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as does my husband, but the English language is very rich. In what other language can a fat chance and a slim chance mean the same thing?!

It has been raining most of the week, and there has been some minor illness in the Family, but, thankfully, we're over the worst of it now.

Brian let Porgy and Bess out to one of the paddocks this morning, for the dual purpose of giving their pen a proper clean out and letting them have their fangy way with the weeds in that paddock. As soon as they realised they had a reasonable amount of area in which to move, they raced around and literally kicked up their heels. It was such fun and such a reward to watch them. A bored piggy is a destructive piggy, same as many humans.

I occurred to me that I have not been doing my duty by you nice people. I have been forgetting to update you on what I have discovered via print. Well, here is something of great interest to all of you apiarists out there:

Looking through the June/July 1999 (Number 133) copy of Grass Roots magazine, in the Feedback section (Letters to the Ed.), Dr Anne Dollin writes about our native bees. Our native bees are fascinating because they are stingless and domesticable. She wanted information from people keeping them, even as pets. Now I had never thought in my wildest (excuse the pun) dreams about bees as pets! If you want further information, her address is: Australian Native Bee Research Centre, PO Box 74-G4, North Richmond, 2754, Australia. I am seriously thinking of keeping Native Bees, as the price of honey is amazing, and I feel that we could do very well, not only for our own use, but perhaps to market. (Also visit GrassRoots.org and see what is online!)

Writing as I have of bees, you may remember that Brian bought at auction a very cheap wood burning stove. Something like $2 or $5, I think he paid for it. It was chockblock full of beehive, but we didn't dare take the honey out as we did not know if it had been sprayed. Honey itself, I understand, keeps indefinitely. I remember reading an urban tale (myth or not, I don't know) about the ancient Egyptians using honey to preserve bodies. One bloke came across a jar full of it, took it home and started eating, only to discover a hair. He pulled on the hair and eventually twin babies came out. They had been preserved for thousands of years. The disgust one naturally feels would probably be alleviated when one imagines how much such a find would be worth. The mind (and the stomach) boggles.

Well, back to the beehive in the oven. I noticed yesterday that live bees are being lazy and recycling with a passion, going in and filling up on the honey. I still don't think I will dare to touch the stuff for our Family's consumption, just in case the bees get poisoned some time after their gathering.

Brian's two sons are now living with us, in the old caravan near the Feathers yard. They do not seem to notice the noise of the geese, who are busy sorting out who should mate with whom and "how dare you intrude on my patch of mud!" We are at the very other end of the house, and I am still woken up by their carryon.

The chooks are laying again (finally!) and we have discovered two nests so far. When I say "we", Brian found one, Caution, the other. She knew I was watching her, so did not steal any. I am very grateful for Caution's desire to be helpful, every time her husband, David, escaped when we lived in the old bank building, just previous to this farm, she would happily show me just where he had tunnelled out. So you see, when I write of what daschies do in my stories, they do have an actual basis in fact!

Back to Grass Roots magazine, same issue: on page 23, Noel Carr writes about a seedling starter for cold weather. Since you nice folks in the Northern Hemisphere are plotting (I hope!) what has to be done in the future whilst you are lolling by the pool or beach (Ha! I hear Nita say), this might be of some use a short time down the track.

Noel says that the idea originated with Megan Jordan and Sophie Mason, working with Wollongong City Mission. "They were with a group of young people learning about permaculture when they decided to do their own thing. Taking a spade they dug a hole 150 x 90 centimetres and 45 centimetres deep. This excavation was covered by a piece of perspex 200 x 120 centimetres (rubbish tip material). In the below ground space they placed their seedlings.

"We live in a very frosty area and after a couple of weeks the seedlings were thriving, amazing to see in the middle of winter.

"CONSTRUCTION TIPS

Must be built on sloping ground so as to miss a water table.
On very frosty nights the glass top must be covered with hessian.
The glass must have a certain amount of shade as season warms up. (Note from Leonie - if you know your sun angles, you may be able to arrange this to suit!)
No need to water as it works like a terrarium.
Slowly harden plants off.

"ADVANTAGES

Fairly constant ground temperature.
No need for timber or brick construction.
Very cheap materials."

There follows an excellent diagram (sorry, no scanner avail.) which shows both side view and aerial view. The dirt from the hole has be piled up on the up slope side to divert water. This diversion then becomes a swale, and, based on permaculture principles, you could probably use the diversion to have that water go where you need it.

Grass Roots edited by Megg Miller and Mary Horsfall. Published by Grass Roots Publishing Pty Ltd, Box 117, Seymour 3661.

Brian has just been watering the pigs. This is not the usual watering one thinks. He had the hose on low pressure, the pigs each opened their mouths and pursed their lower lips (really cute!) and sucked up as much water as they could. They thought it enormous fun. Another diversion for them!

Brian has also been busy this morning carting Feathers Muck out of the enclosure. I think our veggies are going to get an excellent start this year! He's put Pig Muck on one end, and Feather on the other, which he will leave for a while. He will then rotary hoe it into the soil, and then we will plant. In the meantime, the chooks have access to the Veggie Garden and will work their way through, getting rid of all of the bugs, growing even fatter and healthier, and having a rare old time!

Gratitude

Thankyou, dear Lord,

for busy chooks,

pecking away with beady eye.

Thankyou, dear Father,

for happy pigs,

waiting for brekky within the sty.

Thankyou, my God,

for floppy puppies,

all tongue and tail and joyous cry.

Thankyou, sweet Jesus,

for friends who help,

whenever they're by.

Thankyou, Creator,

for all that You give,

so freely, so well, all that is mine.