2016-04-26 04:52 Lettuce, lettuce everyday
Y (Kuma's owner)
Cultivating vegetables was one of my dreams. This dream came true a year ago. My husband made two big veggie patches for me. One is a Decagon-shaped veggie patch and another one is a long rectangular veggie patch. I was excited to grow vegetables and flowers because when we were in Japan, there was not enough room to plant them.
I was a beginner of growing vegetables and wondered what vegetables are easy to grow. I searched for information on the internet, and asked my neighbor who is good at growing vegetables. I also bought some gardening magazines.
First, I bought some seedlings of lettuce. I followed my neighbor, Rebecca's recommendation. Before I had started growing vegetables, I didn't know that growing lettuce was convenient. I used to buy lettuce or a pack of salad leaves at a supermarket. These leaves had to be kept in the refrigerator. So, my refrigerator was almost full. After I started growing lettuce, I could get leaves at the veggie patch as I wanted.
Being pleased with my lettuce, I started growing other vegetables. There are various kind of vegetable seedlings and seeds at Bunnings (One of the hardware shops in Australia). I have liked seeds since I was small. I think of seeds like a time capsule. It has been waiting for the day of opening. Every time I see a germination, I'm happy.
I have started sowing Capsicums, Tomatoes, Zucchinis, Brussel Sprouts and Japanese vegetables. I knew buying seedlings was easier and quicker than sowing seeds, but you know, I love seeds.
I thought I could manage it well, but gardening was not as easy as I thought. Usually, seeds don't germinate 100%. It depends on temperature, pests or how old seeds are. That was why I sowed seeds generously at once, this was my mistake.
Not every time, but most of the time, seeds germinated well. I didn't expect it. According to the specialist of cultivation, I should have sorted out the seedlings. The weak seedlings had to be pull out and throw them away, but I couldn't do it. I felt sorry for them. This was my second mistake.
Then, what happened after few months was lots of lettuce. Lettuce, lettuce everyday. This was the first wave. Second was tomatoes, and capsicums followed. If I were in Japan now and read this journal, I'm sure I would have said "I wish I had that problem." Please imagine eating lettuce everyday. Even if I changed dressings I couldn't stop from getting tired of it. I gave some to my neighbor, but there was still some. I didn't want to throw food away, so I ate them all.
Since I have learnt from my mistakes, I haven't sowed so many seeds at once. However, there are still seedling that I showed lots before I noticed the mistakes, and I'm paying the price of my failures now.
Okra, okra, okra...
2016-04-25 02:16 A happy lizard
Y (Kuma's owner)
I went to a zoo, Ipswich Nature Centre this weekend. It's a cozy place and good for a family with kids. There are indigenous species; Kangaroos, Wallabies, and Bilbies. Oops, I picked up only the animals that look pretty. I should not forget the other native animals from Australia, that are reptiles.
I don't know about other countries, but Japanese people would imagine pretty marsupials when they hear the word "Australia". Undoubtedly, marsupials are adorable.
Long ago when I went to Northern Territory, a tour guide said that Australia is famous as the country of marsupials, but actually there are many reptiles. And he added that if we talk too much about reptiles, nobody would come to Australia, so we put cute marsupials like Koalas on an advertisement.
I think that it is interesting that most people who even have a different culture or background don't think reptiles are pretty. I wonder is that because of their appearances?
Honestly, I prefer mammals and marsupials over reptiles, but I felt a bit differently this weekend. I thought a big lizard was pretty. Please take a look at the picture below. I saw a big lizard that was taking a nap leaning against the glass. I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't take a picture of him/her as well as I saw. The eyes looked happy and its mouth seemed to smile. How cute! I have never thought that a lizard is pretty.
It was a nice day seeing a happy lizard.
2016-04-24 05:30 A human being in a cage
Y (Kuma's owner)
One of my daily jobs is taking care of vegetables. I grow vegetables in the backyard and in a veggie patch. My veggie patch is an uncommon shape, it's a Decagon-shaped veggie patch. I wrote about this veggie patch on my journal dated 10th January.
This veggie patch is surrounded by net. The net protects vegetables from pests and Ultraviolet. When I go into the Decagon-shaped veggie patch, I feel like I'm a bird because it looks like a big bird cage. Actually, I saw the similar shaped bird cage at a zoo.
When I'm in the veggie patch for watering, sometimes birds come and walk on the top of the veggie patch, so I can see them from underneath. The interesting thing is, they don't mind me. They are cautious of their surroundings, something above them or something aside them, but not underneath. I'm not a biologist, but I just guessed that birds need to pay more attention to what's above because of predators coming.
Some birds notice me and look down at me. A human being is in the cage and birds are outside of the cage. It's like having the shoe on the other foot.
Usually, we cannot see bird's feet from underneath, but I can see their soles. This is a unique type of bird watching, isn't it? All right, I'll be a bird soles watcher!
Though I'm in the cage I still believe that I'm a bird soles watcher. On the other hand, what do birds think? Maybe they think they are human being watchers. They watch me with the same feeling as people watch animals at zoo.
"Look at that human being!"
"Her feeders are full of vegetables, this human being must be a herbivorous.
" It's called a vegetarian, you know?"
I feel like I am able to hear the conversation of wild birds on the veggie patch.