🍃Sunday Speaks 22.6.25
Check in with me, how's you?
How was your week and what are you looking forward to? How's you floating 🪼🪼🪼
Solstice Blessings to all 🎑🍂🧙🔥
The sun has returned to Gubbi Gubbi Country after a few cloudy days and yesterdays light showers. South East (so called) queenslanders, can you believe this start to winter!! 🥶 I swear it's the first winter we have had in years! But even in saying that after the showers yesterday it's not nearly as cold.
I'm actually a lil more than a lil concerned for my plamps. The more I think about it the more I'm questioning intervention. I usually just snuggle them all up together in the CubbyHouse and keep the ground moist to add humidity. But this year Ive already had a heap of leaf drop from cold stress. All the totems are bunched up together, on tables, underneath 70% beige shade cloth. It's never ideal but it's always gotten them through.
The other things is, this is my second season on this country, in this climate. While it's not Supa different to where we were on Koombumerry, there's some pretty big microclimate influences that kept them protected at the place.
Firstly the rental was just below the peak on the east side of a small hill. Our neighbours behind us were two meters down, so cold air would naturally fall that way.
The totems were on the North side, aka the sun side of the house, up against a 1 meter wooden retaining wall that had a full height wooden fence on-top of that. The shade house had 90% shade cloth, and the yard was 3m wide between the house and retaining wall fence. Being on the sun side was ideal for warmth yet shaded by the fence. The wooden retaining wall acts almost like a sponge, releasing moisture when the humidity is low. And the shade cloth holds moisture in.
To the west there was a tall Lilly Pilly at the front of the property and to the east a tall Duranta shrub at the back. So essentially these acted as air ramps protectively sandwiching the area. Air coming in from road to the west would roll over the Lilly Pilly and fall further down hill. The shrub and house behind us would create the same effect. Cool air would fall away to the east. It was warm in winter and cool in summer.
Both shrubs also acted as privacy screens and air filters! Especially the one at the front, so much dust and light rubbish would come in off the road.
At our most recent previous rental here on Gubbi Gubbi Country, we had the shade house directly against the patio on the south east side of the house. And the house was kind of an ‘L’ shape that ran on the north west axis with the shade house snug in on the inside of the ‘L’. So even though it was on the south east ‘shade’ side, it was still pretty protected, and I duno the winter felt mild. The yard sloped down about a meter to the fence line, and neighbours behind us were a good 1.5 ish below that with wood retaining wall.
Spoke too soon! it's just started raining, four seasons in one day, weather. Universal reminder to lean into the great slow of winter, the rest, the meditative pause. It's like the Dark Moon of our year. And right now is actually coming into Dark Moon 🌚 When I started writing this it was early, sun was out, blue skies. I was quickly going to rattle this off then start working, and now I've had multiple side quests, it feels like rain has set in for the day, and this is blowing out to another lil novel 🪼🪼🪼
Our current set up is both the shade house, what was primarily just a holding space, and the CubbyHouse, my working space, are side by side between the house and the back fence to the east. The yard here is massive and flat. The Neighbours behind us and beside to the north, are slightly elevated with a half knee high wood retaining wall. To the south they are lower with what looks like 1m retaining wall. And again this house faces west, this time gently falling about a meter?, meter and a half to the road. It could even be two meters. But this doesn't really have the same effect as the other places as the yard it huuge and open. It's a sun trap in summer and if we get hit hard it could potentially be a frost spot.
I've been writing this over the last few hours in-between other things, and the more I think about the more I feel like I should intervene. I lost so many plants last year after moving and spending majority of my time in support roles.
What to do, what to do? Observe, Observer, and Observe some more. Who's known to not withstand prolonged below 10° temps?? Who do covert the most? Who's extremely resilient? Who's prone to root rot if wet over cool periods?
I'm not going to rush out and buy a cheap plastic hot house, it will end up in landfill, but that would be the quickest ‘fix’. I could buy a clear plastic tarp to throw over the top. It will trap in in moisture, and stop excessive watering rain, all while letting sun in, but again in a few short years it would end up in landfill. I mean something times we just have to buy the stupid thing to do what we gotta do, buuut am I there yet, is this a ‘i gotta’? eeeep!
Aaaand now, now that I've relaxed into not kicking into work mode, the sun is shining with blue skies! 🪼🪼🪼 🎶 Sun is Shining - Bob Marley 🎶
