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croaking. The sound is a tenor "Bonk. Bonk." As you have probably guessed by my punctuation and spacing, there is a bit of time out between each croak. I know it's anthropomorphising again, but it's almost like either a conversation with each other, where they take turns, or they are waiting for a reply to their calls.

Speaking of amphibians, the gorgeous green and gold frog I found/rescued from the cattle watering trough when we first moved in here over two and a half years ago, is a Growling Grass Frog. It's endangered (well, the species is, I think ours is doing awfully well on slaters and the occasional worm). The other ones in Alice's room are Banjo Frogs and we have at least two Common Froglets in a terrarium in the bathroom.

The Royal Melbourne Show was a great success, although to my chagrin, the daschunds were judged on Monday of the week previously. Botheration!

There are so many wonderful things on display at such Agricultural Shows - the creativity by amateurs makes me salivate. I saw a cake that was fashioned after a Thai Royal Barge. Its icing was superb. And you should have seen the Hardanger and tatting! Woo hoo!

The pig races were brilliant! The Grand Finale, involving a pig (all were miniatures, who perform internationally) jumping from a diving board into heated water, was great fun.

Ahh! The fireworks. Perhaps that's all that Guy Fawkes was really interested in after all. No. I don't think so.

Brian bought a really cheap caravan at a Clearance Sale today. Why do I hear you say you are not surprised? Well, it will be useful for holidays, particularly down at Killarney Beach.

The freezer died the day after Ewok. Actually, it must have died previously, for everything was defrosted, so it's a bit chancy to cook it up for humans. Botheration! All of that Lamby, and a whole lot of other stuff, bought when meat of various types was going cheaply per kilo!

It's just that I discovered it only after Ewok died, as I had bought a large box full of chicken frames (uncooked, excellent food for dogs. I never give cooked bones to dogs, they can splinter in their stomachs and cause problems. Yes, I know, I've never had problems either, but just in case, I don't do it any more), for half the normal price per kilo, had to put a bit more in, and discovered a distinct lack of ice in the ice chest. Thankfully, Brian discovered that all he had to do was move the plug to another part of the power board and she was Jake, mate. That is to say, Professor, everything was alright.

My Mother just 'phoned to let me know she is bumping up the rent by $10/week because of increased water rates. I kinda wish there was someplace one could apply for cost-of-living increases in wages. It would make life a little easier, wouldn't it? Thankfully, we didn't get charged for any excess, which is great, as we do try to keep down such things. Just because we are blessed enough to have a reasonable rainfall down here, does not mean I should splurge on water.

Speaking of weather reports and lack of rain, I have just heard today that to the very East of the state of Victoria (our state), the Police have blocked off our major highway because of bushfires. How dreadful! I have never heard of them happening in early Spring. It does not bode well for our Summer. One can almost hear the pitter-patter of dogs and cats falling.

"Spring is sprung

the grass is riz

I wonder where the birdies is.

The birds are on the wing

That's funny!

I thought the wings were on the bird!

My word! How absurd!"

Old nonsense poem

I have just been reading Peter Cundall's column in The Weekly Times, which is a rural-dedicated newspaper for Victoria. Peter's a fabulous gardener, very knowledgable in many areas, but with a particular passion for vegetables.

This week, Peter talks about mulching. He states that mulching is all very well and good for weed control, but that if we expect soild to be kept warm by mulch, we are mistaken. "Thick, moist mulches are chilly, insulating blankets that stop the sun's heat warming the soil.

"This doesn't matter so much in the ornamental or fruit garden where mulches smother weeds and grass while feeding the soil in early spring (or, one presumes, Autumn).

"Most of these plants love cool, moist soils, so by all means go berserk with plenty of mulching materials all year round.

"The story is different in the vegetable garden.

"Cool season mulching can be a problem because some plants need warm conditions around their roots."

He goes on to write that brassicas, onions, broadbeans and even peas are OK with mulch, as even in chilly soil, they will keep growing, whilst leeks and garlic actually thrive when surrounded by cooling mulch.

Well-decayed organic matter in the soil acts like a heat bank. Uncovered soil warms ten times faster than that beneath mulch. Save the mulches for stopping summer becoming too hot on plant roots and ending destructive temperature fluctuations between hot days and cool nights. Creating ridges in the soil can help seedlings warm up, too.

Old Fashioned Egg Noodles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 beaten egg

Method:

Add dry ingredients to egg. Mix thoroughly. Roll thin, let stand for 20 minutes. Then roll up and cut to any width desired. Cook for ten minutes in hot broth. Noodles can be frozen.

Dominus tecum.

Leonie