Just a short note on the War on Waste post. There is no radio program, it's an online digital program as well as a downloadable podcast. I hope you have the time to listen. It is relevant to all of us.
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- Ireland - 68%
- Europe West - 16% - primarily located in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein
- Great Britain - 8%
- Scandinavia - 6%
- Iberian Peninsula - less than 1% - primarily Spain and Portugal
- West Asia - less than 1% - this is the Caucasus region which is Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey
It's pretty much what I expected although, even though I "feel" very Irish, I didn't expect my Irishness to be 68 percent. Win/win, Australian AND Irish. My main cultural group is Munster Irish, which is the southern parts of Ireland - Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and Kerry. I had often wondered why I'd been compelled to name one of my sons Kerry, and maybe there is a reason. Maybe I have a significant but forgotten link to County Kerry.
Since receiving my DNA profile, I've been contacted by a cousin I'd never heard of. Our great grandmothers were sisters. When we were on the book tour, Tricia and I took advantage of our visit to Wagga and visited the house our mother was born in. This "new" cousin was born in Wagga too, so knowing my DNA profile connected me with a place and a time and through that, a relative. The past is such an intriguing, engaging and endlessly interesting place and having done this research I'm very comfortable with my own history.
Hanno and I had an easy Monday. Most of our days are easy now, I think it's the payoff for growing old. We had our breakfast and were at Aldi when the doors opened at 8.30am. We had a moderate amount of shopping to do - vegetables, fruit, groceries and meat, and we were home again with everything packed away by 9.30am. It's easier and faster when we shop together. Our local Aldi was refurbished recently and reopened in April. It's made the store easier to shop in and the products seem to be in a logical place now. It still has that big area in the centre with all the cheap specials, which I'm not a fan of, but the rest of the store flows well and the displays and frozen goods are easier to access. Has your local Aldi been transformed too?
Clearing the mulch to add more fertiliser. The soil here, once heavy clay, is now fertile, friable and full of worms.
The garden is growing really well this year. All the turnips and bok choy have been harvested and the lettuce and daikon will be finished next week. We've been drinking fresh orange juice every day for the past couple of week so the oranges will be finished soon too. Tomatoes are flowering and the first tomatoes are hanging like green jewels on the plants. I am really looking forward to having home -grown tomatoes once again. The chickens have lifted their game too and yesterday we got eight eggs. Looks like a spinach and cheese pie will be on the menu next week. Hanno removed the mulch where the turnips had been yesterday and added more organic fertiliser. Today we'll plant sprouting broccoli there.
I've been moving pots around again and brought in an old bird bath and filled it with smooth pebbles so the birds and insects have access to clean water and a safe place from which to drink. It's always a work in progress, things change all the time in vegetables gardens and with care and work, we can keep ours productive and beautiful well into November. It seems that 2017 is a good year for gardening. How is your garden going?
I live in the US. In North Florida, to be exact, and I just came back from picking green beans and cucumbers and one squash from my little garden. There are others on the vine, not ready to be picked yet. My shelling beans are swelling and will be ready to start picking very soon. My tomatoes are coming along but I don't think this will be a good year for them. I have eggplant about ready to pick. We can't grow greens and broccoli and beets and carrots until winter but that is always my favorite gardening time when the heat and the bugs give us a break. It's always something, though, and it's always curious, and it's always rewarding.
ReplyDeleteGosh, our dna profiles are just about identical! I too have found a 2nd cousin. She is in Holland and I have been able to help her with family questions. I even discovered a half sister. I have filled some unknown facts in my little family tree and I am now content to leave it be. I spent too much time on my tablet and am looking forward to being more present.
ReplyDeleteWe have bought our little 100sqm house for retirement. It has a verandah around half of it, faces the sun and 3 small bedrooms. The living area has high white cathedral ceilings which gives it a spacious feeling. We don't move in permanently until the end of year. We can slowly move stuff in from the end of this month though and spend weekends there. It's in a little town just what we were hoping for. I can't wait to make it ours and start a garden again. I was thinking about that when I saw the beautiful soil in your garden Rhonda. So inspiring! The garden has a lot of pebbles and spiky plants which we will slowly change out to flowering shrubs, lavender, roses, Salvia etc in my favourite blues,pinks,purples and whites.
The house was refurbished beautifully 3 years ago and we only plan to change the wallpaper which are bold dark colours. Hopefully the walls will be good enough to paint some soft calm colours.
I am so excited with planning our 'Down to Earth' ideas for it ☺🏡🌼
Your little house sounds delightful. No wonder you're excited. I'm slowly building up my collection of salvias. They're the ideal plant for the climate here and will grow well in both winter and summer. Enjoy your house planning, Jamie. xx
DeleteI would love to watch the War on Waste however need to download iview first. I have watched the trailer and am very interested.
ReplyDeleteYour DNA profile was interesting, I think I would also rate high in my 'Irishness' too.
Our Aldi was extended and refurbished a few years ago. It is a very long shop now and easy to move around and locate items. I will be popping in Wednesday to buy some Merino leggings.
Our garden is coming along and still teaching me so much every day. I think that will always happen. Growing my first broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. So far so good.
Have a great day.
Kylie
We are coming to the end of last season's greens and have planted out the next season's seedlings - still the same varieties though: spinach, kale, beetroot and various other green veg. Lots of herbs have gone in. We are finding that buying in season is cheap enough from the green grocer that we are focusing our growing efforts on lots of leaves and herbs - things that pack a nutritional punch but expensive to buy in the shops. Thankfully it seems that our first winter in NZ will be wet enough to save any watering on our part!
