late autumn observations

After periods of steady rain in the past few weeks, the ground is soft, mushrooms and other fungi are pushing up from under the leaf mould, and the frogs are croaking. Everything looks green - even if much of that is moss or germinating weeds.

Bulbs are showing new growth - the amaryllis on the bank are flourishing, and the many I've lifted and transplanted into areas I'm trying to build up are starting to peep out with their new leaves. I'm still not sure of my logic with these, but given that (a) they can obviously grow and multiply here, when so little else does, and (b)digging them up revealed - shock! delight! - actual worms and workable soil at their base, I'm figuring they can only help. And they are beautiful, even if it's a pity that the flowers are pink!

Other bulbs showing life include sparaxis transplanted from roadside, jonquils under clothes line (though no sign yet of lifted jonquil and daffodil bulbs planted into swale mounds), and shallots saved from veggie garden - both the ones planted back into veg beds and the ones experimentally planted into swale mounds under olives. There's even an iris popping up - must be from the rhizomes passed on from Glenys at linedancing - I thought none survived but apparently at least one did!

Elsewhere, trees planted as the lower wind/firebreak seem to be progressing steadily - a matter of waiting and watching till spring, I think - and veg bed with a few winter veg are looking good - one pesky slug got removed from a broccoli seedling, but herbs, shallots and silver beet are happy, as is self-sown rocket. Some of the broad bean seeds I'd harvested from last crop and replanted, and given up on, have even sprouted.

The other big achievement - there are lemons on one of the potted lemon trees! Only a few, and very small, but they are still a great sign.

Succulents and pelargoniums planted as cuttings out the back are all flourishing - not sure how they're part of my permaculture system, but good to see them in great health.

And just in time, got my act together to harvest olives. The only productive tree is the big one by the causeway - the usual suspect! - and it didn't have a lot of fruit, but what it had were plump and very black. They look like classic kalamata, and perhaps they are. Other trees showed at best small clusters of undeveloped currant-sized fruit.

THINGS TO FOLLOW UP:
* dry/cure picked olives
* connect up new swales in olive grove
* research possible uses for hawthorn berries
* soil testing
* try transplanting wirilda seedlings from dam
* lift and plant out potted iris from kindergarten fete
* research trees that can be ordered from Katie
* plant more broad beans for harvesting/soil improvement