Sic Transit Gloria Seami

So, in light of a recent new years resolution I'm going to track my gardening activities here. Feel free to heap praise on my efforts, also if it sounds like my activities are going to kill something, feel free to speak up!.

I'm going to format this thus: A quick update giving the overall state of play of the plants, an outline of my activities for the day and a note about future plans:


UPDATE:

Looking over the pots things are looking reasonable:

We've got about 14 tomatoes coming, all very green and quite small at this stage, but that will improve.
We have butter beans out the front, that I think have now done their dash.... Time to replace them with something!.
Zucchini's are flowering a lot, so hopefully we'll see some fruit soon.
Capsicums look healthy, one of the containers of chillis looks about dead, but that's okay, there's plenty more.
Cucumbers, carrots and onions all look pretty stable to me.

Our worm farm looks like it's about ready to have the bottom tray rotated again, which means MORE FERTILISER! (not really caps worthy, but I'm excited), which would be a good idea. Haven't given the plants that kind of feed for a while. Just worm juice weekly....

Today:
Today I got something out of the way, I finally transplanted the silverbeet. We had 6 plants growing in a foam veggie box, and they were a bit cramped. The soil in the box was also too shallow, so I topped it up. We now have 3 silverbeet in a round pot and 3 in the original container. See if that prompts some more growth.
I watered them in and gave them some worm juice to keep them happy/alive. Also gave everything a water, so that should keep things ticking along.

NEXT:
The plan is to start planting out some of the winter things in the next couple of weeks. We're going to grow from seed this time, so we're giving ourselves a chance to propagate and then plant into containers. We'll see how it all goes....

http://runkeeper.com/user/MCshamo/activity/18831916

Relates to this post:

http://shamo.dreamwidth.org/229170.html

I have had a splendid weekend.

Utterly splendid.

We had a night at the Langham Hotel on Southbank (with a random upgrade from a Club Room to the Corner Spa Suite). Saw Thyestes (brilliant piece of theatre, not event appropriate, but still brilliant theatre (more on this in a later post... but have a quick look here for an idea: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-thyestes.html).

So yes, fun, frivolity and opulence.

Very spoilt, and very lucky.

I'll see many of you Friday!

I haven't done one of these in a while. So here's the story of 2010 so far:

At the beginning of 2010 I started to strategise a pathway into drama teaching, which I decided last year sometime was the way for me to go. So I flicked through university websites, last year I had gone to look at what's actually involved in doing a Dip Ed. and what you need to have done to qualify for various teaching methods etc.... I discovered that I was short some drama and theatre subjects, the VIT and universities weren't interested in practical experience, it had to be a formal qualification.

So, thought I, I need to do a Grad Certificates worth of study in the field - enough to qualify for a 'minor' in drama/theatre studies alongside my major in Classical studies. So, off I went. Scouring for somewhere I could do such a course. Melbourne was being all "Melbourne Modeled", so it was useless to me. Deakin and Monash both had drama/theatre schools - but they were all either undergrad or full Masters programs. So I settled on La Trobe. I got everything in the pipeline, and asked them about what was involved, when forms had to be in etc....

The answer I got was that I'd be fine to get in. They also gave me semester dates, from which I deduced Semester 1 would be impossible what with the wedding and all the followed. Turns out I DEFINITELY made the right decision given dad's passing 6 and a half weeks after I was married.

So I held off and applied for semester 2 at the absolute last minute. I started this week. I am doing:

Processed based performance
Shakespeare in Performance
3rd year Production

Which is grand. So basically I have no lectures, all my classes are workshops/rehearsals. I've got Shayne to carpool in with each morning I'm at uni, and I'll be in a show at the start of October.

So.... where's the downside? I'm going to have to quit the playground. Which is unfortunate, but it's going to be necessary for me to see this through. I couldn't work it next year anyway, as I'll be doing a Dip Ed. And I'm pretty sure study like that and a quasi-full-time job do not mix. So that's that then....

All things being equal, by the end of summer semester I'll have completed the grad cert, and I can start a Dip Ed. - possibly back at Melbourne - and I'll have started on my merry way. I'll do classical studies and drama, and be the coolest teacher in the universe.

Let's see what the future holds! It's good to be underway again. I feel like I've stood still for too long - career wise that is. Life has bounded ahead in most other departments. But jobs stuff has stagnated.

I spent this evening writing a grant application to the City of Yarra to fund a "edible garden" project at Cubbies.

It asks:

What are the aims of this project.

I wanted to write:

We want to get kids to grow their own food because gardening is fun and educational, and research (and common sense) shows that kids that have more fun and are smarter are less likely to go to jail, do drugs, commit suicide, torture people, mug old ladies, kill kittens or commit genocide later in life.

what I wrote was something like:

This project aims to engage youth in a positive and educational activity that will engender a sense of empowerment and self-reliance, while strengthening social networks and confidence.

Or something. I actually can't remember

EDIT: I found the text:

The Cubbies Garden Project will:
• encourage young people and children to participate in a positive and healthy activity.
• foster a sense of independence and control in young people by allowing them to design their own garden and control their own space
• equip children and young people with skills and provide education about sustainability, health and horticulture.
• increase the capacity of Cubbies in the long term, opening up a whole new kind of activity for young people to enjoy in the playground for years to come.

I like the first one better. The grant-maker would probably disagree....

Our wedding rings arrived today.

That is all.

x-posted to Geeky and Freaky

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I had a dance lesson (a very informal one) with my aunt Anna yesterday so that mstakenidentity and I can waltz at the wedding. It was awesome, I had a great deal of fun! And the actual dancing part of it was deeply enjoyable. Something in it tickles my romantic side I think....

We're going to keep it up over the coming weeks, and (hopefully) look stunning on the day. At least that's the plan.

And I only burst out laughing twice! And I think it was only noticeable once....

For Chris' Birthday I'm taking her here .

I've been looking for an excuse to try the joint out, so yeah....

She doesn't know, and is flocked from this. She'll find out tonight.

EDIT: Unlocking now, because the birthday is done!

It was fantastic, highly recommended.