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Australia
I ran away from teaching to the country to grow veggies. There are also some chooks and a pair of troublesome goats who were so much trouble they had to go! My simple green life isn't always as simple or as green as I'd like...but I keep trying!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

Some local papers around Melbourne carry a  'Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down' column.  You know the sort of thing.  Thumbs up to the lovely chap who picked me up when I fell over outside the pub.  Or Thumbs down to the woman who lets his three great danes use my front lawn as a toilet.

Firstly, thumbs up to Fleet-footed Mark, a fellow blogger.  He had done a bit of pruning and instead of disposing of the branches he put them to good use.  He made postman deterents with some and has Spring plans for some other. 

Yesterday I removed some branches from the goats' shed.  Bubba and Bazza, like children who leave their bread crusts,  had daintily removed all the leaves but left the sticks.  I had a Mark inspired 'light bulb' moment.
These climbing beans have grown past the top of their old gate and I have been meaning to
put up some sort of extension for a while.

Even this little twig got a job leading the cucumber up to its support.

So Thumbs Up to Mark.


Another blogger, Ali, was bragging that she was the hardest working gardener because she broke the wooden handle on her shovel.  I commented that I had broken the STAINLESS STEEL tine of a fork...with my own muscles.   To prove I am dinkum, here is a photo.




As further evidence of my great strength and capacity for hard yakka here is the label on the handle.  See that Ali, it had a five year guarantee and I had it for less than a year.  Ali still insists she is the hardest working gardener.


But that is not all! Since the demise of my good fork I have been using an older one with bent tines.  It is my 'compost' fork but I have been forced to use it in the garden.   Today I was digging and it broke!  Ali  mozzed me!





So Thumbs Down to Ali!

9 comments:

  1. Hee hee!

    Let that be a lesson to you young Hazel, you may have proven your superior toughness, but now your fork is forked!

    Oh I love it, and yes, you win, way tougher than me... although... why I am left feeling like maybe I won this one...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hazel!!Working too hard! Anyone who kills a Trojan needs sme R&R.
    Like the creative use of the goats leavings, it's all about having the head space don't you find?
    Have a fun day.

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  3. Hazel how are you going to pick the beans - borrow a ladder? Invite your tall relatives?

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  4. I too have trouble with forks bending/breaking! I think the solution is to buy an old second hand one at a farm or market (St Andrews used to have a second hand tool stall) After my fork broke I "borrowed" my neighbours and she has left it to me in her will.

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  5. Dear Ali, You are generous and gracious in your acceptance of you defeat.

    Dear Anon...I am hoping your neighbour will leave me a shovel in her will. :-)

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  6. Cheers, Hazel. I shall bask in my glory for a while, though in truth, 'twas but a small thing I did. "Waste not, Want not", they say.
    Must remember to complete the story when I eventually build my cucumber frame...

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  7. So did you get your money back on the fork that had a five year guarantee?

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  8. You are very funny Hazel!
    While I was away, my mum planted some tomatoes & used the same method of old tree branches to prop them up, I had a laugh with her about it but 'hey' seems everyone's doing it!!

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  9. I know what you mean about forks Hazel. A fork is a wonderful tool but finding one with good solid tynes that don't bend and a handle that doesn't break....!!l I haven't yet, maybe in heaven.

    I liked your comment about Willo's post by the way.

    Rod Ravenswood,

    a.k.a, BigRaven

    ReplyDelete

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