climbing trees, gardening, and mobilo

This week…

We’ve had some hot, hot days – 38 to 44 degrees celsius. And some cooler days (20 degrees) in between the hot spells.

The eldest boy taught the other two how to climb the lilly pilly tree. That tree was his domain, but he happily taught them how to climb. He supported and encouraged them and was genuinely happy that he had someone else to share the tree with. I see a teacher in this boy. He loves knowledge, talking about ideas, and interacting. It’s where he shines. Other parents are astounded with how kind and patient he is with young children.

The youngest boy is a “yarner” as we say in Aboriginal culture. He loves a story. His interest extends to movies, and he would happily spend his days watching movies. But at 10 o’clock in the morning when the day is cooler and there is plenty of scope for play, I told him to find something to do that did not involve a screen. He grumbled, a lot. I simply said “from boredom, comes great creativity, you’ll figure it out”. He found the Mobilo, and with his eldest brother, they built a star ship. They played for an hour with the star ship, and then they went outside to continue the game with role play.

The older dogs have been very generous with sharing their bones with the puppy.

I always feel whole after a few hours pottering in the garden. I learnt to garden from my father and grandfather, and from the age of 8 I tended our large urban vegetable garden myself. My mum had depression so meals were in short supply at times. The garden provided a fresh supply of food but it rarely got to the table. My brothers and I took the produce straight from the plant or out of the ground, washed it under the garden hose, and ate it. To this day I prefer to eat raw vegetables. These days I grow some vegies and herbs in pots. It’s not our main source of fresh food, it’s more of a hobby. The satin bowerbirds usually get to the crops before I do, they even eat chilli.

The youngest boy enjoys helping out around the garden. Not because he is particularly interested in plants but he enjoys the interaction and being of service. His dad has been taking him to swimming lessons this week, and on one trip home he said “I feel like I haven’t spent enough time with mum this week”. So we spent an afternoon in the garden together. We saw the hanging planters advertised and thought we would give them a go. There are roma tomatoes in one bag, and lebanese cucumbers in the other. The plants poke out of a hole at the bottom and grow down. We also got a hanging strawberry planter. When I read The Lorax the next morning to this boy, he instinctively cupped his hands to catch the Truffala seed.