. It's been great seeing you all, and of course a big thanks to mum for the annual easter egg hunt - never a dull moment... or an easy clue! :-)

Labels: chickens, easter, eggs

The Cycling Chronicles II

Monday, 6 April 2009

My bike ride to work consists of a 4x15 minute sections, and a series of moments... Time passes more quickly this way I find... There are 3 major moments in the first 15 minute section...
bike red light

The first moment is the first red light... Will I make it... Won't I... I usually creep through the red as the street isn't busy in the morning. The aim is not to stop.

The second moment involves a crossing lady. When I first started riding she used to smile at me. One day I saw a mum with her cute little daughter get off the bus about 15m from the crossing and cross the road right there. The crossing lady shook her head in disappointment and disbelief. Orange Bike Crossing

Then one day I went through the red light on the crossing. No one was crossing. The crossing was empty... and the point of riding a bike is that you get the benefits of being both a pedestrian and a car! Ever since then the crossing lady has been giving me the evil eye. No matter how much I smile or say hi, she glares or avoids me... In her eyes I'm as bad as the 'bad mother'...

The third moment is the bus chase... The bus driver and I vie for first position along the main road... He takes over on the hills... I catch up when he stops. The aim is to be in front at the first section of the road where there's no bike path. If I'm in front he has to wait behind me as there's no room to overtake. If he's in front, that's the last I see of the morning bus!

I suppose these could be the reasons drivers hate bike riders - but it is lots of fun!

Labels: bike, cycling chronicles, moments

Living on $800 per year...

Sunday, 5 April 2009

Ganesh is always telling me about village families in Nepal who live on Rs 500 per year (~AU$10)... They buy salt and sugar and occasionally a tshirt, everything else is grown on the land... My first reaction has always been, well that might work in Nepal but I can't see it being as achievable in Australia where you risk becoming a social outcast if you don't change your clothes for a year...
While $10 might not be achievable, Jane, a lady in the US has managed a budget of $800 for all food, beauty supplies and pet food for a year for herself and her 3 girls. She details how it's done in her blog...

It seems to have been achieved with a great vegie and fruit garden and the world's largest collection of coupons! Inspired, I scoured this week's copy of the Leader, local newspaper and managed to find a voucher for $60 of free food from Northland... So we did our weekly grocery shop at Northland this week and were rewarded with pasta, pasta sauce, hot cross buns, olives and nuts in a handy cooler bag! Yum! We also ventured off to the Hurstbridge Famers Market for our Fruit and Veg which was a nice change... Can't wait for our own vegies to come through though... So far we've had a spoonful of tomatoes and a mouthful of bok choy.

In other news, if anyone knows where I can get second hand industrial items, I'd be more than grateful... I discovered Ridgy Didge in Richmond this week while searching for repurposed/second hand furniture for a project at work!

Labels: discounts, self sufficiency

Sustainable Streetscapes II

Saturday, 4 April 2009

Sustainable Streetscapes is making progress! I've had a designer out this morning as well as a council member to discuss planting laws and plant opportunities... Since my original post I have had more ideas.

1) Community vegie gardens... each naturestrip has a different vegetable and the entire street acts as a community garden. Ganesh was against this idea - he thinks the world isn't a nice enough place and that the vegies would be poisoned/crushed/urinated on. So I'm sticking with herbs for now. One day though!

2) A pressure based water system. Basically a hole drilled in the cement in each gutter that goes through into the naturestrip. A long tube would run inside the naturestrip along the gutter and fill with water. Small tubes would drip water out into the naturestrip on a pressure based system so as not to flood the garden. This would help ensure the health of the plants and make use of any rain.

I've also spoken to some of the neighbours and they are up for it! Can't wait to finalise the plant choies... I was loving this picture of jacarands with perhaps some native mint and rosemary to continue the colour theme but jacarandas aren't native! If anyone knows of any native trees to the area that provide a nice green canopy without dropping anything sticky/slippery on to the ground that would be very useful!

The landscape designer, Chris, also showed me some great interactive maps available through DSE... Our entire area used to be tree scrub!

Labels: naturestrip, streetscape, sustainability

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Festival

Thursday, 2 April 2009

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

Happy belated April Fools Day to 1 and all... I'm glad I missed it to be honest... I'm not the world's best practical joker. I find it very hard to keep a straight face! I did note that the 400 or so cars wrapped in glad wrap did not result in any convictions, so my hope for the T2T marketing plan has been restored ;-)

In other news I recently visited the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.. It's a regular activity for my mum and I... My favourite exhibit is usually the fruit salad trees and the novelty of being in the Exhibition Building without having to take an exam, but this year there was a lot more on offer. Sustainability was a key theme... the "Imagine" All Australian Garden was stunning... earthy tones, recycled metals and woods, sandy, porous surfaces and cute little kids tunnels through the vegetation. Sustainability Victoria had also teamed up with a number of people to make a recycled vegie garden complete with pond, water tank and a wall made out of old wine bottles!

Vertical gardens were also big this year... I've been looking a lot at indoor vertical gardens for a project at work, but these outdoor ones were equally beautiful (and practical!) filled with lettuce, herbs, strawberries and of course lots of flowers!

No sign of elegant sculptures/clothes lines, but they're getting closer!

Labels: flower and garden festival