The arduous days of Spring

 The shredder is back from repair and, while the seeds germinate in their trays, yard and bed clearing goes on. All the front gardens in the district are blooming, but I guess few of their owners know that vegetables are also blooming at this time of the year – radish, lettuce, parsley, broccoli, cabbage and other winter vegetables have shot up to several metres in height and are blossoming. If these are not to be saved for seed, then they need to be pulled out and composted in order to make way for Spring plantings in a few weeks time.

 

 

 

 

 

And the problem with the shredder? Water in the petrol! Leaving cans of fuel on cold concrete floors apparently causes moisture in the atmosphere to condense and be absorbed by the petrol so that it fails to burn. The repair guy had kept a half cupful of mouldy water to prove it to me. $150 poorer, I can now offer this hard-won wisdom; store your petrol in tins placed on wood.

And all the old stuff removed to make way for new crops? Tossed on the path outside the bed, where it will dry off in the next few weeks and be shredded in turn.