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda, very interesting DNA results..
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing the positive impact compost and mulch have on soil. Ours is clay too and I have made it my mission to improve it! I have collected leaves from the fruit trees and the street!
Composted all that will compost! and mulched using lentil and pea straw. Even after only 18 months the changes in the soil composition is incredible. We have so many happy worms too. By the way, those worm towers you blogged about a year or so ago are brilliant. I have 7 and they work at treat. Cheers Jo
Jo, I'm so pleased you mentioned the worm towers. I meant to put two in this season. I'll work on that this week. Thank you! Good luck with your soil.
DeleteRhonda, I have relatives from Ireland on both sides of the family as well as Scottish family on my mum's side. I would love to visit them but that is never going to happen. It has been lovely weather for gardening lately and we have been repairing our watersaver garden that sprung a leak and hopefully it will be finished before it warms up again. Things don't move too quickly around here these days :-)
ReplyDeleteRhonda, where did you do your DNA through? I've been doing my family tree for about 8 years now. Have found a direct line to 14th century Cornwall and 13 direct line convicts. 2 First Fleeters!
ReplyDeleteI used ancestry.com.au. Online research makes the detective work of genealogy quick and easy. I've been researching since the early 1980s, I started after my children were born, and then used written letters and microfiche. Then, one enquiry took months. Like you we have many convicts and lines that have taken me to places unexpected.
DeleteHow interesting ....and 68% Irish. Would love to have mine done. Which DNA testing service did you use Ronda and how long did it take to get the result. Not in any hurry mind you...... nothing is a rush these days....hehe
ReplyDeleteGail, I used ancestry.com.au and it took about two months.
DeleteHello Rhonda, I just really wanted to pop by & tell you (again) how very much I enjoy your blog & your writings. I was so delighted on the weekend when my youngest daughter in law told me how she had finally found the time to start to read your book I had gifted her for her birthday a few months ago & how much she was enjoying it & looking forward to putting things into practise. It made me feel so happy in my heart. That is a lovely photo of your husband you have captured. Have a super week Rhonda.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful, Julie. It makes me happy too. I hope your daughter-in-law puts all the steps in place to lead her family into a productive and happy future. xx
DeleteI had my DNA done some time ago, and I bought one for my son for his birthday.
ReplyDeleteMy three main ancestors came from Great Britain, Western Europe, and Irish.
But most of my Irish roots came from the Northern part.
Since I'm North of Equator our garden is just starting but it all doing well.
Coffee is on
My garden is powering along. I was worried it wasn't going to do so well as I usually plant out seeds in trays in February and the seedling into the garden towards the end of March. This year the end of summer was so hot that I didn't get much in at all until April. I now am reaping the harvest and loving it. The bak choy are finished but the wombok have taken over. I picked eight little red tomatoes today. Our first for this year. The beans are providing enough each day for the two of us as part of our meal. Silver beet is on the menu every second day.
ReplyDeleteWe have been here for four years now and our soil was pure sand not so long ago. Lots of mulching and adding of compost has given me a lovely growing medium. I keep adding more organic material each year as this helps keep the soil moist. I too have worm towers through the garden and they are a marvellous addition.
Enjoy your garden and the produce that comes from it.
Your DNA results are really interesting, Rhonda. How lovely to have connected with a cousin now. Isn't it lovely to be able to harvest food from your own garden...I love growing veggies. The garden here is really producing a lot this year, lots of lettuce, silverbeet, spinach and lots more. OUr mandarins have been lovely too, I like nothing more than picking one and sitting on the grass near the tree to eat it. Can't get faster, fresher food than that! Meg:)
ReplyDeleteGarden is looking fabulous.
ReplyDeleteMum is still to order her DNA kit, I can't wait for her to do it. She's away with my youngest brother in Ballarat at the moment tracing back some more family history.
They have broken ground on our local Aldi store and I can't wait for it to open in a few months time. No official date yet but I have heard whisperings of October. I assume it will be of this new furbished style.
Hi Rhonda I was just wondering, my sister mentioned she was concerned about Ancestory.com keeping your DNA on file, is this correct and do you think it would be a problem? Judi
ReplyDeleteHi Judi. When you sign up for this you're made aware that your DNA may be used for medical research. I have no concerns about that. If my DNA was used for that purpose, I'd be happy to help. Having your DNA tested is entirely voluntary. If you don't agree to the conditions, you just don't do it.
DeleteGood Lord ! My husband is hoping they don't make a clone of me lol !!
ReplyDelete( After all , they do have my DNA too...... heehee )
Seriously though , I found my results interesting too , Rhonda and it explained things about me that I had pondered :)
Our DNA is already accessible already through all the multiple medical tests most of us have throughout our lives on the planet :)
All our area ALdi stores were refurbished over the winter. They closed 3 out of 5 area stores which made the remaining two very crowded and the shelves were bare because of so many shoppers. We were so glad when it all went back to normal! The new layout is very much better after we finally found where everything was. My husband loves to see what the middle section has to offer whenever we go. Most of the time I can avoid an expenditure from there but sometimes not. When I go alone I just don't look at those things and so I do not want those things. :) Lidl opens here next week and I feel Aldi is trying hard to compete. I am looking forward to seeing what Lidl has to offer and the prices.
ReplyDeleteVery interested in why you added smooth pebbles in the bird bath, does it help with keeping the slime away?
ReplyDelete"I've been moving pots around again and brought in an old bird bath and filled it with smooth pebbles so the birds and insects have access to clean water and a safe place from which to drink. "
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