Here we come 2010.

Another year begins and we look to the future again and wonder what will happen this year. Will the people in charge do anything about fixing the problems of the world? Is it left again to the people to try and do the hard work, without the support of the government's money and infrastructure.
The general public can try and do the right thing, those of us that do, or do a little, but there needs to be a genuine large scale effort to do anything about stopping runaway climate change. It may be too late already. There are long lags in how the atmosphere works.
Industries need to pull their heads in and make further anti-pollution measures, and chemical companies should stop adding poisons to so many everyday items. It's a huge job but I refuse to believe there isn't still al little chance something good will happen.
Because, if I do stop thinking we can do something, then I don't want to have to be around to watch it. I need to believe that there are enough positive actions going on for us to not wipe out the human race with our greed and misguided use of technology. I love technology but its not all working out for the best, really now, is it? If the amount of pollutants created during its production outweighs the lifetime of the item and the humans using it, then its not really making much sense to me.

RIP Bob St Lawrence, WA drag-racing legend.

Wow, some families get along together. This is a story about family and being community minded. Though this isn't a permaculture story it is a story of how a group of like-minded people can make great things happen in a short amount of time.
In the last few weeks we have met some new people. They are members of the local drag-racing fraternity. Many of them drive or have driven or worked on some very fast cars over many years in the Perth racing scene. The binding factor among these people was their friendship with an old man called Bob St Lawrence, a drag-racing innovator and legend in Perth. He was dying of prostate cancer and wanted to see his engine that he had hand built be put together into its chassis and watch it go down the track at Kwinana one last time. So what did everyone do? Well, they spent many sleepless nights, donated parts and fuel and food and put together Bob's machine. Normally this takes months and thousands of dollars, so it was incredible to see it happen in a few short weeks, powered by love and respect and generosity.
My man used to work on engines, had in fact met a few of the guys already in engine workshops, and so he helped out on a few days getting the dragster together. Bob was even there helping out, despite the fact he was so sick and none of us knew if he'd make the end of the week. His "eye" was still in to see the minute measurements involved in getting the engine parts to work best and he was telling the guys what to do to get the best out of his dragster.
I didn't do much at all, admittedly. I found out who Bob was after I found out a uni friend was his daughter. She'd spoken of him before, as he's been sick a long time, but I never realised that the car he was spending all his money on was a drag car.
It was an honour to see how hard they all worked, hearing of the long hours and late nights they all put in to fulfilling Bob's dying wish. It was a huge effort on many people's parts, from people who had been involved with Bob and his dragsters over the years, many of them inspired and educated by Bob's incredible intelligence about engines and how to make them go really fast.
The car did indeed get put together in time for the drag racing meet on the weekend. It was tested and licensed on the Wednesday prior to race day, driven by local Top Fuel driver Martin Stamatis, who also went on to win the weekend's round of the championship. After Friday nights qualifying the Saint Train was run down the track in front of Bob, still propped up in his wheel chair. Everybody cheered to see this legend of Western Australian motorsport happy that his home made self-designed engine had made one more high-speed trip down the track.
The prospect of seeing his dragster go down the track one more time certainly had given him something to live for. Two days after we all got together to celebrate his life and the fulfillment of his dying wish, Bob finally succumbed to the disease that took him away much too young.
He didn't give up on his dreams ... there's something in that for all of us.

Someone's been building a little home for their babies out of the spinach leaves.
I picked some spinach before to make pie later and among the little beasites I rescued from the rinsing bowl were a brown lacewing (one of my favourite little beneficial beasties), a cute little yellow spider (he got put back out with the aphids) and these leaves that show a leaf-cutter bee (Megachile spp) has been workig hard to make a nest for the next lot of youngsters. Native bees are quite happy to hang out in your garden if you provide the right habitat for them. Grow blue, violet or purple flowers for them as these can be more easily seen by insects, and provide homes by drilling holes (about 4-6 mm) in wood for them to nest in. Free pollination and increased biodiversity are the result.
Leafcutter bees at work.

What is this pretty purple pea-flowered tree?

Any suggestions would be gladly accepted. Saw one at the Perth Zoo and then a piece got bought into my work. I'd love to identify it and am stubborn enough to keep looking until I find out.

According to one of the clever folks at the id this plant section of gardenweb, it seems I have an answer.
Bolusanthus speciosus - tree-wisteria

Nothing to do with permaculture but personal health.

On Wednesday I had a hemi-thyroidectomy, the left half of my thyroid gland removed. It was lumpy and had been bothering my breathing sometimes by choking me. Luckily it was the first time I'd had to attend hospital for any surgery or other overnight stay, so I've been lucky so far. Even better, I had a room by myself and with a great view of Fremantle oval and the markets.
I have been getting looked after since I came home by my lovely 'husband'/boyfriend and his aunty, who came from the eastern states for the purpose.
I think the worst thing about the whole event has been the drugs I was put on. The pain relief is doing my head in and the stronger analgesic is just too horrible to take more than at bedtime. Fortunately I am a quick healer and am managing to lie about a LOT and nap a LOT so the wound is already looking better, although invisible stitches leave it looking fairly open and a bit nasty. I'm hoping to scare some kids with it at Halloween.
Generally I have a fairly healthy diet, largely organic and biodynamic with plenty of vegetables. The drugs and antibiotics are knocking my system about. Last night, and again now I am awake at a ridiculous hour, having relaxed and snoozed all day I am now wide awake at the wrong part of the day. The pain drugs seem to be making me have bad dreams, too, rather disturbing. They seem like a highly addictive substance so I'm not very keen to take them much if I can help it. The paracetamol are mostly doing their job during the day.
So here I am at 1 am typing and having a snack before hopefully sleeping the rest of the night.
Its difficult doing nothing and asking for help so I do get to heal quickly. We have been eating lots of fresh foods and vegetable juices, healing from the inside.
One thing that made me happy this morning was discovering that our frogs have made a big batch of tadpoles so I will soon be able to ring some of the backlog of tadpole wanting folk I that have been in contact with me over the last few months.
Cute little squiggles and plenty of them.
Goody..now ...can I go to sleep yet??